Olly took the yearbook that was offered to him and opened it. It was just filled with a bunch of pictures of people who had gone to Hogwarts in previous years. But he didn't really know any of them, so it was not super interesting to look at pictures of their faces.

He took the seat across from the boy, even though he hadn't been invited. But he had been handed a yearbook, and it was much easier to read when it was resting on a surface. He flipped through a few of the pages idly. Who had the funniest name?

What? Learn something? This wasn't a book. There wasn't any sort of useful information in it. What was this boy trying to learn? Oliver paused and looked up at the boy in confusion.

"What are you trying to learn about?"

It was much easier to look at the boy when he was seated across from him and so Rooney found it extremely easy to look between the book he was reading and the Slytherin across from him. Said Slytherin looked extremely confused by Rooney's studying of the yearbook and he could only shrug. "Being a prefect." It wasn't a universal study subject, but it was something that Rooney was interested in as much as he was musical theatre.

And that was a lot.

He opened up another of the yearbooks to an interview with a Head Girl and nudged it towards the first year. "Notice her dedication? Her need for things to work out and to help? That's what I want to be."

Being a prefect, huh? That meant he was seeking power. Oliver just nodded thoughtfully. Being a prefect did sound like a pretty cool job. Though, when he thought about it, he realized that he didn't really know what they did? They had led the first years to the common rooms and told them the password. But any older student could have done that. What was the point of being a prefect?

He skimmed through the interview in the yearbook that had been slid in front of him. But it still didn't really help answer his question. What did prefects do that could not be done by pretty much anybody? He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to point it out to the boy, but he did anyway. "But you don't have to be a prefect to help out."

.......... "No, but it is a high prestige." And it would look excellent on all applications that he ever made. Especially if he was prefected next year. It was virtually impossible for a third year, but that didn't stop the fact that he was going to try his very hardest to do just that. Or at least pretend. Make his own badge like Miss Evangeline did this year. "And it'll be good practice for when I'm Minister for Magic." If the first year wanted to know his plans for the future.

"Don't you want to do something whilst you're here at school?"

Oliver just shrugged. He had no interest in becoming prefect, but it wasn't like he was against the idea. If this boy wanted to do that, good for him. Other people could be in charge and do all the work.

"I don't think those two things are quite the same." Minister for Magic was a much bigger job than prefect. They had to watch over the entire country, not just a bunch of schoolchildren. They had power over everyone. It did sound nice, but also like a lot of work. So someone else could do it, this boy or Ellery, and he could be on their good side to get some of the benefits without any of the work.

Oliver shrugged again at the boy's next question. "I don't think school is what's really important. It's what comes after school." So no, he did not particularly care about holding some important position while in school. He turned back to the yearbook in front of him and flipped through a few pages. Huh? Awards? "I want to win something."

Roo scoffed, taking the yearbook back and slamming it onto the pile he had. "I don't think you're quite capable of either, anyway." And with that, he closed the yearbook that he was reading himself and started to read through that, giving the Slytherin on the other side of the table none of his attention whatsoever. He didn't think that he quite understood the work that went into achieving things that Rooney wanted to, and he was going to spend no time at all explaining it to him only for him to laugh in his face and shoot his dreams down.

"If there's an award for an obtuse opinion, you'd win every day." That was actually all that Rooney had to say on the matter and he felt bad for even saying such a thing, but his hopes and dreams were under scrutiny right now.

They were important to him.

Well that was rude. Right away, Oliver was offended. He couldn't believe the other boy would say something like that to him. He could do anything he wanted so there. But he had to remind himself that he didn't want to be prefect or minister for magic anyway, so he should not be offended. It was actually probably true. He shrugged instead of arguing, even though he was still kind of mad the boy would have the audacity to say that. Why was he so mean?

"It's just my opinion." He could have one of those, you know. And now look, the boy was just going to IGNORE him. Well that was rude and not very prefect-y. Oliver stood up. If he wasn't wanted then he would just go back to his own table. "I just said I don't want to be prefect. And everyone can have prefecty attitudes without actually being prefect." Because of course not everyone could be prefects, there were only eight at a time. "But I didn't say it was a bad thing. If you want to be prefect then I hope you do." It came out more forceful than he had intended. But Oliver did not like to be misunderstood, and it did tend to happen pretty often.

