'Lo. Chapp 2 upp. It's shorter but more exciting:) maybe. you tell me?

"About time you decided to show up!" Dar hollered from the Slytherin table as I entered the Great Hall.

Upon this sudden shout, most of the Hall turned to me and my new badge. I squirmed. One of the first years hissed to her friend, "She's Head Girl. See the badge?"

I sat opposite Mathis and Dar and took a sip of pumpkin juice, sliding my arm in front of my badge, but they had already seen it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Mathis asked as he leaned over the table to investigate my robes.

I grinned at his shocked expression. "Yes. It is. And lean back before I give you trophy room duty."

"Jeez. How the fuck'd you manage that?" Dar murmured, pulling Mathis back into his seat.

"You remember Gloria? She was supposed be Head, but she's gone now. So Dumbly gave it to me." I shrugged. "Pretty cool. I get my own quarters, you know."

"Bastard," Mathis grunted. "That's not at all fair."

I grinned. "I know. Wonder what happened to Gloria though."

"Death Eaters, I heard," Mathis hissed across the table. "Malfoy's lot roped 'er in, 'parently."

"Damn shame," Dar muttered. "She was a smash at Potions. Snape said she could've been a great Auror."

"Well, Voldemort kinda ruins all those plans," I laughed.

"Juuuust a bit," Mathis said.

"Shhh. The first year's are about to get sorted!" an underclassman down the table hissed.

Mathis glared at her, but we shut up anyway and watched the hat come on and off the young heads of the first years. We got a good batch of first years that all sat at the front of the table, nervously glancing up and down the table.

"There are your little minions, Lore. Guess you'll have to be guiding them down to the dungeon after dinner. Have, uh, fun with that, you know," Dar chuckled as the food began to appear on the surrounding plates.

"Yeah, and you two will be my charming assistants, of course. I can't let them stray off onto the staircases. Might never find them. So perhaps you'll take the right side of them, Dar, and you'll take the left, Math?"

They grumbled and began to stuff their faces with food. I smiled wickedly and downed another goblet of juice while scanning the table. Draco Malfoy and his idiot friends sat a few yards down, sneering at the other tables obnoxiously. The little snob glanced over at me, saw my badge and pretended to gag.

"The dyke's got a shiny little position. You see it? Probably ripped it from the rightful owner's breast," he spat at me.

I tried not to get too angry, and failed. "Detention, you little prat. Three days cleaning the trophy cases with Filch starting tomorrow," I snapped, narrowing my grey eyes at him. I'd have wiped the floor with him, but it was a bit too crowded to only hit him with a hex.

"You bitch. My father will hear of this," Malfoy growled.

"Oh? I'm afraid he won't be able to do much but listen to your whiny little complaints."

With that, I turned from the git and ate my fill until Dumbledore stood to dismiss us to our Houses. My eyes scraped over the heads and hats of the students on their way to the Headmaster, but found themselves snagged onto a dark skinned girl with a cascade of black hair sitting near the head of the Slytherin table. Ryan was chatting with the newly inducted Slytherins, her golden-brown eyes glittering in the light.

I found myself barely aware that Dumbledore was announcing the Triwizard Tournament was being held at Hogwarts this year because I was much too occupied watching Ryan's broad, pink lips move up and down slowly as she spoke. Her smile was fantastic—like light reflecting off the sea. My heart pushed against my ribcage, almost aching to be nearer to her smile and her eyes and her body. The first year she was talking to pointed down the table at me, and Ryan turned and smiled at me. I melted.

"Lore. Lorne. Lorrrrne," Dar drawled, waving his tan hand in front of my face.

I snapped back into reality, noticing that Dumbledore had dismissed us, and the group of first years were standing curelessly in a huddle waiting for guidance. "Oh. Right. Come on," I instructed my friends and jumped up from the table to walk over.

"First years! Welcome to Slytherin—best House in Hogwarts, and don't forget it," I greeted them, a cheery smile on my lips. "I'm Lorne Owster, and I'm Head Girl. Follow me to the dormitories." As I showed them into the dungeons, I told the group as much of the history of our House as I could recall and gave a few hints to surviving the first year. After announcing the password, guillotine, I showed them the common room and the halls which led to their rooms.

"Never be afraid to ask any of us for directions or help. We don't bite," I assured them. "Well," I said as an afterthought, "not too hard."

The little ones laughed nervously and shuffled off in the direction of their rooms, relishing the excitement of their first night in the best wizardry school in England.

I collapsed into an armchair and stretched out till I was comfy. "They seem sharp enough," I told my friends.

Dar shrugged. "I'm fine with them as long as they don't start running through the corridors. That's damned annoying."

"Aye. I'd have to hex their trainers," Mathis snickered. "Who's the Head Boy, Lorne?"

"No idea. Though probably some damned annoying Gryffindor."

"True. Where're Peeves and the Baron? They're usually here to great us all ba—"

A hysteric howl cut Mathis off, and Malfoy raced into the common room soaked in green goop. "Peeves, you stinking git!"

