At first, it seemed as if Thomas was going to let it go. Jemima did apologize about looking at the letter, and her gesture of picking up one of his books had been noticed. Perhaps, it had all just been a misunderstanding. He probably would have read a dropped piece of paper, as well.

However, she continued to speak, and that set his jaw askew.

Through gritted teeth, the somewhat short-tempered Ravenclaw (at least when it came to his mother) spat out, "Don't. Talk about. My. Mother." He wrenched the offered book out of her hands and stood up straighter. "It isn't nice she writes to me." It was embarrassing. It was unacceptable. Why should he respond to a woman who had caused their family to turn into a laughing stock? And, more importantly, abandoned them.

"What would you even know?"