Confrontation

Harry looked at Lestrange and with a raised eyebrows asked, "Excuse me?" 

He put enough emphasis on the word to show that the other person was just skirting the line from being idiotic to being blatantly disrespectful. His tone dared the other boy to repeat his words. 

Most of the time, even though Lestrange stewed in his imagined destruction of standing in the Slytherin House, he hadn't been openly confrontational to anyone. 

However, it looked that since the Blacks and Malfoys hadn't raised the issue again, Heir Lestrange thought them to be idiots who could be triumphed over with just a few words. 

The old adage really proved true: When the cat's away, the mice will come out to play. 

Lestrange's self-destructive behaviour piqued Harry's interest because he had always wondered about a few things regarding House Lestrange.

 The current Lord of the House was taciturn in nature, how come such a House gave birth to progeny like Rodolphus and Rabastan who hadn't even minded that their wife and sister-in-law, respectively, had been going gaga over another male all her life. 

It seemed the problem started from the one standing in front of him. 

Meanwhile, Tom had a rough time trying to calm his magic at Lestrange's words and he could feel his magic rolling and writhing in anger. 

He also noticed how Heir Malfoy's eyes had glazed in anger at the disrespect shown to his cousin and could also see the protective instincts the other boy had for Black. 

Tom had to marvel at Lestrange's idiocy and foolishness. The fool had really outdone himself to not only anger Heir Black and Heir Malfoy but from the looks directed at him from other Heirs, it could be seen that everyone had joined ranks to deal with this issue. 

Tom could understand the reason behind this as well. 

After all, they had started the banter and if this incident blew up, everyone else would also be pulled into hot water. 

When Lestrange looked around and saw the revulsion moving in everyone's gaze around him, he realized that nobody was standing on his side in the confrontation and that everyone looked at him as if he was someone who they didn't want to associate with. 

Harry noticed the deluded hope for some kind of help shatter in Lestrange's eyes and noticed his waning courage but it still wasn't enough to soothe him. 

He wanted to crush the other person before the said person could become more trouble than he was worth, later on. 

He had learnt too late in his last life that some people didn't change, no matter how many chances were given to them. 

Grey eyes scanned Lestrange from top to bottom and back again and wherever those eyes landed, Lestrange could feel the goosebumps rising and took a step back in trepidation.

It was the first time the Master of Death had really focused his gaze so intently on someone in this world and the impact usually restrained power and Death's own magic hit Lestrange like a charging bull. 

He also realised that focusing on someone so intently made him see one of their secrets and since he captured something that would no doubt wreak havoc on Lestrange, why not use it?

Harry noticed how Lestrange had stepped back and he dismissed him with a casual flick of his hand. 

In a deceptively soft voice - a baritone that made people want to listen and please him, Harry chided, "Lestrange, even if you are feeling left out, don't superimpose your delusions upon me and keep me out of it." 

His voice was soft but dangerous. 

Tom noticed that Black's voice somewhat resembled the hissing of a snake who was hiding in the grass and was a few feet away to clearly hear what it was saying. 

When there was no response, Harry gave the other boy a beaming grin which dazed Lestrange with its brilliance but his next words were callous enough to draw blood 

"Just because you are jealous doesn't mean you can take out your frustration at your inadequacy at others."  

Lestrange's eyes widened when he heard those words and he slouched in mortification. 

He wondered how Heir Black knew his secret but didn't dare question him. His face turned red in embarrassment and he hoped that he could run away right at this instant to hide from those eyes that seemed to see through him at a glance.

The only saving face Heir Black had left him was that he didn't mention what or whom he was jealous of.

He hoped and prayed to Merlin that the other boy didn't know the subject of his jealousy and the reason behind it but when he met those grey eyes, the cruelty and scorn shining in them were answer enough that the other person knew. 

Lestrange tried his best not to feel threatened by those words, he calmed his thoughts by assuring himself that the other boy couldn't know because he had never discussed it with anyone - not even with the people who always followed him like and tried to butter him up. 

He tried to assure himself that it was just a vague, crass and sharp-worded retort by Heir Black. Maybe the other person had said it so vaguely because everyone was jealous of something or the other and in this way the other was simply trying to put him down and alleviating his own standing simultaneously.