The Letter

[severusmagic]

((sorry, I'll do this tomorrow I just wanted to have it up here))

((whoops, I forgot I hadn't finished this! sorry for the delay))

Ash trudged back down from the owlery and into the student lounge. She didn't bother to make a snide comment to Aeo who was reading and frowning at her book. She didn't bother to sneer at the pathetic Gryffindor's giggling. She didn't even bother to blast some Ravenclaw, instead trudging straight through them. They glared at her at first before staring. They'd never seen a Slytherin like her before, with her red and puffy eyes, her drawn and angst expression.

She sat heavily down in a chair and stared unreadingly at her letter before she forced herself to read it again.

To Scum,

You're a disgrace. You're filthy. I think now of how I wrote you letters, thinking you were my daughter and yet you're anything but. The next words out of your mouth will be what. What indeed, you know what.

If you think you're going to come home and laze around like a queen then you're severely mistaken. You're not human, you're an elf. A house elf and that's how you'll be treated. Worse than an elf even. Like a cross between an elf, a muggle and a muggleborn.

You won't be sent back to school. And your elf name will be Scum like you deserve. You will adress me as Master Acharya. The rest of us will be Mistress Almas, Master Akhilesh, Mistress Deeba, Mistress Medeia and Mistress Aja. You may not be tied like a house elf to our bidding but if you step out of line once you soon will be.

Your Master

Ash stared at the letter again.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie smiled happily as she looked out the window of the student lounge. She was back at Hogwarts and she couldn’t believe how much everything had changed. She remembered the second she arrived in the school. The feeling of happiness that filled up her body was enough to keep her happy for the rest of her life. Ezzie chuckled a bit. She sounded like such a Ravenclaw. She didn’t know she had loved school quite so much. She thought back to her first three years here. They had been so joyful, so happy. Ezzie was always so glad to go to school and just get away from it all. She loved not having to get up at five in the morning to work in the hotel until past midnight. She loved not having to sleep in the shelter, with its creaky floorboards and hard uncomfortable beds. Ezzie shared her room with about twenty other people back in the shelter. This was crazy, considering her room there was not all that big. There had been a few people that actually cared about Ezzie there, but Ezzie had learned not to get too attached. The first person she met there was named Nick, a little boy who was about six years old. Ezzie absolutely adored this little boy, and treated him like her little brother. One day, she returned to the shelter and he just wasn’t there. Ezzie tried hard not to think of the past. She had to concentrate on what was going on now, not what had happened in the past. Ezzie stared out the window again. The experience of Hogwarts was much different now, but still quite the same. She still looked at Hogwarts as a home away from home; an escape from her normal lifestyle. Only this time, it wasn’t total escape. In her previous three years of study at Hogwarts, Ezzie was invisible. She was completely ignored by her classmates. This year, everywhere she went people stared. You see that girl over there? One girl whispered to her friend as she pointed from the other side of the lounge. Yea, I see her. What’s the big deal? She’s just staring out the window. Nothing special. I do it all the time. The other whispered. Don’t be thick Marie! That’s Ezzie Mendez! The singer? She’s dating Ethan Jacobs! Ezzie rolled her eyes. She tried very hard to ignore these side conversations about her, but they did get quite annoying.

She turned around to look at the girls, who were younger Gryffindors. She waved and they giggled and walked away. Ezzie was about to Turn back and face the window again, but something caught her eye. A girl had walked in, and she didn’t look well. The lounge was rather dim, so Ezzie couldn’t see right, but she could tell the girl was crying. She held a letter in her hand. She went to sit down and began to read it again. Ezzie almost gasped. The girl reading the letter was none other than the sassy Slytherin girl who had insulted her on the train ride just last year. She remembered the disgusting remarks she had shot at her. She had been so rude, so mean, and Ezzie hadn’t ever done a thing to her. Ezzie couldn’t help but somehow feel sorry for this younger girl. Ezzie felt guilty doing it, but she had perfect view of the girl’s letter from her seat on the windowsill. She read it through, hoping the girl would not notice the extra pair of eyes that were resting on the parchment. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. How could a father do such a thing to his daughter? And to make her a servant and call her scum? Even a girl like that did not deserve such a fate when she returned home for the holidays. It was cruel, and it was wrong. Ezzie now knew why this girl had such a sour attitude. If she grew up in a home like this one, it was a wonder she didn’t want to jump off the top of the Astronomy tower! Ezzie thought back to a time long ago, when she was experiencing a similar situation.

