Troubled Waters and Steadfast Hills

Chapter 1: Practice Makes Prefect

The castle's white granite walls seemed to shine extra bright this year. The front hall was buzzing with noise. Students raced around the second story balcony to find their friends. It was a frenzy of skirts and wands and eager young witches and wizards. I stood at the edge of the rail looking down at the pristine marble floors.

"Excited?" asked my best friend Ivy. She too looked over the edge at the scene below. Ivy always took a special interest in the new students. She had a motherly quality to her. Actually, more like a drunk aunt quality but the younger students always loved her. And this year her younger brother was down there.

"Eh-" I replied. I had to raise my voice to be heard over the bustling crowd. "It was exciting the first few times but now the sorting just feels predictable." I watched the first year students on the first level. Lined up by the door. Some looked unbelievably eager. Others looked downright terrified.

"Understandable. But I wasn't referring to the sorting actually." She smiled at me. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes bright. "Prefect, valedictorian, and you are no doubt going to be seeker of the quartitch team yet again. Maybe even team captain! This is your year, girl!"

"Well I guess you could say I'm excited." I replied as nonchalauntly as I could. I would never admit that my success here at school made me extremely proud. "And I have to beat out Moore for valedictorian, you know that."

Ivy scoffed. "As if he even stands a chance."

"You and I both know that he does." I responded. Someone pushed past me and forced me closer to the railing. I ignored the bustle of people and continued. "His GPA is 0.03 underneath mine. He is close." And he never let me forget it. Every Friday for the past 3 school years we would race to Headmaster Elderbrock's office where she would discuss our GPAs and class rankings so we could see who was ahead. Whenever he inched above me in academics or activities he would rub it in. He would mock me in the hallways or on the quartitch field. At least until I passed him at our next meeting. He infuriated me. His stupid smirk when I got a question wrong or his pathetic laugh if I swerved on my broom. If I had one goal this year it was to obliterate that man. I would leave him in the dust this year. Study harder, practice longer, earn more ribbons and get more A's.

"I don't think he stands a chance." Ivy responded confidently. "I think you are going to crush him. Squash him like a bug. Destroy his-"

Before Ivy could continue with her graphic description of my academic victory, two girls came rushing up to us.

"Oh, thank goodness we found you two." Lucy spoke, gasping for air. "Please tell Vinnie that she did not need to bring 3 bustles this year."

"Good to see you guys too." Ivy joked.

"I told you!" Vinnie responded to Lucy sharply. "I want to appear more mature this year. It's about time I start making a way in the world for myself and I can't do that in the plain ass skirts we always wear."

"Please!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "You just want Warren to like you and you know you are too young for him."

"I am not too young for him!" Vinnie gasped. "He's 17! I'm 16! Hes not that much older than me!"

Ivy chirped in "Vinnie, he does turn 18 next week."

"Still! And what's wrong with wanting an older man-"

They continued bickering like hens. I would have joined in but I saw a familiar figure across the room on the other side of the balcony. I scowled. It was none other than Ernest Moore. That bastard. We locked eyes across the way. He smirked and bowed mockingly. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. He had grown over summer break. His hair seemed longer. His skin was tan. And the shape of his muscles could be seen through his buttoned up coat. He would have no trouble finding a helpless young debutant to put on his arm soon enough. Whoever the unlucky girl was this year, I pitied her.