Rooney thought about ignoring this kid until he went away, choosing a new yearbook to look through and read in detail. Every word. From front cover to back cover. And not make any sort of eye contact with the opinionated oblong across the table from him. Roo's opinion of Slytherins was decreasing rapidly and he had no intention whatsoever to engage with another in the coming days. In fact, he thought them as people he wouldn't be able to communicate effectively with and nothing was worse than that.

Eyes narrowing on the page before him, Roo quietly assessed the situation and how quickly he could get out of the library without drawing attention to himself for not putting these books back...

Or maybe the oblong could leave..

Off to the library to attempt another spell for transfiguration. The water goblet spell was pretty easy to accomplish non-verbally, but Tia was not sure she'd be able to say the same for the other spells.

So many objects to change into a quill, but probably choosing a book would be best.

Sitting down at one of the tables with the smallest book she could find - it was only about 30 pages long - Tia sat a moment, flicking through the book casually and wondered if the change would be permanent. She hoped not. Her head of house would probably kill her if she wrecked a good book. Surely it was nothing finite couldn't fix though and there were other ways to reverse magic, she was sure of it.

Steady hand. Pointing her wand at the book, she flicked it to the right, "Scribblifors" she said aloud, not sure of herself enough to cast it nonverbally. But apparently she wasn't sure of herself period about using a book as the object because for the first time in years, there was NO change at all. Not even partial transfiguration.

Probably just as well. Setting the book back on the shelf, the sixth year left in search of another object she could use. And maybe feel more confident about.

It was sometime in the afternoon and Evie was actually being productive. No friends, no boyfriends, not distractions, just studying and doing homework. She was, however, breaking a library rule and eating cheese crackers. Evie was sitting criss cross on the chair, with a little plastic baggy of bite-size crackers in the middle and she was somewhat sneakily eating them while reading and highlighting her notes for class.

Occasionally, she would glance up to make sure Kitridge wasn't nearby so she could eat sneakily. But the coast was still clear. Because Evie could NOT study without food or else she would just end up THINKING about food the whole time and not actually study much.

Yes ladies and gentleman, believe it or not Zander Adair actually DOES study.

Sometimes.

On a good day.

Ahem.

But of course, he had to actually go out of his way to make time to study now. Between all the new things he had to do this term, studying was kind of hard to fit in. Except NEWTs were coming up a lot faster than the Seventh Year wanted to admit, so here he was... With some books... About errr things. Studying. Well, about to be studying. But first, "Evie," he sent a nod her way... cautiously though. Because... Hmph. He hated her. Well okay no, he didn't hate her. He just hated how she was to Sophie.

Which made trying to approach her civilly a very difficult task. "You look awfully suspicious," he noted. With all her looking over at Kitridge.

Rude. That was just RUDE. At least he was not insulting Olly anymore, but flat out ignoring him was almost worse. He could at least acknowledge him. But instead, the rude boy just ignored Oliver.

FINE. WHATEVER. He didn't care. Oliver stood up from the table and walked quickly back to his own. He considered sticking his tongue out at the boy but stopped himself. No, that would be too childish. He would not stoop to the same level as the rude boy. And to think he wanted to be a prefect. Well, he hoped that there would never be a prefect as rude as this boy.

Oliver gathered up his things and shoved them into his bag. He would go somewhere else to do his homework then. He did not want to stay in the presence of someone so mean. The meanness might rub off on him.

Hmph.

So he was going? Okay.

Rooney made a note in his notebook that he was going to stay away from Slytherin's with a bee in their bonnet. And also to look into what their problem was with people wanting to do something with their life. Weren't they supposed to be ambitious, or was that an incorrect stereotype? Ugh, maybe Slytherins were more confusing than GIRLS. And they were the most confusing of all of them.

"Why don't you want to be Prefect?"

Valid question.

"I thought you weren't talking to me." He glanced suspiciously over to the boy's table. If he was going to give Oliver the silent treatment then he really should be consistent about it. At the moment, he was just giving mixed signals. Oliver had been fine with parting ways, but now it seemed like the boy still wanted to talk. He should just make up his mind.

He didn't unpack his things, but he did not make another move to leave either. He left his bag on the table in front of him as he considered the boy's question.

