Prefect Duties

When April returned from the bathroom, she had complications to get back to her compartment since the students were flooding out of the Hogwarts Express.
Finally reaching the compartment she pushed the door open.
"Did you get lost, or something?", Ginny asked and handed her the cloak with the blue and bronze Ravenclaw emblem on it. April shook her head and slipped the cloak over her shoulders, glad that she had something that would cover the prefect badge. She hadn't told her friends, only her siblings knew, but Ernie and Natasha didn't care too much. And Lenora, Lenora had other things to worry about. 'Like her precious boyfriend', April thought bitterly and followed Ginny out of the empty compartment in silence.

"Luna said she would arrange us a carriage, but I'm not too sure about that.", Ginny pointed out once they had left the Hogwarts Express and were walking over to the carriages where students were fighting to get in one that was empty.
April stayed silent and looked around for the blonde mop of her friend.
"You know, she hasn't got much assertiveness. I bet we'll have to walk the whole way up to Hogwarts.", the freckled girl chuckled and cocked her head to the side when April didn't reply to her.
"Oh, come on, April. Talk to me, I don't bite.", she flashed a perfect smile at her.

"I knew that.", April murmured and tore her gaze at Ginny. She had met the girl in her second year at Hogwarts when she was studying in the library with Luna. Ginny had just sat down at the table with them and asked if they would mind her sitting with them. Back then April had envied her for her forwardness and sometimes she still would do now.

"I'm just not a talkative person...", she said lamely, causing Ginny to shoot her a yeah-right-look but she didn't press the subject any further. The Weasley girl knew that April would open up to her if she didn't push her. So she let the conversation slip and continued to search the crowd for a familiar face.

Once they had gotten to the castle, they had to share a carriage with some third year Hufflepuffs, Ginny bed her goodbye as they walked into the great hall. "See you after the feast.", Ginny had waved at her and had walked over to the Gryffindor table.
April was standing in the middle of the hall, looking how the red head took a seat next to her brother. With her gaze still at the Gryffindor table she began to walk to the other side of the hall. However she hadn't made more than five steps when she was rudely brushed aside.

"Watch where you're going, MacMillan.", the cold voice of Draco Malfoy spat as he passed her with his goons Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Both boys were nearly one head taller then the cocky git and they tend to follow him wherever he was going.
Crabbe whispered a small 'sorry' when he walked past her and April nodded her head slightly. The monkey had a crush on her elder sister Natasha and wouldn't hurt April for he feared that her sister wouldn't ever talk to him if he did.
'Sometimes it's good to have a beautiful sister, who's in Slytherin', April grinned and got over to the Ravenclaw table, plopping down next to Su Li with whom she shared a dorm along with Lisa.

"Hi April!", Su exclaimed and smiled at her when she sat down next to the girl.
"Hi Su.", April replied with not so much enthusiasm.
"So did you hear what they're saying about the new prefect?", Su whispered after a few minutes, tucking her black her gracefully behind her pierced ear.
"Sorry?", April choked while trying to not show her discomfort.
"Michael Corner said that the other prefect didn't appear at the meeting on the train. Now everyone is musing who the girl is. So far we're in the dark. Do you have a clue who the girl could be? I really want to know!", Su rambled on and let her gaze travel over the table. Thankfully she never noticed April's cheeks going from chalk white to a crimson red.
"Have you ever considered that she's maybe just shy? What if she doesn't want the attention?", April suggested.
"Oh yeah, right. The only person who would do something this absurd is...", there Su stopped to tear her gaze at April. It seemed that she was looking directly into April's soul, making her feel fairly uncomfortable.

"Stop looking at me like this, Su. You scare me...", April tried to escape her scrutinizing glance but to no avail.
Su's eyes lit up and she chuckled at April's fearsome face. "Why have I been so blind? It's you, isn't it?"
Seeing no use in denying it any longer, April nodded her head with a sigh.

After Dumbledore's speech April helped herself to some potatoes and sausages. She was really hungry and duck in, when Lisa across from the table raised her voice.
"How can you eat so much and still have a figure like that?", she whined and pointed with her fork at April.
"Excuse me?", April said after she had chewed and swallowed the piece of sausage in her mouth.
"You heard me. You're thin as a stick!", Lisa sighed and looked down at her nearly empty plate. Only a few green peas and a carrot were lieing on it.
April looked flustered at her friend. 'Did she just call me thin?', she thought and shook her head. She wasn't really glad about her figure and sometimes thought she was fat when Natasha had said something like that to her.

"And don't deny it, April!", Lisa said while nibbling on her carrot. "You ARE thin, right Padma?", she glanced at Padma Patil sitting next to her.
"Right! Wish I had a body like that, maybe Michael would finally notice me.", the dark haired girl sighed and continued to pick at a pea on her plate.
"How could he not? Every time you talk to him you practically drool all over your shirt.", Su chuckled.
"Oh, shut it!"

After the girls had finished their dinner, they chatted for a while about the summer holidays. Until...
"First years! First years! Please come with me!", Michael Corner yelled over the upcoming noise in the Great Hall.
"Get up!", Su nudged April who reluctantly got up to follow Michael and the first years out of the Hall.

April jogged up to the prefect, "Michael, wait!"
He glanced over to her, when April fell in step with him. "I don't think you're a first year, April. Is there anything you want?", his voice was calm and a smile was tucking at the corner of his mouth.
"Well, yeah. Uhm, about the prefect meeting on the train...", she trailed off now scratching the back of her head.
"What's about it?"
"Urgh, I'm sorry I didn't show up.", April muttered in a rush, avoiding the glare Michael was giving her.

"You mean, you're the other prefect? Man, I never thought they would pick you.", Michael said while ascending the staircase that led to the Ravenclaw tower.
"Thanks...", April's cheeks were reddening in embarrassment as she noticed the sarcasm dripping from her words.
Michael stopped and turned to look at the blushing girl, "No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, your kind of shy, aren't you? And, not to offend you or something, but I don't think you can handle a whole bunch of first years. Let alone giving detentions and taking away house points if needed.", though his words may seem a little harsh, April knew that he was completely right.
"I know that.", she whispered and began to walk up the stairs again, a lot of first years hot on her heels along with a slightly confused Michael Corner.