The Professor stared out of the window as he contemplated the task ahead. In his younger days he would have looked forward to it. The thrill of the chase had always been exciting. That was a young man’s indulgence though.  The burdens of command had tempered him. The knowledge that not only was he responsible for tracking his target and bringing it to task but also for those under his command had altered him. It was a change that had happened gradually, beginning as a junior hitwizard, bringing rookies along for the first time, and had only grown as he had risen through the ranks. It was a change in him for the better, he decided, but not one that was enjoyable. Still no-one had ever promised that life would be enjoyable.

 Tonight would be no different than a regular hunt but with a greener than usual rookie and a slightly less dangerous monster, as least that was what he told himself. He reviewed his equipment for the last time and found it to his satisfaction. His robes were gone, replaced with a tight-fighting black shirt and trousers; his wand was in its holster on his belt and on his other hip hung a large bowie knife; the two harnesses, the most important parts of today’s inventory were on his desk. Everything was in order, he noted with satisfaction, even if the trousers and belt were a little tighter than they had been the last time he had worn them.

 Resolving to himself to start exercising more, a resolution he strongly doubted that he would keep, he poured himself some tea and drank from it as he paced up and down the room. All there was to do now was to wait for the girl.

Professor Mainwairing drove a hard bargain. So she was chatting in class? What difference did it make - she still got the work done didn't she? Fair enough she had already been warned that she was risking detention, but there was a joke she simply had to tell Atticus. So why didn't Atti end up in detention too? He laughed at the joke...

"Jammy git!" Ava mumbled to herself as she dragged her feet up the stairs to the first floor. Just as she was half way up the staircase it began to move. Ava clung to the banister as hard as she could and rolled her eyes. "Oh, Fan-bloody-tastic!" She exclaimed to no one. Her own voice echoed around the stone walls. "So now I'm going to be late for bloody detention! How on earth is this fair?" She wailed wating for the staircase to stop. Eventually,it did, and as she looked down over the banister she could see where she needed to be. She could see it but wasn't entirely sure how to get there. "Dammit!" She stomped her foot on the stair and to her amazement  the staircase began to move again. "What the-" apparently the staircase was annoyed at having been stomped on so thought it would teach her a lesson. This time, when it landed Ava had no choice but to ascend another flight of stairs up to the second floor - she had been given no alternative as the door she tried turned out to be not a door at all, but a wall pretending to be a door.

This time she decided dragging her feet was not an option. She was late for detention. She ran up to the second floor, along the corridor, through another door, down a rickety wooden staircase that she knew had a step missing - she only remembered at the last moment, and almost broke an ankle trying to clear it - and along a corridor on the first floor. Eventually, breathless and with whisps of hair falling over her eyes and tickling her nose, Ava rapped her knuckles on the door to Professor Mainwaring's office and waited for his answer whilst also trying to calm her beating heart.

 The professor glared with irritation as his clock. It had been some time since he had heard the last chime on the hour, too much time. Where was she?  Theobald detested tardiness. It showed a clear lack of structure and organisation and moreover it was just bad manners. He contemplated whether or not to give her another detention to punish for for her lack of punctuality. It would help to teach her not to do it again but this close to the end of term he doubted that many members of staff would want to oversee it. The decision could wait though. Miss Grovenor needed her wits about her tonight and anything that distracted her focus until the task was completed would  be a danger best avoided.

 Finally he heard her knocking,

 "Enter Miss Grosvenor, I trust you have an explanation  for this lateness."