Chapter Text

Chapter 1

It was raining. Heavily.

I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, this was England at the start of autumn. Miserable weather was sadly an all too common occurrence.

I stood under a sheltered part of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, tugging my rucksack more securely onto my shoulder and tucking my blonde curls under the hood of my thick coat. The Hogwarts Express, gleaming scarlet, provided a bright splash of colour in an otherwise dull and monotonous landscape. Squeals of excitement from students could just about be heard over the noise of the steam engine. Wizards and muggles alike were scattered across the platform, old and young, wearing expressions of delight, awe or nervousness. I couldn't help but note that very few of them actually ventured away from the areas which provided some protection from the torrential rain.

The corners of my mouth quirked upwards into an involuntary smile at the sight of all the apprehensive parents, a stark contrast from their animated children. My own mother had been with me up until around fifteen minutes ago, when she had quickly kissed me on the forehead and rushed off to work, mentioning something about an important Ministry deadline. My father I had said goodbye to at breakfast; he had been called out about an emergency that morning, so had given me a tight hug and wished me a good term before vanishing into the fireplace with a dazzling flash of emerald green.

A small girl, clearly a first year, stumbled past me with her parents trailing close behind her. She glanced up at me anxiously, a hooded figure in the rain. I smiled kindly at her, but her eyes were full of worry, and her nervous expression remained fixed on her face as she continued past me. I bit my lip slightly; I remembered all too well what it felt like to anxiously await my first year at Hogwarts.

I gripped the letter in my hands, my knuckles white, grinning broadly at my parents. They smiled down eagerly at me.
"Go on, open it," my mother encouraged me, her hand on my shoulder. Opening the envelope, I tugged out the pieces of thick parchment within and read aloud.

Dear Miss Inglebee,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of books and equipment for the following year.
Term begins on 1 September.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.

The parchment immediately behind detailed a list of books and items, but I quickly noticed a third piece of parchment also. Frowning slightly, I opened it to see a note written in curly handwriting and vibrant green ink.

Dear Miss Inglebee,
Your parents may or may not have already informed you that you possess magical powers above and beyond the ordinary witch or wizard of your age. There is no need to be alarmed by this fact. I do, however, suggest that upon your arrival at Hogwarts, you and I meet to discuss this matter personally. If you would not mind, the sooner the better, and so I would suggest the evening of the 1 September. I shall collect you after the Sorting Ceremony and Welcome Feast.
Kindest regards,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster.

"What does he mean?" I asked my parents with some alarm. They glanced at each other nervously, having read the note over my shoulders, before my mother grabbed my hand and ushered me to sit down, my father perching tentatively next to her.

"Evanna," my mother began. "Your magic is..." she paused, and turned to my father.

My father continued for her. "Your magic seems to be unusually powerful, compared to what most young wizards and witches your age possess. You're certainly more powerful than your brother and sister were at your age. We're not entirely sure why, perhaps it is just something that happens every so often... the Ministry has never really told us much about it other than to keep it controlled. But it makes you a unique case, and one that has to be supervised carefully. Merlin knows, your mother and I have always had to keep a close eye on you over the years to ensure you don't unintentionally blow something up, else the Ministry get involved."

He smiled whilst my mother squeezed my hand comfortingly as my expression of sheer panic remained. "It is not a bad thing, Evanna. I imagine what Professor Dumbledore intends from this meeting is to help you further understand what this means, in a way your father and I are unable to."

I blinked and looked back down at the parchment, thinking back to particular occasions throughout my childhood where I performed magic. A few stood out in my memory, including the time we visited London for a day, and I somehow stopped the London Eye from turning. Or when I was six, and I discovered if I concentrated hard enough, I could levitate myself to a considerable height (much to the alarm of my parents who were forced to run around underneath me hoping to catch me should my concentration fail). And three months previously, I had reduced all the trees in our garden down to tiny saplings. My parents had to find a very unique Herbologist to reverse that particular damage.

