It had been a death march - or what Sasha had always imagined one would be like.  The footfall of each step on the floating staircase seemed to echo through the entire stairwell.  It was probably just paranoia but he could almost imagine he heard the sound of slow drumbeats somewhere off in the distance. 

Inexplicably, without warning, a scrawny first year had poked her head into the Divination classroom to tell him the Headmistress wanted to see him in her office.  This was it.  The year had finally caught up with him.  He was being expelled.  He was convinced of it.  There could be no other explanation.  But, she can't snap my wand, Sasha reminded himself.  Dreogan had made that perfectly clear.  She did not have that authority.  School, yes.  Wand, no.  And, if he had his wand, he could always go elsewhere. 

Beit Gaddol - Dreogan had reassured him he could go there and it sounded like a decent school.  He'd miss Quidditch and he wasn't sure about the heat.  Not to mention how furious his stepfather would be if he found out Sasha was attending a primarily Jewish wizarding in Jerusalem because he'd gotten expelled from the wizarding school in Britain he was attending when he was supposed to studying sciences in Switzerland.  There was always Beauxbatons.  That wouldn't be too bad.  As far as wizarding schools went, it would probably be the least offensive.  Other than Durmstrang.  Which, Sasha would rather find a boarding school in Switzerland to attend. 

"You are to go in and wait," one of the portraits outside the Headmistress' office directed as he reached the door.  His hand shaking, Sasha let himself into the room. He wasn't the only one there, it seemed.  Madeline Pratt?  What did she have to do with any of this.  She was seated in one of the chairs; an empty one - his, presumably, stood next to her.  Slowly, he made his way to the seat and sat down.  Well, she could only be a good sign - it seemed unlikely Snark was going to expel them both.

"Any ideas what we're here for?" he asked, quietly. 

Maddie's walk to Snark's office was no where near as weary or trepid as Sasha's, merely because she had no reason to be worried. Sure she had been spending Sunday's cleaning the Infirmary for her first ever detention, but she had been very well behaved the last week and didn't think that this meeting was for anything bad. Her confidence waned, however, when she entered the silent and empty office.

It was almost too quiet and the walls had a conspicuous lack of the headmaster paintings that so many stories spoke of. Instead the walls were covered with bookshelves bearing ancient and dusty books, as well as a wide range of strange and frightening artifacts. She never expected the sleek, refined headmistress to have such a dark and gloomy office. But then that was what bothered her the most. What else was that polished exterior hiding and furthermore, why had Snark really called her there. It was suddenly stuffy and uncomfortable, and the dim light made the walls seem to close in on her.

Maddie was already tense when the office door opened, but still managed to tighten up more when she realized someone else was in the room. She closed her eyes and prepared to open them to the sneering visage of Madame Snark. Be strong, she told herself, clenching her hands so hard that her nails threatened to break the skin. She was trying to breath when a masculine voice broke her concentration and caused her to catch her breath. Her eyes snapped open and she glanced over at the owner of the voice.

"Any ideas what we're here for?"

To her surprise, it was Sasha taking a seat next to her and not Snark. When her surprise wore off, it was replaced with worry. Sasha was a good guy, but even that wasn't enough to keep Snark off his back. If he was there... Merlin, it must be something bad. Instantly her stomach dropped to her toes and she swallowed. "I dunno... I am assuming that Snark must want to finally bury us in her bullshit bureaucracy." She didn't add that she assumed this was the case because he was there, since she figured he was already feeling bad enough. This meeting must have been like a death sentence to him.

Maddie's guess wasn't at all reassuring.  As fitting as the term 'bury' might be, it wasn't one to build confidence or trust in any situation.  It only proved to add to the building sense of dread that was knotting his stomach. 

Anyone with even a vague familiarity with Sasha was well aware of his tendency to be prim and proper and to have one of the straightest postures amongst the student body.  Whether walking the halls, eating in the Great Hall, sitting in class or riding a broom, he almost never slouched.  Only in the company of those he was very close and comfortable with (a very small percentage, indeed) did he ever, really, relax.  Therefore, anyone with even a casual understanding of him would have found limp slouch with which he settled himself in the free chair especially pathetic and defeated. 

