Chapter One
(Homeward Bound)

The familiar sounds of King's Cross station filed her ears, and her heart soared. People were chattering, trying to be heard over the sounds of the steam engine. She looked around, reveling in the secure feeling of returning back to Hogwarts. She was on a mission to find her friends – always a challenge, during the bustle of students boarding the train. She breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of burning coal, perfumes and colognes, and sweets being prepared somewhere on the train.

"Ayr Trikk!"

She whipped her head around, blonde hair flying around her neck. Ayr smiled widely, her breath rushing out of her as a blur of black latched onto her. She pulled back from the hug, laughing at one of her best friends. She took in the sight of Jessiey, already dressed in her school uniform. Even her black hair was pulled up professionally.

"Jessiey Wright!" Ayr replied, pulling her friend in for another hug. "Have the others gotten here yet?"

Jessiey nodded emphatically. "They've gone and found us a cabin. They sent me out here to find you. You're always the last one, you know."

Ayr laughed and followed her friend after handing her trunk off to the goblin loading them into the cargo spaces. The two of them weaved their way through the crowd of students, taking refuge in their cabin. They both exhaled loudly, as if winding their way through their peers had been more work than it really had been.

"Ayr!"

Ayr looked around and smiled at her friends. She hugged each one in turn. Courtney Hart's brown hair tickled her nose as she pulled away and was immediately attacked by Sarah Everest, whose sandy blonde hair was – thankfully – pulled up. Isis Turbini smiled bemusedly as she pulled Ayr into a hug of her own.

"You live right next door to me," Ayr observed, pulling away. "How is it that you always end up here before I do?"

"Because I don't take six hours to choose an outfit," Isis replied, her eyebrows raised. "That's how it has been for the past seventeen years, and that's how it's always going to be."

Ayr pulled a face, mimicking her friend playfully. She looked around before slumping into a seat.

"Where's Lily?"

"Here! I'm right here!"

They all turned, watching as Lily Evans rushed in, her red hair flying around her. She quickly slammed the door to the cabin shut behind her, turning and leaning against it with a sigh. When she opened her eyes, she smiled at them all, though it was rather chagrined.

"We haven't even left the platform, and he's already starting."

As if on cue, James Potter ran by, stopping abruptly at their door. He tried opening it, but Lily, with the aid of Jessiey, kept the door shut. He gave up, smiling and blowing a kiss to the red-head before mouthing 'later' and walking off. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin followed, Peter Pettigrew bringing up the rear like a lost puppy. Rolling her eyes, Lily sat down next to Ayr, turning to the blonde and smiling.

"So?" Lily's hand jiggled Ayr's knee excitedly. "How does it feel to be Head Girl?"

Ayr smiled widely, but shrugged. The letter had come five weeks before school was scheduled to start, with a badge and instructions included. The badge had been attached to a school robe, which was tucked safely away in a small overnight bag by Ayr's feet.

"The same as it feels to be any other student, really," She answered honestly.

"Oh, come off it, Trikk," Courtney scoffed, flopping into the seat across from her. "Your heart's not racing? Your mind's not reeling? You don't feel as if you could float away at any minute?"

Ayr opened her mouth to answer, but Isis rolled her eyes and glanced out the window.

"She got all of that out over the summer," She announced, leaning back in her seat. "I swear, I could hear her from my room – and she was at her house. Her victory dance was nothing compared to the colorful stream of curses that came out of her mouth afterwards."

"Why were you cursing? Stick yourself with the badge?" Sarah snickered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"No," Ayr grumbled, her heart racing sickeningly at the cue, glaring at Isis. "Malfoy's going to be Head Boy. Thanks for reminding me, Turbini. I spent the last five weeks trying to forget that part of it."

She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples when she felt the beginnings of a panic attack. She had started having them last year after… No, she scolded herself, swallowing air. Stop. It's over with. Nothing happened. Finally, her body stopped feeling like it was going to implode, and she sighed, smiling up at her friends. Sarah was watching her with wary eyes, afraid her friend might collapse in on herself.

They all jerked slightly, listening with smiles to the soft groan as the train left the station. Ayr's heart lifted again, but her peace was short lived as she spotted the bag at her feet. She sighed, fishing her uniform out of the bag. Jessiey and Courtney moved in front of the door, blocking the window so that Ayr could change in relative privacy. Once she was done, she fished the letter out of her bag, skimmed it, and nodded to herself.

"Alright guys," She began, pushing the letter into the bag again. "I've got to meet with the Prefects at the back of the train. If I'm not back in three hours, tell the Aurors to look for Malfoy."

