Restricted

Chapter 38. Authority

The following day, the moment that lessons had come to an end, Madeline eagerly fled to the dungeons, hopeful that she could catch her father before he left.

It was Friday, so her father couldn't have too much work to be busy attending to. Knowing him, however, he might have created some for the sake of occupying time before dinner.

She'd waited all week for the opportunity to speak with him, her worries only growing stronger with every day that had passed.

Her father had barely let her even attend Hogwarts; what made her think he would allow a Christmas holiday spent lounging on a yacht, dining in ballgowns, and traipsing around the streets of France and Italy?

But Madeline refused to give in to the pessimistic thoughts.

All she needed to do was ask.

And if that plan fell through, she just might consider taking Jolie up on her offer to blackmail her father with the knowledge of their secret.

Madeline did hope it wouldn't come to that, though.

She rounded the last corner, pleased to have made it in time for the last of the third year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs to have begun their dismissal from the Potions classroom.

She passed the threshold, peering in to find that he wasn't there. He must have already taken to his private office, then. Madeline shrugged to herself, and let her steps carry to the closed door just down the corridor.

After a few taps, in an admittedly obnoxious sequence, the hinges jostled and the large iron lined door partially cracked open.

Her father's usual scowl was partly concealed with the door and didn't flicker upon meeting her eyes. He only dipped his chin once in recognition, and narrowed his gaze.

"Do you have a moment, Professor?" Madeline asked, grinning at him.

She made sure to use the formal greeting should any of the passing students have overhear.

Her father did not reply. He instead sidestepped and opened the door fully for her to enter.

Madeline felt her face fall as she stepped in, first at his incessant grumpiness, and then at the state of his office.

It hadn't been that long since she'd last joined his company here, and already her father had managed to turn his quarters nearly upside down. Nothing looked to be in the correct spot, furniture was moved or turned over, rugs were shoved to the side.

Even being farthest from his ingredient shelf, she could just sense they were in the wrong order.

It was strange. He had never been one to be particularly messy.

Once past the threshold, the door abruptly shut behind her and Madeline slightly jumped at the noise. Unease slowly began creeping up her spine as her father continued past her and barrelled straight for his desk rather than lead them to his comfortable sitting area before the fireplace.

Not that they could have even sat there as the once fluffed and plush chairs were disrupted from their usual places, shoved against the wall with their cushions strewn across the floor.

"Redecorating?" she asked, almost giving in to a bewildered chuckle, if anything for the sheer abnormality of it all.

Her grin however disintegrated from her very being as he shucked back the wing of his chair and sat behind his desk in response. He then gestured a hand at her to take the seat in front of it.

Madeline obliged with the silent order, lowering to sit on the creaky stiff chair made of metal and shifting until it became more comfortable.

Nothing she did helped.