A/N: No reviews yet but I'm hoping that will change! Although it is once again really short, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!
Rachel Berry made her way down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, her robes already on and her hair tied in a tight ponytail. The feeling of the Prefect badge on her chest was calming. Although she wasn't Head Girl, she still had a position of authority.
She and her partner, David Karofsky, had been given the back of the train to patrol. Rachel wasn't really sure how David had managed to become a Prefect. He didn't really seem to care about setting things straight and keeping students in line. Over the last two years they had worked together, Rachel had always tried to do the right thing. David was different. He had a very Slytherin approach to authority.
Rachel was a very strange Slytherin. She didn't have the heartlessness that most of her peers possessed. She didn't enjoy bullying, as she was often bullied herself. But she was proud to be a part of her house. Although she sometimes felt like she didn't belong, she knew she had the ability to be just as cunning as the other Slytherin students if anyone threatened her ambitions.
David suggested that they split and cover both sides of the corridor. Surprised at his initiative, which he usually lacked, Rachel agreed and took to patrolling the right side. The journey seemed as if it went forever. Rachel did enjoy bossing others around, but she ended up bored of it after a long period of time. After telling some second years off for performing minor hexes in their compartment, she wished she could sit down and shut her eyes. Second years were so frustrating. She couldn't even remember when she had been one.
Something caught Rachel's eye as she passed the last compartment at the very back of the train. Inside sat a group of seventh year Gryffindors. She found herself staying out of sight as she peered inside the compartment.
Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman lounged around inside, speaking to one another about Quidditch. They were all on the Gryffindor team. Noah was the captain and a Beater. Finn was a Chaser and Quinn was the Keeper.
Back in first year, almost everyone had wondered why Quinn Fabray was sorted into Gryffindor house. She was, well, kind of a bitch. In most students' opinions, this immediately meant you were born to be a Slytherin.
But something shocking had happened in fifth year. Quinn Fabray, the Christian pure-blood witch, had fallen pregnant to Noah Puckerman, a mudblood.
Quinn had endured endless bullying throughout her pregnancy. She and Noah, or Puck as he was more commonly known, had disgraced themselves. They kept the baby, of course. Quinn's family only hated one thing more than sex before marriage, and that was abortion. The baby had been adopted almost a year and a half ago.
To make matters more confusing, Finn had been Quinn's long time boyfriend when she had fallen pregnant with Puck's child. Sure, they'd had a long few months where they hadn't spoken at all, but now they were back together. Finn and Quinn, the school's power couple, were as strong as ever and Noah Puckerman was once again the revered bad-ass of Hogwarts. Rachel found it incredibly strange that they could all still hang out with one another after everything that had happened.
"Oh God," Quinn muttered, "No body look now, but Ru-Paul is totally giving us the goo-goo eyes."
Rachel squeaked and quickly began to walk away. She hadn't thought they could see her!
The compartment door slammed open. "Doing your daily stalking, Berry?" Puck drawled, smirking. Quinn leant against the door behind him with an amused expression on her face. Finn hadn't moved from his seat. He was enjoying the view from the window looking slightly comatose.
Rachel, mentally preparing herself for insults, turned around with her arms crossed over her chest. "You know perfectly well that as a Prefect, it's my duty to watch over a certain part of the train."
"Prefect my ass," Puck chuckled, "You just wanted a piece of the Pucky-Puck."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Please, I wouldn't want something I could easily have."
Quinn laughed, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'll tell you something, Ru-Paul. You're not as special as you think you are. Where are you friends? Oh wait, I'm sorry. You don't have any."
"As I've already pointed out, I'm on Prefect duty until we arrive at Hogwarts. I don't get to sit in the compartments with my friends."
"And who would you sit with anyway? T-T-T-Tina?"
Rachel ignored Quinn's scrape at the Hufflepuff's stutter. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to report you two," she said smugly, whipping out her roll of parchment and scribbling down their names, "For harassment."
Puck chuckled. "Karofsky's already reported me three times today. That shit don't faze me."
Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes once again. "Whatever," she replied, "I'll be on my way. I'll be expecting you all to turn up to detention with Hagrid tonight."
Finn looked up, "Not me though? I didn't do anything."
Rachel smiled. "No, Finn. You didn't do anything at all."