She left the room, giggling and scoffing following her out. She slid the door shut behind her, and wound her way through the few wandering students, dodging the Sweets Trolley as it passed her. Ayr came to a stop in front of the door, and a hand covered hers as she moved to open the door.

"Pleasant summer, Trikk-ster?"

Ayr stiffened, and tried to remember how to breathe normally. Get a grip, Trikk, she scolded herself. She mentally groaned, but didn't hide the rolling of her eyes. The smell of his aftershave was unmistakable. It wasn't that she knew what it was, per se, but she knew that it smelled expensive. Only the best for Pretty Boy.

"Wonderful, until I found out I'd be sharing my role with you," She retorted, pleased that the fear in her heart didn't show in her voice. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm allergic to assholes."

She opened the door enough to slip into the compartment, shutting it just as Malfoy moved to enter. She smiled up at him innocently as he came in, rubbing his nose and eyeing her with cold anger in his eyes. They sat down across from each other, and Ayr looked around, realizing why the meeting was set in one of the larger compartments in the back. Malfoy cleared his throat and looked down at the parchment held in his hands.

"I can see that everyone's already here, but protocol must be followed. When you hear your name, please let me know that you're present." He looked around, and when everyone nodded, looked down again. "Justin Tolson and Cybil Goldstraw, Hufflepuff -" He paused and looked up, acknowledging the two hands raised "- Robert Vanderbell and Karen Overby, Ravenclaw. Jordan Chambliss and Morgan Bailey, Gryffindor. Nicholas Pyles and Jennifer Ashon, Slytherin. Good. We're all here."

Malfoy looked over at Ayr, his eyebrow quirked as he silently prompted her to begin. She swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat and nodded.

"Alright then," She began, crossing her legs and smoothing her skirt. "First things first – I'm Ayr Trikk, Head Girl, and that's Lucius Malfoy, Head Boy. Before we discuss anything else, we need to talk about monitoring the halls. Prefects will leave class ten minutes early, and enter class five minutes late, in order to patrol the hallways between classes. They will also be up two hours after curfew, to make sure no one's wandering the halls."

"Each of you will be assigned a floor," Malfoy continued, looking down at his list. "In order to make things fair, students cannot monitor the floor where their houses are. That being said; Justin, you will patrol the basement corridors, Cybil – the first floor. Nicholas, the second and Karen the third. Jennifer, the fourth, Morgan, the fifth, Robert, the sixth, and Jordan, the seventh."

"We'll have a meeting twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays after dinner in the Great Hall," Ayr added. "At those meetings, we'll discuss any particularly problematic students, any regulations one sees fit to be made, and go over any questions you might have throughout the week."

"Deducting and adding points varies on the infraction," Malfoy said after consulting his list. "Five points will be deducted from any student who's late – thirty for any caught out of bed after hours. Otherwise, points can be added of deducted as seen fit."

"Within reason," Ayr added quickly, scowling at the twinkle in Nicholas Pyles' eye. "Are there any questions so far?"

"Can we deduct points from other Prefects?" Jennifer Ashton asked, her mouth curled into a sneer.

"No," Malfoy responded, his temper and chastisement surprising Ayr – and Jennifer, too. "Prefects cannot and will not deduct points from other Prefects. If there is a problem, you will see either Ayr or myself, and we will handle it. If we find out that anyone has deducted points from another Prefect, Dumbledore will be involved, and the Prefect will be asked to resign from their position. Am I clear?"

Jennifer looked a bit put out, and she turned her body away from Malfoy, choosing to snuggle up to Nicholas instead. Malfoy looked on in annoyance, but didn't linger too long on watching them. Ayr tried to keep the smirk off of her face, but judging by the scowl that Malfoy shot her, she hadn't succeeded.

"Save your act for someone who cares, Ashton," Malfoy quipped, never taking his cold eyes from Ayr.

The girl matched his stare, her brow raising in amusement, but it was taking all she had not to squirm under the chill of his gaze. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs, smoothing her skirt out again. He finally smirked, looking away to address a question someone had asked.

Ayr needed to get out of there.

An hour and a half later, Ayr waved good-bye to the Prefects and made her way back to her original cabin. She tucked her hair behind her ears, feeling better as soon as Malfoy was behind her. She tried to wrap her mind around the odd effect he had on her back there, but couldn't. She chalked it up to a display of power, and brushed it off. She looked up from her feet just as her compartment came into view, and she smiled at the view that greeted her.

Sarah had fallen asleep, and was leaned against a window, her slow breaths fogging up the glass with every exhale. Jessiey had her eyes closed, but was awake; her foot was tapping to whatever song was playing in her head. Courtney was reading a very worn book. She couldn't see the cover, but Ayr knew it was the romance written by an American Muggle that she had lent her over the summer. Isis and Lily were sitting with their heads together over a poster of the Irish Quidditch team. Judging by their expressions, they were trying to decide who the cutest one was.