"Try not to worry about it, darling," my father told me, "You'll be in the best possible hands."

Over the next few months leading up to September, I did my best to not worry about this new knowledge, but I found myself thinking about how I would differ from the other students. How differently would I be treated? Would others be scared of me, or be unkind? My older brother and sister, Tom and Amelia, had tried their best to settle my nerves over the course of the summer holiday, telling me all about Hogwarts and reminding me that they would both be there should I need them.

But my worries only heightened after visiting Diagon Alley with my family to buy my school things. Seeing other children and teenagers, undoubtedly students at Hogwarts, rushing around excitedly somehow made everything all the more real. Tom and Amelia saw and chatted to fellow students they saw, but nobody looked twice at me, a small, curly-haired girl hiding behind the billowing robes my parents wore. I found myself wondering for the first time how my magic could affect those around me, and it was a thought that persistently popped up in my mind from that point onwards. I realised later that this was the very reason why my parents had kept the truth from me for all those years, to try and stop me from over-thinking and worrying. But, like all things, they could only protect me for so long.

At Ollivanders, upon being chosen by my wand, a eleven and a half inch yew wand containing a unicorn hair, a flurry of red and gold sparks shot out of the end of it, rapidly igniting several dusty wand boxes, causing them to promptly go up in flames.

"My my," Mr Ollivander exclaimed in alarm. "Now those were a bit more exuberant than usual."

Only then he whipped out his own wand and quickly performed an extinguishing spell before any more of the aisle caught fire.

"I'm so sorry, sir," I squeaked, as Mr Olivander gingerly checked for damaged wands amongst the smoking remains.

He turned to me, his eyes pale and probing. I felt like I was being examined. Thoroughly. "That's quite alright Miss Inglebee. Nothing to apologise for."

When the first of September finally arrived, my parents accompanied my sister, brother and I to King's Cross. I felt as thought something was about to explode out of my stomach as we stepped through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Tom loaded my trunk and my owl, Athena, onto the train, and my parents hugged me one final time. I felt strangely sad as I waved at them from the compartment window and they fell away out of sight as the train departed.

Tom and Amelia sat with me, I suspected at the request of my parents who undoubtedly had noticed my quietness after receiving my Hogwarts letter, and were naturally concerned. Tom and Amelia's friends were kind to me, trying to engage me in conversation, but I was too terrified to properly talk to anyone. I spent most of the journey with my head buried in one of my schoolbooks, apart from when Amelia bought me a chocolate frog from the Trolley Witch and insisted I eat it.

The Sorting Ceremony flew by. I remember being so fascinated by the ceiling that I missed the first couple of students being sorted.

"Black, Sirius." Professor McGonagall called, and a boy with curly dark hair and striking grey eyes strode up to the Sorting Hat and looked nervously up at the rim as it was placed upon his head.

Of course, being from a wizarding family, I had heard of the Black's. And they did not have a particularly positive reputation, judging from the way my parents spoke about them. I remember curiosity overriding my nerves as I, like many others, went on my tiptoes and craned my head to see my fellow first year being sorted.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat roared eventually, to an eerily quiet hall. A flash of shock crossed the boys face before he grinned nervously and confidently walked down towards the Gryffindor table, where a few students had recovered from their initial shock and were applauding.

An angry noise erupted from across the hall. I turned to see a older girl in the emerald Slytherin robes stand, staring angrily at the boy, her black curls and deep set eyes a tell-tale sign of her Black family heritage, and the flashing of her eyes an indication of her fury at the hat's decision.

The ceremony continued, until my name was called. I stumbled up to the hat, silently willing myself not to trip up on the way. My siblings had both been in Ravenclaw, along with my mother. My father had been in Hufflepuff. Naturally, I always assumed I would be in Ravenclaw like my brother and sister, or maybe Hufflepuff at a push.

"My, my." The hat said quietly a few moments after Professor McGonagall placed it upon my head.

