A Trivial Encounter PV Amelia Lerelle

The corridors bustled with the footfalls of students making their way from class and chatter and laughter which rang through the halls. Amelia walked, oblivious to the activity around her, a pile of books partially blocking her view. Her pace was slightly slower than usual, and her notes almost noticeably messier though they were still undeniably neat. With her eyes desperate to droop and receive a moment’s rest, Amelia’s eyes caught the unmoving photo in front of her. A picture of a couple holding a tiny baby between them, thriving smiles spread across their faces. Tiny baby Amelia. And her mother and father. In Amelia’s mind she could see it as a moving image like the wizard photos all were, with laughter and happiness radiating, yet it remained stark stiff in reality, very clearly a muggle photo.

The picture shouldn’t have been there. It should have been sitting in her room, with her small collection, hidden from the world, where she could have left it after the difficulties of the previous night. Lying in the dark like a vampire, the memories ready to prance when the skies darkened. A tiny flick in her eye, held a whisper of a tear back, wishing she had of been more careful in returning the photo to its resting place.

Attempting to direct her attention on her next class which would be a rather tedious lesson in History of Magic, she continued down the corridor, attempting to ignore the photo smirking from the top of her pile of books. She would be fine. Continue on. Pretend nothing happened.

The voice of a girl, perhaps her age, jolted her back to reality with a small jump. The words that were spoken seemed undeniably harsh to the young girl, and while she hadn’t been focusing on where she was walking, the tone made Amelia want to crawl into the warmth of her bed. The photo on top of her piles of books as well as a previously undiscovered one of Mittens chasing a ball of string, came flipping down to the ground, which Amelia hastily scrambled to collect.

Looking around, hoping a glaring student might be standing behind her and she was simply caught in the middle of the conversation, she frowned. “Are you talking to me?” She turned once more. No one. She had to be talking to Amelia. “I-I don’t w-want anything?” She stuttered, her voice wavering dangerously. She begged herself not to cry, for there were too many people in the corridor. She couldn’t humiliate herself in front of all of them. She focused on her goal. No tears. Maybe it would be a mistake. Soon the day would be over.

Wiping an escaping tear from her blue eyes with a shaky hand, Amelia felt a slight tingle of embarrassment at her behavior creep through her. Did she really have to cry in front of people she didn't even know? Not another memory to be filled with embarrassment. Another way for her day to become even worse. That in itself was almost enough to cause a river of tears, yet the Ravenclaw saved her by speaking. An apology. Perhaps not the most gentle one she had received, but an apology non-the-less. Perhaps she had completely overreacted before

“Oh, right, sorry.” Amelia’s voice held a tiny tremor of her previous upset. As the girl continued on, Amelia returned the other girls introduction hesitantly, pasting on a forced smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” That was a lie. A well intended lie. “I’m Amelia. Oh, and thank you. That’s my kitten, Mittens.” A tiny spark of amusement crossed her face at the rhyme of her last sentence. The little trouble-making fur-ball was indeed adorable, and complementing the kitten was one way to get on the girl’s good side.

Korinna’s next question caused a frown of surprise to run across her face, wiping away her smile. Once again, the girl’s tone hit Amelia hard and she reacted as so. “Yeah, I am.” She snapped, a frustration bubbling through her and causing her words to become sharp.

If there had been any question that the two girl’s first meeting was going to be the best-friends-forever one, Amelia’s glare seemed to contrast this.

Tears. Pleasantries. Frustration. The quick transitions between Amelia’s emotions were quite impressive. It seemed a lack of sleep and the emotional train she had been on of recent was promoting the unusual behavior.

As such, when the conversation turned to her dear cat, a smile escaped her lips without permission. The playful fluffball could hardly be a topic to cause upset, and the girl was right. Mittens, if not slightly embarrassing, was a cute name. “What’s your cats name?” Amelia asked, an itching suspicion in her tone as she attempted to keep the civilities going. It was only when the conversation had turned to the topic of the photo and muggles that Amelia realized she had never found out the girl’s name. Odd perhaps?

The sight of the girl’s forlorn face made Amelia feel a tiny flash of guilt. She had overreacted, even if she wanted to deny it, and just because she had suffered from an awful evening didn’t justify the Ravenclaw receiving little Amelia’s rath. This feeling only intensified at the Ravenclaw’s backtrack, as she assured her it wasn’t intended as a bad thing. Seriously, another one of her overreactions? Why did she always have to do this?

An apologetic smile began to cross her face as Amelia mentally prepared a small apology and then how she would excuse herself. Her plan, however, was stopped in it’s tracks as the girl continued on. Whatever guilt or sympathy the second year had been feeling was thrown away in a heartbeat as the Ravenclaw continued.

Eyes widening as the girl continued, the horrified surprise was visible across her features. A storm of frustration swirled inside Amelia as the words of the inconsiderate girl sunk in, a choking cough of disbelief showing her disgust. Her face contorting into a tight, cold glare. A pause of silence. But not for long. For Amelia had opened her mouth, in defense.

“Who do you think you are?” Amelia’s voice was as sharp as a knife cutting through air, but beneath it a tiny tremor of hurt could be heard. “Hufflepuff doesn’t take the left over people. They take those who are hardworking. The loyal. The kind. The dedicated. The team players.” Each descriptive word was emphasized with a short pause, followed by the voice of a young girl who was determined to support her cause without fail. There was no stopping her now. The line had been crossed. Too late. “Hufflepuff takes the all rounded students. Not the ones that just have one ability. Hufflepuff has people that are smarter than most of your house. Braver than most of Gryffindoor.”

“Oh and I’m not less intelligent than someone like you.” An almost scornful tone had entered her voice. “I do well in my classes. I have O’s. Straight O’s.” She offered a glare mixed with a fake smile, which caused a contorted expression of appalled sarcasm. “So no. Hufflepuff isn’t worse than the rest of you. And neither are muggles.”

“The lack of magical knowledge, from my personal experience at least, assisted me in seeing the magical world from a different angle, which has greatly assisted in my studies. The lack of prior knowledge does not effect the future, but motivates us.” Her tone, still laced with her emotions, had become far more academic. Almost as if she were in a class discussing the acceptable usages of a spell. “So yes, we do perfectly well, thank you very much.” There was nothing in her tone that suggested any gratitude.

Amelia hitched her books higher onto her arm as if she was preparing to leave, offering a thin smile. Voice layered with a sarcastic calmness now, which was nothing like how she felt, she offered the Ravenclaw a sympathetic look. “As a Ravenclaw, I would have thought someone like you would have known all that though, being from the house of the witty and wise. So if I was you…” An almost dramatic pause “I’d find a better source.” Pushing the photos into her book with care, as if her next move was to stalk away, she raised her head and said, barely holding in an eye roll. “It’s electricity.” Seriously, how stupid was this girl?

On the outside the girl was an eagle in a debate, her wings barely flustered, inside she was shaking precariously. She knew there was prejudice against muggle-borns and Hufflepuffs, but the way the girl had acted as if it was completely normal had shaken her. Why were people accepting this? Why had the world allowed it? It was complete racism. It was the same as separating those with dark skin to light skin. They were separating those with magical parents to those without. There was nothing acceptable about that. Nothing at all.