Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; they all belong to Jo Rowling. Don't sue me, as it'll only be a waste of your effort.
Chapter 1: Of Smirks and Sugar Quills
Don't you just hate it when this happens? Don't you hate it when you know you should be paying attention to whatever's happening but you just can't bloody well get yourself interested? Don't you hate it when this could be affecting your entire future, but you just can't seem to keep your eyes open? Don't you hate it when you know you can't afford to let everyone down, and yet, you might as well be nodding and agreeing with a tree stump?
Here I am, on the sodding Hogwarts Express and I'm already nodding off though the Prefects meeting. Oh, did I mention that I'm the one who's supposed to be hosting this thing? Because I am, being the newly appointed Head Girl and all. Bugger. Why do we even have these stupid meetings? It's not like being a Prefect needs a lot of discussing. It should be simple enough – become prefect; put anyone you like in detention. Maybe fifth years are just too thick to get it through their heads. Little sods.
I woke up in time to hear the annoying nasally whine of a fifth year prefect. She happened to have started talking half an hour ago. That was before the train even started moving. I stared at her dimly. How can she even talk that fast? I wonder how many words she can say in one breath…?
"…because it is such an honor to be appointed prefect my parents were just so proud my mother cried have I said that already I personally think we should replace the broken toilets in the girls' first floor bathroom it keeps flooding I don't understand why no one has though of it before did I say just how much I'm glad to be a prefect June Collins tells me to stuff it when I talk too much but you guys are so great I really feel like I can contribute and do my part to make our school a better and a happier place and where is the Head Boy again?"
Crud. I lost count at seventy-eight words. But yes that was a good point she was making. Not about the toilets. I mean about the Head Boy. But Merlin, if I knew, I would have strangled him already. Well, maybe. In fact, I don't even know who it is. I just know he hasn't shown up yet and the meeting's been opened for a good half hour already. Consequently, when I find him, he will be strangled.
"Someone called me?" an entirely too cheerful voice floated into the compartment as the doors slid open. I'd recognize that voice anywhere: James Potter.
"Potter, as much as I'd be entirely too happy to have a chat with you right now, could you please sod off and not interrupt our prefects meeting?" I said, before even turning my head towards him.
He was leaning against the door frame, looking like an ungrateful, self-centered…sod. Him, and his stupid ruffled ("wind-swept" as he liked to call it) hair, thin wire famed glasses and – what?
"How did you get that?" I asked stupidly, staring at the shiny "Head Boy" badge gleaming on the front of his robes. Oh God. You've got to be kidding me.
"Same way you got yours, Evans. Now what's this about starting the party without me?" He answered, an amused look twinkling in his eyes. Prat. He sat down next to me, getting himself much too comfortable. I accidentally jabbed him with my quill.
"So James," I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "We were just talking about the importance of being a prefect. Would you care to share a few pointers with us?" I smirked at him. He smirked back.
"As a matter of fact I would," He cleared his throat "Alright er, folks. Being a prefect is serious business. This is the first step to maturing and taking responsibility." (I snorted) "It is the beginning of a journey towards great things at Hogwarts. As you know, prefects are privileged with the ability to give detentions and to dock house points. This privilege should be carried out with dignity and maturity. If the Head Girl or myself find any of you abusing your privileges, you can be sure that you'll have to deal with me personally." He hesitated. "On a side note, I should warn you new prefects that the statue to the prefect boys' bathroom on the second floor tends to bite, so you have been warned." He stopped, thinking of what else to add. "You'll each find a list of passwords to prefect areas on your schedules tomorrow. Right, so – meeting dismissed!"
That was a bloody good speech. Why couldn't I think of something like that?
The prefects filed out of the compartment slowly, peering curiously at James. He smiled smugly, enjoying the attention.
"Hurry it up!" I hissed, and snapped the compartment door closed after the last little bugger got out. I then walked curtly to the seat as far from James as possible (glaring at him the entire way there) and promptly opened up my new charms book.
"Had a good summer, Evans?"
"Any time without seeing you is good," I answered, trying to find a strategy to spy on him without him noticing. Maybe if I accidentally dropped my quill…
"What a shame, because I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on."
"Lovely," I said, giving him the deepest look of loathing I could muster.
"I couldn't agree more," He grinned, eyeing me oddly.
"I–" I stopped, slightly confused. What? Didn't he mean – wait. What?
My quill really did drop from my hand. I hastily picked it up, blushing furiously. James was looking at me, his face full of amusement.
I tried my best to glare at him. That was when I noticed something different about him. His messy black hair still fell over his twinkling eyes. His mouth still formed that crooked smile of his that sends half the female Hogwarts population swooning. He was still tall, he was still the Quidditch team captain and he still had excellent grades in all his subjects. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but something about him made me want to stare at him.
