As Lianne lost herself in her thoughts, she heard the portrait of the Fat Lady swing open and then shut again. Glancing sideways, she flashed a quick smile at the new arrival. Gavin was a fellow prefect, albeit younger, and he was a sweetheart – if, sometimes, slightly overeager in classes, if what she had heard was true. Lianne didn’t have a problem with what people called “teacher’s pets” – she was occasionally one herself – but she knew that other people could be slightly more … snobbish.

"I hope that isn't me you want to stuff in a closet, Lianne..."

With a jolt, she realized that he had entered in time to hear her request – one in which she had only really been half-joking – about the new student. Good thing it hadn’t been a professor that had entered, or she might have been in trouble. It wouldn’t look good at all if she, a sixth year prefect, was seen with an attitude against him. Still, the look he had given her was just so – insufferable! What an idiot … it was times like these that Lianne wished that Hogwarts could somehow screen those people out. Of course, it had succeeded so far, and no doubt it never would.

“No worries, Gavin,” Lianne said, glancing once up the stairs where Puck and Val – what kind of a name was that, anyway – had disappeared. About to say something cutting about the new student, she kept her mouth shut. Gavin could make his own judgement about him. She didn’t want to influence him one way or another. She could only hope …

Silently, she watched the brief, annoyed exchange between Dion and Gavin. It was amusing, though, how quickly his demeanour changed when he returned his gaze to her. She swore that her friend could go from steaming mad to simpering happy in a millisecond, and Lianne still wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good thing or not. She listened to him as, in a mischievous voice, he said, “I’m going to head out though…Lianne? I believe that you should join me, and we can go out into the halls to prepare this trap for the new kid...and look for some other fresh, rebellious meat,”

Bloody Merlin, he couldn’t be serious, could he? Even if either he or Tucker had taken her up on it, she hadn’t expected herself to be part of the deal! What would the professors say if they found out that she, apparently the only sane one of the bunch, had helped to trap Val in a closet? On his first day at Hogwarts? The nerve that would take … Lianne bit her lip as she saw Dion’s eyebrow quirk in that way he had. They weren’t exactly the best of friends, but they were also more than acquaintances. Dion was a pleasant fellow, someone that she trusted entirely. That being said …

“Why don’t you wait for Val to get back and we can meet up with you guys lat Lianne watched Dion cross the room until he stood in front of her, wearing an absolutely adorable puppy grin that she always had trouble saying ‘no’ to. “Well? You will join me won’t you?”

“Dion,” she said, drawing out his name in what sounded like a long sigh. Abruptly, she grinned, and took a step towards the portrait hole. She still couldn’t believe she was doing this, but it sounded like such fun, and really – Val needed to be taken down a notch. “Let’s do it.”

OOC: *light bulb* I need to ezmail you about something. XD *goes to write it*