Chapter 2

Hogwarts

September 1st, 2013

Tyriana resumed her patrol, and her thoughts turned to the predicament presented by Julian Hawkins. He certainly exhibited Slytherin qualities, but there had been brief moments where he had behaved entirely differently. She needed to figure out what made her enemy tick. If she managed that, she could gain the upper hand both in their arguments and on the Quidditch field.

Her musings were interrupted as a massive figure stepped directly in front of her, forcing her to stop. "Hey," said a husky voice.

She looked up, and up, until she finally met the gaze of the mountain of a boy who'd intercepted her. Truth be told, he was actually only six-foot-three or so, but just about anyone above six feet appeared gigantic from her perspective. The low ceiling of the carriage only made him look even larger.

"Hi," she said, unintimidated.

"Head Girl, huh?" He was staring at her badge.

"Yeah. Can I help you?"

"You can if you tell me your name."

"Tyriana Gallagher."

"Well, Tyriana, I just wanted to tell you that you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen." He acted like this compliment was a unique and profound revelation.

Tyriana, however, had already heard similar compliments four times this morning and she was far more annoyed than impressed. She gave him a menacing glare, channelling all of her disdain into her eyes. "Still like them?"

He took a step back, raising his hands in mock self-defense. "Oddly, yes."

"The correct answer was 'no.' I've got stuff to do so, if you'll excuse me…"

He retreated back into his compartment under the onslaught of her glare.

Tyriana rolled her eyes in disgust as she resumed her journey aft. She hated people who judged her to be worthy of their time solely by her appearance. I have other appealing qualities, too, you know.

It was no secret to her that she was attractive, having been told so over the years by numerous individuals of both genders, but she wasn't very interested in hooking up with anyone she'd met so far at Hogwarts. Flings did not particularly interest her, although she'd made a point of trying a few times before she'd reached that conclusion. She knew that she was looking for a connection and commitment, and until she found the person who checked those boxes she was content to keep to herself.

Still, though, she thought. This is my last year. It would be nice to enjoy it with a boyfriend, although it would have to be somebody that I could stomach.

Her musings were interrupted when she spotted Julian Hawkins sauntering towards her. Her heart sunk instinctively upon seeing the green and silver accents on his robes. That's someone I definitely can't stomach.

He smirked when he saw her, which was immediately since he had a Seeker's astute eye. "Hey, Gallagher. You look thoroughly pissed off. Did somebody figure out how to push your buttons even better than me?"

She raised a warning finger. "If you so much as try to hit on me I will kick your ass."

"So hitting on you is the secret, huh?"

"I'm warning you…"

He swallowed. "For Merlin's sake, Gallagher, calm down. I wouldn't do that. So, uh, how's your patrol going?"

"Fine. I managed to resolve that argument."

"Congratulations, although I'm afraid you're going to need to step up your game. I already stopped one student from hexing another."

"Any competent wizard can use Protego. Maybe I should've let you try to resolve that argument. I'd like to see you try and stop two insecure lovers from screaming at each other. I bet you'd be very successful."

His sharp eyes narrowed. Looking around, he said, "The train's pretty quiet this year, huh? No doubt that's due to our outstanding leadership of the prefects."

Tyriana knew the comment was sarcastic, but she couldn't help but think that it had been inspired by his arrogance. Typical Slytherin bastard, she thought.

"Hold on a second," he said abruptly, looking past her. He stepped around her and even put a hand on her shoulder as he passed. She expected her skin to crawl, but it didn't. Turning, she saw him hurry down the corridor towards a student carrying something that he must've deemed suspicious. Looks like something from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, she thought. That place is amazing. Too bad we have orders to confiscate all of their products on sight.

Anxious to escape and make more sense of the day's unexpected events, Tyriana continued her journey towards the back of the train. The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful. She confiscated a few magical items that weren't permitted, stopped two students from hexing each other, and chatted with a few of the Prefects that she recognized. Knowing that the foundation of effective leadership included trust and solid communication, she was determined to establish a rapport with her new subordinates as quickly as possible.

Tyriana managed to avoid Hawkins for the rest of the journey. After they had arrived at Hogsmeade Station, she performed a quick sweep of the train to make sure that all of the students had disembarked. When she stepped out onto the platform, having retrieved her luggage with Accio so that she wouldn't have to jump to reach the rack, she started heading for the self-drawn carriages that ferried students from Hogsmeade Station to the castle. She was so late that there was only one left and she was the only occupant.

