Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the original Harry Potter series, however, I do own a lovely corn snake.
[Sam]
"You wake her up!"
"No, you!"
"Do it… I dare you!"
"No way!"
"Fine. I double-dog dare you!"
"OOOOH! A double-dog dare! You have to now!"
"Fine! I'll do it!" There was a pause in the boys' bickering. Then I felt a sharp pain in my lower back as one of them whispered, "Hello." The other boys snickered.
"Hey," he said with more confidence and I thought I felt him kick me in the back. "Wake up!" he whisper-yelled, and this time I was sure that he kicked me, but I figured if I just pretended to be asleep that they'd leave me alone.
"GET UP!" he shouted. I jerked upright before he could kick me again and turned to glare at them. Well, I tried my hardest to glare, but it was hard to seem intimidating when three 11-year-old boys found you sleeping curled up in the fetal position on the floor of an old abandoned compartment.
I stood up as straight as possible so I towered over them, one hand on my hip and the other pointed angrily at their faces. "If you kick me one more time, I will cut off your feet so you can't run away and then feed you to the giant squid." I didn't need to yell; my icy glare and deadly calm voice was enough to make the three first year boys take a step back and look at each other with wide eyes. I barely managed to contain my laughter at the looks of fear on their faces. Obviously they had heard about the giant squid in the lake but didn't know that it was just a myth used to scare the first-years.
I half-hoped that they'd be sorted into Gryffindor so I could mess with them for the whole year.
One of them nudged another forwards and he gulped; he was probably the one who had been kicking me earlier. "We… um," he cleared his throat nervously as I looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Well, the Head Boy and Girl sent us to find you and tell you that you need to go to the Prefects meeting." He stepped back quickly, looking at anything but me.
"Is that all?" I could hardly hide my smile now and tried to pass it off as a smirk. I loved when the younger kids were afraid of me, however bad that sounds. Teddy and I invented roles for each other as Prefects last year: he would be the 'good cop' and I would be the 'bad cop'. Our strategy never failed to make the troublemakers behave. Well, except for James and Fred. We would always be lenient with them, considering that we had both helped them quite frequently with their notoriously elaborate pranks.
The boy nodded and then they practically ran back to their compartment, probably going to tell all their friends about how brave they were for talking to the 'big, scary, sixth-year Prefect'. I finally allowed myself to laugh, and once I started, it was like I couldn't stop. Good thing I was so isolated from everyone so that no one could walk by and notice me laughing hysterically at nothing. I'd be shipped off to St. Mungo's for sure!
I quickly changed into my uniform and attempted to untangle my short, choppy strawberry blonde hair with my fingers, but my hair was pretty much the girl version of the trademark Potter hairdo. I could spend hours trying to make it look presentable, but my hair had a mind of its own and would never behave, so most days I just let it do whatever.
I straightened my red and gold striped tie as I practically ran to the front of the train. Normally, I could care less about showing up on time, but the Prefects meeting was not just an ordinary event. If you were late, or didn't even bother to show up, the Head Boy and Girl would tattle to the Headmaster and then you'd be in big trouble. Getting detention isn't really how I wanted to start the year, hence my running.
Along the way, I passed those three first-years, who were sitting with some of their friends and laughing, most likely about the story of having to wake me up, so I slowed down to a normal pace long enough to stand in the doorway to their compartment.
I cleared my throat so they would notice me, and when they did, the three boys paled a little. "Everything alright in here, kids?" I asked with a smirk. The three first-years nodded so quickly, they probably had whiplash. "Good," I said with a nod of satisfaction. I walked back out, and I could hear them bust up laughing. I smiled and shook my head as I speed-walked past the last few compartments. Hopefully the first-years this year were not all as nervous and scared as those three. When I was a first-year, James, Teddy, Fred, and I would always pull pranks on anyone and everyone. We especially tormented Rose's twin brother, Mike, and, of course, my own twin.
I now stood in front of the door to the Prefects' compartment and I took the time to brush my hair out of my eyes and smooth down my shirt before walking in. Of course, all the other Prefects were already there and when I entered, eight pairs of eyes looked straight to me. Wait- eight pairs? That meant two other people weren't here. But who…?
"Ah, miss Malfoy. How nice of you to join us," the Head Boy smirked, interrupting my thoughts.
I rolled my eyes. Dash Stormash was the only Hufflepuff I knew that was so stuck-up and snooty. His light brown hair had been styled up in a bunch of little spikes, and his green eyes seemed cold and condescending. Considering that he was shorter than me and that his hair was spiked up, he reminded me of an angry little hedgehog.
"Yes, and aren't you glad that I have graced you with my presence," I said, opening my arms out with a flourish, like I was presenting myself. "Not everyone gets such a special privilege." I then crossed my arms over my chest victoriously.
