Open Speech With a Fury

[Harper Alston]

((Open after Daphne posts with Natalia))

The Great Hall had always been one of Harper's favorite places to study. It was the prettiest room in the castle, the enchanted ceiling allowing plenty of natural light. In the winter, when studying outside could be painful, the Great Hall was the next best thing. Plus there was always something going on if she needed a break. Harper had many pleasant memories of striking up impromptu conversations with passing friends in between homework assignments.

Today Harper was hoping to get some work done before she inevitably got distracted, so she chose a seat at the Slytherin table, thinking it was less likely she'd run into a friend there. Though the lunch rush was over and the tables had been mostly cleared, she could still hear raucous laughter from the Gryffindor table. As she started to spread her notebook, some pens, and a third year Herbology textbook in the space in front of her, her hand brushed against a forgotten copy of that day's Daily Prophet. She hadn't had a chance to read it that morning, and she paused to unfold the paper and skim the front page. Most of the headlines were fairly standard stuff, but one crammed near the bottom caused her to frown. "Philanthropist announces fund for private school excluding muggleborns." "That's absurd," she blurted, already moving the paper closer so she could get a better look.

 

[Natalia Novak]

Usually, Natalia didn't like the Great Hall. It was crowded during meals in a way that made her uncomfortable. It also usually made it exceedingly obvious that Natalia didn't really have any friends, something she wanted to hide from her sister. She was glad Isadora had at least been sorted in a different house than her, even if she knew it disappointed her parents. Natalia hadn't been surprised, though. Isadora was about as different from her as she could be. It was pretty easy to avoid her sister in the castle, but it still hurt to see her hang out with a group of friends already from afar. How had she managed that so quickly? Of course, they wouldn't be friends their parents approved of, but still.

Natalia was heading up for a late lunch, passing by the Gryffindor table to make sure Isadora wasn't there to see her eating alone. Right as she passed an older girl, she spoke. For a moment, Natalia thought she had been talking to her. Alarmed, she glanced at the paper the girl was reading. The headline she was reading immediately stood out to her, and her first thought was that she needed to go to that school if it existed already. It would make her life so much easier. "What is so absurd about that?" She asked.

 

[Harper Alston]

The Daily Prophet headlines could occasionally be sensationalist, but this one was pretty straightforward, judging by the first few lines of the article. Harper's frown deepened the more she read. Apparently some old pureblood wizard was offering to provide funding for a school for "advanced" students and was recruiting architects, teachers and administrators to make his vision a reality. Muggleborns would not be able to attend since they allegedly wouldn't be capable of keeping up.

It seemed that her comment had attracted another girl's attention, and Harper gave the Slytherin a confused look before realizing she was probably looking at the wrong story. "No, not that," she said, waving a hand dismissively past a headline higher up in the page about the New Zealand ministry renegotiating a trade deal with Chile. "This," she tapped the headline about the private school fund. Harper angled the paper so that the other girl could see it more clearly. "I can't believe they're calling him a philanthropist, like he's doing something good." "Blood supremacist" was much more accurate.

 

[Natalia Novak]

Natalia frowned when the girl said she hadn't meant the headline at the top. She looked at her uncomprehendingly for a moment. "I know which one you meant." She said bluntly. "It's their choice, is it not?" She said, frowning. "If someone wants to start a school like that, it's their right. And people have a right to attend it if they wish to" Natalia glanced down at the paper. "I think it's doing something good." She added more quietly, not sure why the girl was making such a big deal out of it. "It would help a lot of people find better, more appropriate schooling." Now that Hogwarts has gone down the drain. She added mentally, though she was wise enough not to voice that out loud. Natalia scanned the article quickly, trying to find any details about this potential school. She would trade Hogwarts for a school like that in a heartbeat.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper stared at the girl, unable to make sense of the words coming out of her mouth. "Are you serious?" she asked as the girl tried to argue that the man had a right to open a school with discriminatory policies. Surely there was no way someone actually thought that was fine. But the Slytherin continued to speak, and it became clear that the girl's beliefs extended far beyond questions of personal rights.

After four years in the magical world, Harper wasn't unused to blood prejudice. And yet every time she encountered it, she felt the same sick shock, like she'd had the wind knocked out of her. "There's nothing good about excluding a whole group of people because of their blood," she said calmly. Her voice sounded far away as her heart thundered in her ears. "Blood doesn't have anything to do with magical ability."

 

[Natalia Novak]

Natalia blinked in surprise as the girl argued with her, asking her if she was serious. She knew some kids had different ideas about the world, but surely that didn't mean this girl had to get mad at her or act rude. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Surely that is a personal choice. Muggleborns have other options. They don't need to infiltrate every magical school." She said firmly. "That's your opinion." She added lightly when the girl said blood doesn't have anything to do with magical ability. "And this school would be for people who know differently." She added, tilting her chin up slightly to look down her nose at the girl, channeling the way her mother looked whenever they passed muggles on the street, on the rare occasions they headed into the muggle world for whatever reason.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper's eyebrows shot up at the word "infiltrate." Like muggleborns were some sort of pest. "Muggleborns can't infiltrate a magical school. They belong there just as much as anyone else." She shook her head when the other girl insisted this was a matter of "opinion." "It's a fact. There are studies that prove it, and a lot of talented wizards are muggleborns." The other girl tilted her chin up, and Harper realized with a start that the girl was literally looking down at her. For a second, she was tempted to stand up, sure that with her height, she would be the one looking down at the other girl. But that felt a little too aggressive, and Harper didn't want to escalate things. Still, as much as she hated confrontation, she couldn't not say something. "Blood status doesn't mean anything beyond who you're related to," she said, doing her best to meet the girl's gaze despite the height difference.

 

[Natalia Novak]

Natalia kept her face neutral, the way her mother had taught her. Her voice was polite as she responded. "That is a difference of opinion." She said again, keeping her voice calm. She glanced away, as if something more important was drawing her attention away. She didn't want to be stuck in this conversation much longer. "I'm sure you're reasonably talented. But if you think it truly doesn't make a difference you're either misinformed or naive." She said, not quite meeting the girl's eyes. "And even if you're the same, it's still within someone's right to decide who to allow in their school, surely?"

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper almost wanted to laugh as the girl once again tried to claim it was a matter of opinion. It was the only possible reaction she could think of that would allow her to maintain her sanity. But then the girl's words turned personal, leaving Harper momentarily speechless. For a second, she was tempted to claim she wasn't muggleborn, but that felt like an act of self-betrayal. "You can't possibly believe that," she finally said. The girl couldn't even look her in the eye, and that made Harper feel better. "Blood doesn't mean anything, and the people who claim it does only say that to feel better about themselves." She was careful not to use "you," not wanting to stoop to the other girl's level. Harper shook her head. "Letting people create schools based on blood discrimination just promotes the idea that blood differences actually matter. Which they don't."