"I just don't see why they should be any more special than other people." It was promoting separation between students instead of equality. It just didn't seem fair. But he wasn't necessarily against the idea, he just didn't fully understand how it worked. Fine, he could try and understand. Try and play nice.

"What's the point of having prefects?" He honestly hoped it didn't come out sounding too...mean. It was just a question.

"You don't have to respond." Rooney hadn't pleaded with him, nor had he begged and he most definitely did not need him to answer if he didn't want to. This wasn't an interview. He was just curious. Definitely curious, because he couldn't quite understand anything that was coming out of the first years mouth.

What was the point? Why should they be more special? Rooney raised an eyebrow, something that he found himself doing a lot since he had returned to school for his second year. "They aren't any more special than any of the other students here in the castle... They're just given a sense of responsibility.. Given a choice and a say.. Why shouldn't we have something to work towards? I'd rather be homeschooled if there was nothing for me to aim for by the end of my school days." And he had no idea why this other kid thought different. Rooney wasn't at all sure that he could understand any other view about this.. Maybe it was because he'd had it in his head since he was little that he would be a prefect one day, but he most certainly couldn't come to terms with an idea that was a world without badged students.

"Some people need the confidence that comes with being recognised for your hard work.."

They weren't any more special? While he did believe that, he did not believe that they weren't treated like they were more special. They had more power. People had more faith in them. Honestly it sounded like there was more pressure on them. He hadn't really thought about the prefects much because he honestly didn't care. He wasn't as angry about power dynamics as his sister was. He just didn't have an interest in any of it.

He shrugged. It wasn't like this kid was trying to convince him to be totally on board with the idea of prefects. Which was good, because that would be a losing battle. But Oliver wasn't trying to convince the boy of the opposite either. If he wanted to be a prefect, good for him.

"But there are only two prefects per house at a time. So obviously not everyone who wants to be a prefect can be one. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be suited for the job but they can't all get it. Which means that some people who are looking forward to a position like that are just going to end up disappointed." Which wasn't fair.

It was a good goal to have, he supposed. It gave students who believed in the idea a reason to work hard and act appropriately. But it couldn't end well for everyone.

Evie was just about to sneak another snack bite into her mouth when none other than Mr. Perfect Head Boy came trotting along and he just HAD to come say hello, didn't he? Evie looked up from her textbook and deadpanned at the boy for... one.. two.. three.. four...

"Good," she said, eating her cheesecracker and returning her gaze to her studying that she was obviously doing. "Keeps people wondering." Was he wondering? Or just trying to find a good reason to start talking to her so he could tell her off for being mean to his girlfriend? Because, really, she'd LOVE to be a part of that conversation.

So..he had a point. Rooney nodded and considered how he would approach responding to the fact the Slytherin FINALLY had a valid point. Surprisingly. "Sometimes three. Sometimes there are two prefects and a Head Boy or Girl. Only some years, though." But there were a lot more than three students in each house that probably deserved the position and sometimes.. Rooney bet that they were more deserving than those that did receive a badge. Actually...... Rooney grabbed for a yearbook and flicked through it in hunt of something important.

Aha!

"Did you know that the Head Girl wasn't Prefect to begin with?" Well, someone else had been made Prefect, and then she took over. Probably because she was better suited for the job. Roo was certain of that, at least.

"I think that those deserving of the position are humble enough to.. accept if someone else deserved it too..." Or so he was going to continue telling himself in case he didn't get a badge like he wanted to.

Y'know, all he was trying to do here was be civil. And procrastinate, clearly. But that was besides the point.

The point was, why the heck was she giving him so much attitude?

Zander stood for a moment in complete silence. Dumbstruck. What? Everything from the deadpanning, to the obvious shrugging him off, to the-- Sweet Merlin, who was this girl and where was the Evie Shaklebolt that used to go here? He furrowed his brows a little, "the only thing I'm wondering is what happened to make you so different all of the sudden."

Er. So maybe that wasn't the right thing to say.

Honestly, she wasn't even being rude. She was minding her own business, studying, and he interrupted her, so really HE was the rude one at the moment. He deserved attitude.

Evie turned her eyes back to her textbook to continue her studying, only to be interrupted again by the Head Boy (who was neglecting his duties; did he not SEE the crackers she was blatantly eating in front of him?). She looked up at his 'wondering' and gave him a thoughtful look. "I'm not sure what you mean... I've been here the whole time. Studying."

