Late. That’s how I could describe my prefect duties in one word. They always kept me up late and I had to turn in my homework on time of all things! I’ve never had to turn in my work on time since my first year. It’s always been two weeks early, never later, unless it was assigned for over the weekend, then I turned it in that night before dinner and after classes.
It didn’t help that my prefect duty partner for tonight was someone I had nothing in common with, and who was a complete bore. Usually, I tried to make friendly conversation with my partner, save for when it was with Malfoy, who always made a snide remark and walked a little faster. But with the male counterpart of the Ravenclaw Prefect team, it was a hassle to even say “hello”.
It wasn’t that he was intimidating. Hardly. I was smarter than all of the Ravenclaws, my grades proving that point quite well, but there was something about him that made him too…other, for lack of a more eloquent word, to talk to. Jasper Holloway made me nervous, simple as that.
Ginny teased me relentlessly because of it. She had seen me interact with him, once, in front of the Great Hall when we met up to decide when to meet up again for prefect duties. I had never felt so awkward around a non-Slytherin before, and it had irked me to no end. She had pretended to swoon as soon as I had seen her in the Gryffindor common room that evening. I had thrown a dirty look and a couch cushion in her face.
“What’s your favorite class this year?” I said. I felt compelled to speak and break the monotonous silence that had, once again, fallen over us.
“Potions,” he said simply.
Let’s try to say two word answers. “But what about Snape?” she said, egging him to give a complete sentence.
“He’s strict,” said Jasper, his green eyes glancing around for anything out of place, as he should be.
“Yes,” I agreed lamely, starting to feel quite annoyed with his lack of decent answers, when I was merely trying to pass the time we had to spend together. Another few minutes of silence with this lofty Ravenclaw was going to torture me. I wanted to break his silence and make him talk to me.
“And a prick,” he continued, as he looked inside of an empty classroom, sweeping it with his lighted wand before becoming satisfied and moving on.
I was taken aback. He had continued speaking without my prodding.
“Yes,” I said again, this time dragging out the word as if to egg him on more so that he spoke. “That he is.”
Jasper nodded, but didn’t take my bait and speak again, except to ask which way they should go, or if he had heard something. It was as if I was someone whose company was despised, and it hurt me. Was something so wrong with me that he felt that he didn’t have the time to talk to me or did he think that he was just too good for me?
[a/n]
Thanks to WeasleyTwins on the forums for the brilliant name for this story. I greatly appreciate it. And for those to caught my mistakes, many thank you's.
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