Prefects and Portraits (Josh)

Guest

Double checking the note, she made her way over to the Portrait Room. She was ecstatic when she got the letter sometime during summer telling her that she had been made a prefect, and her parents had been really proud of her. She was now to meet her patrolling partner, the prefect with whom she was to be paired with for the rest of the school year.

The note from the head teachers had said to go to the Portrait Room, and she left her common room immediately, not wanting to be late. Stepping into the room, she looked around at the different moving pictures. She was the only one here, and she stood, patiently waiting for the other prefect to arrive.

Guest

Another year of being prefect, another year which allowed him to exploit the school rules. Of course, that had never stopped Josh before they pinned a badge on his chest, but now they didn't think he would be a culprit in such things. How simply naïve the school was, but Josh let it slide, a lot of things had changed around the school in recent years, and not all for the better.

Take the current Headmaster, for example.

So when he'd received a message from his little sister telling him what he had to do, Josh had to muse at the cheek of the Holmes. Apparently, they believed they owned the school. The Slytherin made his way to the Portrait room, perusing the pictures with little and less interest. The Slytherin portraits were on his agenda as the door opened, and Josh didn't lift his attention from the picture in question.

"You're late. Make sure it doesn't happen again, or I will inform the Headmaster of your incompetence to undertake your duties." Josh spoke, cold and calculated as ever, no hint of a joke in his voice as he turned around to see the Gryffindor from Care of Magical Creatures last year. Brooke, he believed. Why did there always seem to be a pattern with Gryffindors around him?

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"You're late. Make sure it doesn't happen again, or I will inform the Headmaster of your incompetence to undertake your duties."

Jumping at the voice, she turned around to see a Slytherin boy standing there. A slight frown crossed her face. How could she forget the boy who had blown up a fence she was sitting on? She had never actually gotten his name. Checking her watch, she replied, "I'm not late. The note said eight pm. It's currently seven fifty-five." One thing her family valued was being punctual, and it was a habit deeply sowed into her; she tried her best to never be late.

"So what are we supposed to do?" she asked. "It's my first year as prefect."

Guest

"I'm not late. The note said eight pm. It's currently seven fifty-five."

Josh tsked softly at her words, trying to fight against him was never going to get her anywhere. "You're late when I say you're late." Josh replied, not giving her his attention as he turned back towards the portraits that were much more interesting than the plain girl before him. Everyone had become plain the day his Azalea Harrington had entered the school, he shouldn't blame the other girls for not matching up to such beauty. It was unfair to compare perfection with the atrocities of this school. Unfair on his most precious flower.

"So what are we supposed to do?" she asked. "It's my first year as prefect."

An idiot, this one. But then, Gryffindors usually were. Didn't have time to simply think about what might be required before looking for someone to guide them. "You're supposed to do what you're expected to do." Josh replied, not really in the mood to play with imbeciles today. "Being your first year doesn't give you the right to not know. Read a book, find your answers. Our first patrol begins now." He told her, walking past her to the door and heading out in to the corridor.

Honestly, what was the categories to get these positions this year?

Guest

"You're late when I say you're late."

"I..." she started, but thought better and just nodded. "It won't happen again," she added. Something in her mind clicked and she remembered some stories she had heard in her common room. "You're Josh, aren't you," she stated, quite certain of this.

"You're supposed to do what you're expected to do."

She let out a small laugh, although she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or just plain rude, choosing to believe the former. Her parents had always taught her to look for the best in people, and that everyone had a story to tell, so all she said was: "Fair enough."

"Being your first year doesn't give you the right to not know. Read a book, find your answers. Our first patrol begins now."

"I highly doubt you can find these sort of answers in a book," she commented lightly. Quickly following him out of the room, she found a stride next to him. A few moments of silence passed - and Brooke did not like silence - before she piped up with, "So, what year are you in?"

Guest

"You're Josh, aren't you,"

"The very same." Josh replied, it was fleetingly obvious who he was. Only idiots didn't know as to who he was, and seeing as they'd spoken before, Josh had expected her to remember. Even if he hadn't given his name, it was simply one of those given things in life. If you didn't know something, you found out. Though from the sounds of it, this child wasn't very good at doing that.

"I highly doubt you can find these sort of answers in a book,"

"Then you're looking in the wrong place. There is a book that tells you how to do everything in life. You just need to look." Josh replied, yes this witch was definitely an idiot. Or, she simply didn't know the usefulness of a library. But then, most people overlooked such things in these times.

"So, what year are you in?"

"Sixth." Josh replied shortly, moving towards the front door and checking it was locked. Upon the conclusion that it was, Josh turned to face the grand staircases. Folding his arms across his chest, Josh took a moment. The ground floor was the worst place to patrol. Only really one space, no where to sit. And likely going to be full of trouble makers who hadn't found it back to their dormitories just yet.

Guest

"The very same."

She smiled to herself, glad that she had gotten it right. Of course, that also meant she was dealing with the Josh, but she pushed aside the stories she had heard. Rumours and gossip that were discussed at night or in secret were usually just a pinch of truth, twisted and stretched, added with a whole lot of crap. Brooke tended not to heed or entertain things like that; she'd much rather get to know people and then make her own judgements.

"Then you're looking in the wrong place. There is a book that tells you how to do everything in life. You just need to look."

"I'll certainly keep an eye out for that, then," she replied, not knowing what else to say. If there truly was such a book, she thought to herself. Josh confused her thoroughly, as she could not figure out what his intentions were. Sometimes she thought he was being rude, yet others, sarcastic.

"Sixth."

