Chapter 50 - First Quidditch Match Ⅳ

Rowan easily slips in with the still celebrating Slytherin crowd. Slithering through the crowd, she soon finds Severus and Terry. "So, did the two of you enjoy the match?" Rowan asked.

"It was great!" Terry exclaimed and proceeded to retell the entire match with side passing comments from Severus.

The three of them leisurely stroll back until Rowan spots Bethany, Silvia, and Tiffany in the distance. Rowan hastily waves goodbye to Severus and Terry. "I'll see you both later!"

Seeing Rowan catch up to the girls and begin to chatter. Terry shakes his head and remarked to Severus. "Is it just me or is Rowan is running away from us? Because that's how it sure looks to me."

"Same here," Severus grumbled.

"Who's running away?" A cheerful voice asked from behind.

Terry and Severus turn around to see the smiling face of Wilkes. "Rowan," Terry and Severus chorused.

"I see," Wilkes said with a twinkle in his eye, before skipping off.

"Don't you think that Wilkes's much too cheerful for a Slytherin?" Terry commented after the skipping figure of Wilkes.

"Definitely," Severus drily replied. "He should have been a Hufflepuff."

"Well, there must be something very Slytherin about him or else the sorting hat wouldn't have done so," Terry pointed out as they watched Wilkes approach Rowan from behind

By some sixth sense, Rowan turns around to spot Wilkes only a few feet away with a bright smile. Rowan instinctively bolts as Wilkes commented, "I do love a good chase," causing Bethanie to shudder and Silvia, and Tiffany to silently pray for Rowan's safety.

James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew blissfully chatter away as they enter through the main doors. Not even a third length into the hallway, when they hear loud footsteps behind them. They all turn in surprise to see Rowan sprinting at them. "What-?" Sirius doesn't even get a chance to finish his sentence when Rowan bolts past them and turns around the corner.

The four of them all glance at each other as Sirius says, "What was all that about?"

"Excuse me," a cheerful voice said as they all turned to see the handsome Slytherin Prefect

"You wouldn't have seen one of my cute 1st years running past you, would you?" Wilkes sweetly asked.

Pettigrew gleefully points to the corridor as Wilkes says, "Thank you and bless your kind soul."

With a glint, Wilkes suddenly takes a deep breath, before sprinting the entire length of the hall in a matter of seconds. "I'm coming, Rowan," Wilkes called out as he disappeared around the corner in a flash.

"Okay, now I'm seriously disturbed," Sirius commented.

"Don't be. That's just how Prefect S.R. Wilkes is," Bethanie breathlessly panted from behind.

The four of them all turn around to see Bethanie, Silvia, and Tiffany standing behind them out of breath. "Okay, I really want to know what's going on?" Sirius said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Bethanie truthfully puffed as she glanced over at Tiffany and Silvia for help.

Tiffany furrows her brows in thought, before slowly saying, "So basically, Wilkes likes her."

The four boys choke as Lupin incredulously says, "You mean like, likes her? But he's so much older than her!"

"No, more like the other like," Tiffany clarified.

Silvia rolls her eyes and says, "Wilkes just thinks Rowan is fun to tease, that's all."

"Tch," Pettigrew said in disappointment.

Ignoring Pettigrew, Lupin says, "Okay, then why is he chasing her?"

"Oh, that's an entirely different story," Silvia mused, which only made the boys even more confused.

"Fine then, why is he chasing her?" James finally said in exasperation.

"I think, Wilkes is just doing what Wilkes does," Bethanie pondered out loud.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" James said in exasperation.

"It's a wonder to us too, but that's simply how Wilkes is," Bethany replied with a shrug. "You can ask any of the other Slytherins including our Head Boy, Lucius Malfoy.

I've heard Lucius Malfoy reply to that question on more than one occasion with a rather strained look on his face. Malfoy's resigned and rather polite answer each time is, "Perfect Wilkes is an exceptional perfect, who is rather unique in his very own way."

"It's a constant wonder to me, that Wilkes isn't a Hufflepuff," Silvia drily commented. Everyone is silent in unanimous agreement as Tiffany adds, "Probably so does everyone else."

After a moment of silence, James softly asks, "But Rowan will be fine right?"

The three girls look at each other and in unison reply, "Probably."

And just like that, the groups disperse each to their own common room as the girls find Wilkes gloomily slumped in the Slytherin common room area. A Slytherin 5th year entering after the girls asks, "What's wrong, Wilkes?"

"My target cheated and got away," Wilkes unhappily said as he pointed to the female dorms.

Bethanie, Silvia, and Tiffany keep their smiles of glee to themselves. Because frankly, no one wanted to be on the playful receiving end of Wilkes's mischievous tricks. With a spring in their steps, the three girls scurry upstairs to see Rowan lying limply on her bed.

"So, you escaped to the female dorms, huh? Not bad!" Silvia enthusiastically said as she gave Rowan two thumbs up for giving Wilkes the slip.

"Boys can't enter the female dorms," Rowan snickered back.

"But I bet that Wilkes will get you once you leave," Bethanie said as she put her Slytherin cheering gear away.

"Doubt it," Rowan said with a tired grin.

"And why is that?" Tiffany asked with eyes full of curiosity.

"Because I'll be hiding behind Captain Nott," Rowan evilly cackled.

"Harsh," Silvia snickered as Tiffany winced on behalf of Wilkes.

"Yup," Rowan triumphantly declared. "Nott will certainly still be angry about today's commentary and I'm fairly sure her anger shan't dissipate for a day or two at least."

"That's a low blow," Bethanie said as she shook her head.

The other three girls narrow their eyes with mutiny at Bethanie. "Well, how about you go aide Wilkes in his time of need?" Rowan darkly suggested.

Bethanie blanches and tactfully retreated. "Wilkes deserves everything that is coming to him!"

Rowan, Silvia, and Tiffany, all nod their heads in agreement as Bethanie lets out a sigh of relief. Sometimes her roommates scared her. And on days like this Bethanie idly wondered if the rest of the shared dorm rooms were like this. Probably not…...