Stealing Your Spotlight

[Diana Hollis]

Diana had to admit the Christmas break had been fun. She liked spending time with her parents, though she had seen her mother a lot less than she usually did during these breaks. It made sense, though. She knew her mother was busy with her campaign, and that was important. It was important to Diana too. Not so much because she cared about politics, or even really understood it, but because she liked having a mother who was somewhat famous. By association, she was somewhat famous too. And if her mother won the election and became minister, that would only increase. It still annoyed her that of all people it had been Rose who had been asked for an interview in the school paper. It wasn't fair. Diana bet Rose had only been picked because she was the oldest, or maybe because she was a prefect. But Diana wanted to be in the paper too! She would have given much better answers to the questions, she knew that for sure. But maybe soon they would be in the real paper, with pictures. Diana hoped her mother would win for that reason. It would certainly make them more important as a family.

She was making her way through the corridor, daydreaming about this, when she noticed someone familiar walking a little ahead of her. Jacob Kingsley, the person who currently had the fame Diana so desired. Clearly, he didn't appreciate it enough. But that was okay, he would lose it soon enough. And maybe it was time he knew that too. Speeding up slightly, Diana matched pace with him and smiled as she caught up, walking next to him as if they were friends. "So, Jacob. How is it knowing you and your family will soon be old news?" She asked with a sweet smile. "Everyone's going to forget all about you. They'll all look at the new minister..." She trailed off, though they both knew who she meant by that. She didn't necessarily wanted to jinx her mother's chances by acting like it was a sure thing, but her mum was the best. Obviously she would win. Diana didn't even know really what she was running on, besides the fact that she found school and education very important. Politics were boring, but press attention certainly wasn't. "I bet everyone will finally realize how boring you actually are without that name to hide behind."

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob Kingsley wouldn't have claimed to be excited to be back in school. He had hated leaving for school even if the vacation had been a weird one. Watching his brother head a different way had left the twelve year old with a lump in his throat that he was sure his mom had noticed because she'd kept trying to get him to talk about his new camera lens. He had humoured her, knowing it hurt her to see Noah head back to Durmstrang too. He was even less excited in returning to school when he'd received his time card. Potions on a Monday. Which he'd just finished. Jacob had watched the other students wave goodbye to Professor Pendleton but had not joined in. The Gryffindor was heading back to his room to drop off his bag when he felt someone sidle up next to him.

When he looked, Jacob was pretty sure a small 'ugh' escaped him. Diana Holland was the last person he wanted to see besides Professor Pendleton. As soon as she opened her mouth, she proved why. He frowned, knowing she was trying to goad him though he had no idea why. He had purposely avoided her yet here she was seeking him out to antagonize him. He kept walking, his grip on the straps of his backpack tightening as he white knuckled it. "Leave me alone, Diana. I'm not in the mood" he grumbled, but she continued. "I dont have to hide behind my name for people to like me. Ask anyone!" he declared, pausing in the hall. "You still gonna have that nasty attitude when your mom's the runner up to Mr. Cade?" he added, knowing he'd prefer James' relative to Diana's mom as minister. She was mean already. He could imagine what the attention would do to her if her mother won.

 

[Diana Hollis]