"Well, you haven't done anything-"  He voice choked slightly and he continued to watch a small patch of light on the floor from where the sun shone through the windows.  "- to warrant getting expelled, right?"  It had to be asked.  As much as the prospect of being expelled terrified him, he hated the idea of Madame Snark surprising him and catching him unaware of that eventuality even worse.  Sure, Maddie was into that whole werewolf rights thing too, like Fauna.  But, Fauna was still here - at least Sasha remembered seeing her this morning.  If this was about the werewolf thing, it hardly seemed like Maddie would be getting expelled before Fauna Blake.  And, despite their disagreements, this was in no way a hope on Sasha's part that Fauna would get expelled.  It was just a matter of reasoning.  It seemed illogical that Maddie would be getting expelled.  Therefore, he couldn't be getting expelled, either. 

Unless, of course, they were getting different punishments. 

He turned his head to look at Maddie, hoping that there was some clue as to their fate in her eyes.  But, she was obviously as in the dark as he was.  "I don't understand."  He admitted.  He couldn't stand it - he couldn't keep still.  He pushed himself to his feet and in his nervousness started pacing the room.  "Why - why does she hate me so much?  I ... I have't done anything - I didn't mean to, at least.  Scheiße!  Do you think she's going to take away my prefect badge?  What ... what are our rights in these things?"  He'd never been in this position before - he had no idea if he could ask for legal council or request cross examination.  Or something.  He wasn't at a full out panic, yet, but with each length of the room, he could feel himself getting closer and closer. 

"Well, you haven't done anything-- to warrant getting expelled, right?"

"I didn't think I did..." Maddie said sharply before glancing him over and adding "But now I am not so sure." What could she have possibly done to have a meeting with Snark AND Schlagenweit? Surely kicking some slimy, purist asshole in a the junk wasn't enough to expell her... Was it? She had hoped Snark wasn't that crazy, but then perhaps she was trying to weed out all of the 5th year Hufflepuff girls. Darcy and Ollie were gone, perhaps Maddie was next. Her stomach begin to tighten nervously as she pondered on this possibility and Maddie almost welcomed Sasha's interruption of her sordid thoughts.

"Why - why does she hate me so much?  I ... I have't done anything - I didn't mean to, at least.  Scheiße!  Do you think she's going to take away my prefect badge?  What ... what are our rights in these things?"

"Rights?" Maddie sneered derisively. Letting out a bark of laughter, she shook her head "Sasha... Don't think for a moment that Snark took this job out of the goodness of her heart. She doesn't have a heart to take the goodness out of... She took this job because of the power it has. We have no rights here. " Right after she uttered this, the words begin to weigh on her. They didn't have any rights, really. They were as powerless as the creatures she always sought to  protect. In this maze of a school they were but mice and Madame Snark was a Cheshire cat, grinning and giggling as she swallowed them whole. It was such a depressing thought.

Slumping in her chair, her derision replaced by the melancholy of a condemned prisoner, Maddie sighed "... It's not just you, you know... who she hates I mean. I don't think she likes anyone but her own spawn and maybe most of the Slytherins-- If you call them human that is. She is just a hateful person who will do anything she can to destroy those that cross her... even if it is for just a tiny infraction--"

"Is that so, Miss Pratt?"

The inclusion of a third voice, this one laden with enough ice to host the next ice capades, caused Maddie to freeze. Licking her lips, she turned to look back at the door, where the voice had come from, and laid eyes upon the imposing figure of the Headmistress. Snark may have not been particularly tall or muscular, but her slender frame emitted enough aggression to make a tiger cower in fear. Maybe it was the way she leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed, head cocked and eyebrow raised. Or perhaps it was the thin lipped, predatory grin that spread up her cheeks yet didn't touch her cold golden eyes. Whatever it was, Maddie couldn't help but pale slightly when she realized Snark had heard every hateful word she had just spoken. Maddie was not, however, one to be bullied into submission so easily. She had only spoken the truth and she intended to stand by it. Raising her chin defiantly, she met Snark's gaze with a cold one of her own. "Madame Snark" She said coolly, the respectful title coming out more sarcastically then she intended. Bring it on... she mentally challenged.

