The Farland Files

How To Lose Graciously

Ignoring the girl who was mouthing something surely of crude nature but saying nothing, she watched the Gryffindor Captain emerge from the crowd, limping and holding his side. "And what do you want?"

Lena let her lip quirk up slightly, holding out her hand. "Good game."

"What-" Oliver Wood, as she faintly remembered his name was, stared at her hand. "You- Flint would never-"

"I know. That's why I'm here and not Flint." Her eyes dropped to his side for a second before she pulled back her hand slowly. "Janus?"

The older boy stepped to her side, eyes curious.

She looked up at him. "Was Marcus' move against the rules?"

"No, it wasn't."

Nodding shallowly, she smiled stiffly at Wood. "As you heard. I have no basis to punish Flint... so why would I? But I can offer up a handshake and an indirect question of concern as to how you are holding up."

"Unsilence Katie." Wood's eyes were still narrowed slightly on her.

Flicking her wand again, the girl scowled deeply at her. "Bitch! How dare you come over here, gloating in all your-"

Lena sighed, ignoring the rest of the girl's rant and glancing up to Janus. "Are they always like this?"

Janus grinned, but it was bitter. "Welcome to the house that everyone hates."

"Of course we hate you! Why wouldn't we hate you, you slimy-"

"Quiet." Lena clenched her hand, the girl's voice stopping without a single movement of her wand. Looking at Wood with a slow and dangerous smile, she tilted her head. "I would have just accepted the handshake... but no, you just had to prove to me that you're worse than any of my snakes when it comes to prejudice."

Wood was now glowering at her. "Unsilence Katie!"

Yawning behind her hand, she shook her head. "No... I don't think I will. She can stay this way until she learns that her actions have consequences, as her parents didn't seem to teach her that very well."

"Yeah? And what about your parents?!" One of the girls from the side of the silenced girl snapped at her.

Janus moved to put a hand on her shoulder, his grip tight, as if asking to hex the girl, but she ignored it.

Lena blinked slowly. "My parents are dead. So I learned that my actions had consequences when the Matron would lock me in the cellar for days without food when I did something that she deemed 'bad'... like having more than a fourth a plate of food." Smiling widely in a way that she knew was twisted and jagged around the edges as the group of Gryffindors processed that answer, she shrugged. "But look what good it did me. I'm now more than aware of what happens to little girls that piss off people more powerful than them."

"Your snakes are waiting." Janus' tone was cool but had an undertone of worry.

Nodding she turned, walking away with the boy. And when they were far enough away, she held up her still-clenched hand, looking at it. "Should I let her have her voice back? Or should I... keep it?"

Blinking down at her, Janus gave a short startled laugh. "What?

Unfurling her fingers, she held up a small blue orb that seemed to be pulsing, watching it curiously as it glowed with the trapped voice. "I saw it in one of the movies that I snuck into and thought it might be fun to try."

"That-... Lena do you know-..." Looking at the orb in her hand, eyes wide for a long second, the boy shook his head as if to clear it. "Next time. Next time, do it when you're not in direct conflict with the person and then keep it so that no one is able to link it back to you."