First Quidditch Match Ⅳ

The Slytherins celebrate loudly as Rowan easily slips into the crowd. Nimbly navigating through the crowd, Rowan soon finds Severus and Terry. Coming up from behind them without any warning, she says, "So, did the two of you enjoy the match?"

"By Merlin's saggy pants, Rowan!" Terry swore at being spooked from behind. "Give a lad a hint or two, before popping out like some ghost!"

Severus scowls at Rowan before Terry resumes the initial quidditch conversation. "Yes, it really was a great match!" And proceeded to retell the entire quidditch match with passing commentary remarks from Severus.

The three of them leisurely stroll back together until Rowan spots Bethany, Silvia, and Tiffany in the distance. Rowan excuses herself. "I'll see you both later!" She waved goodbye to the two boys rushing towards her three friends.

Watching Rowan catch up with the girls, Terry shakes his head at the sight. "Is it just me or does it seem that Rowan is running away from us? Because that's how it sure looks to me."

"Same," Severus crossly agreed still irked at Rowan for spooking them.

"Who's running away from who?" A cheerful voice asked from behind.

Terry and Severus turn around to see a tiger-like smile on the face of Prefect Wilkes. "Rowan, Prefect Wilkes," Terry and Severus politely chorused.

"I see," Wilkes said with a twinkle in his eye, before skipping off.

"Don't you think that Wilkes's much too cheerful for a Slytherin?" Terry idly commented after the skipping figure of Prefect Wilkes.

"Definitely," Severus drily replied. "He should have been a Hufflepuff."

"Well, there must be something very Slytherin about him, or else the sorting hat wouldn't have done so," Terry pointed out as they watched Prefect Wilkes approach Rowan from behind

By some sixth sense, Rowan turns around to spot Wilkes only a few feet away with a bright smile. Rowan instinctively bolts as Wilkes comments, "I do love a good chase," causing Bethanie to shudder and Silvia and Tiffany to silently pray for Rowan's safety.

James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew blissfully chatter away as they enter through the main doors. Not even a third length into the hallway, when they hear loud footsteps behind them. They all turn in surprise to see Rowan sprinting at them. "What-?" Sirius doesn't even get a chance to finish his sentence when Rowan bolts past them and turns around the corner.

The four of them all glance at each other as Sirius says, "What was all that about?"

"Excuse me," a cheerful voice said as they all turned to see the handsome Slytherin Prefect

"You wouldn't have seen one of my cute 1st years running past you, would you now?" Wilkes sweetly asked. James, Sirius, and Remus all shake their heads except for Peter, who gleefully points in the direction Rowan went.

"Thank you and bless your kind soul," Wilkes said, before taking a deep breath and sprinting down the full length of the hall in a matter of seconds. "I'm coming, Rowan!" He bellowed disappearing down the winding staircase.

"Okay, now I'm seriously disturbed," Sirius remarked utterly bewildered by the scene he just witnessed.

"Don't be. That's just how Prefect S.R. Wilkes is," Bethanie breathlessly panted from behind.

The four of them all turn around to see Bethanie, Silvia, and Tiffany standing behind them out of breath. "Okay, I demand to know what's going on?" Sirius crossed his arms over his chest in emphasis.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Bethanie truthfully puffed as she glanced over at Tiffany and Silvia for help.

Tiffany furrows her brows in thought, before slowly replying, "So basically, Prefect Wilkes likes her."

The four boys choke as Remus incredulously says, "You mean like, likes her? But he's so much older than her!"

"No, more like the other like," Tiffany clarified.

Silvia rolls her eyes and says, "Prefect S.R. Wilkes just thinks Rowan is fun to tease, that's all."

"Tch," Peter said in disappointment.

Ignoring Pettigrew, Remus says, "Okay, then why is Prefect Wilkes chasing her?"

"Oh, that's an entirely different story," Silvia thoughtfully mused, which only made the four boys even more confused.

"Fine then, why is he chasing her?" James finally inquired in exasperation.

"Prefect Wilkes is just being Prefect Wilkes," Bethanie deadpanned.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" James impatiently asked.

"It's a wonder to us too, but that's simply how Prefect Wilkes is," Bethany replied with a shrug. "You can ask any of the other Slytherins including our Head Boy, Lucius Malfoy."

"I've heard Lucius Malfoy reply to that question on more than one occasion with a rather strained look on his face. Malfoy's resigned and rather polite answer each time is, 'Perfect Wilkes is an exceptional perfect, who is rather unique in his very own way,'" Tiffany wryly interjected.

"It's a constant wonder to me, that Wilkes isn't a Hufflepuff," Silvia drily commented.

Everyone is silent in unanimous agreement until Tiffany adds, "I don't know his mischievous nature seems to be a Gryffindor trait if you ask me."

After a moment of silence, James slowly says, "But Rowan will be alright, right?"

The three girls look at each other in unison and shrug, "Probably." And just like that, the groups disperse each to their own common room.

Inside the Slytherin common room, the three first-year girls find Prefect S.R. Wilkes gloomily slumped in the Slytherin common room area. A Slytherin 5th year, a friend of the Slytherin Prefect asks, "What's wrong, Wilkes?"

"My target cheated and got away," Wilkes unhappily said as he pointed to the stairs of the female dorms.

Bethanie, Silvia, and Tiffany keep their smiles of glee to themselves. Because frankly, no one wanted to be on the playful receiving end of Prefect Wilkes's mischievous tricks. With a spring in their steps, the three girls scurry upstairs to see Rowan lying limply on her bed.

"So, you escaped to the female dorms, huh? Not bad!" Silvia enthusiastically said as she gave Rowan two thumbs up for giving Prefect Wilkes the slip.

"Boys can't enter the female dorms," Rowan snickered back.

"But I bet that Prefect Wilkes will try again in the common room," Bethanie warned putting her Slytherin cheering gear away in her school wardrobe.

"Doubt it," Rowan answered with a tired grin.

"And why is that?" Tiffany asked with eyes full of curiosity.

"Because I'll be hiding behind Captain Nott," Rowan evilly cackled.

"Good on you, Rowan," Silvia snickered as Tiffany winced on behalf of Wilkes.

"Yup," Rowan triumphantly declared. "Captain Nott will certainly still be angry about today's commentary and I'm fairly sure her anger shall not dissipate for a day or two at least."

"Crude but effective, I suppose," Bethanie murmured under her breath.

The other three girls narrow their eyes with mutiny at Bethanie. "Well, how about you go aide Prefect Wilkes in his time of need?" Rowan darkly suggested.

Bethanie blanches and tactfully retreated. "Wilkes deserves everything that is coming to him!"

Rowan, Silvia, and Tiffany, all nod their heads in agreement as Bethanie lets out a sigh of relief. Sometimes her roommates scared her. And on days like this Bethanie idly wondered if the rest of the shared dorm rooms were like this. Probably not…...