Detention: Letter Sorting

(OOC: I'm not sure what season or month it is, so I kept the weather vague.)

Harcourt journeyed up to The Owlery, wrapping his coat tighter around him. It was a chilly night, with a wind that howled like a werewolf. He looked at the list of students that were expecting packages or letters. He had a small bag with him of packages or letters that had been sent to the wrong students. Harcourt felt personally responsible. He had tried to implement a new system, after an incident where a student received a rather large package and the owl (being an old bird) dropped the package into a large pot of gravy, burning a few students who were in the splash zone.

The new system made enough sense. House-elves were to sort the mail and transport the mail to the student's beds, instead of the owls coming directly into the dining hall. But, Harcourt forgot that some House-elves weren't exactly the best readers. Sooooo, the system quickly backfired. Maybe if I quiz the house elves and assign them based on the best readers? Or, what we just educate the whole lot. Harcourt thought to himself, as he entered The Owlery.

In any case, this letter sorting business was great to do tonight, as Harcourt was on detention duty. Harcourt sighed when he saw the large pile of letters and packages that the owls kept stacking up. Glad I won't be alone in this, he thought, as he waited for the first trouble makers to show up.

Of course, Kolby had detention. He was the king of detention. Well, not really. Since Thea had started coming to school (and with some guidance from Jacob and Symon), Kolby has been trying to straighten up a little bit. He didn't want to be another Davy. That's for sure. No, no, he wanted to be more of an innocent prankster. That's why he put the skunk in the Slytherin girl's dorms. Yeah, an innocent prank.

Kolby walked up the stairs to The Owlery. Ready for whatever detention Harcourt had planned. Maybe cleaning up owl pellets and feathers. Maybe released some owls for some reason. Kolby didn't know. Kolby smiled as he heard Jacob following after him.

"Whatcha in for?" Kolby asked. Jacob had been quiet about what he had gotten detention before. He chuckled softly.

"I snuck out of the dorm after hours. Professor Vici caught me," Jacob responded. Kolby boo'ed and Jacob laughed.

"That's a rookie reason," Kolby replied, as they reached the top. Jacob laughed, but both boys stopped when they reached The Owlery. Letters and packages were in piles that reached the ceiling. Harcourt smiled as the boys entered.

"Professor, you can't be serious," Jacob said. Kolby groaned. Sorting anything was the bane of his existance.

Arya made her way to the Owlery, Gavin trying his best to match her pace. He knew she was still angry with him - it was his fault they got caught! It was a wonder that he could literally broomsurf, yet had two left feet on the ground. They'd been sneaking through the tunnel from Honeyduke's back into Hogwarts late the other night when the idiot tripped over the statue that hid entrance. The portraits on the third floor were used to students sneaking around and they never told; Arry suspected they were mischievous characters in life. On this particular night, however, the snooty Lady Rochester from the Ravenclaw section of the castle was paying a visit. Within two seconds of Gavin tripping on the old witch statue, Lady Rochester sounded the alarm.

"It's lucky for both of us that Harcourt was the one who found us," Arya grumbled. "If it were anyone else, we'd be benched this Saturday."

"I swear, I'll keep my footing next time," he said for the hundredth time.

"Next time?" she scoffed. "You are absolutely not my Honeyduke's partner anymore, you Fwooper."

The two reached the top of the staircase, which was always an excruciating journey. Arya was totally unsurprised to see Kolby and Jacob awaiting them.

"What'd you do this time?" Gavin asked, still huffing from the climb.

"I snuck out," Jacob laughed. "And Kolbs here planted a skunk in the girls' dormitory."

Arya snorted and reached out to high-five Kolby.

((OOC: Don't leave me hangin'))

Kolby high fived Arya. The little Gryffindor was really such a troublemaker. Kolby could barely keep up with her shenanigans sometimes.

"Well, it's good to know that we'll have good company and no one too unpleasant," Kolby commented.

"Spoke a little too soon there," Gavin said, as Victoria and Millicent emerged from into The Owlery. Kolby shuddered at the sight of the two girls. He didn't even know that they were sisters. The two Pantoul sisters. Millicent, 6th year Slytherin, somehow a healer-in-training. Victoria, 4th year Gryffindor. Both of them are mean as vipers.

And extremely annoying.

"Professor! You cannot be serious! This isn't the job of a lady!" Victoria complained. Kolby and Jacob had to stifle a laugh.
Millicent shot both of them a glare.

"Wait, isn't that the Victoria? The one obsessed with Asher?" Gavin asked. Kolby shrugged.

