Work Text:
You drop your books on the library table next to Rowan, flop into a chair and press your forehead down on the desk.
“Why did I ever think being a prefect was a good idea? Why did Sprout? I’ve got detention for the entire sodding year. Does that sound like prefect material?”
“If you weren’t sure, why did you accept?” Rowan asked.
“Once the badge was in my hand, I thought I might be a cool older sibling-type. Like Bill.”
“I could see that,” Rowan commiserates.
“All I am is a glorified policeman. And because everyone thinks I’m the biggest rule breaker in Hogwarts, everyone also thinks I’m a huge hypocrite.”
“No one thinks that.” Your best friend pats your shoulder.
“You wanted to be a prefect, too. I should have just asked Professor Sprout to give the badge to you.”
“What’s got you thinking this way? Maybe I can help you work it out.”
You groan. “Tulip, Tonks.” You make a fist, then slam it into your other hand. “Big boom!”
Rowan looks concerned. “Where?”
“Dunno. When I least expect it. Tulip took it as a personal challenge to see if I could stop her. She said I’m her proper nemesis.”
“I thought that was Merula,” Rowan says. “Give it some time. People just have to get used to this new side of you.”
You sit up and sigh. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You can’t do anything about that right now, but we can do something about our OWLS …”
You groan again. “Right. You quiz me on History of Magic. I’ll quiz you on Charms.”
—
Ben, Bill and Percy are all eating dinner when you sit next to them.
“You’re supposed to sit with your house and make sure everyone obeys the rules.” Percy says. “The Hufflepuff table is over there.”
You break off a piece of chicken from Ben’s plate and feed it to your kneazle, Indiana to distract him from eyeing Scabbers. The usually sedentary rat crawls into Percy’s pocket to hide.
“Would you lot help me think of some simple, harmless jinxes I could teach the first year Hufflepuffs? One or two of them have had troubles with bullies.”
“So you’re teaching them to duel?” Bill sounds torn between amusement and horror.
“Only for self-defense.” You hold your hands up, palms out. “My prefect taught me immobilus.”
“Didn’t she end up in Azkaban?” Ben asks.
“Not for teaching me immobilus.”
—
Charlie shuts his eyes and turns his face into the sun like a daisy. The day is unseasonably warm. Perfect for a walk around the lake.
Just then, you run past, grabbing his arm and jerking him along with you.
“Tulip set the kleptopusses loose on Hogwarts!”
“The what?”
“Nifflers!”
“How many?”
“All the little blighters! Right now Hagrid has them contained in Professor Kettleburn’s paddock, but that won’t last.”
Charlie curses, then overtakes you. He reaches the paddock where dozens of nifflers have nearly disassembled the feed shed.
“Is that Torvus’s arrow?” You sound horrified. “How did they get that?”
Hagrid is there, flinging what looks like gold coins at the nifflers.
“Thank Merlin!” He says when he sees you. “I’ve been keeping them busy with some Leprechaun gold.”
“Where did you find Leprechaun gold?” You ask.
The Gamekeeper looks shifty, and hides his pink umbrella behind his back. “I had some lying around.”
You and Charlie fire off immobilus after immobilus at the nifflers, then levitate them back into their hutches and lock the doors.
When it’s done the two of you take tea with Hagrid, where you both hide his rock cakes in your pockets. As you leave, Hagrid promises to take the arrow back to the centaurs.
On the way to the castle, you detour to the Black Lake, where Charlie skims his cakes across the surface of water.
“Is that how you get rid of them?” You ask him. “I put mine in my trunk and bury them in the garden at home.”
“Isn’t that heavy once you reach Kings Cross?” Charlie asks. “Since you can’t levitate your trunks in front of the Muggles?”
“A bit.” You tuck your hands in your pockets, and bump his shoulder affectionately as you walk back to the castle. “Thanks for helping back there.”
“We prefects have to stick together,” Charlie says. “I’m sorry Tulip is giving you a hard time.”
“I’ve been letting her get away with things,” you sigh. “I hoped she wouldn’t make me report her. But I don’t think I’m doing her or Hogwarts any favors letting her get away with this shite.”
“Want me to talk to her?” Charlie asks.
You smile at him, but wave the suggestion off. “I wanted to be a prefect. Maybe it’s time I act like one.”
—
The when Tonks and Penny see you, you’re in the Hufflepuff common room, verbally tearing into a second year Hufflepuff.
Tonks backs up a step. It’s a little scary how much you remind her of Mum on a tear.
“ … And if I so much as hear a rumor about you bullying another firstie, I will personally teach every first year in all the houses the Bat Bogy hex and encourage them to use it on you if you so much as look at one of them cross-eyed.”
The second year looks mildly terrified. They nod, then scurry away.
“Bat bogy hex?” Penny asks.
“Bill told me about it,” you say. “He said the firsties might like it better than immobilus.”
“Sounds like you have things sorted,” Tonks says.
“I doubt I’ll ever be the most exemplary prefect,” you say. “But I think I’ll do a bit of an alright job.”