"Had a nice nap, I presume? You look like you got up on the wrong side of the bed…or floor, in your case." He snickered, giving me a once-over. He thought he was so hilarious. I was just curious as to how he found out about my little run-down compartment, but I wasn't about to show my confusion and let him get the upper hand.
"Oh, come off it, Dash. We both know you think my messy hair is sexy." I ran a hand through my hair and smiled as his face reddened and he looked away hastily.
"Is it okay with you two children if we start the meeting now?" The Head Girl, Jayla something-or-other, interrupted. I could tell that she didn't mean to be rude; the twinkle in her blue eyes gave away the laughter she was holding in as she said, "Not that this isn't entertaining and all…" she glanced at Dash, who tried to meet my gaze and failed, blushing slightly again, all traces of his earlier attitude gone in a flash. I nodded to her with a smile and took a seat next to my brother, who completely ignored me. I kicked his shin underneath the table. He winced slightly and whipped his head around to glare at me, then turned back to the other Slytherin Prefect as he stomped on my foot in return.
Jayla cleared her throat to get our attention, then her and Dash began the lecture about how we were supposed to set an example for the younger kids, we needed to be fair and not play favorites, blah, blah, blah. Having been a Prefect last year, I had already heard everything that they were going to say, so I tuned them out as I looked around at all the other Prefects.
To my right were the Slytherins, Scor and the fifth-year foreign exchange student from Italy, Lydia Milani. She had straight brown hair that tumbled perfectly down her back, honey-colored eyes and her full lips were permanently stuck in a pout that I suppose guys might find attractive. Me, I thought she looked like a two-year-old on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Across from her and Scor were the Hufflepuffs; the girl was Neville's eldest child, Kali. She had her father's dark brown hair, cut just above her shoulders, and Luna's blue eyes. She was quite petite, and pairing her small frame with her large eyes made her look innocent, that is, until she performed a perfect Body-Bind Hex on you when you weren't looking! I didn't recognize the Hufflepuff boy, but I was pretty sure that they were both fifth-years. Next to them was one Ravenclaw, Lydia's older brother, Nico. Comparing him to his younger sister, the only similarity was their slightly tilted almond-shaped eyes. Nico had jet black hair and bangs that hung in front of his hazel eyes, making him twitch his head to the side constantly. While Lydia had perfectly clear pale skin, Nico's skin was sun-darkened and he had a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. He really is quite attractive, I admitted to myself. As if knowing my thoughts he glanced over at me and gave a wink so slight I almost missed it. I blushed in spite of myself even though I knew that if I talked to him he'd have an ego big enough to match James'.
I forced myself to switch my train of thought back to looking for the other Prefects, but with a jolt I realized that there weren't any more. Rose was the other Ravenclaw Prefect last year, so I assumed that she was still Prefect this year, but why was she not here? Rose had always been one to follow the rules strictly, so I immediately dismissed the thought of her skipping the meeting. Shock and worry entered my mind as I realized the two people that were missing: Teddy and Rose. It couldn't have been a coincidence that they were related and were both absent. I stood up suddenly.
"…and that's what you should do if you find students wandering around at night," Dash finished. I think he even managed to bore Jayla, and considering that she was a Ravenclaw, that was quite a feat. He didn't even notice that I had stood up until I snapped my fingers at him impatiently.
"Do you have a question, Sam?" he asked with a sigh. I guess he thought I wasn't worth interrupting his speech, and that only made me angry.
I tried to control my raging temper as I asked, "When were you going to tell us why Teddy and Rose aren't here?" Dash didn't seem to have heard me, but I caught him exchanging a quick glance with Jayla. Nico nodded at me, then looked questioningly to Dash and Jayla; he had probably wanted to know where Rose was as well but was too lazy to ask them himself. The others all looked around, as if they hadn't even noticed that anyone was missing.
"Actually," Dash seemed to have collected himself enough to respond. "I wasn't going to tell you anything. You're just not important enough for this kind of information." He sneered at me and Jayla elbowed him in the ribs with a glare. Good for her, showing dominance over that weasel.
"I'm not important enough?!" I all but screeched, slamming my hands down on the table in front of me for emphasis. "I'm a bloody Prefect! I think I have the right to know where my partner is, don't you?"
"Actually, Sam, Teddy won't be joining you this year," Jayla replied, attempting to stay calm. She knew how dangerous my temper could be. During my fourth year, she caught me trying to hide two fourth-year boys in a broom closet, whom I had jinxed into unconsciousness shortly before she appeared. She didn't let me explain that it was only in self-defense; they had been trying to feel me up, so I had retaliated. She gave me detention with Professor Lohrena for 2 weeks, and the boys slid under the radar like the scum they were, and still are.