I jumped slightly on the stool. My family had neglected to mention that the hat was able to speak inside ones mind.

"You have exceptional talent. Extraordinary, in fact." The hat continued mildly, as though discussing the weather.

I swallowed nervously, wondering how on earth the hat could know such a thing.

The hat chuckled. "I can tell because I can see what lies inside your head. Your thoughts, your desires, your fears. That is how I am able to so effectively choose the right house for students."

I sat there, considering the hat's words. I supposed it made sense.

"But, the real question: where to put you?" the hat said as I twiddled my thumbs in my lap. "You're talented, and also very powerful. That much is clear. Like your siblings, you possess a bright, inquisitive and witty mind. Yet you're apprehensive, however, about your gifts, cautious even, and aware about their impact on others. A valuable quality."

"However, you possess have a drive to prove yourself, through brave deeds. You want to explore and challenge your abilities, to put yourself to the test. To prove to yourself and to others that your magic can do great things. But do I detect a hint of ambition? A craving for knowledge? A part of you, perhaps, that hungers for the deeper glory of what your magic could bring you?"

I frowned. I didn't think of myself as particularly ambitious, nor someone who would crave glory, but then again, I was still very young and knew so little about the world of magic.

"Hmm." The had wondered to itself. "Well yes, quite. Youth is a gift in itself. A time when we have an abundance of choice, a glut of opportunity, a thousand paths we could take."

My gaze drifted to the other first years in front of me. A brunette girl with plaits frowned slightly up at me and murmured quietly to the girl next to her. A slight buzz of chatter sounded in the hall more widely. Many gazed curiously at me, intrigued as to why the hat was taking such an extraordinarily long time to decide my house.

"Your head provides a problem, Miss Inglebee." the hat concluded. "I do believe you would excel in more than one house. But after much deliberation, I feel that the best house for you is... GRYFFINDOR!"

I felt a twinge of sadness that I wasn't placed in Ravenclaw with my siblings. And then I felt a stab of panic at the prospect of being in a house where I knew nobody. But as I stumbled over to the Gryffindor table, where the other students were cheering loudly, the overwhelming sensation in my stomach was one of relief. For a brief moment, I had wondered whether the hat would place me in Slytherin, what with all its talk about my deeper desire for ambition.

I sat nervously with the other new Gryffindors and listened to their conversations rather than directly contributing. I was nervous, and feared any spike in emotions could have undesirable consequences. Throughout the past, my strongest magic had been in such instances, where I'd experienced a strong emotional outburst. Best to stay away, my eleven year old self thought, as I watched Sirius Black crack a joke, causing a bespectacled boy with messy black hair laugh loudly in response. I frowned as Black grinned back at him. Black certainly seemed more than pleased with his given house, even if his family members were not.

As the feast finished, Professor Dumbledore stood to address the hall with a short speech, before instructing us to our respective common rooms. He then swiftly made his way to the Gryffindor table, where he stood waiting for me. Students all around the hall paused to see what Dumbledore had left the high table for and I felt curious eyes on me as he greeted me, a definite twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Miss Inglebee, a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on making Gryffindor. Follow me, if you will."

I trotted after him, as the other Gryffindors gaped open-mouthed at me. No doubt, they were wondering what on earth made me so special as to merit a meeting with Dumbledore himself.

We walked up to Dumbledore's office, politely conversing about my siblings and my summer. As we approached a large, stone gargoyle, Dumbledore said 'Sherbert pips', and the gargoyle sprang sideways to reveal a hidden staircase.

Dumbledore's office was fascinating, full of strange oddities and instruments, whilst the walls were covered top to bottom in portraits. All of the people within the portraits looked quizzically at me and I gaped open-mouthed back at them.

"I hope my note did not alarm you too much, Evanna." Dumbledore surveyed me through bright blue eyes as I sat in the seat facing his desk.

