A/N: Ah, mornings. Don't they just make you want to shoot yourself? I suppose it's a good thing most wizards don't know about guns.
"And when the snitch was that close to Malfoy I thought I'd die!"
Alexas groaned, and not for the first time that morning. It was far too early for her to even try and deal with Adrian Biggsly. "Why didn't you Biggsly?" Alexas said wearily, her head down on the table amongst the breakfast things. "I HATE MORNINGS!" Both fists hit the table simultaneously, making everything around her jump.
"Oh, but the morning is the best part of the whole day!" Cliff exclaimed, placing one hand over his heart and looking wistfully at the ceiling. "Dragging yourself out of your nice, warm, comfy bed to wander around blearily on the cold hard stone."
"Stop! This is like torture!" Was the plaintive cry from Alexas.
Cliff continued unfazed. "Then you get to drag yourself corpse-like down here." He made a sweeping gesture with one arm, encompassing the entire Great Hall. This grand movement ended up with his pointing at Slytheryn. "Only to be surrounded by imbeciles and to have your mail unceremoniously dumped on you. Speaking of which…" He looked up as the owls began swooping in.
"At least I know I won't be getting any mail today." Her relief could be clearly heard, but it was short lived as moments later a letter clonked her on the head and rebounded into her goblet of pumpkin juice, showering her with the contents.
"I think you jinxed it." Was all Cliff could manage to choke through the laughter while Alexas tried to fish out her note while glaring the glare of death at him.
"You're not helping." She said, peeling the sticky letter open and squinting at it. "Hmm. Squiggly line, blurred word. P?" She threw it disgustedly onto the table. "It's no good. I can't read it."
"You could just do a reversal charm on it." Said Adrian with a flick of his wand, doing just that.
Alexas dropped her head back onto the table. "Yes, but that would make sense, wouldn't it Biggsly?" Came the accusing remark.
Adrian tried to cover his confusion at this by remarking, "Oh, look. Both me and Cliff got one too."
"That's Cliff and I, young man. I won't correct you again!" He leaned down. "Would you like me to read it out for you? They're all exactly the same."
"Do I have to do anything?" Alexas mumbled, barely audibly.
"Not at all. You can just sit there and vegetate like the lump that you are." He reassured her with all the gentle affection of an elderly father.
"Knock yourself out, then." She replied dismissively.
He tried, however badly, to hide how amused he really was as he started to read the words aloud. "'All prefects must stay after dinner tonight for a meeting of great importance.' And it's signed by Dumbledore himself too. Don't I just feel so important!"
"Except that all of them are signed." Commented Alexas, now upright and at least partially awake. "I wonder what the meeting is about?"
"Spoilsport." Cliff was pouting dramatically, his hand on his hips. "He probably just wants to let everyone know how wonderful I am. Maybe he wants to give me some sort of award! I should start practicing my acceptance speech right now!" As he wandered away from his half-finished breakfast, gesturing randomly and uttering wholehearted thanks to the empty air, Alexas let her head return to its resting place on the table with a heavy thud.
Alexas has never known a day to go so quickly. She spent the entire time wondering what it was that Dumbledore would call a meeting over. Troublesome students using magic in the corridors? First years needing better maps? Nothing seemed to make sense.
She was so distracted that she didn't even notice when Adrian, who she was working with in potions, ruined the potion they were teamed up on, earning them a lecture from Professor Snape. Snape did notice, however, that one of the students he was humiliating didn't care in the slightest. This made him get more and more agitated and callous, but as she didn't react, he couldn't punish her for what she was refusing to do. So he turned on the cowering Adrian, milking his abject terror for all it was worth, and felt much better for it.
Dinner also went past in a blur of thought. After only a few minutes, all those around Alexas gave up on any attempts to drag her out of her reverie. Except of course, for Cliff. He continued on as if she was paying rapt attention, but then, he usually did that anyway, regardless of who was or wasn't listening.
