Legacy Finished

"...Did I hear the word 'birthday'?"

Yet a third Slytherin slid into the study room to appear behind Flash and Opeila. Jack had been wandering by, discreetly attempting to check how empty said room was, and had been about to leave again when he'd heard a pair of familiar voices.

One of them became high and shrill with excitement, and after listening in for a bit, Jack soon learned why. Flash's birthday...? A wicked smile soon overtook his face. After that, he really couldn't resist making an entrance, but it wasn't for studying as his original plan had been.

"Aw, Flaaaash, why didn't you even tell your own dorm mates?" the boy whined playfully, resting an elbow on the other boy's shoulder as he peered over it. "Is Seilun here just that special to you?"

He smirked as his eyes darted to the brunette. At the same time, his fingers deftly reached out to swiftly pluck the envelope from Flash's book. "Oooh...an unopened letter? To a Demetirus?" Jack cast the other boy a mock look of disapproval. "Stealing other peoples' mail now, are we? Tsk, tsk, tsk...how could you, Flash? I thought better of you than that. And on your birthday no less!"

@Flash Holmwood & @Opeila Seilun

Just as he was listening to Opeila start her lovely suggestions, he saw her eyes go wide, as though in fear. Before he could turn around to see what the matter was, he felt weight on his shoulder, and the last voice he ever wanted to hear.

Burnett, in the flesh, having his fun at Flash’s expense. He snagged the letter Flash had carelessly left out in the open, pawing over it with his grubby hands. It was like a tidal wave, sudden and catastrophic.

”Drop it, Burnett.” Flash didn’t have time to assess the situation. He already had to start on the defensive, his least favorite position. ”Mail theft is a serious crime, I suppose this Demetrius could report it, if it was indeed taken from him.”

Flash looked over his shoulder to glare at him. Smiling again, to no one’s surprise. Flash realized too late that he acknowledged that he knew Burnett. The effect he had on Flash’s psyche had a knack for blinding him to the big picture.

He had to be more careful and make sure he diminished the opportunity for ridicule as much as possible. The study room wasn’t crowded, but Opeila was an active witness to whatever Burnett decided to try to pull off. Steady. Silent. Breathe.

@Opeila Seilun @Jack Burnett

Opeila wasn't sure what just happened. The one second she had been talking to Flash, trying to save his birthday, then Burnett suddenly appeared behind him. Confused she looked at the redhead. Apparently the word 'birthday' had lured him over.
He started to tease Flash, why he didn't tell his dormmates and if Opeila just was that special to him.

Opeila just decided, not to say anything for now, but she looked at Jack, her eyes narrowed. She wouldn't let him ruin Flash's birthday, no matter what happened between them before. Obviously there had been something, but that could wait a day or two, couldn't it?

Now Jack commented on the Flash's birthday letter. Who the hell was Demetrius? And why should Flash steal his letters? Then Opeila figured, that Flash was probably not her housemate's real name. That was not nice at all of Burnett to reveal. Though, she didn't particularly expect him to be nice.

Flash seemed really tense since Burnett started to speak and Opeila got annoyed. "Great timing, Burnett. As far as I can see, it's you stealing someone else's letter here.", she just said.
"Is there something you want, except making other's secrets public knowledge?"
All this she said in a perfectly nice tone. She even smiled at the redhead.

@Flash Holmwood , @Jack Burnett

At Flash's warning, Jack looked at the letter, then shrugged. "I suppose he could. But then wouldn't you be glad that I have it instead of you? Then you wouldn't get in trouble for being in possession of a stolen letter." He smiled fondly - or was it smugly? Perhaps a bit of both - at the other young man. "I notice you didn't deny my suggestion that Seilun is special to you, by the way."

Taking a step away from his pair of housemates, the redhead held the letter up to the light as if to try to examine the contents through the envelope. "Come to think of it...I suppose this could be a letter from you to this Demetrius fellow. A love letter, perhaps? Seilun, do you know a Demetirus?" But without waiting for an answer, he glanced back at Flash out the corner of his eye and continued. "I think I might...sounds kind of familiar."

With a sudden snap of his fingers, he cried, "That's it! I know what this is! It's a challenge for a duel to the death in order to win Seilun's hand! That's why you're celebrating your birthday with her! Because it's very possible that it could be your last."

As he gave Flash's shoulder a few consoling pats, his head hung in feigned sorrow, Opeila's words caught his ear and he looked up once more. He rose a brow in confusion and then narrowed them in resentment.

"'Public knowledge'...? What on Earth are you talking about? Knowledge is power. Why would I ever want to share hard-earned power with the public if there was nothing in it for me?"

Just then, something else caught Jack's attention. He squinted at the cloak that lay on the edge of the table before them, then his eyes widened in alarm and he whipped out his wand from the pocket of his robes.

"Immobulus!" he yelled, making the associated gesture for the spell. A blue light shot from the tip of his wand and hit the black cloak Flash had received as a present, enveloping the thing for a second before disappearing. Jack waited for a moment, then sighed in relief.