I quickly shut my mouth and stared at him, curious as to whether he truly knew how worked up I had made myself since being told about my unusual situation. "Honestly, Professor, I've been worrying about it. I'm scared about how my magic will affect not only myself, but other students too."

Dumbledore smiled knowingly at me. "Ah, an understandable concern to have at this time. I did wonder whether to add more detail to my note. Perhaps in hindsight I should have done. But what we are about to discuss will, I hope, put your mind more at ease."

"You have been gifted with extraordinary magical power, Evanna. Now, your concern over the impact this may have on others is admirable, but not something you need worry about. There are certain safety measures that we must take, however. The Ministry of Magic has been monitoring your situation throughout your childhood, but now the responsibility passes to me, as your Headmaster."

He paused before continuing. "Young witches and wizards learning magic is, at the best of times, a risky venture. In your particular case, your magic, as it stands, could have a potentially far more dramatic and dangerous impact in its uncontrolled state. To ensure the safety of your fellow students and teachers therefore, I hope you will agree to a little alteration."

"It will involve me performing a particular charm upon you, to diminish your magic. After the charm is in effect, your magic will be temporarily less powerful, although indeed, it will likely still be much stronger than that of your classmates. The idea is that in diminishing your powers somewhat, any effect of uncontrolled magic on your part will be potentially less overwhelming than it would be in its natural state. That is, if you agree to have the charm cast upon you."

I breathed a small sigh of relief. This seemed to be a logical solution to the worries that had preyed on my mind. I nodded in agreement.

"I did have a question, Professor."

"Yes?"

"Why me?" I asked, looking up at him anxiously. This was something I had dwelt upon, for neither my parents, or as far as we were aware, anyone within my family, possessed magic that was abnormally powerful.

Dumbledore surveyed me over his spectacles, frowning slightly in thought. "I'm afraid I do not have an exact answer to your question. It happens, from time to time, and there is no rhyme or reason for it. Randomly, it seems, certain witches or wizards will possess magic more powerful than others. I'm sure you have heard of some who have popped up throughout history. Merlin, for example, was one, as were the four founders of Hogwarts. Of more recent times, one might include individuals such as Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort within such parameters. Without sounding too bold, I might add that I am another such example." He smiled.

"Oh - I see." I responded, slightly alarmed at the prospect of being grouped with figures like Grindelwald and Voldemort. "And f-for how long will I require the charm, Professor?"

"I should imagine as long as you're at Hogwarts, or at least until you can show adequate control over your magic and you no longer risk randomly performing magical outbursts." He replied thoughtfully. "I think also it may be an idea for us to meet every so often, so I can aid you in controlling your magic, as another who knows what it is to possess such an ability."

I remember smiling gratefully at him at his suggestion. The situation was daunting, to say the least. "It will be nice to have some guidance." I said.

"With this charm working as it should, there is no reason at all for you to fear the potential consequences of your magic, Evanna." Dumbledore informed me firmly. "It is my hope that you will return to your dormitory this evening no longer afraid of interacting with others."

"Of course, Professor."

"Ready?" He asked, taking out his wand. I nodded my head, and Dumbledore silently performed the charm. It certainly felt strange, as though a very light veil had been placed over me. For a short while, everything seeming slightly blurred, but the sensation soon faded.

Dumbledore then accompanied me up to Gryffindor Tower, spoke the password to the Fat Lady, and ushered me inside. "Do feel free to drop me an owl if you ever feel yourself in a pickle, Evanna. Otherwise, I shall contact you next when I feel we are due another meeting."

I stumbled through the door to see a packed common room. Brightly coloured tapestries hung from the walls, and a number of squishy, red chairs were situated by a large stone fireplace. It was an exceedingly cosy space. I quickly recognised a few other first years from the feast. A girl with long auburn hair and bright emerald eyes spotted me as I walked in and nudged the brown-haired girl next to her. They both come over to me, smiling.