"Professor, really. We can't be here too late. It'll become freezing," Millicent informed, sitting on a small stool and beginning to file her nails. Kolby couldn't stand girls like Victoria and Millicent. Well, actually, he couldn't stand girls in general.

"What are you looking at, pipsqueak?" Victoria snapped at Kolby, when she saw Kolby looked in their direction. Kolby stuck his tongue out at her and she scoffed in return.

Harcourt sighed and took the attendance for this detention. He got more minor offenders. Ellington gave harsher offenders to Renoir or Rainecourt. Harcourt had a bit of a soft side for sure. But, he could sit for hours while the students sorted the letters.

"Welcome Pantoul Sisters. That minus 1 point from Gryffindor and Slytherin, as you two were late. Honestly, finding a fairy and trying to smuggle it to France is just shameful enough." Harcourt scolded. The Pantoul Sisters rolled their eyes. Harcourt argued for harsher punishment for the girls. But, compared to what the Ministry of Mischief was doing......this was considered minor. Harcourt sighed and cleared his throat.

"Let's get started. So, this process is simple. Read the name on the package and match it with the owl's name tag. The name tag will be underneath the owl's cage. The owls are lined up by houses, starting with Gryffindor on the north wall and ending with Slytherin on the south wall. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are in the middle. Now, let's split up by house. So, Jacob, Kolby, Millicent, you have Slytherin. Arya and Victoria, Gryffindor. Gavin, Ravenclaw. Annnnddd......myself for Hufflepuff," Harcourt instructed, pointing to the various rows of shelves. The Slytherins perked up, seeing that there are three of them.

"For the Gryffindors and Slytherins, if you finish early, you'll come to help Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff" Harcourt stated, dashing their hopes of finishing early.

"Professor, are the letters pre-sorted by the house?" Gavin asked.

"Yes, the house-elves have pre-sorted them by the house. There will be a little dot in the corner to represent their house. Be sure to double-check. Now, most of the owls have left for the night, as they've gone hunting. But, be aware of the older owls and don't bother them. Now, let's get started," Harcourt said, as cheerfully as he could, grabbing some letters from the Hufflepuff pile.

"Oh, and this should go without saying. Don't read anyone's letters. Or, open anyone's packages. You'll get detention again if you do," Harcourt threatened, looking at Kolby and Arya.

Arya pouted just a little when she realized they'd be separated into groups by house. Of course, it was detention. It wasn't meant to be a fun little get-together with friends. Even so, she thought being stuck with Victoria Pantoul was more punishment than she deserved.

"This is rubbish," Victoria muttered bitterly.

"Shut up," she hissed back. Ten seconds in, and the girl was already going to get them in trouble.

Victoria rolled her eyes and got to work without another word, so Arry did the same. It turned out sorting mail was actually quite calming. Maybe if my N.E.W.T.s don't go well, I could be a postman, she thought. Sifting through the parcels, she noticed a slip up every now and then - a yellow, green, or blue dot here and there. Arya was only slightly tempted to crack open a few of them, depending on whom they were addressed to. She could barely restrain herself when the name Edwin Goddart came around. He lived such an exciting life, it was hard to imagine what sort of correspondents he had.

"Oh my," she whispered, gasping.

Her partner whipped her head around so fast Arry was surprised her neck didn't snap.

"Nothing," Arya mouthed, turning her attention back to the letter.

It was sent from the Wizard's Council. They were basically the ruling court of the Wizarding World - what on earth did they want with Ed? Arry stared down at the envelope, unsure of what to do. She desperately wanted to open it. Nonchalantly, she peaked over her shoulder. Harcourt was paying them no mind. How would she get Kolby's attention? After a moment, Arya coughed lightly. It wasn't the most innovative idea, but perhaps he'd hear it.

"Okay, so, you start at that end and I'll start at this end, and we'll meet in the middle," Jacob told Kolby. Millicent rolled her eyes, grabbed some parcels, and went to sorting. Jacob shot her a glare and Kolby stifled a laugh. He picked up some packages and went to sorting.

This wasn't grueling detention, besides the occasional cold spring breeze. It was better than cleaning out the Herbology lab. Or cleaning out abandoned classrooms. Or cleaning out the horse stables. Or cleaning.....now that Kolby thought about it, most detentions were just a bunch of cleaning. Surely Hogwarts can hire a few janitors, Kolby thought. But, now that Kolby thought about it, he hadn't seen a janitor in the two years he's been at Hogwarts.

"Hey, Jacob. Have you ever seen a janitor here at Hogwarts?" Kolby asked. Jacob laughed.

"Hush up and let's get this over with. My feet hurt already," Millicent grumbled.