As she was carried through the forested night on the journey to the castle, she reminisced some more on her time at Hogwarts. When she finally arrived, she entered the Great Hall only seconds before Professor Slughorn led the new first years in. Tyriana blushed a bit as she headed for the Gryffindor table, knowing that the only qualities differentiating herself from the first years was the maturity of her face and her Head Girl badge. She wasn't much taller than them.

Tyriana sat down next to her best friends Delaney Townsend, Brielle Harrington, Siobhan Gibbs, and Alara Frye amongst the Gryffindors.

"Why didn't you stop by our compartment?" Brielle whispered.

"I was busy," Tyriana said, tapping her badge. "Sorry. It's great to see you, girls."

She quieted then because the Sorting was beginning. She watched Professor Slughorn place the Sorting Hat on a wooden stool. The entire school, including the first years — Tyriana could tell by their postures that most of them were terrified — stared at the hat. After a moment it burst into song.

Tyriana didn't get much chance to listen to the words because Delaney used the distraction to discreetly yet enthusiastically snog her boyfriend, Greyson Bauer.

"Delaney," she growled under her breath.

"But we haven't seen each other in three weeks," her friend pouted, reluctantly disengaging from her boyfriend just long enough to say this.

"Save it for later." Brielle seconded Tyriana's opinion, which was just as common of an occurrence as Delaney's innumerable snogging sessions with her boyfriend.

The hat finished its song and the whole school burst into applause. Professor Slughorn stepped forward to address the first years when the noise died down, holding a roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and put on the hat. It will sort you into your house. You will then sit at the corresponding table."

Tyriana sat attentively through the Sorting, although her stomach was rumbling. She'd been on her feet all day and had never gotten the chance to get anything from the trolley on the train. She was a little upset that she'd missed one of her favorite Hogwarts traditions in her last year but she supposed that it was the nature of the job.

She was sure to cheer enthusiastically for every new Gryffindor, although she also clapped respectfully for the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. She couldn't bring herself to applaud the Slytherins. Half of them already look like bullies, she observed. She glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw Hawkins standing and applauding for every new member of his house, although he didn't seem to be as enthusiastic or raucous as many of those who surrounded him. She filed the observation away for later reference.

The Sorting ended, and Tyriana's stomach loosed a disproportionately loud rumble of hunger. Her friends glanced at her.

"Calm down, girl," Siobhan giggled.

Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, stood up. "On behalf of the staff, welcome to Hogwarts. We are glad that each and every one of you are here, whether it is your first year, your seventh, or somewhere in the middle. Let the feast begin!"

She sat down to rampant applause from the students and the golden plates on all of the tables were suddenly heaping with delicious food. Tyriana dug in.

She'd hardly had her first bite when her friends began to bombard her with questions.

"How was your summer?" Brielle asked. As the only Muggleborn in her closest circle of friends, Tyriana was generally the most isolated over the holidays. They hadn't heard much from her.

"How was the train ride?" Siobhan asked almost simultaneously. Tyriana had sat with her friends on the train every year until today. Naturally, her friends were curious what she'd been up to as Head Girl.

"Who's the Head Boy?" Alara asked an instant later.

"Julian Hawkins," she growled, nodding to the Slytherin table.

"Holy shit! A Slytherin?" Brielle exclaimed. "A slimy, creepy, evil bastard."

"At least he's attractive," Alara retorted. She only got away with saying that because her boyfriend was a Hufflepuff and wasn't privy to the conversation at the Gryffindor table. He wouldn't have been surprised to hear her say that, though. Alara was Delaney's twin in that they were both obsessively interested in the dating scene at Hogwarts.

"What does that matter?" Siobhan leapt into the fray. "He's Tyriana's worst enemy on the Quidditch field, which essentially means that he's her worst enemy everywhere."

"Come on, Tyriana," Delaney pleaded. "There's a world outside of Quidditch. You of all people should know that. You're Muggleborn."

"Thanks for reminding me that the Slytherin pureblood bastard still believes that he's my superior," she growled back.

Brielle looked shocked, "Did he call you the M-word?"

"Mudblood? Not this time, no."

Siobhan leaned in, grabbing Tyriana's arm. "Don't ever call yourself that. He's an arrogant bully and nothing more. You'll show him on the Quidditch field that bloodlines don't mean anything."

"Talent is talent," Brielle agreed. "You'll kick his ass."