Maddie was starting to doubt her own safety - not a good sign.  Not a good sign at all.  And, she'd only started to question whether she was safe from expulsion now that she was here.  Was it because he was here?  "Scheiße!"  He exclaimed, again, as he continued to pace the room.  "She can't do this - she just ... she has no justification!"  And, he had no real recourse.  No parents to stand up for him - he was at the Headmistress' mercy. 

He paused in his pacing, his gaze settling on some strange item on a table by the wall.  It looked like a vase.  A tall, wide vase though it seemed to be made out of black glass.  He reached out to brush a finger over the rim of it but pulled his hand back just as Maddie spoke up.  Quickly dousing any hope he had of having some sort of rights in this inquisition. 

Scowling, though still watching the dark vase, Sasha shook his head.  He wasn't a fool - he didn't think Snark cared about his best interest in this at all.  He couldn't understand why she was out to get him but he knew to think she might in some way be trying to help him was being overly optimistic.  Professor Greyfriar had always had his brand of tough love - this wasn't the case here, though.  But, despite that ... despite her clear malevolance towards him, Sasha had hoped he could at least demand to have someone there to defend him.  Parents, he supposed, were usually the ones that filled that role.  That wasn't an option for him.  But, he should be able to have something!  Someone! 

He jumped at the sound of Madame Snark's voice and quickly turned, accidentally knocking the dark vase off the table as he did so.  The vase landed on the floor with a loud crash just as his eyes fell on the woman.  "Ma'am," he offered in greeting, his own address far more taught and anxious than Maddie's. 

It took only a moment for Sasha to come to a quick conclusion.  He couldn't do this - he couldn't face this alone.  She couldn't force him to, could she?  Sasha took a deep breath, stealing himself up and forcing himself to stand up straight as he faced Snark.  "I ... demand to have my Ministry appointed representative present."  He had no clue if he could demand such a thing even if he had a Ministry appointed representative.  It seemed an entirely reasonable request, though.  "I'm not saying anything without him." 

How thankful Analiza was for enchanted rooms, especially doors that made no noise when you opened them and stood there listening to what was assumed was a private conversation. She wasn't at all surprised to hear the two 'trouble makers' discussing her in such negative terms, they were, after all, there because they had not hit it off. Sure, there was the fact that they had broken school rules and caused untold damages to school property, but there was no denying the fact that Analiza simply did not like either of them.

Sasha reminded her whole heartedly of her sister, whose false front of Prim and Proper behavior always irked Analiza fiercely. Madeline was just annoying. She was far too interested in finding out the truth and telling everyone about it for Ana to let her go unheeded. They were simply weeds to be dealt with, that's all. And though Analiza hated gardening in general, she was more then eager to get down and dirty so she could pull those little bastards before their roots got too deep.

"... It's not just you, you know... who she hates I mean. I don't think she likes anyone but her own spawn and maybe most of the Slytherins-- If you call them human that is. She is just a hateful person who will do anything she can to destroy those that cross her... even if it is for just a tiny infraction--"

Analiza tried not to let out the cold, bitter laugh that bubbled up from her gut. Curling her lips into a cold smile, she glared at the back of Pratt's head and carefully buried her anger until she could speak without venom spitting from her lips. "Is that so, Miss Pratt?" She uttered coldly, her smile frozen in place. Pratt only paled slightly when she realized she had been watched, but Schlagenweit proved he was able to get even higher on her shit list by knocking over a pensieve made especially for her. She couldn't help the twitch of her eyelid as it crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Biting the inside of her mouth until she could taste blood, Analiza attempted to keep her cool lest she curse the hapless oaf into oblivion. "Gob." She ordered stiffly, her nostrils flaring as she breathed in deeply. The summoned house elf appeared, saw the shattered vase, glanced at the children with a fleeting look of horror mixed with sympathy, and immediately gathered up the pieces. As he poofed away, Analiza finally dislodged herself and made her way towards her desk.

"I ... demand to have my Ministry appointed representative present. I'm not saying anything without him."

Biting back a hateful laugh, Analiza took her seat and crossed her legs, staring at her nails as though they held more interest for her then anything he could say. "Then I would suggest you sit down and shut up then, Mr. Schlagenweit, for the ministry has no jurisdiction over how I punish my students..." She said stiffly, refusing to even give him a passing glance. A "Ministry appointed representative"? How ridiculously muggle of him. Picking up some rather foreboding files from their resting place on her desk, Analiza shuffled through them silently for a moment, letting the pair stew in their thoughts.

