 welp Sardines ♥ BHB ♥ Dallie ♥ Grumpy ♥ MY SUN AND STARS ♥ i love julia
Natalie didn't care if Chloe's scarves were the most beautiful scarves she had ever seen, but they were handmade by a friend, and that was what made them special. She laughed at Chloe's comment and wrapped her scarf around her neck. "Well, I like them. Very much." She also liked the hugs, so she gave her new friend a good squish and smiled even more when she said she was going to be the best prefect ever, which was definitely not possible, but she appreciated the idea. And the help she offered too. "I'll probably take you up on that, Chloe." She may need all the help she could get.
As she released Chloe from the hug, Natalie heard a familiar voice at the door and her stomach did an embarrassing flop. She saw Derf all the time, but now she got to share a compartment with him, as PREFECTS. That was new and exciting and she hoped he was proud of her. While Derf got settled and did his thing, Natalie pretended to be very interested by her cookie and took a couple nibbles from it, watching the blonde in her peripheral vision.
Looking at Derf properly once he was seated, Natalie smiled at him and gave him a little wave. "Hey," she responded quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to them (which apparently wasn't working). She hoped they got a chance to talk again before they arrived at Hogwarts. She had some Prefecting questions she wanted to ask him.
There were other conversations going on, but Natalie hadn't been paying too much attention to them, though she did hear mention of the Head Boy. Oh. Head Boy. She had forgotten about him, whoever he was. Looking up to see who Daisy had congratulated, Natalie realized that no one new had arrived. Then her eyes landed on the shiny Head Boy badge... that was pinned to Derf's robes.
And she froze. Everything except for her stomach, which dropped.
Derf was Head Boy...? But... well, no, he couldn't be. Well, yes, he COULD be and should be because he was easily the most qualified for the position, but... they had just talked when she had shown him her own badge and he didn't say anything about it then... Why didn't he say anything? Badges came early in the summer... Surely he had received it before they met. Which meant...
He hadn't wanted to tell her. But why?
Maybe he didn't want her to know. Maybe he didn't want her to feel disappointed that he had gotten promoted again, which was kind of exactly what she was feeling. But why was she feeling that way? No one deserved to be Head Boy more than Derf. She was happy for him. Right? No, of course she was. Very happy for him. But also slightly mad at him. A hundred thoughts coursed her brain, her smile gone and her expression confused. Darting her eyes away from Derf, Natalie tried to process her thoughts and hide the disappointment and confusion from her face, forgetting about the cookie in her hands. She heard some more chatter and Anna shouting, but she was just... distant in thought for the time being and wished very much that she could hide under the bench until she figured out what she was feeling.
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