Turning to the other Slytherins, he asked in a horrified almost-whisper, "Do neither of you know how to recognize a Lethifold when you see one?"

@Flash Holmwood & @Opeila Seilun

Flash felt grateful that Opeila had defended him, feeling strengthened in the conviction that his act was going well. It was those moments that he had been striving for, and was glad that Burnett got a chance to see a preview of what would no doubt be a flock of supporters in his future.

Still, Burnett seemed completely unfazed and continued on his tirade of baseless teasing. Waving the letter around in the air, Flash wondered how much he thought he knew about his family. There was plenty he could easily infer-- he wore a relatively expensive watch his brother Valerius had given him, and he spoke with a larger vocabulary than most people his age. It wasn’t much of a logical leap to assume he came from a well-to-do family that could afford private tutoring.

What else does he know… Well, he knew he liked old comic books, but that didn't signify anything in particular. He knew that Flash wanted people to think highly of him, but that wasn’t useful information besides helping him know which buttons to press. He’s fishing for details.

Flash kept quiet, letting Jack run the gamut of deciding what the letter was. Flash felt at least somewhat secure in the thought that he wouldn’t have the audacity to open it. Flash felt centered, and even managed to smile himself.

”Very funny, Burnett. You know as well as anyone that it’s a birthday card for me. Stop kidding around.”

Instead, Jack cast a spell on his birthday present, which had been sitting idly on the back of his seat as long as he had been there. He… immobilized it. His explination thereafter was… a stretch.

Flash knew what Lethifolds were. His whole childhood took place during his brother Darius’ obsession with studying Defense Against the Dark Arts. Any of the most gruesome or terrifying monsters became vivid stories whenever he returned home. Lethifolds stood out as one of the most terrifying of them all-- a silent killer that left no trace. What on earth is his angle…

Even though he didn’t want to reveal anything he didn’t have to, he didn’t want Burnett’s stupid trick to frighten Opeila.

”Certainly. As I recall, they’re extremely rare… and most often found in tropical climates.” Flash gaze narrowed, challenging him. He hadn’t given anything away, had he?

@Opeila Seilun @Jack Burnett

Opeila was going to say something, when Jack said, that he had noticed, that Flash hadn't denied that she was special to him. That was true. He hadn't. But that didn't have to mean anything, right? Burnett was holding the letter, that Flash obviously was scared to read, so she couldn't blame him for focusing on that fact. She hoped that this was the reason. With everything that went on with her parents, she really couldn't think of anyone that way at the moment.

Jack kept talking about Demetrius, said that it might be a love letter and then asked Opeila, if she knew him. "Just give it back, would you? You're not funny.", she said. "Like you noticed correctly, it is Flash's birthday, that you're just turning into an uncomfortable one. Just leave it."

When Jack made more silly assumptions about the letter- A challenge to fight for Opeila, please. This was ridiculous.- Opeila sighed. There was probably no way to stop her housemate from messing around until he was done. So she just crossed her arms and waited for that.

He then asked, what she was talking about. "You tell me, what I'm talking about. I feel like you know that better than I do.", was all she had to say about that.
Then things happened very fast. Jack took out his wand, casting Immobulus on the cloak on the table. The first year winced, for a splitsecond she thought, he was going to cast a spell on Flash or herself. "What the-" She stopped, when she saw the expression on Jack's face. So this was probably no bad joke...?
He asked them if neither of them could recognize a Lethifold.
What on earth was a Lethifold? Confused, the girl picked up the cloak and looked at it. "What are you talking about?"

When she heard Flash saying, that they are mostly found in tropical climates, she looked at it again, a little more concerned now. Was this supposed to be a creature? "It looks normal to me...", she said.
Opeila was more embarassed than she wanted to show. How did they both know, what that was, and she didn't? She should definitely do some research on magical creatures. Maybe she could owl the Gryffindor prefect Gris and ask her to help.

@Jack Burnett @Flash Holmwood

At Flash's comment about the letter being a birthday card, Jack responded with a slow, genuine grin. He hadn't expected the other boy to be so forthcoming about the letter and yet Flash hadn't directly stated that his name was actually Demetrius. It made it hard to tell whether or not Opeila knew, but if she hadn't known or guessed before, it seemed much easier to do so now. Jack was interested to know Flash was willing to reveal that much. Not to mention the bit about the birthday card. He could have assumed so, it was true, but be hated to assume anything and it was nice to get some confirmation from the actual source. Presuming, of course, that Flash wasn't lying again.

"A birthday card?" he repeated, turning the letter over in his hands. "How do you know? Just because it's your birthday doesn't necessarily make this card about it. You could have gotten it for an entirely different reason. Whether or not it is, though, the question still remains: if it's meant for you, why haven't you opened it yet?" He handed Flash back the card or letter or whatever it was, looking at him expectantly. "If it's not a stolen letter, then you shouldn't have any problem opening it right here and now."

Once he had given back the envelope, Jack swept around to the other side of the table in order to pick up the black winter cloak.