"We didn't really get a chance to speak properly at the feast," the auburn-haired girl said excitedly. This was a rather polite way, I remember thinking, of saying that I essentially ignored my fellow first years at the feast. "I'm Lily Evans, and this is Mary MacDonald."

"Evanna Inglebee." I smiled at them and shook their hands, feeling more confident now than I had done in weeks.

"Why did Dumbledore want to see you?" The first-year boy with round glasses and messy black hair asked me curiously, as he too noticed me enter the portrait hole and wandered over out of curiosity. He was followed by three other boys I recognised from the feast, including Sirius Black.

Lily frowned at him. "That's not really any of our business."

The boy with glasses stared at Lily for a moment, before shrugging. "I suppose not. I was just curious."

"It's ok, it's not a big secret or anything." I said. They all turned to me with wide eyes. I took a second to think, but concluded that my 'secret' could hardly remain so for long. It would soon become apparent to others that my magic was stronger, and I couldn't really see the point in hiding it.

I took a deep breath, not really looking at any of them in the eye. "I essentially have more powerful magic than most others my age, and it means I pose more of a risk if my magic is uncontrolled. Dumbledore needed to cast a temporary charm on me to diminish my magic to a safer level."

"Whoa, are you serious?" the boy with glasses responded. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

I shrugged, feeling embarrassed.

Sirius Black narrowed his grey eyes. "So if you were to curse someone, the curse would be a load stronger than it would be if, say, Remus here cast it?" he gestured towards a tall sandy-haired boy next to him.

I glanced at him, feeling slightly nervous at addressing a Black. "I don't know. I guess so. To be honest I don't know much about it myself. I imagine I'll find out."

They all looked impressed, and I felt heat rise to my face. "Erm, Lily, Mary? Could you maybe show me where we sleep?"

"Of course." Lily beamed.

A shrill whistle blasting to my right jerked me out of my reverie and back into the present. I grimaced at its piercing sound, shooting a scowl at the attendant. Not that he noticed. I then proceeded to scan the platform for my two best friends, but after a moment realised that I was as likely to find them on this packed platform as I was to develop a taste for the earwax-flavoured Bertie Botts bean.

Now was as good a time as any to make a break for the warmth and safety of the Hogwarts Express. I figured I may as well claim a compartment before people started to get on. I secured the cover I had put over the cage which held my beautiful long-eared owl, Athena, who hooted feebly from within. A particularly strong gust of wind blew my hood from my head, and huge raindrops splashed onto my face, but I stumbled on, eventually making it to the train and hauling my trunk onto it before an attendant took it from me to store it in the baggage compartment.

I swept my damp hair away from my face with one hand, and clutched Athena's cage in the other. As I predicted, the train was not at all busy, as we still had half an hour before it set off. I settled into an empty compartment, made sure Athena's cage was secure in the overhead luggage storage, and extracted the Daily Prophet I'd purchased earlier from my coat. Luckily, it seemed to have more-or-less escaped from the rain.

This was the first time I would be taking the Hogwarts Express without a sibling also on board. My brother Tom graduated a couple of years ago, and having been an avid Quiddich player and supporter, now worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry. Meanwhile, my sister Amelia finished Hogwarts last year, and was currently training to become a healer. I was the last of my siblings to attend Hogwarts, entering into my fifth year.

Life at Hogwarts was facilitated by the presence of by two best friends, Lily Evans and Mary MacDonald, two of the girls I shared the Gryffindor dormitory with. We'd kept in touch and met a few times over the summer holiday, but it was never quite the same as living together at Hogwarts.

I smiled to myself, and returned to my newspaper. However, a couple of minutes later the compartment door slid open.

"I see you beat me to it, Inglebee. And I thought I was early!"

Sirius Black, a fellow fifth-year Gryffindor and Hogwarts resident heartbreaker, sauntered in, sitting opposite me. I rolled my eyes slightly to express my irritation in being disturbed and lowered the Daily Prophet to my lap before staring Sirius in those gorgeous grey eyes of his. Merlin.