“Papi! No, why are you doing this to me?” Ezzie screamed as she coughed and thrashed in the water. “Mami, tell him to stop!” She screamed for help, but knew no one could hear her. “Elena! Quick, help me push this demon child under! She does not deserve to live in a home as pure as ours.” Elena hesitated for a moment but soon held Ezzie’s arms behind her back and pushed her under. Ezzie coughed up water, but soon, she was under so long that she passed out. When she woke up, her parents were gone, and she was lying on the ground near the water, her Hogwarts letter completely dry, but crumpled up tight in her hand. Ezzie pushed the flashback out of her mind and turned back around to face the window, hoping the girl hadn’t seen Ezzie looking at her letter. It was a personal thing, and Ezzie didn’t feel right reading it without her permission.

Translation:

Mami: Mother

Papi: Father

[severusmagic]

Ashakiran had instincts. Not brilliant instincts and they were dimmed when she was experiencing extreme emotion but nevertheless she had them. And something was wrong. Well, not wrong but someone was watching her. Ash looked up and her eyes fell upon only normal student lounge things. Hmm, who was looking at her? She wiped her eyes again and stared at the letter. She couldn't bear it.
Her eyes roved around the room again as she searched desperately for something to occupy her and then she saw her. Esmerelda Mendez. Ash bitterly remembered the nasty things she had said to the other girl on the train and half wished she had not. She stood up and stalked over to Ezzie, slamming the parchment down beside the other girl.
"Happy?" She screamed, "you probably don't care, you certainly wouldn't understand with your perfect life." By the end her voice was bitter and she put on an imitation of a girl who had seen Ezzie.
"Ooh, look it's Mendez the famous movie star, did you hear? She's dating Ethan, the hottest guy on the planet." Her voice slammed back to normal."You have no idea what I go through, what I face every day. Know what he does to his daughter? Hah! Bet you thought I was spoiled? Well I think it's the opposite. Does Ethan spoil his princess?"

((tell me if you want me to change my decision about Ash seeing Ezzie and I'll be happy to do so.))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

((nope, all fine. )

Ezzie glanced back in the opposite direction. She stared in shock as an extremely angry looking Ashakiran Grandhi walked over to her with narrowed eyes and a death stare. This was it. She had seen Ezzie reading her letter. Ezzie had finally done something to deserve the treatment this girl had given her. Now she had a reason to hate her the way she did. It was no longer simply because she was muggleborn. Ezzie couldn’t blame her for being angry. After all, she had invaded Ashakiran’s privacy. She was an intruder in her life. “Listen Ashakiran, I’m really-“She cut in, her glare piercing Ezzie like knives. She screamed, slamming the parchment onto the table in front of her. She glanced at it, feeling more guilty than ever. Ezzie stared back at her, eyes wide in shock. She hated being put in such a postion. She heard her scream something about Ezzie not being able to understand her harsh life. According to her, Ezzie’s life was perfect and the perfection of her life allowed no room for understanding toward those less fortunate. She scoffed.

“Perfect?” Ezzie said, her volume matching that of Ashakiran’s. “You think my life is perfect?” Ezzie stood up from her seat by the windowsill. She looked the Slytherin girl straight in the eye. “Tell me, Ashakiran. Tell me about your terrible life. What’s the matter? Daddy doesn’t love his wittle girl anymore? Daddy wants wittle Ash to wash his dishes and clean his woom?” She mocked in a baby voice. She switched it back to the voice of her own. She ignored the stares of those Gryffindor girls. “Tell me, Ashakiran. Tell me, when was the last time both your mother and your father tried to drown you, hmm? When was the last time you had to work a twenty hour shift every day for almost four years as a hotel maid, trying to save up enough money to go to school?” Ezzie’s voice was low and fierce. “Yea, those are bills mummy and daddy should be paying; but they were too busy celebrating my death to care about my education.” Ezzie smiled wickedly.

“So how’s that for perfect, little miss Ashakiran? Are you still that selfish to think you’re the only one in the world with problems? Well here’s a reality check sweetie. You’re not; so why don’t you get over yourself and your petty problems and go clean your daddy’s house. And for your information, money isn’t everything.”

She turned to the girls who were whispering to each other. Those four girls were the only other ones in the lounge, as everyone had left at the start of Ashakiran’s rampage. “Hey guys, so maybe I do have a rich, famous, and gorgeous boyfriend. Who cares? I would love him just as much if he were poor and ugly! And you know what else? Being a rock star isn’t as great as it seems! I don’t think you realize how annoyed and personally violated I feel when scary men with cameras are looking through my bedroom window trying to catch a picture of me naked. It sucks!” She turned back to Ashakiran. “You see? Even now I have it rough! You think it’s bad I read your letter? Well let’s pretend for a moment, you’re the famous rock star.” She glared at the girl and she noticed the four Gryffindors leave the room leaving Ashakiran and Ezzie alone. “Now that you’re famous, someone is going to sneak into your room tonight and steal that letter. Congratulations Ashakiran! That letter will be on national television tomorrow morning. Now the whole world knows about your problems. How do you feel now?” She raised her eyebrow. She dared this horrible girl to challenge her. She dared her to say something. Maybe she’d learn what a real harsh life was.

