when i met you

77

"Ugh, that was a nightmare!" Lexi groaned as she slumped down in her new seat in the compartment with her friends.

Alicia and Angelina immediately started squealing and congratulating their best friend for becoming Head Girl. George huffed and rolled his eyes, whispering to Cedric "I said this was going to happen".

"Who're the new prefects?" Lee asked eagerly.

"Ron and Hermione, Padma and Anthony, Ernie and Hannah, and Draco and Pansy."

Everyone made faces of disgust at the mention of the Slytherin 'prince'.

"Well, pranks'll be easy this year, what with the Head boy and girl on our team!" said Fred excitedly.

Cedric laughed, "Only if you don't sign your name or we'll have to give you detention."

The train ride was a peaceful and fun environment for the six Gryffindors and Hufflepuff. They caught up about their summers (save for the Order information), planned pranks, discussed quidditch, and mouthed off about the ministry. Every now and then, Cedric and Lexi would roam the train corridors to check the prefects were doing their jobs.

The second time, Lexi had gone out alone and happened to find Draco Malfoy outside her brother's compartment.

"... I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

Lexi cleared her throat and the three Slytherins spun around to face her, Draco turned a shade paler. "I don't hear you threatening to abuse you newfound 'power', do I, Draco?" she asked intimidatingly.

"I-uh— no. I was just —"

"Leaving," she cut him off, "You were just leaving." Draco nodded and grabbed Crabbe and Goyle as they walked off. "I better not hear any more of this!" she shouted after his retreating figure.

"Thanks, Lexi," Hermione said when the older girl moved to stand in their doorway.

The Head Girl smiled, "No problem, tell me if you see him doing that again, I'll sort him out. And don't forget to do your rounds, you've also got to take the first-years up to the tower after dinner." she reminded the fifth year prefects

Then, she'd promptly returned to her compartment, feeling as though she'd done her job for the ride.

When the train arrived at the station, she and Cedric let their friends go ahead as the two of them had the duty to check the train after everyone had left. This was mostly so that if any students were asleep or had left belongings, they wouldn't be taken back to London.

Sure enough, there were three students that had fallen asleep and their friends thought it funny to leave them behind. Lexi woke them up as and they all walked off the train together after the inspection finished. Someone had forgotten their wand and the rest was just rubbish which had been cleaned up with the swish of her wand.

Two of the students had run off to the thestral-drawn carriages, but one was a first year and was becoming teary.

Lexi guided him down to the docks while Cedric stood by the carriages to make sure everyone got on. "What's your name?" she asked the small eleven-year-old.

"Eu-Euan," he stuttered.

"Well, Euan, my name's Lexi and you're going to have so much fun at Hogwarts, alright?" she assured him, he nodded unsurely.

When they reached the bottom of the docks, Lexi was lucky to find that the first-years were still only hopping in the boats.

"Professor Grubblyplank!" she called and brought Euan over with her.