"That's right, Sammy," Dash couldn't keep his mouth shut for longer than a few seconds, apparently. "You won't be able to snuggle up to Teddy at night anymore." My eyes widened and I was struck speechless, feeling like I had been slapped. That comment was pretty low, even for Dash. It seemed like the entire student body had this fantasy about Teddy and I sneaking out on 'romantic outings' instead of doing our Prefect rounds and the Professors did nothing to discourage these rumors, in fact, they almost seemed to encourage them. I always insisted that we were just friends, but Teddy loved all the attention that he received and would tell people that I was 'in denial' and that 'our love is a forbidden one' and cheesy lines like that. Everyone ate it up though, especially when he would hold my hand, walk me to class, and give me a quick peck on the cheek, only to receive a punch in the arm or a jab to the throat if he didn't pull away quick enough.
"Awww, Sam's blushing!" If my face was red, it was out of pure anger. And all that fury was currently directed at Dash. "Maybe she's remembering all the great times they had together," Dash snickered. "Oh, Teddy, I love you so much!" He squealed in a high falsetto. "Not as much as I love you, Sam," he switched to a deeper voice, laughing at his own joke. "How many nights were you actually doing what you were supposed to be?" He continued, returning to his normal tone of voice. "Maybe for that first week of school, huh? Or maybe you just couldn't help yourself and-"
"SHUT UP!" I screamed, flicking my wand out and casting a Silencing spell on him before he knew what had happened. He stared at me open-mouthed, trying to talk but his efforts were futile. I currently held the title of top Charms student, for the fourth year in a row; there was no way that my spell could have been weak enough to wear off that quickly. Everyone else stared at me with wide eyes and I looked down, suddenly ashamed and embarrassed at letting my temper get the best of me. No one had ever used magic on another student during a Prefect meeting, as far as I knew.
I risked a glance up and saw Jayla asking me something but I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my heart beating rapidly as I thought of how much trouble I would be in because of this. I didn't bother responding to her as I looked to my brother, embarrassment and disbelief clear in his disapproving gaze.
Taking a shaky step back, and then another, I turned and ran out of the room. I reached my lonely little deserted compartment and sat down on the floor, not bothering to close the door behind me. Curling my legs into my chest, I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head on my knees, rocking slightly. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to control my emotions by slowly counting to ten: a trick that Mom had taught me when I was young.
One. I took a shaky breath. I couldn't help but replay what had just happened over and over again in my mind, and each time I felt more and more terrible about myself andmy actions.
Two. I had to clear my head. It was the only way to get rid of my temper, so I let go. I let go of Dash's teasing, his smirking face, his annoying laughter and arrogant attitude.
Three. Seeing Dash fade from my head actually helped more than I expected, so next I tried letting go of Scor and his constantly disappointed expression, the way that he always treated me like dirt during school just because I was the only Malfoy in Gryffindor, or because I associated with 'blood traitors' and Muggleborns, and how he always tried to act just like our dad did in school.
Four. I let go of Jayla and all the other Prefects, their shocked faces and judgmental looks finally fading from my mind as I took another deep, calming breath in, then let the air out slowly.
Five. Now that my mind was clear, I thought of all the people that would come to cheer me up if they saw me curled up and sulking.
Six. I thought of Rose and the way her eyes lit up whenever she learned something new, how she'd always bite her lip and frown whenever she was concentrating really hard on something, and how she was always the first one to laugh at all of my dumb jokes.
Seven. Next was Teddy with his bright blue hair, laughing golden eyes and ever-present optimism, always going out of his way to help me whenever I needed something, and how he'd always find some way to make me smile, no matter how bad of a situation I might be in.
Eight. I thought of James and Fred, all their ridiculous antics and all the great pranks we pulled off together. How I would always be the planner, while Fred mooched free supplies from his dad's joke shop. James would never help us prepare anything and then he'd join in the pranking and take all the credit, trying to impress his new girlfriend that he would never stay with for more than a couple weeks anyways.
Nine. I thought of my mom and how she never failed to cheer me up when I was down, how she always looked at me with pride and love in her eyes, how she managed to overlook the bad and only see the good in everyone. I had always wanted to be more like her, but my sharp temper and sarcasm were so unlike her caring smile and kind, calm demeanor.
Ten. With Mom's bright, loving smile still fresh in my mind, I hesitantly opened my eyes, only to close them again as I fell sideways onto the floor. The train had jolted to a stop and the sound of the other students' chatter filled my ears. What seemed like the longest train ride of my life had finally ended.
We had arrived at Hogwarts at last.
A/N: No, this is not the last chapter. I just put the first four up to give people a taste of Two of a Kind and so I could get a head start on updating. Which I am planning on doing once a week, unless I let y'all know otherwise! Anyways, that's all I wanted to say, so... you know what to do: Read and Review! (hey, that's kind of catchy! :))