Closed knocked down a peg

[Ten Layton-King]

One day, there would come a time when Ten stopped going to the owlery just in case anyone had sent her a letter, and admitted that no one outside of the school wanted to talk to her. Maybe it was foolish to think that any of her family members didn't have better things to be doing than writing to her when she spent years away from them. Even when she'd been in Scotland she'd barely heard from them. Ten hadn't received mail for years so why would this be any different? She was debating sending them a message, telling them of what had been new with her, how she was now helping out in the greenhouses with Professor Carter, and how Felix had been settling in, but for what? Wouldn't it just be better to show them she was achieving things, or would it have just been better to not seek their validation in the first place since it didn't seem to matter how hard she tried?

Turning away from the owls, Ten had kept her head low as she moved through the tower and back towards the stairs from which she'd come. She knew she had Eluned, but why did she still feel as though she was alone here? Tugging her coat tighter to her chest, the redhead was about to take the first step when the grip under her foot gave way, and before she realised what was happening she felt the solid stone underneath her body as she came crashing down hard. ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity didn't spend a lot of time writing home, but she was hoping to get a bit of extra pocket money for the upcoming Brightstone weekend. She had written two letters, one to her dad and one to her mom. They were separate enough most of the time that Vanity hoped they would each get her letter without seeing the other, so she might get a bit from them both without them knowing about it. With the letters in hand, Vanity headed up the stairs to the owlery. She hated going up there. The owls were dirty and smelly and the floor was covered in droppings. As she climbed the stairs, she heard a loud thud from above. Curious, she headed up a little faster.

Before reaching the top of the stairs, as the owlery came into view, she came face to face with Ten, who was lying on the floor. Vanity paused on the steps, looking at her curiously. She hadn't been thrilled to see Ten was back at Hogwarts, but the Gryffindor had thankfully left her alone for the most part. Vanity raised her eyebrows and moved further up the stairs, until she was standing in the owlery and standing over Ten. "Did you decide to take a nap in the owl droppings?" She asked sarcastically, though there was a touch of concern in her voice as she looked down at the girl to see if she was alright. Ten was annoying, but if she had broken something Vanity supposed she could go get some help. Or maybe she would just yell until someone else came to help so she didn't have to deal with it.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten hadn't thought anyone had been around to witness her slip over in the owl waste, however before the Gryffindor could get to her feet, she heard approaching footsteps and her head shot to the side in the direction of the noise. She immediately glared at Vanity, a Slytherin for which she'd always held a grudge against since before they'd even come to the school. Ten thought she would have done well in Slytherin too, but the sheer fact that would have meant sharing a bedroom with her would always have Ten grateful she'd been placed elsewhere. "Why yes, I always find it makes the best bedding," she replied with matching sarcasm, although she had half a mind to throw some of the droppings straight at the fourth year for the remark alone. Ten did her best to hoist herself back to her feet before she had the chance to slide down the staircase, and turned back to Vanity with a slight hobble. She'd twisted her ankle by the sensation of things but she wasn't about to admit it.

She glanced down at the letters the girl was clutching, a pang of jealousy rising within her as even someone like Vanity had someone to write to. Perhaps Vanity had stolen them too, just to make it look like had friends and family on the outside. Yes, that must have been it. Right? Ten realised she didn't have the energy to argue her point, to try and put Vanity down for her own insecurity, because as much as she could say those things to the Slytherin, it wouldn't help the fact that Ten really did have no one. "You should watch where you're stepping, you wouldn't want to slip too and ruin your pretty little outfit," she crossed her arms over her chest. It was pathetic, she knew that, but it was all she had. ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity snorted at Ten's comment, then was immediately annoyed with herself for it. She watched as Ten got back on her feet, not extending even a hand to help her. If she could be sarcastic about it, she was probably fine. Vanity saw the way Ten looked at her letters and was sure the Gryffindor was judging her for writin to her parents like a baby. She stepped carefully around a pile of owl droppings, turning to Ten with a raised eyebrow. "Thank you, I will." She said with a smirk. "Luckily your outfit could only be improved with owl sh*t." She added lightly, giving Ten a quick once-over. She looked up at the owls, wondering which ones to pick. She had never been very good with animals, so she wouldn't mind if Ten left before she attempted to call one down.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten was tossing up the consequences of pushing Vanity straight out of the tower and how much trouble she'd get in. She expected nothing less from the girl when she'd insulted her outfit, and while she knew that it was just words designed to hurt her given her coat covered up most of it, she surprised herself by wondering why Vanity wanted to hurt her at all. She knew the day they'd met, she'd been loud and annoying, but had it bugged her that much that she'd kept a grudge over her for this long? Did Vanity talk to everyone this way or did she save the comments just for Ten and Eluned? Fighting with her was only going to go the same way as the fight had with Felix; with one of them on their ass and with both of them annoyed. When was it going to end?