"Nice to see everyone to," Ayr smiled, slumping into a seat between Courtney and Sleeping Beauty.

Isis and Lily jerked their heads towards Ayr, smiled, and went back to debating. Jessiey opened one eye, flicked a wave at her, and closed it again. Courtney never looked up from her book.

"How did it go?" Lily asked, pointing to a spot on the poster; Isis shook her head.

"As expected, I suppose," Ayr replied, stretching out and sighing with content. "The Slytherins seem especially malicious this year, for some reason."

"It could be because they would have won the House Cup last year," Courtney replied, peeking up over her book. "If Dumbledore hadn't given Gryffindor those last minute points, that is."

"Or that they're Quidditch captain left Hogwarts, and without him, they don't stand a chance at winning the cup this year," Lily added, making a face as Isis pointed to someone else on the poster.

"Either way," Ayr mused, "I'm not going to put up with a bunch of Slytherins who have sticks shoved up their arses. I'll kick them into next year if I have to."

"Ayr, start acting your age," Isis quipped, swatting Lily and pointing to the same spot she did last time.

"Darling, you've lived next to me all of my life and most of yours, and you should know very well by now that I never act my age."

A knock interrupted their banter, and all heads turned towards the door. The shade had been pulled down over the window, but they all knew who it was.

"Who is it?" Lily called out, rolling up the poster and putting it under her seat.

The Marauders opened the door, all trying to squeeze through at the same time. Finally, they stumbled into the cabin, laughing and punching each other in the arm.

"No, no, no," Jessiey growled, swatting at them. "You wait outside after you knock, and we ask, 'who is it', and you say who it is. Now get out and try again."

"Got it," Potter smirked, leaving just to turn around and knock again.

"Who is it?" The girls called out.

"Who it is!"

"Funny, Potter," Isis smirked, getting up to open the door. "And mature, too."

Forgoing a response, Potter smirked and cantered over to Lily, settling down in her lap. She scoffed and pushed him off with a sound of disgust, and he laughed as his butt met the floor. Sirius – the only one Ayr would call by his first name – leaned over to pull his mate off of the floor; Ayr was the only one to notice that Jessiey's eyes lingered a bit too long on Sirius' back side.

Sirius met Ayr's eyes and shrugged – what can you do? Ayr smiled and winked at her childhood friend. Sirius and Ayr's mothers had gone to school together, and both had wanted to keep the bloodline pure. They had paired the two up as children, hoping that a sort of romance would blossom in their teens. The only thing either of them had gained was a best friend and confidant. When she had revealed this to her mother, she seemed disappointed, but not angry. Ayr chalked it up to her being a single mother of an only child, and having her daughter have any sort of male protection put her mind at ease.

As it were, Sirius met Ayr's eyes again and then flicked them towards Remus with a shrug. Ayr blushed softly and adverted her gaze, watching as Potter was trying in vain to catch Lily's attention. The girls were busy giggling at his antics, and it would and could have carried on that way, if Remus hadn't cleared his throat.

"Courtney?" Ayr noticed a blush creep into the boy's cheeks, and her heart fell a bit. "Can I talk to you outside?"

Courtney blushed as well, and put down her book. Ayr followed the two with her eyes until they slid the door shut behind them. Sirius caught her gaze and frowned softly, silently expressing his sympathy for her. Ayr smiled bravely and shrugged.

"Is there a real reason you're here, Potter, or are you just here to ruin the view?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Evans. And speaking of the two of us, will you -"

"I wasn't speaking about the two of us," Lily snorted. "And no."

"But you didn't even let me -"

"And I never will. Now get out."

"Aww, c'mon, Evans!"

"No. Out. Now."

Potter glared at Lily, his nose twitching. He then turned and glared at the rest of the girls, making a show of wiping an imaginary tear off of his face. Finall, he turned on his heel and left, Peter following obediently. Sirius winked at Ayr, and then followed his friends out of their cabin. Courtney slipped in past him, shut the door and peeked past the curtain. When she dropped it, she let out a small squeak and twirled.

"Do you have ants in your pants?" Ayr asked, jerking her head away from the blushing Lily.

"He-asked-me-to-be-his-girlfriend!"

The breath left Ayr's lungs, and she had to remind herself how to breathe. She smiled at Courtney, and Jessiey was the only one who noticed how strained the smile really was. The girls giggled and gossiped and congratulated, and Ayr fell silent as soon as her obligations of best friend had been met.

She suddenly felt cold. She really hoped there was warm cider at the feast.