Closed Silver Butterflies

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Of course there were thieves at Hogwarts. There were thieves everywhere. Eluned didn't have to look hard to find one; she slept in a bed proximate to arguably the most shameless thief she'd ever met. But while she'd turned a blind eye to her friend's petty crimes, she'd never expected to become the victim of one herself. This was karma, she supposed - and yet Ned was devastated. Her silver butterfly bracelet was inexpensive, easy to replace, but it was the principle of the thing. She'd only been at Hogwarts for five minutes, and someone had already stolen from her. What did it say about the professors here if all they could inspire in their students was opportunistic thievery? This did not bode well for her education.

Ned had all but given up on recovering her bracelet when suddenly, in the middle of the afternoon, while trying to catch an enchanted paper aeroplane, she saw a familiar glint of silver. A Slytherin girl no older than herself was wearing her bracelet. "Hey!" said Ned, abandoning the floating plane in pursuit of a much more important treasure. "'Scuse me. That bracelet, with the butterflies - where'd you get it?"

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

At the sorting ceremony, Vanity had noticed the two girls from scouts that had made fun of her. She had hated them ever since and was furious to see they were in her year. They had seemed closer to Briony's age to her, but apparently, they were just immature. And now they were going to be her classmates for seven years. Vanity was not pleased. Thankfully, the girls had ignored her so far. But Vanity had kept an eye on them. That was why she noticed the little mousy one had put her bracelet down on a table in the student lounge earlier. It had been way too easy for Vanity to walk past casually and grab it, putting it in her pocket while she quickly moved away.

She had mostly done it for the satisfaction and a bit for revenge, but once Vanity had looked at it more closely she had to admit it was a pretty thing. She decided to wear it. She loved butterflies and the bracelet was very sparkly. She knew it was slightly risky, but she had done it before. Vanity always got away with things. The girl was walking through the first-floor corridor, dreading going back to the awful dungeons when she suddenly heard someone yelling. It was the girl, which was frustrating. Already? Vanity quickly searched her brain for the girl's name. It was a weird one, but she had made sure to memorize both their names at scouts meetings after she was made fun of for mispronouncing the other ones. Eluned, she thought. Though she wasn't going to admit she knew it. Vanity blinked at the girl's question, looking around like she thought she might be talking to someone else. "Oh, this?" She asked, gesturing to her bracelet while moving her arm a bit away from the girl, so she couldn't get a closer look. "I bought it in France last year when I went there with my family, why?"

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

"Really?" said Ned. Great - a liar and a thief. Well, if she thought Ned was leaving before she got her bracelet back, she had another thing coming. "That's funny, 'cause I bought it in Auckland three months ago." She held out her hand, palm-up. "And now I'll have it back. If you'll be so kind. Give."

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity had judged this one to be the more meek of the two girls, but apparently, that didn't mean she would just accept her story. Ugh. She had hoped being confident enough would get her out of this easily, but apparently, this girl didn't want to give up her stupid bracelet. Vanity raised one eyebrow at the girl's hand, then looked at her face. She put her other hand over her left wrist, hiding the bracelet from view and making sure the girl couldn't just snatch it. "Are you really accusing me of stealing it?" She asked, frowning. "It's mine, I've had it for a year. It's not my fault you lost your own."

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Eluned would never have been so undignified as to snatch the bracelet off the Slytherin's wrist, but she wasn't against pinning her down until she gave it back voluntarily. "Yes I am," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "They don't even sell them in France. I've been there," she added, as if a quick visit to the Brittany quidditch stadium made her an expert on French jewellery. "You're a dirty, thieving rat. Give. It. Back."

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity was glad the other girl was shorter than her. Really, she barely looked like she could be a first-year. Vanity wondered if there was some sort of mixup and she was really like, nine. She looked down her nose at the girl, which was easy. "I don't believe you've been to France." She said haughtily. "And even if you have, you can't have seen every store, stupid. Do you even know how stupid you just sounded?" She added, rolling her eyes with an exaggerated movement so she wouldn't miss it. She bristled as the girl called her a dirty rat. "At least I don't look like a rat." She said, scowling. "Like you do. I wouldn't steal from someone like you, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing something you wore." She added viciously. "This is mine." She insisted. "I think you're just trying to steal MY bracelet. But if you did lose yours, it's your own fault. Maybe if you weren't a huge bully someone wouldn't steal your stuff!" She added hotly. She was starting to think she had been wrong to think the annoying redhead had been in charge. This one was clearly just as mean, if not worse.

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

"Have too. I'm very-well travelled," said Ned, drawing herself up as tall as she could. As Vanity went on, Ned talked over her. "France, Germany, Spain, Italy, England, America - la la la - don't care." But she ran out of things to say long before the Slytherin, and after a few seconds she was forced to stop and listen, at the cost of several braincells. "Me? I'm not a bully. How am I a bully?"

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity snorted. "I don't care how well-traveled you are, you haven't gone to every single store in France." She told her haughtily. "You also sound like a little kid when you say that stuff." She added, looking down at her with a distasteful look. She huffed as the girl denied being a bully. "You're so a bully. You and your red-haired friend both!" She said, refusing to elaborate just yet. Let her remember on her own.

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

"Of course I do. I am a little kid," said Ned, glossing over the bits she had no comeback for. "What? Amortentia?" She frowned, recollection coming in pieces. "Oh! You're frog girl. From the scouts! Well, you started it - you called me a liar. And Ten didn't even know you could hear her. She can't whisper. It's a problem." A problem Ned had been working on for a very long time, to no avail. One day, it was going to get them both arrested, or something.

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity rolled her eyes. "I meant little like six, are you six? Though I guess you're about that mature..." She said. Vanity pulled a face when the girl mentioned her friend. "You were lying." She snapped at her. "Just like you are now. And it doesn't matter if she thought I couldn't hear her, it was still rude and uncalled for. You're both bullies and liars." She said hotly. "And I'm not giving back- I'm not giving you my bracelet." She added. "So go away."

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Ned's face burned. She wasn't the immature one. And she hadn't been lying about puffskeins eating boogers - Vanity was just stupid. But it was difficult to argue with stupid, and as she prattled on the Gryffindor found herself beaten. "I'll get you for this," she said, through clenched teeth. "We are not liars and we are not bullies. You got that? Not bullies!"

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity couldn't help it, she grinned. "I'll get you for this?" She mocked gleefully. "That's exactly what a bully would say, don't you think? You're a liar and a bully. You and your stupid friend." Vanity said, before laughing. "And if you don't stop bothering me about this stupid bracelet I'm telling the teachers. Who do you think they'll listen to? I can cry on command if I want to." She said, though it wasn't entirely true. She could only look slightly tearful, she was working on it. "So go away now."

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Eluned had never seen a more slappable face. But she resisted, because Vanity had a point. Who would the professors believe? "You're awful," Ned said. "You're the most manipulative, nasty person I've ever met. I'm surprised you can cry. I thought you had to have feelings."

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity smiled sweetly, or at least she tried. There was nothing sweet about her smile. "Have fun with crying with your feelings." She said in a mocking tone. Then she flipped her hair back and started to walk away from the girl, confident in her victory.