Sometimes the best punishment was making someone wait for it. The untold psychological damage people did to themselves when they imagined what was coming was far more painful then anything she could hand out. After several minutes of this agonizing silence, she spoke, her voice calm but so coated in an underlaying ice that the room seemed to drop a couple degrees "... So, do either of you know why I called you to my office?"

Sasha's stomach mimicked the vase-thing as it plummeted to the floor and crashed into a dozen pieces but he, himself, didn't move.  His gaze remained fixed on Professor Snark, watching her closely for the attack he knew was inevitable.  She'd hexed him for speaking out of turn - who knew what she was capable of.  His gaze only left her briefly when the house elf materialized in the room.  Sasha frowned briefly at the creature's look of sympathy but didn't respond, only looking back to Madam Snark when the creature disappeared. 

He was instructed to sit.  Sasha started slowly to the designated seat and had made it a few steps towards his goal before he stopped and looked up at the Headmistress.  He was convinced, this was it.  He was getting expelled. In about half an hour, he was going to be walking out of this school for the last time and she'd, ultimately, have the last say.  Sasha had never been exceptionally brave nor had he ever really been one to seek trouble.  Gerhard had taught him a lot of things - many of which Sasha took with a grain of salt.  But, the man had taught him to hold his head high and accept retribution proudly and gracefully.  He was terrified, there was no question about it.  But, he also wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing him bend over and take it. 

She could kick him out, but she couldn't force him to submit.  If this was going to be the last time she'd see him, he'd be standing on his own two feet. 

He was sure she could hear his heart beating clear across the room but he defiantly shook his head anyway.  "No," he refused, bluntly at first.  "With all due respect, I'd rather stand." 

His eyes followed the files as the woman placed them on the desk in front of her.  There were two; the conclusion was far too obvious.  There was one for each of the.  How ... how could his file have gotten so big?  He ... he couldn't have had much of a file prior to this year.  He'd never missed a class - never gotten in trouble, never had a detention.  As the quiet seconds ticked on, the knot in Sasha's stomach grew tighter and tighter until he feared he might be sick if he tried to open his mouth to talk.

But he forced himself to keep looking at her.  Even as her question left him wishing he could crawl under the table and hide.  Here it was - she was toying with him.  Testing him.  Seeing if he'd try to beg for mercy or he was weak enough to try to avoid reality.  Of course, that'd give her the upper hand, wouldn't it?  Waiting for her to deal out his fate rather than standing up and taking control of his fate.  "You hate me," he offered.  It was, really, the only logical explanation.  Sure, he'd made some mistakes - but nothing to warrant where he was right now.  "You're expelling me."  He said it with an obvious air of resignation and acceptance. 

"I ... demand to have my Ministry appointed representative present. I'm not saying anything without him."

"Oh lord." Maddie whispered, wincing for Sasha. If she had been one of those people who eagerly drew attention away from herself and onto others, she might have felt a wave of relief when Sasha's clumsiness and ridiculous demands earned him Snark's full attention. However, she wasn't that type of person and felt a wave of embarrassment and sympathy for the poor Ravenclaw as Snark snapped at him to sit down and shut it. Maddie found herself agreeing with Snark, though for different reasons. She worried that everything Sasha said was just digging him a deeper grave. Judging by the size of his folder, any deeper and he would be inciting another Pompey on the school.

"... So, do either of you know why I called you to my office?"

 "You hate me, You're expelling me."

"Sasha..." Maddie hissed under her breath "Shut up. You are making it worse..." She wanted to tell him to keep his chin up and not accept any of Snark's accusations without having solid proof in front of him, and that his best action was to remain calm and confident, since Snark seemed to really hate that. However, she knew that revealing her plan of action in front of the enemy would just end in her sharing Sasha's punishment, which, with the way he was going, was going to be dreadful.

"I do not." She in turn replied, refusing to admit that she did anything wrong. And she hadn't! She already paid the price for her attack on Tawse and had been a model student since that day. She couldn't think of a single thing that Snark could accuse her, rightfully that is, of. Then again, the woman wasn't known for rightfully accusing people of anything.

