The Swamp

Annabel awoke with a loud groan, so loud that she also woke up Bernadene. Although, Bee wasn't as dramatic about it.

"Good morning, sunshine." Mused Bee, slipping out of the sheets. "Hurry up or else you'll miss breakfast."

Annabel groaned some more before forcing herself out of her bed. She stood up and stretched and blearily stared at herself in the mirror.

She was average looking. A plain Jane. Brown hair, brown eyes - the only interesting thing about her appearance was the small beauty mark on the left cheek bone.

As soon as Bernadene was out of the bathroom, Annabel darted right in. She had a quick shower, brushed her teeth and done all the usual bits and bobs.

"Your hair is gorgeous, Bee." Annabel gushed as she watched her friend apply some light makeup.

Bernadene blushed. She had allowed it to grow out over the summer, so now it was half way down her back. "Thank you, Bel."

Annabel slipped her shoes on and straightened her Head girl pin. "Ready?"

"Ready!"


"OI. GREENWOOD! PRINCE!" Bellowed the blonde Hufflepuff. "Sorry I missed you guys last night after the feast... I got caught up."

The two girls laughed and hugged the boy. "Which girl is it this time?" They innocently asked. Ryan Montague wasn't known for his commitment. He had a different girl on his arm every other week.

"You already know who it is, it's Katie Bell." Ryan shrugged, brushing down his robes. "She's cool."

"You always say they're cool!" Annabel said, playfully punching his arm. "Although, I'm surprised you have stuck with her for so long now. I thought it was just going to be a summer fling."

"Yeah! Me too, actually. You must really like her." said Bernadene.

"As I said, she's cool." He said with a grin and then shrugged. "Have you two got your timetables yet?"

The girls shook their heads.

"Hurry up then! I'll see yous after breakfast."

The morning was nothing out of the ordinary, they got their timetables, they ate, chatted to a few people and went off to class.

Every now and then, though, Annabel had to redirect a first year or two.


Charms. Their first class of the day.

Annabel, of course, sat beside Bernadene. They each took out their quill, ink and parchment and waited for Professor Flitwick to begin the lesson.

As she waited, she could feel tiny bits of paper being thrown at her from behind. Reluctantly, she turned around.

Her deep, dark brown orbs met two sets of blue ones. A frown crept its way onto her face. "Yes?"

"We just wanted to tell you that you are looking rather pretty today, my dear Greenwood. Do something different to your hair?" Asked George, staring at her with his chin in his hand, arm leaning on the table.

"Pretty? George surely you can do better than that! She is simply radiant!" Piped up Fred, he, too, staring at her.

Annabel furrowed her brows. "Do I even want to know what you two are up to?"

"Our dear, Annabel, we're just trying to take in your beauty. How have we never noticed before?"

And that was the point Annabel decided to ignore them for the rest of the class. She had no time to put up with their antics.

The rest of the day went by as fast as you could say Quidditch. Soon, it was dinner time.

"Prince, hey," said Jonathan Hart. Annabel's heart almost stopped. Almost as he was talking to Bernadene and not her.

"Jonathan, hey!" Bee greeted. "Excited for Quidditch to start back?" Bernadene has been on the team since her third year. She was one of the best chasers, or that's what Annabel thought.

"Of course I am! You're going to try out again, right? I need my best chaser back!" He chuckled, polishing his House Captain badge. "We are going to get the trophy this year. I have a whole new game plan and everything planned out."

Bernadene nodded excitedly. "Of course I am going to. You know how much I love Quidditch."

Annabel cleared her throat and stood up. "Um, I'm just going to- uh, take a walk. Yeah. I'll see you guys later." She could never think clearly when he was around. Not that he was all that interested in speaking to her.


Annabel made her way out of the hall and decided to just roam around the castle. She spoke to a few of the ghosts as she passed them.

She walked all the way up to the seventh floor and stopped. Of course they were here.

"And what do you two think you are doing?"

Fred and George spun around and flashed her a bright grin. "Just leaving a surprise for Filch! That's all. You can go about your business." Fred chattered, waving a hand for her to go away.

Annabel shook her head. "Tell me or I will give you both detention for a week."

The twins sighed and moved aside from what they were working on.

It was a... swamp?

Annabel lifted a brow curiously. "How?"

The twins grin. "In case you haven't noticed, we are very good at charms. Almost as good as you, Greenwood. Maybe even better." They teased.

Annabel pinched her nose at the smell. "Ugh. Why?"

"We're testing it. And who better to test it on that our wonderful caretaker!"

Annabel shook her head. "Get rid of it! Now." She demanded, her eyes scanning the corridor for anyone else.

The twins shook her head and began to walk towards her. "No can do, Princess." Fred whispers, linking his arm with hers. "Let's go for a nice stroll, shall we? Filch should be here any minute now."

"Let go of me!" Annabel protested, calling them all sorts of names under her breath. "Detention for a week! A month!"

They kept walking and walking and walking.

They only stopped whenever they heard Filch shout and curse the twins. Fred and George both high fived each other. Annabel was less than amused.

"You two are absolutely horrible," she spat, still trying to free her linked arms.

"Oh, Annabel, you wound me!" Fred dramatically placed a hand over his chest and pretended to fall. "How could you say something so nasty?"

Annabel scoffed and managed to the free herself from George. "Grow up." She began to walk away. "Fifty points from Gryffindor." She called from over her shoulder, continuing on her walk through the halls.

The twins surely knew how to pick a nerve.


As soon as her rounds were done, she went back to the Slytherin common room.

"Hey you!" Called Bernadene. "Why did you leave at dinner?"

Annabel smiled. "I was full."

Bernadene didn't look convinced. "It it because of a certain. Quidditch player? You have known him for seven years now and you still don't know how to string a sentence together!" Bee laughed.

Annabel blushed as she glanced over at the said quidditch player. He was chatting to a few girls the year below them.

"You'll never believe what those twins did this time..." she started, dragging her friend up to their dorm and telling her all about the swamp.

That was enough excitement for one day.