22 Dec 2024, 16:50
Unfortunate Circumstances
As the golden sunlight began to fade and suppertime drew near, Lexi-- studious as she is-- found herself immersed in her studies as the holiday break approached. More specifically, she was working on her ingredient measurement skills for her potions class, which she felt woefully unprepared for; despite her father's love for the craft, brewing concoctions has never been one of her strong suites. Unfortunately, she would have to persevere nonetheless.
The young witch was set up at an empty and somewhat isolated table, squinting at the cauldron before her with locks of her hair danging only inches away from the crushed snake fang above the brew. This would require utmost concentration; precise measurements were crucial to get this right.
'--I heard half-breeds are twice as likely to fail their classes,' some chatter in the distance caught her ear, 'They only let them in here 'cause of the Ministry. Everyone knows--' Lexi huffed, closing off her ears to their conversation. It was nothing she hadn't heard before, so ignoring it was best. Carefully, she began tilting the vial... slowly... slowly... and--
Snicker
For a moment and only a moment, Lexi's concentration wavered and her hand slightly shook. It loosened the powder within, causing the whole vial to pour out its contents. That was all it took; the potion hissed and turned a sickly shade of green, releasing an acrid puff of smoke into the air. A foul odor assaulted her nose. Lexi’s heart sank and she quickly set the vial down, waving away the fumes as her mind raced. She snapped her head towards the wizard responsible for the commentary, only to notice the young wizard and a group of others glancing toward her with satisfied smirks. This time, assumedly intentionally, he spoke just loud enough for her to catch his every mocking word.
“Guess that proves that, doesn’t it?”
Lexi ground her teeth and let out a heavy sigh, turning back toward her potion to try and salvage what was left. Unfortunately, though, the putrid smell had caught the attention of the librarian, who promptly asked Lexi to clean up and leave. Her face flushed and knuckles whitened as she tightened her hands into her fists. Frustration bubbled as Lexi rushedly packed away her supply and slipped out of the Library. She had never felt so.. so humiliated. Her composure, which she normally wore like a badge of honor, was barely holding on by a thread.
She needed to cool down; maybe some food would be a good distraction. Entering the great hall with her anger poorly concealed, Lexi made her way toward an emptier spot at the Ravenclaw long table. She scooped up some surrounding scraps of food leftover from the last feast and plopped it onto her plate with a heavy sigh. Her normally calm appearance was exchanged for one of silent, cold anger.
"Purebloods and their superiority complexes..." she muttered, poking and prodding at some of the potatoes she had gotten with her fork, "Can't even tell the difference between a hippogriff and a griffin half the time but they have the gull to complain about us..."
@Ira Thornfield
23 Dec 2024, 10:20
Unfortunate Circumstances
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code by Tracey Bailey
23 Dec 2024, 13:02
Unfortunate Circumstances
Lexi furrowed her brow at the unprompted response, only slightly turning her head to just barely meet the eye of another student. She looked younger, though not by a significant margin. Perhaps a first year? And was she a Hufflepuff? What was she doing here? She quickly scanned the table to ensure she was at the right spot, then looked back to Ira.
"I'm sorry? Are you actively trying to get hexed? Their world?" Lexi repeated back with a tilted head, befuddled. She then gave a small giggle, shaking her head in quiet disbelief. There was some gull on this girl! She would respect it, if it weren't such a detriment to her. "Quite the repulsive little Hufflepuff, aren't you? Did I strike a nerve, or are you always so unpleasant?"
For a moment, the young witch hesitated in continuing her jeer. She couldn't afford to get too worked up over something like this. over something so petty. Over the types of comments she had heard her entire life. But on a day like this where she was being kicked while down, the rage felt like hot daggers going through her; each cruel word spoken felt like salt in the wound. It took a bit of an internal debate, but eventually she decided that perhaps it wouldn't be so wrong if, just this once, she retaliated.
"I'm surprised. I had no idea that you lot could be so sensitive," she added after a moment, dropping her sarcastic smile in turn for a cold glare. Somehow, her tone didn't waiver, despite the heat in her chest rising with every word she spoke. "Insensitive, sure. Everyone unfortunate enough to have to tolerate the relentless cruelty of purebloods knows that. But sensitive is new to me."
Lexi turned back to her food, scraping the plate with her food and cramming some mashed potato in her mouth. "Honestly it doesn't compliment your huge egos very well..."
@Ira Thornfield
26 Dec 2024, 08:55
Unfortunate Circumstances
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code by Tracey Bailey
26 Dec 2024, 16:15
Unfortunate Circumstances
Lexi’s fork clattered against her plate as she set it down with a little more force than she had intended, her icy gaze locking onto Ira. The not-so-subtle mockery in Ira’s tone lit a spark in Lexi’s chest that she was struggling to ignore.
"...You're right, I am sensitive. Thirteen years of discrimination against you and your loved ones tends to do that to you," she muttered, looking back down at her food. "I take it back. It is your world. You people are too bigoted and ignorant to ever share it with anyone else." The young witch squinted, pushing her plate backward. This conversation had ruined her appetite; her stomach churned from all the negativity and left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Her hands tightened into fists on the table, the sharp edges of her nails biting into her palms. She could feel her anger melting into something much worse: sorrow. Dejection. Throughout her brief life, Lexi had unfortunately become all too familiar with this kind of conversation. It usually didn't affect her much, but the combination of recently learning that she would be spending the holidays alone and her preceding encounter to this one made her particularly sensitive this time.
Her vision blurred. Tears threatened to spill, and despite her best efforts, they began rolling down her cheeks. She ducked her head in an attempt to keep some dignity about herself. Why couldn’t she hold it together?
"Gods, what is wrong with me today??" she blurted out to herself with a wave of intense anger. Her hands slammed against the table as she shot to her feet. Never had she struggled so much to maintain her composure like this! She needed to get out of here ASAP; she was too vulnerable to argue with somebody who she presumed had no intent of changing their views. Quickly, Lexi grabbed her supply she had brought with her from under the bench.
"You know, for someone who claims to be above generalizations, you sure fit every stereotype I’ve ever heard about purebloods. Yie auru creul," she added in her mother's language as she prepared to leave. "Congratulations on living up to expectations. I hope you choke on that superiority complex of yours." Her voice quivered, a few tears rolling down her cheek.
@Ira Thornfield
28 Dec 2024, 11:00
Unfortunate Circumstances
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code by Tracey Bailey