There was something about Jacob that made him fun to needle. He always just seemed to react to her words the way she wanted him to, and he was annoying so he deserved it. He told her to leave him alone, but why should she listen to him? She rolled her eyes. "Right, I'll just ask and they'll be honest. You're so naive. It's obvious from anyone seeing it. They just want to score points with either your minister dad or your professor mum. It's sad, really." She gave him a pitying look, one that transformed into anger when he suggested her mother would lose. "Oh please, my mum's better than all of them." She told him haughtily. "And she would be a better minister than your dad too." Diana hadn't meant to say it that directly, but she didn't like how he was predicting she would lose. It would definitely put a damper on her own fame if her mum lost the election. And it would be sad for her too.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob tried not to let Diana see how much what she was saying was bothering him. He wanted to believe that the people he had befriended liked him for him but what if Diana was right? What if they only liked him for his connections? "You're wrong" he said quietly. Shaking his head slightly, Jacob tried to shake the thoughts away, which was easy enough as horrid Diana continued. She really was mean, and as she spoke saying her mom was better than everyone, Jacob rolled his eyes and made a face. Then she mentioned his dad and Jacob felt his mouth moving before he gave any real thought. "No she wouldn't. You don't know ANYTHING, DIANA!" he yelled, his voice cracking as he did. Jacob's dad worked really, really hard and he hated hearing bad stuff about him.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana could tell her words were getting to the boy, even if he tried not to show it. His quiet reply really said it all, and Diana couldn't help smirking, ready to needle him more. She seemed to really have hit him where it hurt when she mentioned his father, and she gleefully continued. "Really? Why is no one sad he's leaving then?" She said with a laugh. "Everyone's focusing on the new candidates, no one cares that your dad is no longer going to be in charge. Obviously it's because they're all happy he's leaving." She paused, her smirk growing into a grin. "And when my mum wins, they'll all be so happy to have an actually good minister for once." She opened her mouth again to say more, to make fun of the crack in his voice or to point out that he wasn't a good beater. Just anything to get under his skin. Seeing him react to her words made her feel powerful in a way she usually didn't, it was making her say things just to hurt him without really thinking of what exactly she was saying. But before she could say anything else, a hand clamped onto her shoulder and she turned to see her oldest sister. Diana bit back a curse. Of all people, why did it have to be Rose? How much had she heard? Diana's heart sank as she took a good look at her sister's expression. She had heard enough, that was clear. But Rose never stayed mad long, maybe she could turn this around somehow. At least it wasn't a prefect who didn't know her at all.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose was on her way to the common room after spending some time outside. The weather was still great, and she felt like staying in the stuffy castle was really a waste of time when there were things to do outside. The girl was finally used to her position as a prefect, though she was still glad not to have found anyone breaking rules yet. As she walked through the corridor, she heard someone's raised voice which made her grimace. Was that something a prefect should look into? Probably. Was she going to? Probably not. She tried to blend into the crowd and walk past, at least until she realized what the voice had been saying. Diana. Rose had only heard of one Diana at Hogwarts, and it was her sister. She approached cautiously, quickly finding the source of the noise. It was indeed Diana, and the boy who had shouted her name was Jacob Kingsley, the son of Professor Kingsley and the current minister. As soon as she saw the expression on Diana's face, her heart sank. But even though she knew her sister had her moods, nothing had prepared her from the words she heard spilling out of her sister's mouth next. She wasn't just being moody or sarcastic, she was being cruel. Cruel in a way Rose hadn't known she could be. She froze in place for a moment, but she realized quickly that she had to do something. This was bullying, and even though Diana was her sister she deserved to be in trouble for it. Not only that, but the words she was saying were going against everything their mother had told them upon returning to Hogwarts. She had told them not to be negative about other candidates or any other politician, to try to keep a low profile politically. It had seemed reasonable to Rose, who didn't really know much about it. Diana knew even less. The current minister wasn't someone her mother had mentioned much, but Rose knew she respected him very much. Diana wasn't just being a bully, she was spreading information that could harm their mother's campaign.

Rose stepped closer and grabbed Diana's shoulder, giving her sister a glare. "Don't even try to lie about what you were doing." She said, her voice colder than it usually was. "I heard enough, and so did a few other people passing by." She shook her head in disbelief before turning to Jacob. "I'm sorry for my sister. What she said is unforgivable and cruel, and from what I know it's definitely not true." She paused to think of her next action. "...I will make sure Professor Styx hears about it." She turned her glare back to Diana. "And maybe you'd like to repeat what you said to mum as well." She added in a lower voice. Professor Styx honestly scared Rose quite a bit, but going to the head of house was what she was supposed to do right? She glanced at Jacob, then realized she was looking at him for confirmation that she was doing the right thing. He was a second year, just because his mother was her head of house didn't mean he knew what to do. Rose cleared her throat. "But first I think you have something to say to Jacob." She said, letting Diana's shoulder go and folding her arms. Rose didn't really know Jacob very well, but from what she had seen he was a really nice kid. He deserved an apology, even if it wouldn't make up for the mean things she had said.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob could feel his chin beginning to quiver and clamped down, not wanting to give Diana the satisfaction of seeing him upset. She was getting under his skin and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Walking away was not an option in the boy's mind, and the crowds were just full enough that it wasnt going to be easy to do anyway. The twelve year old couldnt believe what he was hearing from Diana. He didn't follow the elections and wasnt particularly interested in reading the Daily Prophet. His parents didn't encourage him to either, content for him to enjoy his childhood and not worry about things they considered 'adult' matters. But that didn't mean he was wholly ignorant about the election. He heard the talk around the castle about the elections, how the candidates were saying they would do things better than his dad and making it seem as if he had done nothing right in his time as Minister. And it bothered him. A lot. So as Diana continued to needle at him, Jacob could no longer stop his chin and it quivered, his eyes tearing up behind his glasses. He was thinking about all the times his mom had to tuck him alone and she reminded him that his dad had an important job and would be home if he could be, all the times he hadn't been able to stay the duration of a birthday party or family dinner because duty called and he had been reminded of his father's duty to the country. For Jacob, that had been his entire life. He had been two when his father had taken the job so he couldn't remember a time his father hadn't been Minister. And he knew all of that couldnt have been for nothing, for people to simply not care about his service. Jacob could feel a tear escape and he pushed up his glasses to stop it. This was worse than the whole Revolution thing because at least Link and Lyra and Noah had been around to help him. Now, he was all alone.