Sasha's gaze flickered from the Headmistress to Maddie when she whispered, a breath of doubt rising in the back of his mind.  They lingered on her as she hissed her warning but his eyes slid back to Madame Snark as the Hufflepuff spoke up in her own defense. 

Maybe he should heed Maddie's warning and follow her example.  Sit down, shut up and behave.  Was it possible he could get out of here unscathed if he did?  One look at the file folder on the woman's desk answered that question.  It was highly unlikely.  He'd already convinced himself this was it, out of self-defense if nothing else.  She'd been trying to find a reason for months to toss him curbside and now she'd acquired enough.  He was here to get crucified.  The question was whether he'd walk to his fate on his own two feet or if he'd get dragged. 

And, Sasha knew, if he sat down the weight of the woman's glare would make him melt into the back of the chair.  Standing, at least he stood a chance of appearing brave, even if he didn't feel it. 

Still defiant, Sasha shook his head again.  "If it's all the same, I'd still prefer to stand."  Right now, his posture was the only thing he had any control over.

"You hate me, You're expelling me."

Ana's face was as still and cold as stone, with the exception of her right brow which was prone to be a bit of a rogue. As soon as Sasha exclaimed that Analiza hated him and was expelling him, the brow struggled free from her iron mask of dispassion and hiked up her forehead like it was the fleshy precipice keeping it away from the mecca of her hairline. It's determined cry of protest was not lost on the rest of her face and it was followed by the corner of her mouth twitching upwards and a chuckle forming in the bottom of her throat. Looking away, she chose to give Sasha's folder a very scrutinizing once over. She simply couldn't let him see her smile.

"I do not."

"If it's all the same, I'd still prefer to stand."

She had heard Madeline's sharp whisper, but didn't respond, since the girl was right. He was just making her madder at him. What happened to the mild mannered, obedient little prince all his previous reports said he was? The obstinate delinquent in front of her certainly wasn't what she considered "Obedient", "Intelligent" or "Hard Working". Unless you consider pissing Analiza off as hard work, in which case he was performing wonderfully. Sucking in her lips, she said stiffly "Very well, Mr. Schlagenweit, you may stand." And with a curt wave of her wand, the comfortable and inviting chair was dispersed of, leaving no place to sit except for the chairs already occupied by herself and Miss Pratt.

"Let me start with you, Mister Schlagenweit. Apparently you are assuming that your punishment is based on personal reasons, as opposed to... I dunno..." She flipped through his folder "... Skipping a weeks worth of classes with no warning.... failing to report for Prefect duty... stealing answer keys from a professors office..." She snapped the folder shut and stared in silence at Sasha for a moment before snapping "... What the hell do you think that badge is for? Your own personal get-out-trouble-free pass? I should tear that off your lapel right now and demote you to Elf bather. Do you have any idea how much trouble you have brought on this school? Do you? Expelling you would be a damn blessing."

When Pratt begin to stand up, her mouth open to protest, Analiza held up a manicured finger and said sharply, without looking away from Sasha "Sit down and wait your turn Pratt. I will get to you next." Her eyes bore into Sasha, the ice in them turning her golden irises a cold steel "Tell me, Sasha, since you seem to know me so well... What should I do with you?"

He had no clue where this streak of defiance had come from or why, exactly, it had chosen Madame Snark of all people to raise it's head against.  Had that one day, at the closing feast, really set the precedent?  Had he known she was the new Headmistress, Sasha might have refrained from speaking up the way he had.  And, there was a trace of irony in knowing that had she been the Headmistress sitting up at the staff table and someone else had come in in the manner she had, he would have likely stood up for her as well.  At least, he liked to think he would have. 

What had started as a simple distrust for the woman had gradually become a full-blown hatred.  And, there were few people Sasha could legitimately say he hated.  Perhaps, that was the source of the defiance.  A flash of movement drew his attention to the spot where his chair had once stood but, by the time he'd looked, the chair was long gone. 

Then, the accusations came.  Like a dozen small spiders crawling under his skin, Sasha could feel the hair along the nape of his neck prickle defensively.  This was ... he was here become of those things?  She was ... this was so unfair!  "That's - that's absurd!  You - you can't be serious!"  He blurted, at first, unable to stop himself.  He vaguely remembered blurting similar words to her at some point in the past.  Was that ... that was really why he was here?  But, almost as quickly, he realized how foolish that had been and quickly slapped his mouth shut.  He pinched his lips together between his teeth to stem off any further outbursts. 

