"Old Man"

March 1971, 3 months later

Professor Witherspoon stood at the front of the Monday morning sixth year defence against the dark arts class, lecturing the students on non-verbal jinxes. As he waved his wand to move the projector onto the next slide. A series of jinxes accompanied by photographs of them in action. Despite his undeniably interesting presentation, Serenity was too occupied in her conversation with Lakita and Juliet in the back corner of the room to register that the room had fallen silent. The girls giggled as Serenity's cheeks filled with a blush, and she sunk down in her seat.

"You guys won't let that go-"

"Serenity Rier." The three of them look up, the entire class had turned to watch them along with their professor. As he raised his eyebrows at her, she clears her throat and sits up straight. He purses his lips as she scowls at him. "Can you tell me the benefits of performing non-verbal spells?"

She huffs, leaning forward on the table to stare at the projected images in front of them. Squinting her eyes, she shakes her head.

"No professor," the class begins sniggering as Professor Witherspoon begins to sink into the floor, "I can't say I can." As she laughs, he squints his eyes and looks around at the class. They were all giggling and pointing at him, everything was getting taller.

"What-" he looks down and finally notices the floor rising up around his knees or, his knees sinking into the floor? He couldn't quite tell. "Serenity!" He presses his hands against the ground and tries to push out. The floor came up around his waist. "Rier!" He stopped sinking.

Serenity cleared her throat and stood on her desk, arms spread.

"And that, everyone, is an example of the orbis jinx. Non-verbal and wandless, if I might add." She looked down at Professor Witherspoon as the floor pushed him back into the room. "You see, Professor, I don't need to be taught about non-verbal magic. I grew up with it, I have mastered it." She stepped down from the desk and slumped back down in her chair.

Professor Witherspoon sighed and brushed himself down. His face flushed as the students grew restless and Serenity continued to challenge him. Composing himself, he points a shaky finger at her.

"Get out." He tells her, the sharpness of his tone, silencing the room. "Go see Headmaster Dumbledore." She rolls her eyes and looks at Juliet and Lakita, finding the two of them looking around the room. Scoffing, she picks up her bag and makes a swift exit from the room.

As she walked the corridors, humming to herself, she didn't come into contact with anyone- not even a seventh year, some of which she knew didn't have lessons. The trek from the third floor up to the seventh was less than preferable and, as she stared down the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's tower, her patience grew thin. Witherspoon was overreacting, her teachers always seemed to overreact now, and Slughorn had even threatened her membership in the Slug Club.

Pursing her lips and lowering her eyebrows as she reached the guardian, she suddenly remembered that McGonagall had whispered a password the last time they were here. Huffing and crossing her arms, she fixes the stone beast with a glare and racks her brain for what McGonagall had said.

"Uhm," she looks to the ceiling for inspiration, "fizzing whizzbees." A moment passes and the gargoyle doesn't move. "Chocoballs." Nothing. "Liquorice snaps?" Groaning and throwing her head back, she circles the gargoyle. Narrowing her eyes and clenching her fists, she grits her teeth and releases a frustrated yell. Pressing her hands against it, she channels her magic into it. Her intentions weren't clear, but when she gave up and slumped against it, the beast moved to the side and revealed a staircase that began to wind upwards. Gawking, she nods to the statue. "Thank you."

At the top of the tower, she reached out and knocked on the door. From inside, Headmaster Dumbledore bid her enter. When the door opened to reveal her, he peered over his glasses and watched as she stared around the room, still in awe despite her recent visits.

"Serenity?" Falling into the chair in front of his desk, she smirks up at him and then up at the red and amber phoenix on the perch beside them. Nodding, impatient for him to start speaking, she shrugs and twitches her fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Professor Witherspoon sent me. He's a bit cranky today, if you ask me." Dumbledore had yet to say much. Clearing her throat, Serenity motions up at the phoenix. "Fawkes is looking healthy, how long until-"

"How did you get up here?" Shutting her mouth, Serenity shrugs.

"The gargoyle moved. I tried to remember what Professor Mcgonagall said last time, but it didn't seem to work. I tried to push it and... it opened the door for me." Dumbledore's eyes narrowed and his lips purse, the action made his beard and moustache join together. "Anyway," she shrugs, "Witherspoon must not have had enough breakfast because he did not seem amused when I demonstrated the orbis jinx for him." Dumbledore links his fingers and rests on his hands, saying nothing. "Okay... maybe I used the jinx on him, but he asked about non-verbal spells! They're basically my speciality. Besides, it was a joke. I was going to take him out once the floor reached his waist and I did!" She shrugs and slouches. "Everyone else liked it," she mumbles.

"Did you ask him if you could jinx him?"

"Well, no."

"And what have we discussed about wandless magic?" Serenity looks away, crossing her arms and huffing. She rolls her eyes.

"Save it for the lessons." She sits up suddenly. "But those lessons are after dinner and only three times a week! It's not fair, I grew up performing wandless magic, it's who I am. You keep telling me not to use it but that's like, like," she waves her hand, trying to find the right words, "like telling a wand not to perform a spell cast by its owner."

"You're not a wand, Serenity." She scoffs.

"I know that. I'm just saying that you're oppressing me and my capabilities. You haven't put the same restrictions on Erin or the others." Dumbledore sighs and shakes his head.

"Perhaps that's because they don't perform jinxes on unsuspecting professors?" Serenity rolls her eyes but still says nothing. "I do understand your frustrations, Serenity. You are a powerful girl, I have no doubt about that, but you are using your power to harm people, whether it is a joke or not. I'm afraid, after much deliberation with Professors Sprout and McGonagall, we have agreed that we have been far too lenient." Her heart seemed to pick up at that, although her slack face wouldn't betray such a thing. "Peeves has been particularly consistent on messing with the trophy display. Filch has been asking for a student to clean them for him. Until the end of the year you will clean that display every time Peeves messes it up again," he peers down at her, "without magic." Her mouth drops open and, as she begins to protest, he holds up his hand. "And you will serve a Saturday detention with each professor you have jinxed."

"What? But that's, like-" she pauses to count, Dumbledore smiles sympathetically.

"Twelve to be exact." She throws her head back with a groan.

"Fine, whatever."