Disclaimer: Again; whatever you may recognize isn't mine; it's most likely J.K. Rowling's and in no way, shape, or form am I attempting to steal her work[s of art]
Title: Prefects and Owl Post
Time: September 2021 - October 2021
Kitchens Crash Course
Occasionally, Dee would embark on a late night visit to the kitchens. During her first year of attending Hogwarts, Lee made it his duty to take her there (although Merlin knows how he found it), and now it's become more of a habit than anything else to drop by and have a bite to eat.
The house-elves were lovely, as was the food. She had found solace there in the beginning of her time at Hogwarts, especially when she was finding it difficult to make friends with those her age. Now, though, Dee enjoyed the liberating trek down to the kitchens at nighttime almost as much as she enjoyed the comfort the elves and the warm meals brought. Hogwarts was certainly something special after dark.
Tonight included one of her many trips. Dee started on out the route she could walk in her sleep—which, for all she knew, she may have done before—expecting the night to float along with her. She was only partly correct.
Dee Collins
"Miss Dee!" squeaked Gilley, Dee's favorite of the Hogwarts house-elves. "Gilley is delighted to see you, miss. What would Dee like? Gilley will fetch miss anything she wants."
"You wouldn't happen to have any pudding, would you, Gilley?" Dee asked after saying hello.
A few other house-elves scurried around, while Gilley responded, "Right away, miss! Is Master Lee coming?"
"I don't think so." Dee allowed Gilley to lead her to a small table in the back corner, and then took a seat. "Thanks, you guys!" she said when a dish of pudding slid in front of her. She hummed to herself in content as she began to eat. Drowsiness from the late hour was beginning to kick in, but Dee was going to leave soon anyways and kept awake in order to finish her pudding.
"Master James!" Gilley exclaimed suddenly. Dee's head popped up and she saw James Potter scrambling through the entrance of the kitchens.
"Nice to see you, Gilley," James greeted.
"Who be this with Master James?" Wimble, another Hogwarts house-elf, voiced Dee's thoughts as she spied a blonde head of hair behind James.
"This is Beth."
So that's Beth, Dee thought. She'd have to point the girl out to Albus tomorrow.
Beth shyly smiled once James introduced her. "Do you mind getting us some pumpkin juice?" he asked.
The house-elves scuttled away. Beth turned to James and gushed, "They're so adorable," in such a sickeningly sweet way that made it quite obvious this was her first visit to the kitchens. What a sly move on Potter's part, Dee thought.
"Dee Collins? What are you doing down here?"
Dee looked up at Potter, down at her spoon, and back up at Potter. "I'm eating," she shrugged.
Beth giggled and James cleared his throat. "I see that. I just don't see you as someone who sneaks off to the kitchens."
"Well, most people don't. But I was just leaving, anyways." She wiped her mouth with a towel and stood up. "It was wonderful to see you, Gilley. I'll be back soon, alright?"
A chorus of, "Goodnight, Miss Dee!" followed her back out into the corridor. Dee sighed and set off towards Ravenclaw Tower.
Sending and receiving letters (through owl post) was a regular occurrence at Hogwarts, as well as in the rest of the wizarding world.
This was no different in Dee Collins' life, nor in James Potter's. However, it was safe to say James' mail was a tad more interesting. He often heard about the undertakings of the Ministry from his parents, something which would make sense if applied to Dee's case too, but her parents never deemed fit to talk about their jobs. So while James got to discuss Aurors and special upcoming articles in the Prophet and Quidditch matches with his mum and dad, Dee read tales about life at home. But by no means were Dee's letters less eagerly awaited than James', for any big news stood out that much more.
James Potter
James,
Your mum wants me to start off by warning you to stay out of trouble, but she knows that's impossible, so she really means for you to be careful. The usual.
Try not to get too many detentions. I know lessons and homework are boring and everyone loves a good laugh, but believe me when I say it piles up. Try to stay on top of things. And don't let silly things (like girls) distract you unless they're worth it.
Speaking of, Al mentioned someone named Beth. Who's she? What's she like? Hope she's not boring you, like you claim every other girl so far has done.
Quidditch practices had better be going well. You'll have to tell me what the new players are like and if it's looking to be a promising season.
Anyways, don't take too long to reply. I want to hear about that Quidditch team.
—Dad
James found it uncanny how his dad knew exactly what he was thinking—and worrying—about. This year's Gryffindor team was decent enough to win, Beth wasn't as much of a catch as he initially thought, and the homework he had this weekend still lay untouched. But instead of starting an essay, he went to work on his reply.
Dad,
You know me, I won't get caught. But if I do, don't let mum fret. I always have a backup plan. What can I say? I was born into the right family.
The Quidditch season is looking better than I expected. We lost Alex Wood, which was a blow, but his friend Adam Middleton is a good replacement. And Trevor Cole is the new beater. He's small, but that'll change after some training, and he fits with the team. That's it, really. Al, Lily, Fred, and Gwen Wood are still around.
Beth is just a friend of mine. Would you be surprised if I said she actually is a bit boring? I always feel like our conversations are one-sided. Anyways, since Al mentioned Beth, you should ask him about his new friend Dee. Just a suggestion.
Well I've got homework to do. You know, sometimes I wish I was a year younger, because I feel like Al has it easy. He gets loads of help from Rose. It's unfair.
—James
Once James was satisfied with what he wrote down, he left for the Owlery. He spotted Beth talking to the Head Boy, Clive Donoghue, as he climbed through the portrait hole, and tried to avoid being seen. After what he wrote to his father concerning her, James felt a bit guilty and wanted to escape uninterrupted.