Mathis and Dar joined the poltergeist in his raucous laughter, and I tried my best to stay professional as the Head Girl should be in such a situation but lost it. Giggling hysterically, I managed to climb out of the chair and cast a spell to clean Draco. The fourth year huffed and stalked off with his skinny arms crossed.

Appearing out of a stone wall, the ghostly Bloody Baron bellowed, "Peeves! It would be wise of you to prank the Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors. Not my House."

Peeves sank to the ground. "I-I, I'm terribly sorry, sir. The Malfoy boy was being such a twit, you see…"

The Baron thought a moment and then nodded. "Well, I do understand that. Ah, hello, you three," the Baron greeted. "Head Girl, I see. What a feat," he congratulated before slipping through another wall. Peeves followed quickly, giving us a devilish grin.

"If you get as egotistical as that Weasley prick, I'm going to have to kick you into the lake," Dar warned.

"By the Basilisk, I swear I won't," I laughed. As I sat down, I remembered the piece of parchment Dumbledore had given to me and checked it again. "I've got to go to a meeting with McGonagall. I'll catch you guys later."

"Alright. Game of chess later? I swear I can best you this time," Dar challenged.

"Oh, sure, Darius, sure," I teased and tossed him my robes. "Hold onto those for a bit. It's too hot upstairs."

"Cold-blooded freak," Dar muttered as he shivered. "It's fuckin' freezing everywhere at night."

Dar thought I was crazy, but I enjoyed the cold. It was a sharp reminder that, yes, I am still alive. On my way to McGonagall's office, I encountered the Head Boy, Logan Jameson, a Gryffindor just like I thought. He carried himself highly, shoulders pushed back and spine rigid even as he climbed the stairs beside me.

He glanced over at me with crystal eyes and said, "I don't know why he chose you when he had the pick of my whole best not slack off. I'll tell Dumbledore, and you won't have this position next semester."

I had seen his resentment coming. That's the kind of guy Logan was. The six-three Charms Club President thought himself rather important and believed all Slytherins were backstabbing, spoiled brats. Hopefully I could show him something different this year…if I didn't hex him first.

"You've nothing to worry about, Logie. Good ol' Dumbly wouldn't pick anyone he didn't think could get the job done. It's usually best to trust him," I reminded the seventh year snappily.

"Whatever," he grumbled as he opened the door to McGonagall's office.

I nodded politely at him and stepped in. What a sodding git. McGonagall acknowledged us with merely a hand motion to two cushioned seats.

"You two—especially you, Miss Owster—have been awarded an honorable position here at Hogwarts, and the staff expects you to do your best in keeping the student body up to par in areas we are unable to…"

McGonagall talked and talked about the numerous rules we must remind the students of and which rule breaking deserves which punishment. Logan listened intently, while I tried not to get too distracted by the spoon with a tail on McGonagall's desk. By my thinking, it didn't take the Minister of Magic to figure out how to punish a rule breaking idiot, and thankfully, the Professor gave us each a sheet of parchment with all that she had just explained written down.

When she was done with all this, McGonagall stood and dismissed us with a simple, "Off to bed."

We shuffled out of the room, heading our separate ways quickly. With my newfound privileges, I took my sweet time making my way down to the dungeons. The portraits congratulated me briefly on my way, and I felt my heart swell with pride. I suppose this is pretty cool. I could certainly get used to it.

Mathis and Dar were gone when I got back to the common room, so I searched for my room and whispered the password to the door when I finally found it. As I was about to walk in, I heard my name being called from down the corridor.

"Hey," Ryan said as she waved from down the hall at me, "hold up a second."

I don't think I need to say that I waited for her to reach my doorway, fingers twitching nervous as hell. Swallowing, I asked, "What's up?"

"Dar and Mathis just told me to tell you they were gonna hit the hay instead of playing chess," Ryan said with a smile. "But is this your 'private room', Miss Head Girl?"

"Thanks, and I suppose it is," I chuckled. "I haven't been in yet. You can come in if you'd like," I invited and stepped into the room with Ryan following curiously.

"Wow," she said. "This is great. You've got your own desk and wardrobe and window and…Hey! That's so not fair—you've got your own bathroom, too!"

"Do I? Hah! Win for me," I grinned. "And look at this bed," I said as I flopped onto it. "Ooh, that's soft."

"Lucky, lucky," Ryan said, and I saw her shaking her head as I sat up. "Well, I should hit the sack before you give me detention for being out late."

"I wouldn't do that to you, don't worry."

"Thanks. That's sweet. I'll just, uh, see you in the morning then?" she asked, stepping toward me almost hesitantly.

"Sure," I grinned, my heart thudding in my chest.

"Great," she smiled.

And before I knew what was happening, she leaned over, kissed me on the cheek and walked out. When the door closed, I fell back onto my bed with a grin plastered to my face.

Wow.

There we goooo! Happiness for the closeted (but obvious) lesbian:D Next Chap: first day of classes. Bound to be insane.

R&R?

~writingwrox