[severusmagic]

Ash did nothing. She didn't scream, her face didn't go purple, she just stood there.
"Number one. You think I have it better then you? Perhaps not worse but better?" Her voice was even and calm, not even slightly raised. "I admit I've never been drowned but when was the last time someone got rid of your leg bones only to twist you and regrow them? When was the last time you were involuntarily forced around?" She looked around," and when was the last time someone performed the Cruciatus curse on you, eh? Tell me that Mendez, tell me that."
Figuring that would give the other girl some food for thought Ash turned the letter around in her fingers again. She picked it up first of course.
She wondered whether she should burn it but then again knowing her father he'd probably want-or "need"- it for confirmation she was really--
Ash winced, she still couldn't think about it.

((do later))

((right, back again, hopefully I can finish it this time and sorry for only saying what I did but I had to rush off.))

((just thinking, we probably shouldn't sort things out to much now.))

((I'm finished now by the way))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie wasn't surprised at how calm Ashakiran kept. Ezzie would have been screaming her head off, but Ashakiran had not. She remembered quite the same attitude when she was on the train with the girl. It wasn't surprising. She had some hard times to be sure, but she wasn't the only one in the world who had trouble with their parents. Even before Ezzie's Hogwarts letter came, her father was not a very kind man. He did have his loving moments to be sure, but mostly he was just sour and bitter. Often, when Mami would go out to go fishing or beg for money, he would beat on her, and often blamed her for their troubles. Her mother had never known, as Ezzie was always too afraid to tell her. She knew that the second she opened her mouth, her father would unleash his anger once more, this time in the presence of her mother. If need be, he would beat on Ezzie when his wife was around. It was the way he was brought up, and he knew no other way of discipline. She sighed and took a deep breath. Her hands were in her pockets from before, and Ezzie was gripping her wand tight. Hopefully she could control her anger this time and keep her wand in her pocket.

"Just as you admitted you've never been drowned, I will admit no one has ever placed the Cruciatis or any other Unforgivable curses upon me." She pasued for a second and continued calmly. "But I will tell you, however that abuse can happen even without magic. You'd be surprised how many wonderful and horrible things can occur without the help of wands. I'm not going much further into detail Ashakiran, for I-unlike you-am not looking for the sympathy of others, especially not my enemies. I'd rather know in my heart that I have lived a terrible life then to spill my personal past experiences to strangers such as yourself. To tell you the truth, my life isn't so bad anymore. I've found something I'm good at, I've found the love of my life, and I'm making loads of money; but that doesn't mean I can't understand what you go through, as I've gone through similar situations myself. Even now, my life is not perfect. It may be pretty close, but yet it is not perfect. It never was, and it probably never will be."

Ezzie stood up from her seat on the windowsill. She had had enough of this girl. She had to teach Ashakiran a lesson, and hopefully she would be able to learn it well. Only God knows how such a small piece of advice could help the younger Slytherin in the future. "You must understand that this is not a 'let's see who has it the worst' contest. Maybe you do have a tough life. What am I going to do about it? God knows you're not getting any sympathy from me, so stop begging." She walked away and after she had taken just a few steps, she turned around to face Ashakiran once more before going back to her common room. "And a little work won't kill you. I've worked very hard ever since first year and I feel it instills a sense of meaning in me. I know I have a place in this world. And if you hate daddy dearest so much, run away. He obviously doesn't love you. Why waste your time serving him when you can serve yourself? I lived alone for a very long time. I worked hard to get my money and I even had enough for school. Second hand robes won't kill. Just a little advice for the train ride home. Hopefully next time, you won't spend the ride insulting random muggle borns. Who knows? Maybe if you had been nice to me back on the train and even just now, I could have helped you. But you just ruined it for yourself, didn't you? Well, I'm leaving. Have a good life, Ashakiran!" She shrugged and turned to walk out of the room.

((I hope you didn't mind that I ended it. I can always modify, but I figure if Ash and Ezzie had been together any longer, Ezzie would have started getting all sweet and kind on Ash, and we wouldn't want that just yet, would we?))