Without Ulterior Motives

Of all the rooms in Hogwarts, the office belonging to Professor Altair Aquilla was surely an impressive feat of harmonic decoration and magical prowess. It was a square-shaped room, but it appeared so much bigger than what its confines really were. Weapons additional to those found in his classroom were on display here, as well as tapestries and books.

A work table containing a crucible, mortar and pestle, and a scattering of ingredients could be found along the easternmost wall. The door leading out faced south. To the west were many books. Odd crystal baubles each with a landscape visible beneath a cloudy mist, as well as a large cloth-covered something. Across the middle of a room ran a gurgling stream. The only way across was to hop from one river stone to the next, and the pattern was never the same twice. After crossing this body of water one gained access to the wizard himself, who seemed to meditate to the point of levitation above his desk rather than actually sit in the chair.

Today, however, Altair was in fact sitting. In fact, he was rather preoccupied with a musical instrument that was laid across the orderly surface. It was a guqin, an instrument belonging to the zither family. Altair, although visibly wide awake, was actually in a state of meditation. Some would call it being in "the zone". Whatever it was, it was how Alastair relaxed and recharged after a long morning of grading what written homework he had assigned. It wasn't much but the topics could be deep, spurring either strong emotions or greater confusion.

(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zptY64M_EsY ))