How much trouble he'd brought on the school...should tear the badge off his lapel...expelling him would be a blessing. 

Had someone possessed the desire, they might have been able to fry an egg on the heat radiating off his face.  It was taking all his self-control to keep the tears that were simmering in the wings from spilling over.  But he couldn't - he wouldn't cry.  Not in front of her.  He stared, unblinking, at the Headmistress, his mind trying to wrap itself around the slur of accusations and insults.  His fists, clenched at his sides, shook slightly.  He'd worked so hard - had put so much effort into getting to where he was and here it was about to be yanked away.  Because ... because of that woman's vindictiveness and a false accusation!  It just ... it wasn't fair!

He knew it was probably pointless to try to defend himself - chances were, Madame Snark would listen to him just about as much as Professor Ramsey.  But, not saying anything would be admitting guilt, wouldn't it?  And, he wasn't guilty.  The only one really willing to listen was himself.  If this was it - if he was being chucked out, would he feel better or worse if he'd made an attempt to defend himself?  And, when asked what he thought she should do with him, he couldn't do anything but offer the truth.  "Nothing," he said, quietly.  "I ... haven't done anything wrong." 

He tried to sounds calm but he could hear the slight quiver to his voice in his own head.  "I had been given permission for my week in London by the Ministry of Magic and ..."  He went for it.  He'd used it already.  Why not again?  "My Ministry Appointed Guardian.  He received permission from my Head of House.  I have never shirked my prefect duties other than my excused absence."  Maybe it hadn't been excused by her.  But, to say he's just skipped school for a week...that wasn't fair. 

Not to mention...  "And, I didn't cheat."  Even as he said it, he knew how petty the defense sounded.  But, it was the truth.  "I don't know who set me up, but they did.  I didn't - I never would cheat.  I tried to explain that but Professor Ramsey wouldn't listen."  What else was he supposed to say?  Encourage her to punish him for things mistakes he hadn't made?  Beg for mercy for things he didn't do? 

To an outside observer the argument between Analiza and Sasha could have been almost entertaining. It was  disturbing how similar they were, but perhaps that is why Analiza found herself so angry at Sasha. Just as he stood there resenting her for tearing down all of his hard work, she sat there steaming at how one mere boy had caused her so many issues. She didn't know if it was the undue media attention he brought on the school... the insubordination he constantly showed her in front of the other students.... or even the fact that she saw a little of herself in his stubborn and defiant demeanor. Perhaps it was all three. All she knew was that all the teachers that treated her with disregard and disrespect seemed to view Sasha as their golden child and that his name was almost always brought up nearly every time something happened to throw a wrench in her carefully laid plans. Surely it was understandable that she didn't trust him.

"Nothing, I ... haven't done anything wrong."

Analiza couldn't help the knitting of her carefully manicured brows or the twitch at the corner of her eye. Really? Really!? She had just told him what he did wrong. How the hell was she supposed to spell it out any clearer then that? Sucking in her breath, she debated whether she should follow her gut instinct or adhere to the 'code of conduct'. It was a difficult task to do the latter since Analiza was the type of person who preferred to follow her instinct. But Sasha was lucky that Analiza wanted to keep her job and forced herself to sit there calmly as he whined out excuses. Otherwise, her gut was telling her to sew his mouth shut and cover him with angry fire ants.

"I had been given permission for my week in London by the Ministry of Magic and ...My Ministry Appointed Guardian.  He received permission from my Head of House.  I have never shirked my prefect duties other than my excused absence." 

"Interesting." Analiza noted coolly, writing down on the margin of his report that she needed to have a nice long 'chat' with Professor Bombay, a prospect that she was sure neither of them would enjoy. Greasy, little slimeball.

"And, I didn't cheat. I don't know who set me up, but they did.  I didn't - I never would cheat.  I tried to explain that but Professor Ramsey wouldn't listen."

"And why should she? If you were making the same caliber of excuses then as you are now, I don't see any reason she should have. Ramsey is an intelligent and fair woman..." Boy Ana never thought she would be saying something like that today "... and I am sure that her instinct on the matter is rock solid. And for that matter, so is mine."