Rachel always enjoyed the feast on the first night of a new school year. The Great Hall was filled with beautiful music and enchanting conversation. Of course, she didn't really engage in conversation with anyone other than the first years. She greeted them with the brightest smile of all the Slytherin's and was greeted in return with sullen expressions. It didn't bother her though, she wore her black pointed hat with pride and tied her green and silver tie extra tight.
After the feast, Rachel led the first years to the dungeons and told the rest of the Slytherin's how to get into the common room. Once everyone was settled down, she collected one of her new text books and sat on a hard chair in the common room, right by the fire place.
A tall, lanky boy with brown curly hair entered. Looking up from one of her new text books, Rachel smiled at him as he entered through the large, concealed double doors. Her heart was in her throat.
"Hello, Jesse."
The boy with the curly hair gave her a strange look. "Sorry. But what's your name again?"
Rachel cringed a little. She wondered how, after six years together, he still didn't know her name. "It's Rachel. Look, I just wanted to say congratulations on becoming Head Boy. I knew you would get it."
"Thankyou," he replied, smirking and sitting in a chair opposite, "I guess it was pretty obvious."
She put her book down on the nearby table. "Of course it was. I mean, you're perfect…"
Fear filled her as she realised what she had said.
"And by that I mean perf- perfect for the job," Rachel mumbled, looking at her feet, "So, Brittany Pierce is Head Girl. A very strange decision of Dumbledore's if you ask me."
"Well, she is in Ravenclaw. There has to be some brains hidden in that head of hers," Jesse replied humorously before adding, "Although she did tell me that her cat had been reading her diary."
Rachel laughed a little too loudly. This was the longest conversation she'd ever had with Jesse St. James. She didn't want to screw anything up.
"Still going after Broadway?" Jesse asked, just making conversation.
Her heart swelled. He'd remembered!
"Definitely. I'll be applying for Julliard within the next few weeks."
"That's a Muggle college, isn't it?" he turned up his nose, "Are you sure about that?"
"Well, of course. It's the best of the best."
Jesse looked sceptical. "There are plenty of good wizarding schools that can help you achieve your dreams."
Rachel nodded. "That's true. But Julliard is what I want."
He shifted his posture to lounge back into the chair. "Don't you worry about not fitting in? You weren't raised in a Muggle family."
"No," she replied, "But I've studied them through film and theatre. I've taken Muggle Studies since third year and I believe that I'm perfectly capable of fitting in. I mean, what's so different about them?"
Jesse raised his eyebrows. "Everything."
Rachel shook her head slowly. She didn't understand the aversion to Muggles that most wizards had.
"Rochelle, right?"
"It's Rachel," she said, trying not to get irritated. She understood that Jesse St. James led a very privileged and busy life. He could be forgiven for forgetting names.
"Rachel, they don't have magic. You realise that right?"
"Yes," she answered, "But they have other types of magic. Like music and acting and art."
"We have those things too," Jesse replied, "Why not stick with what you know? The industry is still very popular among wizards. Wizarding musical theatre is a growing trend."
She grit her teeth together and tried to relax. She wanted to make an impression, and not a bad one either. "Broadway is what I want. It's what I've always wanted."
He sat up again, musing. "Just like I've always wanted bigger muscles."
She looked at him, curious. "You're muscles are fine."
"I know," he whispered, "They're absolutely stunning, but they could be improved. Just like you. Maybe if you got a better haircut-"
"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, shocked, "My hair is fine."
"You could be attractive; Ricky," he said, "I really don't understand why your parents called you Rick. I mean, were they expecting a boy?"
Rachel stood up, exasperated. "My name is Rachel."
"Oh, I'm sorry. But all I'm saying is with a tonic or two; you could actually pass as a normal girl."
She was appalled. "I thought you were different!"
Jesse seemed confused. He paused. "Different how?"
"Well, you like musical theatre like me. You actually know what Broadway is unlike everyone else at this school! I thought you'd like me for who I am. Aren't artists meant to appreciate beauty in all forms?"
"I really don't understand anything that comes out of your mouth, Raquel," he sighed, standing up as well, "I'm going to bed. I'll see you around."
Rachel watched him go, infuriated. She realised, thankfully, that the common room had been completely empty by the time Jesse had arrived. She didn't think she could have handled the extra embarrassment if that scene had unfolded before an audience.
Following Slytherin house rules, as the last student in the common room, Rachel took out her Elm wand and extinguished the blaze in the fireplace with a simple Aguamenti charm before traipsing upstairs to the girl's dormitory.
A/N: If you've read it, please please please review with thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think so far.
