Midnight Rain ☂ APOLLO BLACK

⛭ five ⛭

LARA JEAN DID have a killer hangover the next day like Regulus predicted. She did regret drinking the whole bottle, but she was still on the constant high of being Head Girl. Even Harry's pranks didn't bring down her mood. The thrill of accomplishing her dreams was exhilarating. She even received a clipboard with painted flowers from her mother. It was perfect for taking notes on prefect rounds, her mother said.

Soon enough, Lara Jean stood in the Great Hall with her clipboard in hand and shiny Head Girl pin on her chest. Lara Jean saw Hermione sulking a bit when she walked in. Lara Jean knew Hermione wanted to be Head Girl too, but Hermione also knew that this had been her dream since day one. She smoothed her scarlet robes and watched as the prefects shuffled in and took a seat in the Great Hal. All eight prefects sat down and looked towards LJ and the missing mystery Head Boy.

"Okay, let's get started! I've got a mock-schedule written up already, but if anyone would like to make changes then I'm sure I could get that set to your liking. We've also got to discuss Quidditch practices and tryouts with the captains, so-" The door opened again to see Apollo Black wander in with his hands tucked into his leather jacket. (Yes, the original Sirius Black leather jacket, the first one he owned, ever.) But, the shocking thing was, he had a Head Boy pin on his chest as well. LJ gaped at the pin and Apollo rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry I didn't tell you. What have I missed?" Lara Jean then felt a small bubble of rage in her chest. How dare he take the one thing she wanted away from her? Shadow her limelight for the first time in her life? This was the one thing that Lara Jean had that Harry didn't. And now Apollo Black of all people had to overshadow her?

"Nothing much, come sit down!" A Ravenclaw prefect crooned, making gooey-eyes at Apollo. He soaked it up and sat down with his arm around her shoulder. The girl, Padma Patil, had her dark skin in a violent blush and was giggling. That made Lara Jean even more mad.

"Yes, you missed something. Next time show up on time, Black." She turned her nose up at him and passed out parchment to all of the younger prefects. Each schedule was color coded and had partners that weren't just by house, but by personality. She figured it was the best way to keep people together that would get along with one another to make patrols less boring.

Each prefect was buzzing and already talking to their partners, except Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. They both were glowering at everyone else, knowing they wouldn't be alone and quiet. But that was too bad, in LJ's opinion. She completely ignored Apollo and basically threw his schedule at him while he was whispering in Padma's ear. He turned away as it flinged at his face and picked it up, shrugging his shoulders and going back to whispering in Padma's ear.

"Okay." Lara Jean grasped her own schedule and stood in front of all the prefects, looking at all of their schedules with smiles. "Is everyone okay with these schedules? I can always switch some things around if needed." The prefects nodded and LJ had a blooming smile on her face. She felt so proud of herself. Nobody had any complaints for her about something she worked hard on.

"Actually," Apollo raised his hand lazily. "I want to go with you. Y'know, since you're the boss, I should also be the boss with you." LJ's face soured.

"If you want a change, you make your own schedule. You're not the boss, nor am I. I'm just guiding you all." Apollo winked at her and she scowled at him. Then she turned away and stomped off, an invisible stormcloud over her head trailing behind. Apollo scrambled up and almost toppled Padma over, following close behind her. He jogged up to her and walked behind her with his hands behind his back.

"Go away, Apollo." She thundered. He just smirked and walked next to her.

"No can do, sunshine. You're upset. It's my job to make it better." She groaned frustratedly and ran a hand through her hair.

"The only job you have is keeping students in line and making sure everyone is following the rules. Not making me happy, which you could never do. You're far too annoying, you talk too much, your ego is bigger than the Black Lake, and you don't have any sense of boundaries with anyone!" She had stopped and basically yelled it at his face. He seemed bothered by the fact that she said she couldn't be happy with him, but other than that, he didn't care much.

"That just means you think about me if you know all that," he pointed out with the Black smirk. "Maybe you fancy me, hm? Maybe you are attracted to me?" LJ yelled and started to sprint away, no matter how much she hated running, and ran all the way to her Head Girl dorm room.

The common room was a neutral mix of colors, a warm brown for the walls and a cool gray for the furniture. It looked eerily similar to the library in the Potter Manor but that made Lara Jean feel comforted in a way. Like a piece of home was with her. The common room also had a roaring fireplace and a large bookshelf with any books that she could ever desire.

She stormed into her own private chambers, slammed the door shut, and pressed her back against the door. She slid down it and buried her face in her hands. She was so sick of Apollo Black. She wished he'd leave her alone forever if that meant she got some peace and quiet for the rest of her life. She wished she'd never see him again. She cried a few tears of exhaustion and anger, wiping them away angrily. It wasn't like Lara Jean to cry openly for something so small but that little blip of a moment with Apollo and everything came undone.

All the calmness and happiness she grew while she held that badge, seeing the looks on James and Lily Potter's faces, getting a pat on the head from her brother, it all felt so good. But she was also very stressed behind the scenes. Her mother didn't mean to but she was a force to be reckoned with. She made sure that Lara Jean followed in her footsteps and made Head Girl, became something like a Ministry official, Unspeakable, or a Medi-Witch. Lily Potter imagined the perfect life for her daughter, and being top of everything was first on the list.

But Lara Jean couldn't help but think, is this what I really want for myself? Is this the life I will choose? When she saw the look on Lily's face she immediately shoved that suffocating feeling down and smiled on.

But all that weight, all those expectations? Apollo Black made everything fall apart. He had no expectations from his parents or from himself, and didn't have all that pressure to do well. She guessed that's why she hated Apollo Black so much; he was able to be free. Truly, madly free.