Amelia swallowed hard, gripping her wand that was still clutched in her right hand. Although she was certain Chris has heard her – her voice hadn’t been that meek – he insisted on acting as though he hadn’t caught what she said. Combined with his eyes boring into hers, she knew this was another of the tactics meant to intimidate and belittle her.
It was not his physical appearance which most intimidated Amelia – he was not much taller than her, nor did he look particularly strong – but rather his action of moving into her physical presence. The person in front of her could have a five-foot first-year, but if he or she had been standing close enough, Amelia still would have been outside her comfort zone. Amelia drew much of her strength from her ability to maintain control and her distance from people – when this was taken away from her, she tended to stumble.
Chris continued to taunt her, his words spitting out of his lips, something Amelia both saw and felt considering his proximity to her. He was on a roll now, already considering himself the victor. Although by looking at the situation anyone would have believed the same thing, Amelia refused to believe herself defeated. She was intimidated and out of her element, but she was stubborn and had a temper that could match the ferocity of an insulted hippogriff. She just needed something to grasp onto in order to pull herself out of the corner Chris had placed her in by moving into her personal space.
Luckily, Chris was full of himself and continued his taunts, eventually mentioning boldness being mistaken for cold-heartedness. Although he continued with hit self-satisfied rant, Amelia wasn’t listening anymore. What he was saying didn’t really matter anyway, it would just be a longer tirade about how he was better than her, and frankly, Amelia had already grown tired of this show. She smirked as the wheels of her mind began to turn properly again, no longer stalled by Chris’s proximity. She still didn’t like how close he stood to her, but she wasn’t going to stand idly by while he lectured her. He had fed the fire which was Amelia’s temper, and now he was going to feel the blaze.
“You haven’t mistaken my boldness for cold-heartedness,” Amelia said, the smirk on her face growing as she met his gaze again, her voice no longer tripping her up. Her mind had never run out of defenses, but the transfer of verbal attack from her mind to her mouth was not always a smooth transition, as evidenced earlier. Now, though, Amelia was sick of playing the victim. “You were mistaken when you assumed I was not coldhearted. If you really were as informed about me as you claim to be you would have heard through the rumor mill just how heartless I can be.”
“But your real mistake was your assumption that I was going to put up with your nonsense,” Amelia added, taking a step forward to force Chris backward and reclaim her personal space, “You’re lucky I have tolerated you this long. I suggest you find some other, weaker person to bully. I’m sure someone like you knows just how to spot the weak ones.”
Through all her words, Amelia’s voice had remained calm, knowing as she did that by yelling at him would reduce her credibility. That, and Amelia didn’t think this immature boy was worth yelling about. Sure, he had a quick wit and a barbed tongue, but what good would that do anyone? His wandwork was nothing spectacular, perhaps a year or so ahead of his age, but so what? This boy’s ego had clearly been inflated by some unfortunate person, and frankly Amelia was tired of sharing this clearing with someone whose head was so big.
“Now get out, or you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
And, yes, that is a threat, Amelia’s mind added, mentally readying itself for whatever would come of her words. Amelia might have quick temper, but she was equally quick with a wand to back up her words.
by Amelia Lyons Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:14 pm