Jacob knew who she was as she grabbed her sister. Instead of reassuring him that someone older had stepped in, he shrank back a few steps. Yes, she was a prefect but she was a Holland first and he figured she would side with her sister and ask questions later. The Revolution was fresh on his mind and he had heard enough from one Holland. He didn't want to hear what another Holland had to say, especially not an older one who probably was more aware of the election and could confirm that what Diana had said was true. Jacob knew it probably was. She couldn't have just made up something that mean. He kept his gaze down as Rose spoke, hearing her apology but not knowing why she was apologizing. He wanted desperately to believe that she was right and Diana had been lying, but she had already laid the seed and it had burrowed itself along with all the other election related nuggets he'd heard throughout the year. "No...I want to go..." he was about to say home, but that wasn't an option. He was stuck here. "To Gryffindor. Please can I just leave?" he asked, his voice cracking on the please. She was a prefect. He couldn't just walk away, could he? He couldn't just stay either and keep crying in front of both of them like some dumb baby.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana had known she was getting to Jacob, but she still felt surprised when she saw his chin tremble. She knew the things she had been saying weren't nice, but he couldn't really believe them could he? As tears appeared in Jacob's eyes, Diana realized she had gone too far. Somehow, she had gotten caught up in the rush of having the upper hand, of knowing exactly what to say to get to the boy. Though a part of her was also resentful at Jacob for crying so easily. Now she would certainly be in trouble. Any hope that Rose might still take her side evaporated when her sister spoke. Her tone was serious in a way Diana had never heard before, and for maybe the first time ever, Rose reminded her of their mother. Which made Diana cringe a little inwardly. Diana glared at Rose when she said she would tell Professor Styx, but paled slightly when she mentioned repeating the words to their mother. Diana knew her mum would be furious about what she said, and she almost thought she would rather pick Professor Styx if she had a choice in the matter. "Rose, mum doesn't need to know!" She said, annoyed at how pleading her voice was. "Fine!" She said, turning to Jacob. "I'm sorry, okay?!" She looked back at Rose with some hope in her eyes. Maybe this didn't have to go so far.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose felt her heart clench at the sight of Jacob's tears. She couldn't believe her own little sister was the cause of such pain and she wished Diana had thought for a few more minutes before speaking. But she had to face the possibility that maybe Diana had thought before she spoke, and said these things anyway. Rose hated the idea of her sister being a bully, but the evidence was right in front of her. She was sure she had to go to Professor Styx, but as she looked at Jacob she thought maybe Professor Kingsley should hear about this too. He was her son, after all, and Rose thought she would probably want to know. Jacob said he wanted to go, and for a moment Rose wondered why he was telling her instead of just going. But she realized then that she was a prefect, and he probably thought she would be angry if he just left. Not for the first time, she felt like the prefect's badge gave her more power than she knew what to do with, though she tried to hide her uncertainty. "Of course you can leave, Jacob." She said hesitantly. "But... just know I think your dad is a good minister, okay? I think most people do, including our mum. Diana doesn't know what she's talking about." With that, she shot another sharp look at Diana, who was now glaring at her in a way that only made Rose angrier. "I'll handle it from here, okay? No worries." She understood why the boy wanted to go, and she could also understand if he didn't exactly want reassurances from her. Rose sighed, taking hold of Diana's arm. "We're going to see Professor Styx." She declared, though the thought made her stomach twist. She had never quite gotten over the nervousness in his presence, and it had been part of her reason for dropping Defence. She glanced at Jacob one last time, hoping he was okay.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Embarrassment, sadness, and a little anger swirled throughout the boy's body. He could feel his cheeks hot as he lifted his glasses a bit and wiped at his eyes. The prefect was looking at him that made him feel like she felt sorry for him and he didn't want that. It just made him feel worse for crying in front of stupid Diana. "I don't care!" he shouted forcefully at them both, not wanting to have heard the apology in the first place or the prefect's declaration that people did care about his dad. He didn't know what to believe right now, but he knew she was only telling him because she felt bad for him. And he for sure knew Diana's apology was about as real as a crumple horned snorkack.

Jacob had already turned away and taken a few steps by the time he heard Rose say she would handle it. He shrugged his shoulders and kept walking, expecting that nothing would happen. Maybe Rose really would take her to Styx and maybe he would care. But more likely he wouldn't and the girl would get away with being terrible. More likely, in his mind, was that Rose would handle it by talking to Diana herself, which he expected would do nothing and then the matter would be dropped. In the end, even if she did end up with detention, her punishment would do nothing to help Jacob feel better. The words had already been put out there and he would have to deal with this. Alone. There was no way he was telling his mom or Jemma about this and there was no one else to tell.