The fourth year said nothing for a few moments as she watched Vanity eyeing up the owls, although given that she made very little attempt to actually go near one, Ten wondered whether she was scared. The Gryffindor wasn't exactly keen to rush in and help her given her sour attitude, although she knew she was just as bad if she kept reacting to it. "If you're looking for one that won't bite your fingers off," she said, raising one arm to point at a small brown owl on the right, "that one just ate and it gets sleepy after a meal. Stroke him and he'll wake up but don't wait too long until you send him out." ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity prepared herself for some sort of snarky comment from Ten, or even for her to storm off in a huff. Instead, there was an unexpected silence. Vanity glanced at the redhead sideways, half-expecting her to have her wand out, ready to curse her. But instead she said something about which owl to pick, something that seemed like helpful advice. Vanity's gaze shifted to the row of owls perched on their wooden stands, taking them in suspiciously. Then she looked back at the girl. "And I'm supposed to trust that you didn't point to an owl that will certainly bite me?" Vanity asked sarcastically. "I don't need your help." To accentuate her point, she reached for another owl, letting out a yelp as it immediately bit her finger. She put her finger in her mouth, glaring at Ten as if this were somehow her fault.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

In truth, it did sound like something Ten would do, telling Vanity to choose an owl that would bite her on purpose. The fourth year just watched as the girl moved towards a different owl, and received a bite of her own as though that was supposed to prove something. "That seems like a bit of a lose-lose situation to me," Ten shrugged, "but hey who am I to know. I'm only here every other day," she smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. She resisted the urge to tell the Slytherin she looked like a baby sucking on her sore finger. "Go on then. Don't let me stop you from sending your very important letters to your very important family," she added, staring at Vanity to see whether or not she'd try again to provoke her, if only to get bitten a second time.​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity's pride was hurt by the owl, more than her finger if she was honest. She glared at Ten, annoyed she had seen that embarrassing moment. She latched onto what the girl said, eager to make her feel small in return. "Why are you here every other day? Do you like the smell of owl droppings or are the owls your only friends?" She asked mockingly. Vanity hesitated when Ten dared her to send her letters. She glanced up at the owls again, then decided to pick the one Ten had pointed out earlier. She stroked it hesitantly, ready to pull back again if it bit her.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten thought about lying to Vanity, but in truth, she didn't care enough if the Slytherin was going to mock her for it. She would mock her regardless, wouldn't she? "No, they're not my only friends," she said, she had Eluned after all. "But I'm here every other day just in case my family decides one day they do want to write to me." She was ready for whatever Vanity was going to throw her way. Even if she decided to laugh at her and tell her she was pathetic for not hearing from them, it wouldn't matter. At least, that's what she told herself. She watched the Slytherin stroke the owl she'd advised her to, half hoping now it would bite her like the other one had.​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity let out a snort that showed Ten she doubted it. She knew Ten had her little minion, but she hadn't seen her around much lately. She attached the letters to the owl, frowning slightly at the honest response the Gryffindor gave. Vanity let the owl go with the letters before turning to Ten. "Did you write them first?" She asked. "My parents only respond when I do- and only then like half of the time, maybe." She shrugged like it didn't matter to her. She was used to it and had long stopped being sentimental about it. Vanity's parents had never had much time for any of them, and sometimes she wondered why they ever had three kids. It wasn't like Emery was so great you'd want two more of him. "You know, you'd get the mail in the great hall if you got any." She added, not maliciously.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten lowered her eyes, stepping a little closer as she pondered the girls question. She had written home but in truth no more than a couple of times, and not for years, either. “Not really. I don’t really have much to tell them, but I figured they’d let me know if something important happens on the outside.” Ten was stuck here and it wasn’t just her dad but her cousins and her aunts and uncles. Did no one have anything at all to tell her, was she doomed to only ever find things out on her annual trip home? Ten started stroking another owl, not looking toward Vanity at all. “Doesn’t that make it worse?” she asked, wondering if it would have been even sadder to have written home more often only to get a response because she’d asked for it. The redhead nodded as Vanity told her she would have recieved mail in the Great Hall, as though that was proof that she never got any. Years had gone past and she’d never had anything turn up with her name on it.​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity brushed her hands over her robes, wishing she could wash them after handling the owls. She shrugged. "Maybe they have nothing important to tell you too." She said simply, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. She frowned. "I don't care." She said in response to Ten's question, perhaps a bit too sharply for it to sound entirely true. "I just write them when I want stuff from them anyway." She said dismissively. "Maybe you should try that."