As soon as Dumbledore stood up, Alexas was at rigid attention. "My dear prefects, and of course the Head Girl and Boy." He twinkled at the assemblage before him. "After much thought, I have decided to re-instate an old and great tradition of this school. I am re-opening the Prefect Common room."
In the shocked silence someone called out; "You're kidding, right?"
Dumbledore chuckled. "I can assure you, mister Cliffard, that this is no joke. Far from it." His expression saddened. "In this grave time, the leaders of the school must be closer than ever. Now, I would be most grateful if the heads would kindly lead the others to their new living abode. Your things have already been moved there ahead of you." He stood up and left the room, seemingly oblivious to the cries of outrage that were now echoing throughout the Great Hall.
Alexas stormed over to Cho, who was leaving the hall to lead the way. "You knew about this! Don't tell me that you agree with him?" She raged.
"He didn't exactly ask for my opinion, he just told me what was going to happen and showed me where the common room was." Cho's manner was crisp and didn't invite any further conversation, so Alexas gave up on her, and allowed herself to drift further back in the crowd. It was then that she noticed Ron and Hermione.
Ron was walking along with his hands on his head and a look of utter disbelief on his face. He was also chanting, "It's not happening. It's not happening."
Hermione on the other hand, just looked as if she was about to clonk Ron upside the head. "You know he's right Ron, we are the leaders of the school. It's our responsibility to set a good example."
Ron's expression was one of great pain. "But Malfoy! Now we have to deal with him all the time!" His expression turned suddenly hopeful. "Maybe this is all just a bad dream! Somebody pinch me." So, as is to be expected in these situations, somebody did. Ron yelped.
"Sorry. But you did say that you wanted someone to pinch you." Alexas said, grinning sheepishly as Ron rubbed his cheek and glared accusingly at her.
"Hey!" Hermione pointed at her in her revelation. "I know you! You're Ravenclaw's new seeker!"
"Guilty as charged. The name's Alexas. And of course I know yours. Who doesn't know the companions of the ever so famous Harry Potter?"
The introductions were interrupted by Cliff pouncing on Alexas, flinging his arms around her neck and pretending to cry hysterically on her shoulder. "I thought I'd lost you!" He choked through his massive, yet obviously fake sobs.
"Get. Off. Me." Alexas' face and voice were like stone as she said this. Cliff responded to this by shrinking back suddenly from her and making a cross out of two of his fingers. Alexas sighed and said to the shocked pair in front of them, "This babbling idiot is my friend Cliff."
The babbling idiot in question was on his feet in an instant, giving Ron and Hermione and deep, flowery bow. "How do." He said pompously. "So." He said, his manner businesslike, "What do we think of the new living arrangements?"
"I'm going to have to agree with Ron on this." Hermione said grimly. "Living with Malfoy doesn't exactly sound fun."
"Oh I don't know about that." Alexas' grin was pure evil. "It'll make him all the easier to get."
"Get eh?" Cliff leered slyly, elbowing Alexas suggestively in the ribs. She shot him a dismayed look.
"No! I meant easier to prank. All the really good pranks require at least some access to living areas.
"Cliff's eyes lit up gleefully. "Pranks? Yay! What are you going to do to him?"
She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Not quite sure yet. But I assure you it'll be good."
"Oh, please let me help!" Ron's voice was beseeching.
"Of course. The more the merrier. I'll let you know when I come up with something." All of them in an improved mood, they spent the rest of the trip in contented silence, all playing out in their heads what they'd like to do to Malfoy – well except Cliff who wasn't actually thinking anything in particular.
Draco on the other hand, definitely had something on his mind. He was thinking furiously to himself as he walked. "How can he do this? It's completely inhuman! Now I'll have to listen to Potter's friends babble on about how much they hate me and I'll probably even have to retaliate." A thought struck him that was highly comforting. "At least I won't have to put up with Mr. Righteous himself." Slightly consoled, he followed the rest of the group to his new prison quarters.