Xavier My Savior

3 • Year of Passageways

Welcome to year 3, or the year of Xavier and Quentin's constant arguing.

←O-O→

Q U E N T I N

It was ten o'clock at night when my lifespan once again got sliced in half.

"I'm upping the stakes!" Caro announced, bursting into my room with too much energy. Despite the lack of a door, the heavy thud of her jumping in scared every single one of us.

I heard a thump as Ramesh rolled straight off his bed and engaged in a blanket-battle. As for me, I shrieked and instinctively threw the shirt I was putting on at her.

"Oh thanks," she said calmly, taking it off her face and examining it. "I didn't know you like Michael Jackson. Anyway, about our Muggle Studies test —"

"Can you give it back?" I cried, reaching for the MJ merchandise.

Hopping backwards, she held it aloft and shook her head sternly, "Not until I'm done."

I grabbed my pillow and grasped it in front of me. "Okay. What?"

Her face was the picture of innocence and chaos at the same time. "I just feel like the naming of my future snake is not enough motivation."

"Caro," I complained, again grabbing futilely at MJ. "I want to sleep and it's September. Exams are in May, so why are we talking about this now?"

"Because I just thought of it! Hurry up and say you agree."

I had long learned to be wary of agreeing to anything she proposed without knowing everything. Even in my embarrassment, I knew this well. "To what?"

She spoke very fast, like raindrops falling during a storm, "Whoever loses has to do the other's homework for a month. It'll have to start next year, of course."

"Fine fine," I said too quickly, confident that I'd win anyway. "Now give it back before someone comes to investigate. If Walter sees you here again he'll follow through on his threat to chain you to the girl's side."

Caro shot me a wide grin then tossed my shirt at me, which meant it somehow landed on Ramesh.

She skipped out the door past Xavier, who'd poked his head in. "I heard inhuman screeching," he said, then surveyed the scene.

Three boys were in the process of magicking undergarments out of view, I had a pillow hugged to myself, and Ramesh was asking "who are you?" to my shirt.

"I am very confused," Xavier stated, then left.

Well, so was I. And afterwards, Caro did not provide much explanation.

←O-O→

It was a Hogsmeade weekend in November and we were back early, so the common room was still pretty empty.

Louisa was hogging the green fireplace. Jack Liang — a first year — was napping by the door. I quite liked Jack, mostly because he constantly forgot to do his homework and that got Walter off our backs and onto his.

And yeah, Walter beat out a diehard perfectionist in his year and ended up prefect. Xavier was very upset about it, since he loved being right and he'd been wrong about that.

I thought it strange that Walter didn't seem to care about Fred and George, who shocked practically everyone when they caused plates of Dungbombs to appear at every table during the Welcome Feast. I vaguely remembered Bill as a responsible Head Boy, I knew Charlie was a Quidditch Captain and prefect, and of course there was Percy. The Weasley family's gene pool was apparently more complicated than anyone thought.