Chapter 5

Quinn awoke early the next morning, the sun shining bright on her face and into her eyes as she cracked them open. She scratched her head and sat up. The other girls were still fast asleep under the thick ruby covers.

Quinn normally wasn't a morning person, but today she was happy to be up early. It was the fresh start of a new term and she was eager to begin. She had to be up early for her very first prefect duty of the year: patrolling the corridors and guiding any lost students. Typically, prefects only had evening and night patrolling duties, but at the beginning of the school year there were prefects scheduled at all times of day for the benefit of the unfamiliar first year students. Quinn herself had gotten horribly lost on her very first morning at Hogwarts- she had been trying to find her way from Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall on her own when she made the mistake of trusting Peeves, who had tried to lead her into a boys' bathroom as a joke. Just before she had unwittingly walked in, Charlie had stepped out and the two bumped into each other. Charlie, laughing, had then taken her to the Great Hall himself.

She smiled at the memory. It had been her first interaction with her now-best friend. Pulling on her socks, she wondered if that was an annual trick Peeves tried to pull and whether he was often successful. She made a mental note to keep an eye out for him today.

Quinn finished dressing (a maroon skirt, crisp white blouse, long red socks that reached her knees, and shiny black new shoes with a kitten heel) and flicked her wand in the direction the large window beside her bed facing out toward the Black Lake. In an instant the tall panes became a mirror, and Quinn was looking back at herself. She ran her brush through her long hair and, after a moment, decided to leave it down for the day. She added tiny pearl earrings and dabbed on some rosy-red lipstick before leaving.

Outside in the common room, Percy Weasley sat nestled in a chair with his nose in a textbook.

"Getting an early start, Percy"? she asked as she walked by.

Percy seemed startled. He raised his eyebrows and looked up at her. "Oh, yes! I have potions later today and I have to be prepared. Everyone says it gets even tougher your third year,"

"Well if you need help, you can always ask your brothers," she began with a wry smile, "I hear they've been cooking something very potent up,"

Percy was one of many brothers, but he knew well that Quinn meant the twins. He resituated in his chair uncomfortably and rolled his eyes. "Those two and their stupid experiments. They're going to make someone sick!"

"Yes, I think that's their goal," she replied. "Well anyway, good luck today!"

Percy smiled. "Preparation is the best luck." Quinn nodded and walked out.

For about an hour the corridors were empty. Then, students began trickling in heading to get their breakfast to start the day. Mostly, it was very uneventful. Quinn found herself more than once looking out toward the Quidditch Pitch, anxious to return and resume training. She would have to speak with Charlie about when to hold trials for the team.

Bored, she decided to wander toward the dungeons to try to catch Calvin on his way to the Great Hall and see how last night had gone. Truth be told, she was very curious about the Slytherin dungeon.

She didn't find Calvin, but Montague. The sixth-year was carrying an astronomy book and chatting with a friend. A bulky black cat trotted close to his heels.

Quinn had tried to turn away but too late- he has spotted her. "Hey, Nimbus! What're you doing down here? Trying to get a peek at this year's competition?" A cocky grin drew upon his face. Montague had dark, cleanly combed hair, brown almond eyes, and a tall, bulky frame. He nearly reached the height of the suits of armor lining the hall they stood in.

Quinn rolled her eyes and pointed to her prefect pin. "Patrolling. Keeping people like you in line on and off the pitch,"

Montague's friend smiled, but the chaser displayed something between a smirk and a snarl. It looked a bit more intimidating on him now than it had when the boy was eleven.

"Reswyck, you're going to eat your words," said Montague.

"Wait," said the friend, "is your brother Calvin?"

Quinn was surprised. She ignored Montague's threat and replied, "Yes, he is. Have you met him?"

Montague raised his eyebrows, now remembering. "Yeah, we did last night. Forgot he was related to you- he actually seems like a decent bloke,"

Now Quinn was more surprised. Calvin had gotten along with Montague?

"Well that's…. good,"

Montague seemed satisfied at the look of uncertainty written on Quinn's face. "Now if you don't mind, we're off to get breakfast. We'll tell Cal you say hello," Montague responded as the pair continued their walk, the black cat close in tow behind his owner.

Quinn crossed her arms as she watched them walk away. More questions filled her mind. She had to talk to Charlie and Jane. As her patrol shift was about done anyway, she began making her way to the Great Hall. There she found Charlie, Jane, and the rest of her house sitting at their table. Most of them had finished by this point. Only Charlie remained cleaning his plate, taking the last few bites of a slice of buttered toast.

"Hey, everyone!"

Charlie scooted over and made room for her.

"Hey, glad you finally made it! Peeves give you any trouble this morning?" Charlie asked with a wink and a grin.

"Not a sight of him," Quinn answered, returning the smile. She filled her plate with what remained on the great platters before her: fluffy scrambled eggs (still warm, thank Merlin), crunchy bacon, and sliced fruit.

"Ran into someone else though," she continued. Quinn began telling them about her encounter with Montague near the dungeons.

"Did you overhear them saying anything about Quidditch, anything about their strategies?" piped up Oliver Wood excitedly, who leaned in eagerly from a few seats away. He nearly knocked the toast out of Charlie hand.

"No, no, Oliver, no plans or anything," Quinn replied. Oliver immediately returned to his Quidditch magazine, disinterested.

She told about what the pair had said about her brother.

"Well, that's good isn't it? Calvin is getting along well and making friends in his new house," said Jane optimistically. A sweet girl, she always saw the good in things.

Quinn shifted in her seat and scooped a large spoonful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. "I guess," she said shortly between bites.