She knew exactly what he meant. But if he wanted to poke at her, he was going to have to try a little harder.

Merlin please have mercy on his soul because Sophie Brown was gonna kill him if she ever found out he went near Evie. But it's not like he even went out of his way to seek her out or anything. He was here and she was here. Merely happenstance. He didn't want to study and she was studying and probably didn't want to be either. This was only fate. Merely happenstance. Surely Sophie would understand that, right?

Ahem.

Zander deadpanned. "You know that's not what I meant," he was sure she knew exactly what he meant, actually. He was positive.

"I'm talking about how you're going around undermining Prefects, telling people that 'Head Dude and Head Babe' are better and 'cooler'?" That's right, Davie unknowingly passed this along. Poor kid thought that it was all real. "And how you just threw one of your best friends away, without a proper reason. Seems like a lot of change to me," he watched her carefully, hoping that the last bit struck a chord... But having a feeling that it didn't at all.

Oh, so little Davie had talked about her? Awww, how precious. She knew he would and it wasn't something she was worried about. The Head Babe thing was a joke and just a bit of fun, especially with an adorable first year such as David Truebridge.

"Come on, Zander, everybody knows Prefects really aren't that cool anyway. You're just a bunch of goodie-two-shoes who threaten to put people in detention even though don't have any real power." Or else he would have gotten after her for eating these cheese crackers in the library. Buuuuut he couldn't.

Evie almost rolled her eyes when he brought up Sophie Brown and their once-friendship. She didn't offer any explanation on that one, but she set her book down and looked Zander straight on. "If you want to talk about undermining, why don't you talk to your practically perfect prefect girlfriend who thinks it's a hobby to one-up said best friends in everything they try to do?" Because SHE didn't wanna talk about it.

And SINCE her study time was now INTRUDED and she had little time left until her next class, Evie shut her book and started to pack her bag.

Three? He'd never heard of that. Though considering he didn't really care, it wasn't very surprising. But the information about the Head Girl was new, too. And that was actually interesting. Because it confused him, and didn't really make sense. Oliver hesitated for a moment before standing up from his table again. Forgetting that he had been mad at the other boy, he made his way back over to the table in order to peer over his shoulder at the yearbook.

"Why?" There were a lot of ways he could have continued that question. Why had she not been named prefect in the first place? Why had she been made Head Girl if she hadn't even been prefect? Why had the other prefect lost the job? But he hoped that the one simple word was enough to convey all of his questions to the other boy.

At that last part he just shrugged. Whatever, he was over arguing. They were never going to come to an agreement, but it didn't really matter. Oliver wasn't trying to put down the Ravenclaw's beliefs. Maybe it would be best if he just stopped trying to talk about that.

Why? "Why wh--oh. Miss Sophie Brown? I'm not sure, I haven't asked. She was prefect before she became Head Girl though. Just..not initially." And no, before the Slytherin asked.. he wasn't going to ask her why and hurt her feelings, because he wasn't sure if she would cry and he also wasn't sure whether her crying would make him cry. Another negative. Rooney couldn't cry in front of Miss Sophie Brown. She wouldn't have any thoughts about marrying him one day if he did. She would never be the Ministers wife. And he would never be Miss Sophie Brown's husband.

"She should have been in charge since she started though. She's wonderful..." And made his heart swell and gave him every positive hope for the world. Including himself.

She was sunshine and daisies.

Miss Sophie Brown was perfect.

That made more sense. That she had been a prefect before becoming Head Girl, even if he still didn't know why she hadn't been initially. "Do you know who was?" Not that it probably mattered much. Would Oliver even know who it was? But he was curious now, and wanted to know more. Hopefully this boy would be able to supply the answers. He certainly did not care enough to try and look for them himself.

Oliver didn't know the Head Girl very well. Or at all, really. It did make sense that a Ravenclaw would know her a lot better, considering she was in charge of that house. Did all of them think she was wonderful? What was that tone of voice? And that pause? Exactly how wonderful did this boy think she was? But Oliver did not want to ask any questions that might make the boy mad at him again. But he had just remembered something he thought was true about the Head Girl.

"Oh, isn't her boyfriend the Head Boy?"