Holly's face began to heat up, and she couldn't tell if it was because of embarrassment or anger. She understood what Madam Sykes meant, but that didn't mean she liked it. There were privileges of being a young lady (or, perhaps, of being a young lady of her socioeconomic status), but at the same time there were plenty of downfalls that made it unbearable at some times. She rarely failed at complying to societal expectations in the way that, say, Camille did, but she had her own issues. Her aggression, bossiness, ambitions — all were traits that society expected her to withhold from showing.

"Then why didn't Mr. Urquart receive a similar punishment as myself?" she asked, quickly adding: "Not that I want him to lose points. I just felt that the differences in our punishments were due to my sex."

Huffing, Holly sat back in her seat. It was such a difficult topic to breach, especially with the woman who was tasked with ensuring that the Slytherin ladies remained ladylike. But, as previously informed, the house matrons were there not only to keep them in line, but also to resolve conflicts and review their concerns.

"Slytherin house... values ambition. Power and resourcefulness too. I just- I feel like the traits I pride myself on are the traits that I'm not supposed to show. What am I doing wrong?" she all but pouted.