Alara didn't seem to like that she was alone in her opinion that Hawkins was attractive. "I understand that he's a jerk but can't you see that he's hot? Granted, he is a little short, but that makes him just like you. You're both small but attractive and play Quidditch as Seekers—"

"—Alara, I don't care that he's got great hair or nice cheekbones or whatever. I just can't see how you think him being the Head Boy is good for me."

"Well, there's nothing hotter than making out with your enemy," Delaney ventured. "You two are going to be sharing a suite…"

"You know that I don't do flings," she growled.

"Not to switch sides but there may actually be some advantages, however small, to this situation," Siobhan interjected.

"What's that?"

"Maybe you'll get the inside scoop on his Quidditch team."

"Or he could sneak into my room and tamper with my new broom or get a look at the Quidditch strategies I've spent all summer crafting. I wouldn't put it past a Slytherin like him." Tyriana put her head in her hands. "This might just ruin my year."

Her friends put comforting hands on her shoulders.

"It'll be fine, Tyriana. Perk up. Knowing you, being in direct competition with him is going to force you to bring your A game. This'll be Gryffindor's greatest Quidditch season in at least a decade," Brielle said.

"I hope so," she said. "I'm not graduating until the Quidditch Cup is in my hands."

Her friends knew that would always be her ultimate goal and there was a moment of silence as everyone prioritized eating.

"If you aren't attracted to Hawkins then who're you going to date this year?" Alara asked her.

"I don't know. Maybe nobody? I don't have to have a boyfriend to graduate, you know."

"You should at least make an effort," Brielle ventured.

"I agree," said Delaney.

"Of course you do, Delaney," Tyriana said. Romance and Delaney were inseparable.

"Take it from me," Greyson interjected, earning all of the girls' attention by his unexpected contribution to the conversation. "I have loads of friends who'd love to get on a first name basis with you, Tyriana."

"Look, I don't want to date some guy just so that I can say that I'm getting shagged," Tyriana retorted. Her friends giggled.

"I find it hard to believe that you're not attracted to a single guy at this school," Alara said.

"I didn't say that I wasn't attracted to anybody," she said. "I just want something meaningful."

"That doesn't mean you can't hook up with somebody in the meantime," Siobhan pointed out. She, like Brielle, could usually be depended on to have Tyriana's back. Siobhan joining the other side was a significant development, and Tyriana began to wonder if there were some merits to her friends' arguments."

Brielle chimed in, too. "Tyriana, it's been over a year since you got intimate with anyone. Now you've got a room to yourself and tons of guys who'd love to get to know you. You should try to enjoy your last year here." Brielle was the closest and most trustworthy of her friends, and Tyriana took her opinion very seriously.

"Fine. But technically I don't live alone. Hawkins is next door."

" All the more reason to invite a guy over," Alara said. "Make him jealous."

"I can't think of a better way to get into your enemy's head," Delaney agreed.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it. There was an attractive and fairly nice prefect who I met on the train today," she said. "Maybe I'll get to know him and see if he's worth my time."

Alara leaned closer. "Who is it?"

"Caden something. He's a Hufflepuff, I think."

Her eyes lit up. "Caden Weiss?"

"That sounds right."

"He's gorgeous," Alara raved. "My boyfriend knows him. We could have a double-date at Hogsmeade!"

Tyriana rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Maybe I'll have a class with Caden or something. Ugh, I can't believe that you've convinced me to do this shit."

"You need something other than Quidditch to occupy your mind," Brielle rationalized.

Tyriana rolled her eyes and spent a few minutes focusing on eating. Despite her ravenous appetite, her stomach could only hold so much and it wasn't long before she was full. She stared sullenly at the abundant food all around her, all of it looking delectable. Now it was just tempting her to make herself sick. After about five minutes, the food faded away — leaving everyone's golden tableware as shiny clean as before they had arrived — and dozens of dessert delicacies popped into existence to replace the entrees.

Tyriana groaned as her stomach shifted uncomfortably. She suffered through ten minutes of watching her friends gorge themselves, seeming entirely unconcerned about the junk that they were inhaling — what her fitness-obsessed parents would say if they saw this was beyond Tyriana's imagination — before the desserts finally disappeared, too.