"Pray tell me, what exactly did I beat you to?" I asked coolly as a whistle sounded again.

Sirius smirked arrogantly, crossing his arms. "Bagging the best compartment on the train."

I dragged my eyes from his, lowering them to the Prophet and pretending to scan the articles to avoid his intense gaze. "What exactly makes it the best compartment?"

"I'd have thought it were obvious."

I flicked my eyes up to his for a moment, before returning them to the newspaper. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to beg?"

Sirius leaned back in his seat, assessing me, before he smirked. "I'd like to see you beg."

I blushed and hid as subtly as possible behind the newspaper, peeking over the top at him. "Ok, in hindsight I should have seen that one coming. Seriously though, why is it the best one?"

Over the top of the newspaper, I saw him rest his right ankle on his left knee lazily. "Well, it's the first compartment the trolley witch visits."

I turned the page, not looking at him. "I'll be sure to buy all the chocolate frogs she has then, as I know you're particularly fond of them."

Sirius laughed. "I've missed you, Inglebee."

My stomach performed some weird sort of back flip in response to that sentence. After mildly panicking for a moment, I thought up a mildly witty retort.

"Unfortunately I can't say the same about you." I replied, but my tone was light-hearted, an indicator that I was only joking.

Sirius grinned impishly, analysing me. "Good summer?" he asked, glancing at Athena, who I noticed was giving him an intense stare from inside her cage.

I shrugged, folding up the Prophet. "Not bad. Yours?"

"Hell." Sirius shook his head.

He stood and rooted around in his robe pockets, drawing out a handful of owl treats, which he pushed through the bars into Athena's cage. She hooted happily and started pecking away. Meanwhile, I assessed Sirius properly for the first time. He looked tired, but that didn't take away from his undeniable good looks. His black hair was slightly longer this year than it was last, but this only complimented his aristocratic cheek bones. It seemed he'd also grown another couple of inches. Merlin - just when I thought he couldn't get any more attractive, he goes and proves me wrong.

Yes, he was arrogant and haughty, and completely realised he could have his pick of any girl at Hogwarts, but after spending four years in the same house and lessons as him, we'd got to know each other fairly well. I didn't often ask about his family, but it was common knowledge that Sirius didn't get on with them.

"We'll be back at Hogwarts before too long." I said finally, offering him a smile. Athena, who had finished her treats, hooted at Sirius. "Athena says thank you."

He laughed lightly. "I think I'm going to enjoy this year."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to enjoy OWLs?"

"What's not to enjoy?"

I chuckled. Sirius was somewhat gifted academically, and always seemed to do extremely well without a huge amount of effort. I tucked a curl behind my ear. "That makes one of us."

"Oh come on, it'll be a piece of cake for you. Assuming, that is, that you're still super-powering your way through the world?" Sirius asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You betcha. So you'd best treat me like a princess or you'll find yourself on top of the Owlery." I responded coolly.

"Oh, don't worry. I learned back in first year to watch out for you. I still remember when you hexed Bertha Jorkins and she was in the Hospital Wing for three weeks!"

I grimaced. "Not my finest moment. Lost control a bit with that one. She was always so irritatingly nosy."

Sirius snorted with laughter.

"I wonder where the others are," I said.

"Ah, I'm sure they'll be here soon. They're probably just with their families saying their goodbyes." Sirius replied, sounding slightly envious. He glanced out of the window before smirking at me. "Why, am I boring you?"

I blushed, regretting tucking my hair behind my ear, as my red face was far more exposed than I wanted it to be. "Despising every second." I joked, and he chuckled.

"Here you are!" Lily Evans entered the compartment and put her things on the luggage rack, before turning to me, her long auburn hair swishing. "How are you? I've missed you!"