Sitting back in her seat, Analiza crossed her arms and regarded him with barely concealed disdain, a look she was famous for "... Save your excuses for your future wife, Schlagenweit, they will not work on me. Regardless of what you claim, I have numerous reports from much more respected members of this facility that have incriminated you in several offenses and incidents. Whether you like it or not, you have broken the rules and you will be punished for it. Accept that and move on."

He'd done all he could do.  He'd stood his ground and insisted upon his innocence.  He'd offered as calm and pointed a self-defense as he figured he could manage under the circumstances.  He'd demanded to have an adult present on his behalf.  There was nothing more he could do.  Either she'd believe him or she wouldn't; begging, pleading and otherwise insisting he was right would only make him appear even more desperate and pathetic than he already did. 

Though subtle and carefully controlled as they were, by the looks of the expressions that did make their way into the woman's features she had no intentions of believing him.  He took a deep, chest-filling breath and let it out shakily but slowly.  While academic discipline was a rather new concept to the young man, facing the consequences of misbehavior was far from foreign.  He'd been taught at an early age to accept discipline gracefully and as proudly as possible.  Groveling or trying to beg ones way out of it usually only made it worse.  Madame Snark was fully aware he did not agree with this nor believed himself guilty.  Satisfied he'd done what he could to defend himself, it was time to heed Maddie's recommendation. 

A pang of guilt and, perhaps, a little regret rose inside when he watched her scribble on the page.  He'd always understood the Head of House to be the one for individuals to approach during such matters but, perhaps, he'd been wrong.  The regret came not from the trip to London but, rather, the certain knowledge that if Bombay found himself faced with an angry Snark, he was likely to loose an ally.  And, he could kiss any future field trips goodbye. 

With another deep breath, Sasha licked his lips.  "I'm sorry - I'm afraid ... we'll have to agree to disagree, ma'am," he said, simply, in his final defense.  Whatever her instinct was telling her, as far as Sasha was concerned, it was dead wrong.  "But, I know that will mean nothing.  What-"  He closed his eyes, his stomach giving an uncomfortable lurch.  "- what is my punishment?"

"I'm sorry - I'm afraid ... we'll have to agree to disagree, ma'am, But, I know that will mean nothing.  What-- what is my punishment?"

She had expected him to argue further, figuring that he had already dug the hole he might as well go swimming, and was surprised when he threw one last half-hearted barb at her before falling silent. She honored him with a sharp look from under her brows before pulling out his incident report. The area for 'length of punishment' was left blank. Without saying anything, Analiza picked up a slender green quill, tapped it sharply in the ink pot and held it above the line almost threateningly. Licking her lips, she said simply "Let's say... 3... no no... fou---"

She paused and shook her head, before scribbling a date on the paper before saying in an almost disgustingly sweet voice  "How about you just return to school after Christmas vacation. Consider it an... extension. Your parents will be all right with that won't they? If not, I am here to answer all of their questions." Her supersweet tone dripped away right before she uttered the last part, her cold smile fading seconds later. Turning his punishment report around, she offered him the quill "Sign it, Schlagenweit, so we can all get on with our lives."

Maddie was incredibly uncomfortable. After Snark cruelly banished Sasha's chair, Maddie realized that this wasn't a woman she could reason with. Anything she brought up would be shot down and her punishment, whatever it was, would be tripled. Besides, this wasn't her battle. Sasha was a nice enough guy, but they weren't friends and she had no reason to help him at her own expense. The best she could do was sit there helplessly, trying to remember everything she heard lest Sasha ever needed someone to stand up in his defense. It wasn't much, but what could she do against Snark? At least, at that moment.

 "How about you just return to school after Christmas vacation. Consider it an... extension. Your parents will be all right with that won't they? If not, I am here to answer all of their questions."

She couldn't, however, stay quiet when Snark finally announced his punishment. Not a week, not two weeks, but an entire month of suspension. If Sasha was getting that for breaking a rule that dozens of kids broke, then what was she going to get? It was ludicrous! It was... it was unfair! And despite her attempt to not bring more attention to herself then necessary, Maddie couldn't keep her mouth shut. "You have got to be kidding! We... we have to prepare for our OWLS! These midterms are the most important ones until 7th year! You... You can't be serious!?"