The students' attention turned up to the staff table, where Professor McGonagall had once again stood. "Before I send you off to bed, I have several notices. First, both new and returning students should note that the Forbidden Forest is still strictly off-limits, and for good reason. Magic is never allowed in the corridors, no matter the circumstances. On a lighter note, Quidditch tryouts will take place on the second week of this term. Those interested who are second year and above should submit their names to their Heads of House, as usual. Now I hope you all will join me in welcoming our new staff members this year. Professor Pollock will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts" (most of the students applauded politely) "and Professor Hatton will be taking the post of Muggle Studies." (More applause) "Good luck, professors. And now, good night. Off to bed you go!"

The student body surged to their feet. Tyriana heard Delaney telling her boyfriend that Professor Hatton had forgotten to put his hat on (she seemed to think that was absolutely hilarious) but the majority of Tyriana's attention was focused on scanning the room to make sure that her prefects were doing their job and rounding up the first years. This was rather difficult given her height so she stepped up onto the bench she'd previously been sitting on to get a better view.

To her left, a prefect called, "Gryffindor first years, gather 'round. I'll be showing you the way to the Common Room and your dormitories."

"Ravenclaws first years, follow me to your dormitories!"

"Hufflepuff first years, gather here — No, no, there's no need to crawl under the table, you can stay on that side… uh, nevermind, then." Tyriana chuckled to herself as Caden struggled to control a Hufflepuff first year who had been particularly eager to stand exactly where he'd told his charges to gather.

"Slytherin first years, this way!" The Slytherin prefect who yelled that immediately began to saunter out of the hall, not waiting a single second to see if anyone was following him.

Thankfully, Hawkins saw this too and he immediately began to gather the stragglers who'd never even caught sight of their guide. "Don't worry, I'm the Head Boy. I'll help you get to your dormitories. Come with me — yes, you… I'm a Slytherin..."

Thankful that her Gryffindor prefects had done an excellent job corralling and guiding the first years out of the hall, Tyriana followed them out. It wasn't until she had climbed to the fourth floor that she remembered that she was no longer living in Gryffindor Tower, although she was still free to visit. As Head Girl, she shared a suite with the Head Boy adjacent to the Prefect's Bathroom on the fifth floor.

She found the appropriate door. It had a label (Head Boy/Girl Residence) and required a password, which she'd already memorized. "Meruit gratiam," she enunciated loudly and clearly. The door swung open as soon as she completed the last syllable.

Tyriana stepped into a pleasant sitting room that wasn't all that different from Gryffindor Common Room that she was familiar with. There was a sofa and two armchairs, all tastefully and lavishly upholstered, and several tables of varying sizes. A fire was roaring in the fireplace, filling the space with a warmth and coziness that immediately compelled her to feel like she was home. At the opposite end of the room were two doors. One was labeled Head Girl, the other Head Boy.

There was no sign that Hawkins had arrived yet (she suspected that he was still showing the Slytherin first years their new home in the dungeons — why, she wondered, can't we lock all of the slimy bastards down there and never let them out?) so she peeked into the Head Boy's room first. It boasted a larger dresser and closet than the dormitories that she was familiar with, although the four-poster bed was identical. There were also nightstands on both sides. On the floor was Hawkins' trunk, which she recognized from the train, and a few of his other belongings had also been deposited in the room. She grinned when she saw his Nimbus 2010 broomstick. Not so superior now, are you?

Tyriana ventured into the Head Girl bedroom next. It was mirrored copy. Her own trunk was sitting on the floor and her Firebolt Supreme broomstick was resting on the bed. Feeling a bit paranoid about her investment, her first order of business was to pull a pair of socks that she never really planned on wearing (they were a gift from her muggle aunt, who was eccentric even by wizarding standards). She cast a shrinking charm on her broomstick and her Quidditch notebook (which she'd spent the summer filling with ideas for strategies, formations, and drills) before concealing each in its own sock. Putting those aside, she transferred the rest of her wardrobe to the dresser and closet before inconspicuously stashing the socks amongst her other clothes.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she also unpacked her textbooks and school supplies. Finally, Tyriana crammed her trunk under her bed.

The door to the suite opened abruptly and Hawkins entered, seeming a little out of breath.

"Long climb from the dungeons?" she teased from her doorway.

He nodded and trudged over to his room. "Good night." His door closed before she could respond.

Even she was surprised by the terseness of the conversation, if it even counted as one. She'd almost been hoping for more. Shrugging, Tyriana changed into her nightgown and got ready for bed. Before turning in she put her ear to Hawkins' door but heard nothing. Wondering if he really had gone straight to sleep without even unpacking, she collapsed on her own bed and quickly drifted off into the world of her dreams.