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Maybe Vanity was right, maybe whatever was going on with them wasn’t important enough to tell her. Eluned had told her to keep to herself and maybe that was what she was better off doing. She kept stroking the owl, knowing it didn’t really like being handled but it would tolerate her for a few minutes. As Vanity told her to try asking for stuff from her family, Ten wasn’t even sure what she wanted from them. “What do you ask yours for?” she asked, turning her head to look at the brunette. It was probably something superficial, like money or products to make her pretty, but Ten was too curious not to check.​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity wasn't sure why she was still here, talking to a girl she didn't like. She hadn't ever thought much about Ten's family life, but it seemed like it might be more similar to her own than she thought. Except she wasn't sure if Ten had siblings. "Do you have siblings here at school?" She asked, trying to remember if she knew that. She snorted when Ten asked what she asked her parents for. "Money, obviously. There's a Brightstone weekend coming up, aren't you going to shop?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Despite not being thrilled at the initial prospect of having run into Vanity, Ten was glad that at least the insults seemed to have paused for the time being. "I have two," she said, although she didn't know whether Vanity actually cared to know who nor did she want to give fuel to her fire, "you?" Vanity seemed to snort and snigger a lot around her, and the Gryffindor wondered if she did that if not because she didn't know what else to do. "Probably not," Ten wasn't going to brag, but money had never been an issue for her, not when she and her brother had inherited Olive's money in her will. "I don't have anything I need to buy," she realised out loud, "unless it's more plants, but I probably have enough of those now I'm working with Professor Carter." She'd already moved most of the things from her room down to the greenhouses. ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity shrugs. "If your parents aren't writing to them either, I wouldn't get too upset." She said easily. "What years are your siblings in?" She wondered if any of them were with her siblings, not that she really cared. She frowned when Ten said she didn't need to buy anything. "You're not even getting candy or something? Boring." She said, tossing her hair back. "Why are you working for a professor?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

