Author's Note: Inspired by a lovely piece of fanart by inverts on tumblr.
Curfews, Karina Lyle considered, were completely and utterly ridiculous. Therefore, she did not feel any particular obligation to follow the schedules assigned to first years. Which meant that she was free to do whatever, whenever she wanted. Including hiding behind the stacks in the library and occasionally peeking out to spy on seventh-year Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (name helpfully supplied by an easily intimidated second-year Hufflepuff).
Karina was just about to sneak another look when the sound of a throat quietly being cleared behind her alerted her to a most unwelcome intrusion. The first thing she saw when she turned around was a Slytherin prefect badge pinned to a finely tailored set of robes (and what a relief that was). Her gaze drifted upward, and it was a struggle to keep her lips from curving into a smirk. She settled for a slight lift of one eyebrow instead (it worked well for most occasions).
"Rule-breaking already, Lyle? I'm rather disappointed by your lack of dedication to keeping Slytherin House ahead of the others."
"Come off it, Brooks! Everyone knows you don't take points from your housemates," Karina shot back in a heated whisper, her arms crossed defiantly in front of her.
Barnaby Brooks, Jr. didn't seem particularly impressed with her cheek. "I could always make an exception for you," he said, a warning threaded through his words. The rustle of parchment beyond the bookcase caught his attention, and his green eyes took on a rather disturbing gleam. "Why don't I take a look and see what's so interesting to an ickle first-year like yourself?"
Karina reached out, trying to hold back Brooks by his sleeve but she wasn't fast enough to keep him from sliding out behind their hiding place. Something flashed across his face when he finally saw the object of her interest, too quick for Karina to decipher, and then Brooks was back in front of her, much too close for comfort. She took a step back, which meant that she was pinned against the stacks with no means of escape. Her hand slipped into her pocket, fingers curling against the smooth wood of her wand, the words to the only hex she knew well (how to freeze someone's ears off) on the tip of her tongue.
"A word of advice, Lyle," he murmured as he bent down to her. "He probably hasn't noticed you at all. All this sneaking around will get you nowhere, and if someone other than myself catches you, you'll cost us points." He drew back, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he regarded her coldly. Karina almost shivered. "Consider this your final warning. You have five minutes to get back to the common room."
With a snap of his robes, Brooks sharply turned away from and left the area. Karina looked back longingly over her shoulder one more time before she gave in and did as ordered.
Just this one time though. If Brooks thought that she'd scare so easily, well...
Karina was more than happy to prove him wrong.