Author's Notes: Time to pick up the pace on bringing my fanfiction back. Anyone see "Easy A?" Love that movie. There might be some nods to that here.
Chapter 4: Perfect Prefect
No one had to know where Hermione was going. It was late afternoon and most students were in their rooms, studying or slacking off. She didn't care if she was found out later, she needed time to herself. Hermione walked to Hogsmeade with her purse hanging heavily on her shoulder. For a Thursday, Hogsmeade seemed rather busy. There weren't any peers from Hogwarts, which was good. Hermione had a plan to uphold.
A boutique nestled in a corner appeared closed. As Hermione walked closer to it, she saw one lonely, gray-haired woman standing at the register with her chin on her hand. As Hermione entered, the old woman stood up straight, wide-eyed.
"Hello, there, young one. I'm Aleesa and this is my boutique. Let me know if you need any help."
Hermione responded with a smile, "Thank you. Actually, I was wondering if your clothes are acceptable for prefects. I mean, I always wear my uniforms, but I want to switch things up. I know we're allowed to."
"Of course," Aleesa answered, "I sold a few tops to a Hufflepuff girl the other day. She was smart and stuck with her house colors. Haven't heard any complaints yet! I take it you are Gryffindor. I have a great selection of some gold flashy tops by the clearance section, or some red dresses on the far left. Take a look, you won't be disappointed."
"Thank you again. I will look around. I see the dressing room, too. I might need that." Hermione bounded off towards the clearance section.
A half hour passed and Hermione ended up buying enough clothes for a few weeks. Most of the extra money had been saved from a summer job back home. She'd wanted to keep it until she found something worth buying. Half of her earnings were spent on clothes and makeup. After thanking Aleesa numerous times, Hermione bounded back to Hogwarts with her new wardrobe wrapped neatly in paper bags.
"Where've you been?" Ron asked as Hermione appeared in the common room. "I was going to offer you some fruit. You kept hounding me about being gross, so I stole apples and pears instead of bacon."
"Don't let him fool you," Harry added. "He still had a heaping bowl of ice cream before that."
"I was busy." Hermione shot. She dragged her bags in behind her.
"I guess so . . . books?" Ron guessed.
"Yes," Hermione lied. "Books. I'll be in my room. See you boys in the morning."
"But it's almost supper," Harry said, a bit concerned. "You skipping out?"
Hermione thought about food. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it by choice. She shook her head and said, "I have too much to do tonight. I will grab something when I do a walk later around the floors."
"Alright," Harry sounded defeated. "Let us know if you change your mind."
Hermione nodded and headed up a spiral staircase to her room.
One of Hermione's outfits was a plaid pajama set. Red and gold, made specifically for Gryffindors. She put it on and buttoned up the front. It was a nice feeling not being in a uniform at six p.m. Feeling more relaxed, Hermione began laying out her ensembles for the following days. With all of the new clothes hanging in the closet, she smiled. Perhaps a little makeover was all she needed to bring her confidence level back up.
Hermione glanced at a clock and noticed it was almost eight. She needed to start her rounds soon, starting with the Grand Hall. Luckily, her pajamas came with a red satin robe. She placed her Prefect pin on it and headed out of her room.
"All I saw was Malfoy bending over the toilet, throwing his brains up." Neville's laughter boomed throughout the common room. "Seriously, I don't think he know what hit him."
"What happened?" Hermione asked.
She felt the eyes of five boys land on her.
Seamus replied, "Neville gave Draco a tampered-with plate of chicken tonight at supper. He wasn't even paying attention, so that's what he gets."
"How sick is he?" Hermione asked. Normally, she would be laughing. But Draco sick meant a lesser chance of him cooperating in the morning.
"Sick enough to clear the third floor bathroom," Neville responded. "The sound was repulsive in a beautiful way."
"Great. Alright, see you guys tomorrow." Walking towards the door, Hermione still felt eyes on her.
No one said a word about her pajamas. Though she didn't want to be the center of attention, Hermione expected at least one comment from the Weasely Factory. Then again, no spotlight might have been better.