"Why don't you use your healing powers then and make them not hurt?" Kolby jabbed. If looks could kill, the look Millicent was giving Kolby could kill him dead. Jacob just smiled and shook his head.

" Seriously though, how does Hogwarts stay so clean?" Kolby asked. Millicent groaned and went to the Slytherin pile to get more letters. Kolby turned his head when he heard a small cough. Arya? he thought.

"Make yourself useful and give these to your Gryffindor friend," Millicent said, giving Kolby a stack of 5 letters. Kolby rolled his eyes but took the opportunity.

"Hey Arya. Here are some letters that got mixed in," Kolby said, crossing the Owlery. He gave her a look that asked What's up? when he approached.

Arya coughed three more times before Kolby finally heard. She was certain Victoria now thought she had the plague. The girl took a generous step away from her with a look of disgust; Arry considered telling her to be careful lest her face freeze that way, but decided against it. The further away from her Victoria was, the better.

"Thanks," she politely replied when Kolby brought her a stack of letters that clearly belonged to Slytherin.

Looking down at Edwin's envelope again, she hesitated. It really was none of their business. On the other hand, she and Kolby were the Shadows of the Templar. It was their duty to read a confidential letter from the Wizard's Council...right? Oh, just give it to him, she decided.

"I've got some Slytherin mail here," Arya said curtly, sliding Edwin's letter over to him.

Kolby looked a little confused when Arya handed him the letter from Edwin and some other mail. But, he wasn't going to question her motives.

"Thanks," he said curtly, heading to the other side of The Owlery. He went through the letter and paused at Edwin's. Oh, I see. The Wizard's Council? And, Ed? Kolby thought to himself. He flipped the letter and looked at the wax seal on the back.

Now, Kolby knew a thing or two about wax seals. Specifically, how to open a letter without breaking the wax seal. And, how to close a letter again, like nothing even happened. He used to read through his father's mail, reading about news from the war and hiding any letters about potential marriages. Kolby shuddered at the thought of marriage. Especially to someone like Victoria or Millicent, who his aunts and uncle often seemed married to.

But, for now, Kolby didn't have the materials to break the wax seal. He needed a knife, a candle, and possibly another candle of the same color of the Wizard Council seal. Is this a navy blue? Or, a purple? Kolby thought as he approached the others. Kolby pocketed Edwin's letter and continued to sort.

"Professor, we're almost finished," Millicent called out to Harcourt. Kolby nodded, looking at the Slytherin pile slowly diminishing. Turn out, Jacob was an expert sorter. Kolby watched as Jacob moved very quickly around the row of owls. It was almost like he was doing ballet. Jacob looked at Kolby and smiled.

"I memorized the direction the names go in and I sort the ones in my hand first," Jacob explained.

"Hey man. No judgment here," Kolby said, putting his hands up. Jacob laughed.

Arya had gone back to sorting, relieved that the letter debacle was now on Kolby’s conscious rather than hers…sort of. She tried to focus on the envelopes before her, imagining what was inside, but to avail. When Arry didn’t hear the tear of Edwin’s letter, she carefully looked over her shoulder. Blasted Slytherin, she thought with a huff. Not only had he stuffed it in his pocket, but the corner of it was showing! Arya rolled her eyes and pulled her wand from her robes.

“Resiguo,” she muttered quietly, aiming at the letter.

It was the unsealing charm she’d recently learned from Gavin. He used it all the time at home to neatly open confidential letters in his father’s office. The spell didn’t cause a rip or anything and the counter-charm resealed them perfectly, so it was undetectable.

“What are you doing?” Victoria whispered sternly.

“I have an itch,” Arry retorted, snickering when her partner turned away with a scowl.

She tucked the wand back into her pocket and coughed again, hoping Kolby would read her mind. Then, deciding not to damage her vocal chords from fake coughing, she grabbed the stack of Slytherin envelopes he’d brought her and walked over.

“These are for you,” she said slowly, giving him a meaningful look and then nodding quickly toward his pocket before heading back to her corner.

Kolby gave Arya a confused look and then looked at his pocket. He gave Arya a look like "Are you kidding me? What are you doing?" . He really didn't know what she was thinking. Harcourt was in the room with them. Why couldn't she wait until later to open the letter?  

"Thanks," Kolby said, taking the letters from her. He rolled his eyes and sorted the letters quickly. The itch to figure out what was in the letter wasn't bothering Kolby as much as it was Arya. He knew that whatever was in the letter would be discussed, maybe, by Edwin. Edwin wasn't the kind to hide secrets.

But, the quench Arya's curiosity, Kolby needed to read the letter.

