𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH LETTERS ARRIVE

. . .

"Hogwarts letters." Aviana didn't knock or anything, simply pushing the door into the bedroom next doors to her's open. Ron and Harry's shot up as she entered, and the girl looked up from her envelope, eyes flickering from each boy, then around the room. "Granger isn't in here? Shame." 

It was the last day of their holidays, and it seemed that Hogwarts had left it rather late to send out their letters this year. And Aviana had been the designated owl, Sirius calling her to the kitchen and handing her various letters to hand out. 

"Potter." She said shortly, throwing the letter at him, then doing the same for Ron, moving to lean against the door frame as the two boys recieved theirs.

"About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this." Ron commented, as Harry moved away from the wardrobe, where he was cleaning owl droppings off of the top. He picked up the letter, opening it. 

"Only two new ones," Harry said, reading the list. "TheStandard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."

"You have to be kidding me!" Aviana's jaw dropped as she read a piece of parchment, and Ron and Harry looked over to her just as a crack could be heard and Fred and George appeared.

"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally. "Alright Rosier? Though I suppose that isn't your last name anymore." He laughed as the girl flipped him off, still looking horrified.

"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George. 

"And about time too." Fred continued.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down besidet hem. 

"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."

"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" George considered, looking thoughtful.

 "One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

"What's up with you, Ron?" Fred asked, Ron didn't answer and the group looked over to him. He was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts. 

"What's the matter?" Fred repeated impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment. Fred's mouth fell open too. "Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?" 

George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm. "No way," said George in a hushed voice. 

"Weasley?" Aviana chimed in, looking just as shocked. "There is absolutely no way." 

"There's been a mistake," Fred snatched the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect.."

Rather suddenly, the twins' heads turned in unison to look at Harry, and the Potter boy shivered, realising that Aviana was staring at him as well. The girl zoned out as the two Weasley twins prattled on about why they thought Harry would get it and why he probably didn't, and stared instead at the green and silver badge in her palm, a third letter signed by Snape in her other hand and the enveloped tucked under her arm.

She was almost pushed out of the way as Hermione appeared, and broken out of her trance, watching a rather awkward exchange. It seemed that Hermione had also assumed Harry would get it, but the Potter boy had to explain it was Ron and not him.

Mrs Weasley appeared, and as she found out that Ron was prefect, Aviana got the impression she was imposing, and backed out of the room. But she managed to bump into one of the stupid hands stuck to the wall, and a rather loud hiss could be heard.

 She dropped her badge and letters, the metal spinning away. Through the noise of the room beside her, someone managed to hear and the door creaked over, Harry watched as Aviana cursed at the dark artifact, untangling her hair from the fingers.

"Here." He reached for the badge and the letters, the girl jumping out of her skin, and looking like she had seen a ghost as she stared at him. Edging away from the hand, she reached out and took the badge, staring down at it for a moment. "You don't want it? I would've thought it would be right up your street." Harry said, in a somewhat hearty voice.

"I don't know. I don't think I should have it.. but it's better than Pansy. Plus I know Draco's going to have gotten it and my year is just going to consist of lying to him.. so.." She trailed off, shrugging. "I would've thought you would have got it as well." 

"I didn't even consider that I would get it, so I have no idea why-" He stopped himself, choking on his words and clearing his throat.

"Potter, it's fine to be jealous. But just remember that Ron has.. four? five? older brothers." Aviana said, her words surprisingly thoughtful. "This is the first time he's actually gotten something, in that sense." 

Harry nodded, but stayed silent. The interaction was strange, but whilst the words were meaningful, the atmosphere awkward and the two teens staring at each other.

"Besides, would you want to be chosen to do the same thing as Draco?" Aviana said, and Harry chuckled appreciatively. "Now go back in there and don't let it show."

And with that, she disappeared down the corridor, prefects badge hidden in her tightly balled fist.

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