After narrowly escaping Peeves' ruckus—and the wrath of Augustus Purge, the caretaker, who was never far behind—thanks to a friendly tip-off from Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost, James entered the Owlery. As it was afternoon on a Saturday, he didn't think there'd be anyone else around, but there stood someone vaguely familiar facing one of the windows. He didn't say hello as he attempted to coax Snuffles, his trusty Snowy owl, whom he shared with Al and named after his father's godfather. James tied his letter to Snuffles' leg and watched as he took off into the cloudy October sky.
"Potter?" said a voice. James whirled around to find Dee Collins, one of Al's friends, smiling uncertainly at him. "I thought it was you. What brings you here?" she asked.
"Just sending a letter to my dad," he responded. "How about you?"
"Oh," she faltered, visible stiffening. "Me too."
Her reaction to his simple question struck James as odd, so he made a mental note to ask Al what it was about. Surely he'd know.
"I guess I'll see you around, then," he said, turning and setting off for his dormitory, where he knew books and parchment were stacked waiting for him.
Dee Collins
Dee was searching for Lee, although she was certain even he wouldn't fully understand what the hell she was feeling. Earlier in the day, Dee had received a letter from her mother saying her Aunt Mattie, officially Matilda, had left without a trace. There was no note of where she went, not a single possession left in her flat. This information alone wouldn't be all too alarming, except she left (disappeared?) almost two months ago. We didn't want to tell you before because we knew you'd worry, her mum had written, and what if it had just been an unannounced holiday? But I know you were really close to Matilda and I promise we'll keep you updated. Dee didn't like the way she wrote, as if Aunt Mattie was no more. She couldn't be. Dee wouldn't allow it.
So after sending a hasty reply, she looked for Lee. He wasn't nearly as close to their aunt as Dee was, but he could comfort her. He always could.
Dee found her brother on the Quidditch pitch. He was the only one around, but she knew his team wasn't far behind. "Lee!" she called, jogging closer.
"Dee? What're you doing here?" he asked.
"I need to talk to you. It's about—"
"Dee, you know practice is about to start? I can't talk right now," said Lee in a rush. Dee was afraid of that. "I'm sorry. Look, I'm free after dinner. We can talk then, I promise. But right now I've got to go."
Lee ran back to where the rest of his team stood together. He turned to cast a concerned glance back at her before kicking up into the air, but Dee was already gone.
Back in the castle, she ran into Albus in the corridor. Not paying a bit of attention to where she was going, Dee turned a corner and he was right there. Al noticed her anxious expression and asked what was wrong. At first, Dee wouldn't budge, but being the friend he was, Albus pushed her until she spilled.
Dee really appreciated Albus. He knew when to speak and when to stay silent. He sat with her at the Ravenclaw table when they went down to dinner, earning curious glances from his family. She couldn't believe she hadn't befriended him earlier. She had been missing out. And the little bubble of anxiety related to her aunt's disappearance seemed far less prominent whilst they ate and talked and laughed.
Usually, Prefects would do their rounds with their house counterpart, meaning both the boy and girl Prefect in the same year and House would patrol around together. This meant Dee and Alfie Bell were partnered up, but it suffices to say they didn't particularly know each other well—even after a fair few nights of rounds.
"Nice night," Alfie commented.
Dee hoped he wouldn't expect her to respond to his statement about the weather (of all things!), because it was terribly lame. She felt uncharacteristically on edge.
"So, how are you?" he asked, jerking Dee back to reality.
"I've been better," she said in reply.
He nodded, his mouth pulled down in a faint frown. "Are you-"
Dee thought she heard a third pair of echoing footsteps, and cut Alfie off.
"Did you hear that?"
The footsteps grew much closer, and Dee drew her wand. She expected to find a particularly dumb student waltzing about after curfew, and was prepared to fulfill her role as Prefect.
"Aha! There you are!" It was Clive, the Head Boy. "I've come to check up on how the two of you are doing."
Dee and Alfie shared a baffled look; Clive never did things like this. Either something was going on, or Clive was off his rocker.
"What have you got that out for?" he asked. Dee hastily stowed away her wand, flustered. "Well then. Has anything been causing you trouble?"
"No," Alfie said, still sharing nervous glances with Dee.
"Good, good. Then I think you're free to go back to your dormitories," Clive announced with a dazzling smile. As they made to walk away, quite perplexed, Clive said, "Oh, Dee, could I have a word?"
She nudged Alfie so he would continue to Ravenclaw Tower and hung back, wondering what Clive could possibly have to say to her that couldn't be spoken in front of another student. "Yes?" she prompted.
"How would you feel," he began, stepping towards her, "about going to Hogsmeade together?" His face was unnaturally close. "You know the first trip is coming up, don't you?"
"Um, yes, I knew that," she said, sounding almost strangled from holding her breath. Clive's breath smelled like the dinner that night and it wasn't pleasant, especially when fanned across her face. "I was actually, uh," she stumbled, "planning to go with Rose and, um, Albus." Dee wasn't sure why she was turning down Clive Donoghue, of all people, but she didn't feel very comfortable and wanted to make an exit as soon as possible.
"So that's a no?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Dee didn't reply. "I see." He stood up straight (Dee hadn't even realized he was leaning down towards her) and she immediately took a step back. Sharply, and almost as an afterthought, he said, "Goodnight."
Dee wasted no time in following Alfie's path. Bloody hell, that was odd.
A/N: Your reaction to the first chapter was totally unexpected and I love you all. The reviews follows and favorites... Thank you, and I hope this update was up to your expectations!
Revised March 2015