"Invisible cloaks are supposed to be extremely rare, too, but haven't there been students who have been sent them before?" he pointed out. "And just because they're most often found in tropical climates or that may be their natural habitat doesn't mean they can't exist elsewhere. Where did this come from?" He held up the cloak, looking serious. "Is it yours, Holmwood?"

Opeila's comment about the cloak looking 'normal' to her caused the redhead to sigh. "I suggest you study your 'Fantastic Beasts' text a little better, Seilun. A Lethifold, also known as a Living Shroud, are classified with a rating for the most dangerous creatures known to wizard kind. They're even considered 'dark creatures' because they're so violent and aggressive. By day, they appear to be harmless black cloaks roughly about an inch thick...but at night..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head.

@Flash Holmwood & @Opeila Seilun

It seemed no matter which defense he chose, Burnett always found the chink in the armor. Talking to him was downright grueling. He thankfully handed the letter back, but not without the addition of more snide running commentary. He found a method of testing Flash’s patience at the utterance of every word. He wished he could say something. You jabbering fool, annoying cretin... Part of the exasperation was knowing that such a lashing out would be playing into the narrative that Burnett was trying to write, one of adolescent mockery.

He didn’t want to simply say or do nothing at all. It wasn’t an option to do something as childish as refusing to acknowledge his existence, it was bad form. He had to stay on the higher ground, even if he had to sacrifice something to stay there. He hated to think that Burnett could use such a tactic at his leisure so long as Flash didn’t think of a way to prepare for it. How much more time would he have to spend thinking about Burnett?

”I don’t think I have to explain myself. For all you know, I may have instructions to open it at a specific time of the day.” Flash tucked the letter into his book and closed it. ”Demetrius could be my code name. A fun birthday game.”

Next, his intention became wildly apparent. He had noticed that the cloak was new, which needn’t come as a surprise. It looked unworn, it was his birthday. Another detail missed. He had worn it out of respect, despite the fact it wasn’t to his taste. It seemed his politeness itself was being attacked.

”Enough of that, don’t say things to frighten Miss Opeila. Even if by some wild circumstance a Lethifold was here, we wouldn’t even--” Flash had to stop himself, realizing he was about to say something a bit too grim for pleasant company. ”You know what, you can have it. Study it, why don’t you.”

Flash took ahold of the petrified fabric and tossed it at Burnett.

”My birthday present to you. Please accept it.”

@Opeila Seilun @Jack Burnett

How dare he.

Since Flash knew what a Lethifold was, he would surely have noticed. Was Burnett really doing this to scare her, like Flash said?
He had said, that she should study her fantastic beasts text better. It made the first year mad. She would have. She definitely would have, if there hadn't been so much on her mind. Things, that Jack Burnett had been involved in. But he had taken the easy way and decided not to care. Forget that he did care.
"Yeah, right. Because I have nothing else to worry about, as you know. Oh right. You don't know anymore." Stop that. Stop that right here! Opeila intended to tell him, what he had done, but not here. Not in front of Flash. Also she was very aware, that her anger was a litle off the topic. That was personal. Nothing she had to bring here.
"What is the point in pretending that this cloak is dangerous? Flash clearly knows what that is, so was this really to scare me? Why?"

She looked at Flash, who now threw the cloak at Burnett, obviously just as fed up with this game as Opeila was.
"Can you just go? Please? You're not actually improving this day.", she said to the redhead and leaned back in her chair.
Why was this situation bothering her so much?

@Jack Burnett @Flash Holmwood

"You might," Jack replied to Flash in regards to having instructions. "And it could. But the fact that you haven't said you do have instructions and that is your code name lead me to believe otherwise." He tilted his head at the other boy, his expression free of amusement. "Besides...for a birthday, you don't seem like you've been having a lot of fun. Even before I showed up. So I doubt whatever kind of 'birthday game' you've been playing has been much fun for you, either."

He blinked rapidly in confusion when Flash claimed he was saying things to frighten Opeila. "Um...I wasn't," he answered honestly. "How would I know she wouldn't know what a Lethifold was, much less be frightened by it? I'm just saying if she doesn't know, she really should brush up on her knowledge of magical beasts. Anyway, are you sure you aren't the one frightened and just using her as an excuse?"

Jack's eyes widened as he was tossed the cloak and he immediately tossed it back as if it had bitten him. "What?! No! You're just hoping it eats me, aren't you? Well since we share the same dorm, if it eats me, you're probably going to be next, so I suggest putting that in a trunk somewhere and locking it up tight. Or, alternatively, you can send it back to whoever sent it to you in the first place and tell them nice try, but you're not about to let yourself be consumed in your sleep."

When Opeila began to berate Jack, the redhead scratched his head, looking more confounded than ever. "Why do you seem to think this is about you?" he asked her with a raised brow. "I thought it was Flash's birthday. What right do you have to tell me whether or not I'm improving it? Just because you might not like having me around doesn't mean he doesn't. If you can't stand to be around me so much, why don't you go?"

@Flash Holmwood & @Opeila Seilun