"Oh! So you took your O.W.Ls last year," she exclaimed. "How'd you do? Mine are this year." She watched as he checked the door and took his place. She figured he was waiting to see if there was anyone still out of bed, and stood next to him. Being a prefect was still new to her, but she was a fast learner, and hoped she would pick things up soon.

Guest

"Oh! So you took your O.W.Ls last year,"

That statement warranted no reply to the girl who thought it necessary to comment on such things. Still, the Slytherin knew Gryffindors were always in much more need of information than anyone else, so he let her continue.

"How'd you do? Mine are this year."

"Outstanding for every subject." Josh replied shortly. He had never been one for small talk, and he didn't brag about his results. Success as a Murray was a given, anything less than an Outstanding in his classes would have been an embarrassment. But, some people were never going to achieve straight O's. The comment of being her year for O.W.L.S was just as uninteresting as anything else in the conversation, so once again he ignored her.

As she moved beside him and didn't make a comment, Josh embraced the silence, his eyes straight ahead, but listening for the smallest of sounds.

Guest

"Outstanding for every subject."

"Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations," she said, happy for him, but also nervous for her own exams. She smiled at him warmly, although his cold disposition was starting to unnerve her a little. Maybe the stories about him were true, she began to think, but immediately shut those thoughts out.

A few seconds of silence passed, and Brooke decided that just standing there was of no use, and Josh was obviously not one for communication. Moving towards the hall, she kept an eye out for anything foreign or out of place, not just students. After making a quick check inside the Transfiguration room, she continued on to the hall. Nothing caught her attention, and so she walked back to where Josh was standing. "Empty," she told him.

Guest

"Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations,"

The tone of surprise might have irked another lesser being, but Josh wasn't surprised that the Gryffindor would be amazed at such things. Her congratulations was like congratulating someone of their age doing something they'd been able to do since they were five. It just went to show how much idiocy surrounded him in the school that these stupid exams meant anything to the people.

"Empty,"

"Yes." Josh replied, trying not to take a patronising tone. He'd known that for some time, but Brooke had had to check. "But trouble is coming from the stairs, so I would prepare yourself for your first dealings with miscreants, two or three students, I think." He told her flatly, waiting only thirty seconds for a trio of Hufflepuffs making their way down the stairs. Pity they would only be allowed to give them the reminder of nine curfew to be back in their dorms, it was always more satisfying when they could give out detentions.

Guest

"But trouble is coming from the stairs, so I would prepare yourself for your first dealings with miscreants, two or three students, I think."

How did he know? She tried to listen for anything that had tipped him off to that fact, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. Just before she was about to ask him, a tapping came from the direction that he has stated and she turned to see three younger Hufflepuffs walking towards them. So he had been right, she thought, as she moved towards them.

"Excuse me," she said firmly, watching them freeze as they saw her. "You should be in your common room," she continued, indicating towards the clock. Remembered when she herself had been caught out of bed by the Scarlett and the kindness she had received, she added, "Do you need anything?"

When they shook their heads, she motioned them away and they scuttled off, hopefully to their dorms and not to another place. Turning back to her partner, she gave him a half smile. "Do you want to move to the next floor now, or do you think there will be any others coming?"

Guest

Josh watched the small scene play out, watching how Brooke jumped in to action asserting power in a manner she obviously seemed to think was the way to handle these things. Josh remained silent, merely observing her until she moved back to him. She'd probably believe that she had sorted out her first scandal on her own, but Josh hadn't missed the worried glances of the Hufflepuffs in his direction.

The smile proved that much too.

"Do you want to move to the next floor now, or do you think there will be any others coming?"

"We only have this floor and the dungeons. But I can assure you the dungeons is no place for a lion." Josh told her, his eyes remaining straight towards the stairs. No Slytherin would be out of their dorm - or at least, none that would get caught. And the Hufflepuffs were much too pathetic to test his patience.

Guest

"We only have this floor and the dungeons. But I can assure you the dungeons is no place for a lion."

What was that suppose to mean? Indignation rose in her and she opened her mouth to retaliate, only to remember her resolution to control her temper. Besides, the last time she had been rude to him things had not gone very well. She knew that the Slytherin common room was somewhere in the dungeons. Was he insinuatiing that she couldn't take care of herself? To be fair, she thought, he did have a point about Slytherins and Gryffindors not getting along. Maybe he was looking out for her?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she almost laughed out loud. Even though she was relatively new to Hogwarts, and didn't know many people yet, she knew enough to know that Josh didn't care about anyone.

"I... You..." she paused and frowned, wondering what to say. "I guess you have a point. Do you want to go down there while I stay up here?"

Guest

"I guess you have a point. Do you want to go down there while I stay up here?"

The question of his capabilities to know the routines of the dungeon brought a smirk to Josh's lips a moment later. Honestly this witch thought he had to be in the dungeons to check everything was running smoothly? The poor fool obviously didn't understand how the Slytherin Common Room played to his tune. "There isn't any need." Was all Josh had to say to that, remaining solidly where he was.

Minutes turned in to hours in a flurry of thick silence. Josh didn't speak a word to the Gryffindor because she simply wasn't worth his time. As their shift came to an end, Josh didn't bother to look at his watch, he merely moved for the first time in hours, without a single word to Brooke. Down to the dungeons and his common room. If the Gryffindor girl followed, Josh didn't care, the door to the common room would snap shut behind him, and she would get the message there.

» What Needs To Be Done (Josh)
» Are sharpie mustaches a good idea on magical portraits? (Victoria Newbury)
» Prefects on Patrol
» Move over (Josh)
» Wishing you Well (Josh)