The Waiting Game▬RL 1

Hufflepuff

As the youngest sibling, Renee Potter often found herself in the shadow of her older brother James. While being waited on and watched over because of her age had its endearing moments, constantly being compared to her brother was frustrating. She preferred to keep a low profile, unlike James, who thrived on attention. Renee's personality was quiet and friendly, fitting well with her placement in Hufflepuff House. She didn't seek drama and preferred to play it safe, simply getting by with the bare minimum required in life. She could never fathom how her brother and his friends, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, had so much energy for their adventurous escapades. She never considered herself to be friends with her brother's dorm mates. The Hufflepuff was one of the only people to not be a victim of the Marauders' pranks. Renee didn't understand it, but it was always entertaining to watch them.

Renee sat at the kitchen table; James was seemingly still in bed and their parents were at the Ministry. The Hogwarts owl came swooping in on that beautiful July morning. She instinctively covered her cereal—just in case. However, it landed carefully on the table. He dropped the two envelopes and stole a piece of toast from off the plate. Renee nodded as a thanks, her mouth still full. As if he had a sixth sense, the older twin came bounding down the stairs and running into the dining area. Still donned in his pyjamas, he took the cup of pumpkin juice she had recently poured. Chugging it down she stared in disbelief. Her hand flew up to swat his head. She had just missed, his own hands coming up to hit hers away.

"Yeah, no worries, dear brother. I poured that specifically for you." She stated, sarcastically. The boy pushed his glasses up his nose, grabbing the envelope from the table.

"Morning, Renny." James smiled and ripped open his package. She watched as he read over the letter and shrugged. "Same old classes Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. And my electives Divination and Muggle Studies. What are you taking?" Renee ripped open her own and gasped. She shyly reached to the bottom of the package and pulled out the shiny badge. It displayed the word 'Prefect' and had a nice yellow background. James was ecstatic. Probably more so than herself. She would be able to let him and the boys into the Prefects bathroom. That was his thought anyway. He made 'gimme' hands, and she carefully handed the broach to him. He gave it back after a couple of seconds and tried to bend it with his teeth. "Wow! Congrats Ren. This is going to be so good." He rubbed his hands together as if planning the entire year. She laughed at his actions, looking down at the badge.

"I can't believe it. Dorcas is going to be happy one of us got it." She exclaimed and pulled out the papers. "I forgot that I signed up to take Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures."

"I think Peter wanted to take those this year. Or maybe it was Remus." She scoffed and dramatically wiped the splattered cereal from her face. He ruffled her hair and padded back up the stairs. Leaving her to clean up her dishes. Why do brothers think they can just take things? More specifically food, sometimes Renny wishes she had a sister instead.

✿

The weeks following went by relatively fast, with James' friend Peter—who lived just down the street, visiting quite often. Ren had also been made aware that Remus was one of the Gryffindor Prefects, which made her job easier. He can deal with James and Sirius. She knew it wouldn't do much to keep the boys from causing trouble. Before they knew it, they stood on the Platform, Euphemia smothering them with kisses and Fleamont gave them both a bear hug. Renee found Dorcas quickly, showing her the badge and apologizing for having to leave her for a bit. Dorcas was very proud.

"You're like Hufflepuff royalty! As soon as we get to Hogwarts you should reward me with points." The dark-skinned girl said smugly, putting her book down on the cushion. Renee rolled her eyes before excusing herself. The walk to the Prefects compartment was long, it being at the front of the train.

Once she entered the compartment, she greeted Lily Evans with a shy wave and sat next to Amos Diggory. Amos was very bright—some say he should've been in Ravenclaw. Renee didn't know why he was a Hufflepuff. He was quite arrogant; holding the confidence of a Gryffindor. Often didn't understand social cues. However, he was all right to chat with on occasion.

It didn't take long after the door closed behind Renee for Remus to enter. Renee Potter had never been close to Remus. He was quiet, not unlike herself. But he was also very mysterious. Remus was probably the only one of James' friends that she didn't know where she stood. He was always polite, but the conversations they did have were limited and always with short answers. The boy had grown about four to five inches over the summer and was starting to develop a jawline. He seemed to have lost a lot, if not all, of his baby fat. He was looking grownup compared to last year. Renee was a little jealous.

Remus smiled quickly and sat next to Lily as they all awaited the head boy and girl. They went over a lot of rules and regulations. Most Renee couldn't even remember. Near the end of the meeting, partners were distributed.

"Each stick has a matching one. Whoever pulls the same colour are partners, if you pull the pink sticks, you will be made the schedule makers of this year." Daniel Lender, head boy, stated as the head girl passed the hat to the prefect closest to her.

Some of the students had very vocal reactions to their stick colour. Severus Snape was very pleased to be partnered with Lily Evans. Lily also smiled brightly at him.

Renee couldn't help the visceral reaction. She immediately groaned when she pulled the pink stick from the hat. Daniel and Amy started explaining rounds once more, but they finished rather quickly. "The template for the first month is on this table pink team, if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask," Amy called out as she closed the compartment door, leaving Remus and Renee to themselves. The boy gave a small smile before staring down at the calendar. Renee returned a smile, wiping her hands on her skirt anxiously.