"Lily! About time you appeared." I smiled warmly at her, and got up to give her a hug. At that point, Lily noticed Sirius and pulled away.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Sirius smirked. "I was very much enjoying the view."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You're filthy. Why don't you go and find your own friends?"

Sirius pouted. "What do you mean? We're not friends?"

I grinned as Lily glanced between the two of us. "I wouldn't go that far." I replied, whilst my stomach clenched weirdly.

Sirius grinned. "Well, then, I shall take my leave. See you both later."

He strolled out and Lily turned to me, eyebrows raised. "Was that... flirting?"

I fixed her with a look. "No."

Lily pursed her lips together, looking amused. "Right."

I rolled my eyes. "He flirts with everyone."

"Indeed." Lily smirked.

"Lily." I warned her.

"Sure. I get it." Lily replied innocently, her emerald eyes sparkling with amusement.

At that moment, Mary entered the compartment, clutching her squirming tabby cat, Oscar, under her arm.

"Merlin, this cat!" Mary exclaimed, as Oscar leapt onto one of the seats, mewing loudly and shooting Mary what looked worryingly like a cat death-glare.

"Your cat is a little furry lunatic!" I snorted with laughter.

"No need to tell me that! He escaped from his cage on the platform and refused to go back in, so I've had to carry him around, but he's as wriggly as a bubotuber!" Mary rolled her warm brown eyes, grinning at Lily and I. "How are you both?"

"Pretty good." I said, as Lily smiled. "Excited to be heading back."

"Congratulations on making Prefect by the way," Mary praised Lily.

"Thanks," Lily grinned. "Which reminds me, I have to go to the meeting shortly."

"Any idea who the other prefects are?" Mary asked.

Lily's brow furrowed slightly in thought. "I'm not too sure, truth be told. I'll be able to tell you after the meeting, though."

"I wonder who the other Gryffindor Prefect is." Mary wondered aloud, a smile playing on her lips.

I glanced at her, smirking. "Can you imagine if it's Potter?"

Mary snorted with laughter as Lily shot us both an irked look.

"I seriously doubt that Dumbledore will have chosen that toe-rag as a Prefect." Lily sniffed, busying herself with extracting her robes from her bag.

Mary tilted her head to the side, looking at Lily. "I don't know. None of the options are particularly suitable!"

I had to agree with Mary there. I wasn't sure that either Sirius Black, Remus Lupin or Peter Pettigrew, the other boys in the year, were even close to suitable for the role of Prefect.

"Right," Lily smiled nervously at Mary and I. "I'm off to the meeting." She got up and opened the compartment door. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" I grinned.

"Hope it goes ok!" Mary called after her as she left, her long hair swaying behind her.

"Seriously, though. What if it is Potter?" I asked Mary, and after sharing a look, we both burst into fits of giggles.

***

When Lily returned, she was dressed in her robes, with her scarlet and gold Prefect badge pinned on, in prime position.

"You wanted to know who the other Prefects were?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go on then," Mary grinned lazily. "Put Eva and I out of our misery."

"We've spent the last half an hour speculating on how you'd react to Potter being the Prefect, and now it's time to establish whether it was all a waste of time." I continued, waggling an eyebrow suggestively at Mary. Lily ignored us as we snorted with laughter.

"So - Leanne Fittleworth and Oliver Bones from Hufflepuff, Olivia Thornton and Daniel Montrose from Ravenclaw, Lucinda Talkalot and Evan Rosier from Slytherin -" She said.

"Urgh, I don't envy you having to do patrol with Rosier or Talkalot." I interrupted with a bitter expression on my face and Lily grimaced in agreement.

"Who's the other one from Gryffindor?" Mary prompted eagerly.

"Remus Lupin." Lily pursed her lips.

I shrugged. "Now I think about it, I suppose he would be the best option of the four. Still, he's not what you'd consider genuine Prefect material, he breaks too many rules."

