"And I will not change my methods of teaching going forwards, but my students need to realize at some point that there are consequences to any actions. They may be positive, or negative, but they will follow as surely as a day follows a night." Professor Flitwick's eyes finally left yours, as he turned to his desk drawer and opened it.
"And some of my students are so bright and so capable that their actions are simply more impactful than those of others. Which means the consequences might grow in significance as well." The Professor tapped something inside the desk drawer with his finger and a tiny cupcake flew out of it, making a big circle around the both of you.
"Do you understand my thinking, Mr. Basques? Do you agree with it?" Flitwick asked, when the cupcake made for a landing and came to a halt on the desk, right in front of you. Your head of house was famous for these delicious little cupcakes. Today, for the first time it looked like a false allure.
"I do not agree," you said instead. The Professor looked surprise at your answer.
"If all we do is think about the consequences, the actions themselves become void of meaning. The significance of an action should not be the reaction of other people," you said.
Your Professor fell silent at your words. The happy dance of the cupcake in front of you subsided.
"So, you mean to tell me that you are happy with the way this turned out?" Flitwick asked. There was a new emotion hiding behind his eyes. You could not place it.
"No, I am not," you said, seeing his expression change again. "I am quite annoyed about what happened. I do not want to quarrel for the right to be who I am. But I will not back away one step, even if the consequences are hard to live with."
There was room for more words, to explain how you felt and what you were thinking. That you didn't think it would have been right for you to backdown. That Montague was simply facing what he had wanted you to … but instead, you fell into silence again.