"Professor, I need to go the washroom," Kolby called out to Harcourt. Harcourt gave him permission, giving him five minutes. Kolby went down to the nearest washroom and pulled out the letter. He was extra careful when pulling the letter out of the envelope.

Kolby felt his jaw drop as he read the letter. Ed did what?? No, he couldn't. No, there's no way. Kolby thought to himself. Kolby knew that Edwin was hyper-practicing for the last match of the Quidditch season. But, there's no way he would go to that extreme......right?

Kolby had to think of a way to contact Arya and then remembered the communication rings they had for Templar. Kolby twisted the green gem in the ring and twisted until it turned black. Black represented the connection between Arya's ring and Kolby's ring. He tapped on the ring three times, making the ring give off a small flash of light. Hopefully, Arya knew to meet up around the bathrooms to trade off the letter.

((OOC: Lol it would take at least 5 minutes just to get to the bathrooms ))

Arya smirked when Kolby excused himself to go to the restroom. She knew the temptation would get to him, he just needed a little push. Must remember to thank Peyton for that handy pocket sized Charms book, she made a mental note. Victoria shoved a new stack of letters to her side of the table and Arry rolled her eyes. The girl was just following instructions, of course, but she could have at least shoved a little more politely.

"So many Puffs," she grumbled to herself, barely audibly.

Suddenly, Arya noticed her Templar ring flash three times. The symbol turned pitch black. Kolby, she realized. He must need me in the bathrooms....This better be about the letter. She'd pummel him if it was literally anything else.

"Ahem, Professor Harcourt," she raised a hand and gave a small smile. "Apologies, but I've got to get the restroom immediately."

Free to leave, Arya rushed down the stairs and reached the little single-person bathroom installed at the halfway point. She knocked three times and the door swung open.

"Oh, blimey," she grimaced, plugging her nose. "Whatdoyouneed?" She spoke as quickly as possible to avoid breathing.

Kolby rolled his eyes when Arya approached, plugging her nose. It's a bathroom, what did she expect? Flowers?

"Just read this, quickly," Kolby said, handing her Edwin's letter. Kolby felt really uneasy about the situation.

"There's no way Edwin did this, right? Like, we know that he's been a little Quidditch crazy since Gryffindor is in the final game this year. But, would Edwin go this far?" Kolby asked, kinda just thinking out loud.

Kolby really thought about Edwin as a person. Granted, Kolby didn't know Edwin as well as others. Edwin hung out with the Templar group but he also had his own group of friends. But, he seemed like an okay guy; Edwin was a very charismatic and determined person. Kolby sighed. Maybe he didn't know everyone in Templar as well as he thought.

"So, what should we do?" Kolby finally asked Arya.

Arya read the letter three times over. As Kolby said, it seemed impossible. Edwin couldn't do such a thing, right? Break the law just for some extra practice.


"Merlin's beard" Arry muttered, staring at the parchment. "There were witnesses, Kolby, how can he not be guilty?"

She paced for a moment and tried to think of what other possible explanation there could be. Edwin was an only child, and as far as Arya knew he didn't have many friends in London - if any. There had to be some mistake.

"We can't speak of this to anyone," she said, carefully folding the letter back into the envelope. "Sigillum!"

The wax neatly melted and dried again; the envelope looked good as new. Arya pocketed it.

"Let's get back. Er..I'll go first, you come after."

Harcourt sighed happily, as he finished the Hufflepuff's sorting. He had gotten into a rhythm and hadn't noticed that two hours had flown by.

"How is everyone?" Harcourt called out to the group. Victoria and Millicent were having a seat and Harcourt rolled his eyes as they chimed up in protest.

"Professor, it's been so tedious!" Millicent complained.

"Truly! One of the worst detentions this year," Victoria commented. Harcourt watched as Jacob and Gavin struggled to contain their laughter.

"Gavin, is Ravenclaw finished?" Harcourt asked.

"Almost. Jacob has been helping," Gavin reported. Harcourt picked up a stack of Ravenclaw letters and began to help too. Harcourt nodded to Arya and Kolby as they came back to the Owlery.

"And, finished!" Jacob called out excitedly. Harcourt looked over the Owlery, making sure that there was not a misplaced stack or package.

"Yes, finished. Thank you all for your help. Your detention is complete. I will make the note on your record. Now, let head back to our dorms. Here is a note, excusing you from being out late, should someone stop you," Harcourt said, passing out the notes to the students. Gavin and Jacob high fived and everyone started down the many steps back to the dorm rooms. Harcourt looked over the Owlery one more time.

He smiled, as it was all sorted.

(OC: We can lock this thread now.)