We spent the remainder of the journey chatting about the small things. Mary's eldest brother Sam, recently qualified as an Healer, whilst her other brother Adrian was in his seventh year. As a Ravenclaw, I was sure he'd be working hard to get good results. Meanwhile, Lily updated us on the latest drama with Petunia, her awful sister, who gave her hell throughout the summer for being a witch. Same old, same old.

Lily had to leave to do corridor patrols every half an hour or so. She was on patrol when the trolley lady stopped by our compartment, so Mary and I took the liberty of buying her a chocolate frog and several ice mice.

However, I found that two chocolate frogs was nowhere near enough to keep me going for the journey, so I excused myself to try and catch up with the food trolley, the idea of a pumpkin pasty in mind.

As I entered the next compartment, I nearly walked head first into two other, rather tall, people. And that was saying something, because I was quite tall myself. I noticed the flash of emerald from their robes and scooted backwards from them before assessing who they were.

"Well, if it isn't Gryffindor's shining little star," the blonde-haired boy smirked. Merlin's pants... Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy was a highly unpleasant sixth-year student, with sleek blonde hair and an ugly pinched expression. For reasons beyond me, he'd been selected as Prefect upon reaching his fifth year, and had constantly abused his position of power ever since. I swallowed but said nothing.

The other boy, Mulciber, a fellow fifth-year, guffawed. "You'd best watch your back, little buzzing bee."

As I watched Mulciber laugh at his not particularly amusing joke, I felt a surge of confidence.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you should watch yours, Mulciber. I heard you couldn't even form a shield charm in the practical Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson last year. How pathetic." I sneered.

His face fell and he reached for his wand, but Malfoy put a hand forcefully on his wrist. "Don't be stupid, Mulciber. There's a time and a place, and this is not it."

Malfoy turned his attention to me. "Just because you think you have Dumbledore's protection, Inglebee, doesn't mean you're safe from everything. You'd do well to reflect on that fact."

He nudged Mulciber with his elbow, and they turned around and headed back down the corridor. I felt my heart thump in my chest and realised I'd lost any appetite I had a few minutes ago.

"What a ball-ache." I muttered, as I walked back into our compartment and shut the door with a crash.

"What's up?" Mary asked, looking concerned. "You look really pale."

I sighed and slumped onto the seat. "Uh, just bumped into Malfoy and Mulciber. Let's just say that encounter has put a dampener on my day."

"What did they do?" Lily said immediately, her attention fully fixed on me.

"Oh, not much. The usual threats. I think Mulciber would have tried to hex me but Malfoy stopped him telling him there was 'a time and a place'. Tosser." I muttered, picking at my nails to distract me.

"Damn." Mary said, wide-eyed. "What, he just wanted to hex you out the blue?"

I shifted guiltily. "Well, I might have made a comment about Mulciber's inability to perform a shield charm."

Mary and Lily snorted with laughter before sobering up.

"That was brave of you, Eva, considering you were on your own. In all seriousness though, people like Mulciber don't seem to need much reason to hex people. Do you remember how much he and his cronies were doing it towards the end of last year? Detentions just didn't deter them." Mary commented with a sombre expression.

"Wannabe Death Eaters." I muttered.

Lily cleared her throat and Mary and I shared a look. It just so happened that Mulciber and his group of cronies were rather friendly with Severus Snape, Lily's childhood friend. Mary awkwardly changed the subject upon realising the direction in which the conversation could potentially go.

The journey was made more entertaining when Lily returned from her seventh corridor patrol, complaining loudly about 'that useless toe-rag'. It turned out that James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew had turned the floor of one of the carriages into a sort of miniature ice rink, and students were slipping and sliding all over the place. Remus Lupin, curiously, was nowhere to be seen.

Lily, upon discovering the rather inconvenient flooring, promptly restored the floor to its original state before she began scolding them, to which James' response was simply, "Sure you don't want to slide over here and get to know me a little better, Evans?"

You had to give it to the boy, he certainly belonged in Gryffindor.

***