"Felix is a first year," Ten explained, "But Pho, she's a fully grown adult." She was nearing her thirties now, but it was true, Ten didn't think Felix was getting any mail from home either. The fourth year shrugged, she didn't really care about that because she could buy things whenever she wanted. "I'm not working for him, I'm working with him. I like to work there," she said, debating whether or not to tell Vanity the story of how she got kicked out of the Wild Club. "Herbology is my favorite subject, and since I grow lots of plants anyway I like helping out in the greenhouse," It was a risk, telling the Slytherin something she enjoyed, if not only because it gave her the chance to destroy it. ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity realized Ten must not have heard her question correctly, as Vanity had asked about siblings in school. But the idea of an adult sister was just... weird, and she wasn't shy to say so. "That's weird." She said, frowning slightly. "But whatever." She raised her eyebrows slightly. "You're working for him, he's a professor, he doesn't need the help of a fourth year. You're just doing free labor for what, some house points?" She looked at Ten skeptically. "Why do you like it? It's just gross, pawing around in the dirt." She asked with a slight frown.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten didn't know anything else but to have a sister fourteen years older than her, so if it was in fact weird, it wasn't to her. She just shrugged at her comment. "I'm not doing it for the house points," Ten explained, moving away from the owl she was stroking in case it decided it wanted a nibble. She actually hadn't even thought about whether or not she'd get any. "I know he doesn't need the help, but professors have a lot on. It can be helpful to have a student around who knows what they're doing." Ten wasn't going to deny that she was someone who knew what she was doing when it came to plants. The Gryffindor thought about her question for a moment, "I like watching plants grow, knowing that it's because of me that they're thriving. Having plants around can be a comfort, and who knows maybe they'll go on to be something useful someone else can use one day," Ten wasn't smart enough to think she would be able to turn the things she grew into something important, and she didn't like potions enough to stick that out either, so her skills lay with the actual production of ingredients instead. "I'm pawing around in the dirt anyway," she added. Ten had been growing plants for years, only difference now was there was a point to it. ​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity hadn't really thought Ten was doing it for points, but hearing she was just doing it for no reason just felt even more stupid to her. She listened skeptically, really not getting it. "Okay, whatever. Sounds boring." She said after a pause. "You like plants. Guess those are the friends you mentioned earlier instead of the owls." She said, gesturing around. "Why did you come back?" She asked suddenly, aware she was changing the subject entirely. She had wondered ever since the start of the year.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten was secretly glad Vanity found the idea of it all boring, that would mean she had less competition. She rolled her eyes when the Slytherin suggested they were her friends, although in truth if she was to tell her what exactly she'd said to Professor Carter, she would have been right. "Yeah, well, at least they listen," she didn't mean it as a dig at other students, but it was true at least plants would put up with her ranting. Ten couldn't help but notice Vanity had asked her more questions in the last three minutes than she had across the last three years. "It was a..family thing," Ten said vaguely, "I didn't choose to." It had been a weird couple of years and she was still trying to get used to the idea that she was back at all. "Must have been nice though huh, not to have to worry about me for a few years."​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity couldn't help it. She laughed when Ten said the plants listened. Not because she was making fun of her, but because for a moment an image of a bunch of plants with little ears flashed before her eyes, listening nicely as Ten talked to them. She'd always had a lively imagination. She clapped her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. Somehow, this was worse than letting Ten see the ugly side of her, the meanness and the insults were easier to show. She lowered her hand and huffed a bit at her words, trying to get her composure back. "Right- well, you're assuming I worried- or thought about you at all." She said, lifting her chin. "Maybe I didn't."

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Tens' eyes shot immediately to the Slytherin when she burst out laughing. Most people did but it still stung to witness people thinking she was a fool. Only Ned and Professor Carter seemed to understand what she meant when she told them she spoke to her plants, and she had no doubt that Vanity would probably mock her for it later. Or at least, that's what Ten thought until she covered her mouth. Doubt spread across the Gryffindors face, unsure of what to make of it. If Vanity was laughing at her, why did she seem embarrassed? "Right, yeah. Sure," she nodded, still lost in her own confusion about what just happened. "Maybe you didn't, but you still noticed enough to realize I came back," she risked, something between a smirk and a smile appearing on the corner of her mouth.​

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity was glad to move on from her embarrassing laugh. She shrugged. "Yeah, well. You're... noticeable." She said, unsure herself if she meant that as an insult, a compliment or both. "It was nice to not have you around," she admitted. "But you haven't bothered me since you came back, so it's pretty much the same." She said, glancing at Ten. For the first time she wondered why the girl hadn't gone out of her way to annoy Vanity. She had seemed strangely subdued since she came back. Not that Vanity had been paying close attention.