Now entering the Grand Hall, Hermione spotted a few other prefects from other houses beginning their nightly ritual. Aleesa had been right, a Hufflepuff girl with black hair formed into a neat bun wore a cotton yellow night dress with a black robe. The girl looked at Hermione and smirked at her outfit. Hermione noticed how thin Hufflepuff girl's form was. In a way, Hermione was envious of this. She'd always wanted to be skinnier, more tone, and slightly stronger. Sometimes she wished to have applied for a position on the quidditch team. After being sucked into a life of books, afterschool practice would have been impossible. This Hufflepuff Prefect stood before her with a chic appearance. Maybe it was because she was thin, like a supermodel. Her flawless skin glowed even without her wand casting a light spell. Under the dimmed Entrance Hall lights, Hermione only worried about how imperfect she looked. Pushing these thoughts aside, she began to walk her usual route towards the Great Hall.
In the threads of space and natural fate, Gregory Goyle had somehow become Slytherin's prefect for the year. Hermione hated her route, for Goyle and her often butted heads in the Great Hall and once or twice more. As usual, the Great Hall was dark and cold, only lit by a few stagnant candles floating about. Hermione cautiously walked in, pointing her wand and whispering lumos.
"Ah! Don't you have nightvision?" Goyle shouted. He had been a few feet in front of Hermione. He lowered his voice and said, "You scared me half to death. Stupid."
"Sorry, Goyle. I hate the dark, not that it matters to you." Hermione lowered her wand, its light casting shadows on her face. She added, "I heard about Malfoy. Is he still sick?"
"No thanks to Neville. He's in the infirmary, of course. I guess he asked for it – he wasn't looking at his food. We all saw Neville walk by. No one saw what he put in the food. There's no way to prove it was him either, slimy sneak."
"Sorry," Hermione responded. "Draco should stop picking on our group. We're all about to leave Hogwarts anyways. What's the point?"
"Beats me. Draco is one of my best friends, so I stick by him. Crabbe is just a moron. If you tell him I said that I will curse you with bad breath forever."
Hermione stifled a laugh, "Heh. I promise. Goyle – err – Gregory, do you think this Potions Project is really Dumbledore's doing? I feel like Snape is just trying to give us a nightmare before we graduate."
"Who knows? Snape is a buffoon. He is always so damned angry at nothing. Sod needs some other outlet. Maybe he needs a good lay."
"Ew."
"Ha," Goyle laughed, "Yeah I didn't think that comment through. Anyways, on with the night. Be careful, I hear Peeves is in the Dungeons trying to scare everyone. I didn't see him on my way up, though." He quickly glanced at Hermione's attire and smirked. "See ya."
Goyle left the Great Hall. Hermione raised her wand and left as well. She knew if Goyle was actually sociable to her, all was clear. On her way to the Dungeons, Hermione became quite nervous. She never understood why her route had to go down here, but every prefect had to scope every corner of the castle. It offered an unbiased balance in case Slytherins helped each other sneak around, or if Hermione let Ron into the kitchen, (which she only did once out of pity).
Cold. The Dungeons were always cold and unwelcoming. Hermione pointed her wand down the hall towards Snape's quarters. She never actually walked down the whole hall. Something about angry Snape at night repelled her from chancing any run-ins with him.
"Oh, it's the Little Do-Gooder!" An annoying male voice rang in Hermione's ears. "Granger! Granger!" Peeves floated from the ceilings and swooped around her head. "Come to do the rounds? Make sure all the students are nestled inside?"
"Please leave me alone, Peeves." Hermione asked nicely. She readied her wand just in case.
Peeves hovered in front of her, laughing. He swooped down the hall a bit and yelled, "I can wake them all up for you! Give you some work to do."
Hermione felt her feet pull her forwards. "No, stop. Please go bother someone else."
"Such a perfect prefect, Granger. Let's see what you can handle."
Before she could move another inch, Peeves knocked on Snape's door. It wasn't just a knock, it was a bang: a loud bang like metal falling twenty feet from the sky. Peeves disappeared into the ceiling laughing. Frozen to the ground, Hermione felt the vibrations of feet clambering towards the hallway.