"Are you blushing Evans?" Oh, did I mention he's still the most infuriating person on the face of the planet?
"Sod off," I retorted, bringing my hands to my cheeks.
"I only meant you looked cute."
"Maybe you wouldn't think so if you had a quill in your eye."
"You know Evans, I've never seen anyone take a compliment as…violently as you do."
"Maybe you should stop provoking me then, Potter."
The thing is, I was getting really flushed. Arguing with James always made me somewhat hotheaded but I've never blushed so much before. Something must be wrong with me. Maybe I have a fever. Sodding muggle flu shots.
Thankfully, the trolley witch came to our compartment before James could say anything else. I got myself a sugar quill and watched as James practically bought the rest of the trolley. I sucked on my sugar quill in silence. James opened wrappers noisily. I stared out the window at the rain-soaked landscape passing by. James stared at me. I knew this because his stare was almost burning a hole into me, but I pretended I didn't notice anything. Well, I tried to anyway. God, it was unnerving. After a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore.
"What's your problem Potter?" I shouted, snapping my head in his direction.
"Huh?" He said innocently, his mouth full of chocolate frogs. He did that on purpose. I'll catch him next time.
I went back to staring out of the window. The sky was getting darker and darker. The rain had stopped but the scenery was still so drenched that the trees, the sky and the ground started blending into one other. I was starting to get hungry and cranky. I was yearning for the feast and the warmth of the Great Hall.
"Lily…" The voice was soothing and soft. "…Lily?"
"Sod…off…" I grumbled sleepily, snuggling deeper into the covers. My, they smelled good. Sort of like clean, peppermints. I don't remember –
"OI EVANS!"
I jerked awake, finding myself nose to nose with a grinning James Potter. I fell off my seat.
"What the, what was that for?" I shrieked angrily, trying to get myself back into a standing position.
"We're here." He said, raising an eyebrow and hiding a smirk.
I scowled at him while I fixed my robes and rubbed my sore back. Just as I was about to leave, James took hold of wrist, making me turn around.
"Can I have my cloak back?"
"I don't have your cloak, you imbecile."
He looked down at my hands. I did the same.
Bugger.
And I thought they smelled like peppermints. Maybe I do have a fever.
I shoved them in his hands and got off the train before he could catch me again.
Outside, the platform was almost iced over. Just as I got myself steadied, someone knocked me off my feet. How had I ended up on the ground twice within ten minutes? I propped myself up on my elbows, ready to verbally butcher the idiot who had run me over when I heard the muffled laughter on top of me. I should have guessed it was Alice. God knows she's clumsy enough. I almost had to roll her off me to regain possession of my limbs.
"So did you have a good time? What did you do? Do you have a date with him yet? How come you didn't even tell me? I had to hear it from Frank, you realize!"
"It's great to see you too Alice, and what in the name of Merlin are you talking about?" I took the hand Alice offered me and brushed the chips of ice off of my robes.
"James Potter, of course! And what was all that banging around in your compartment when the train stopped? We could hear it three compartments down! Oh!" Her eyes widened and her blond curls danced around her pink cheeks "Oh, were you having a wild, passionate – ?"
"ALICE!" I screamed, horrified at what she was about to say. Tactless cow.
I had to forgive her though. Sadly, she wasn't the only one to think these demented thoughts. Ever since the fourth year, there has been a silent agreement that I "belonged" to James Potter. Not many people know how it happened, but everyone just knew it. It would be a charming little story really, if it wasn't the stupidest accident I've had the misfortune to come across. It went something like this:
I sat at the front of transfiguration class; James sat at the back of transfiguration class. James got in trouble and got moved next to me. I mind my own business; James minds my business too. James gets it in his head to ask me out; I told him to sod off. But wait, it gets better. He bet me four sugar quills he could get me to fall in love with him by the end of the year. Of course, it didn't happen. He sent me four sugar quills. The next year, he bet me five sugar quills, and last year, he bet me six. I did find it cute for a while, like it was a game, but it got strenuous and eventually, I wanted him to stop trying so hard. Only he wouldn't, until I agreed to go out with him. So by the end of fifth year, I was trying to be as unpleasant as possible to him. He finally gave up, soon after the start of sixth year. We still had the occasional argument and he still asked me out a few times, I recall. We didn't jump each other every time we crossed in the halls, I mean. We just didn't talk that much and he stopped professing his undying love for me like a complete prat in front of the entire school. But the unspoken claim he had over me never changed one bit.
Okay, now that was just sappy. What is wrong with me? I'm turning into a bloody…sappy thing. Like Pettigrew. Ew!
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review, it'd mean a lot to me. I've got a few more chapters written out, they just need to be edited and repolished. There should be a new chapter up by...next week let's say? It'll probably depend on the amount of reviews I get, not that I'm blackmailing you or anything...
Love, Cassie