.~*~.Lilycius.~*~.

~Respect has a Limit~*

"So explain to me again Professor why I am being expelled." A drawling voice echoed through the silent office. A man with a long white beard sighed, placing his fingertips to his temples.

"You are being expelled, Mr. Malfoy, because you hexed Professor Argaylia Traught." A smirk played across Lucius's lips as he mentally recalled the incident. It had occurred while he sat in Divination with his Slytherin friends, not paying the least bit of attention to the elderly hag of a teacher droning on in front of the classroom. She was making them read signs out of cups filled with wet tealeaves. Lucius recalled her exclaiming over a few cups and getting teary-eyed over others. She had walked over to his table and looked at him peculiarly.

"And what does your cup read Mr. Malfoy?" She had asked quizzically. He had merely shrugged and continued staring blankly at the ceiling. She glared at him but picked up his cup. Her eyes grew watery with tears.

"Ah, my dear, life is not to treat you well, raised poorly you will grow into something more lowly than those around you, a life of misery, pain, and neglect…" Lucius's fists clenched. Why could this woman not just shut up? "A life of nothing but death and sorrow, so…"

"Shut up." He said in a deadly whisper. She had not heard him and continued stringing out more and more things. Lucius's eyes grew hard. He was tired of this class and this woman and her stupid prophecies. He had whipped out his wand in rage and hexed the miserable excuse for a teacher. She flew back through the air with an ear-piercing scream and crumpled to the floor.

Lucius had smirked, his eyes glinting with the slightest hint of pleasure and now he was here in Dumbledore's office, being expelled from his second quarter at Hogwarts. Dumbledore sat across from Lucius with his eyebrows raised in speculation and then spoke.

"The third quarter is approaching fast. You are expelled from Hogwarts for the rest of the year, but I will give you the chance to repeat your entire seventh year from the beginning. And since you have not taken your NEWT exams yet, you shall be right along with the seventh years, you will probably know more than they will because you have had time to study this year where they have not. I expect good behavior throughout next year or you will be expelled officially, your grades stripped away and if you have taken your NEWT it will be taken out of the records. Your behavior was not acceptable, and I am sure that if it were a different headmaster sitting here and talking to you, you would not get a second chance. Once you return to school next year, you will serve three months detention with Filch and will not attend the feast or the sorting. Is that clear Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore's blue eyes pierced Lucius, coldly staring him down.

"Yes sir." Lucius hissed coldly. His eyes were just as piercing as Dumbledore's, and maybe even colder. Dumbledore nodded.

"A letter has already been sent to your parents, your things have been gathered and you will leave on the train tonight. Good day Mr. Malfoy." Lucius stared with malice at the old headmaster; he hated him but still held the smallest amount of respect. Would that respect be shattered or remain in the torturous year to come?