seven; INCONSIDERATE MASS MURDERERS

"Brought you some Sugar Quills," Lyra announced as she dropped the box on the table in front of Sutton who glanced up from her book and flashed her friends a smile as they plopped onto the couch across from her.

"I don't understand how you can read with this lighting," Phoenix muttered as he gazed around the dimly lit dungeon.

"I've adjusted." Sutton replied, "Besides, it's a lot better than being harassed by the other houses in the Library. Thanks for the Sugar Quills, by the way."

"True." Lyra murmured darkly, "If one more Gryffindor tries to curse me or jinx my robes to change any colour that isn't green or silver, I'm going to commit a mass murder."

Sutton snorted as Phoenix burst into laughter.

"How you were appointed Prefect is beyond me." She commented, causing her best friend to flash her a sardonic grin.

"Not the greatest time to joke about mass murder." Phoenix stated after his laughter died down, "You know, with Sirius Black on the loose and all."

"Nobody heard me." Lyra replied with a shrug and a small laugh, "Besides, have you heard the amount of crap the younger years have been spewing about him? My comment was nothing."

"That's true." Sutton muttered as she quickly flipped to the next page of her book and scanned the contents of the page, "Half the stuff that Malfoy says is that he could catch Black single-handedly."

"And the other half?" Phoenix questioned.

"Mocking when Potter fainted on the Hogwarts Express," Sutton answered.

"I reckon that the little shit probably wet his pants." Lyra said, "What's he doing making fun of other people for something they can't help?"

"Blimey, Lee. I know he's a prat but he's still your cousin," Phoenix exclaimed with wide eyes as he stared at the girl.

"It doesn't make him any less of a twat." The dark-haired girl replied, "And do not call me Lee."

Sutton looked up from her book once again and over at the glass wall looking out onto the Black Lake, just in time to see two merpeople swim by, glaring darkly at those close to the glass.

She glanced back over at her friends just as Phoenix opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Headmaster Dumbledore's voice echoing throughout the dungeon.

"ALL STUDENTS PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE GREAT HALL IMMEDIATELY."

The three Slytherin's shared a look before Lyra was out of her chair and barking orders.

"Both First and Second Years over to me." She yelled over the student's confused chatter that had erupted, "Third and Fourth Years head over to Lannister. Fifth Years and above, I'm going to assume that you're not complete morons and can make it to the Great Hall in a calm and respectful manner."

"I'm going to go and help her," Phoenix muttered.

"I'll go help Lannister then," Sutton replied as they rose from their chairs, the two friends heading in opposite directions to find the two fifth year prefects.

"What do you think happened?" Merrick Lannister questioned as she fell into step with him organising the whispering third and fourth years, "Maybe something to do with Black?"

"No clue." She replied softly.

"What's going on?" Draco Malfoy questioned loudly.

"I don't know," Merrick answered as he began to speak to the student about heading to the Great Hall in a calm fashion, to which Malfoy interrupted, "Why not?"

"Because he's not a seer." Sutton answered promptly, "Now be quiet and listen to your Prefect."

"Do you know who I am?" He asked hotly as they followed the younger years out of the Common Room.

"Unfortunately." She commented, her lip twitching when she saw the scandalised look she gained in return.

"My father will hear about this." He exclaimed.

"About what?" Sutton replied, "About you being annoying and disrespecting a Prefect who is trying to help you? Yes, I'm sure he'd be exceptionally proud to learn his Heir is a whinging little brat."

"I'm sure that we'll find out what is happening when we get to the Great Hall." Merrick said calmly, unable to face the younger students due to the smile that had formed across his face at Sutton's words "Just please refrain from shouting."

With that, the exclamations died down immensely and the group made their way to the hall in relative silence

✦❀✦

"So, Sirius Black somehow got into the castle undetected?" Sutton asked in a hushed whisper once Lyra had done a quick head count of the Slytherin's she had led to the Great Hall.

"It appears so." She murmured.

"I heard McLaggen telling everyone who would listen that he slashed up the Portrait that guards Gryffindor Tower." Phoenix commented, "Well, up until the Weasley twins jinxed his mouth shut."

Sutton huffed a laugh as her eyes scanned the hall in search of the twins, easily finding the two mops of flaming red hair standing with Lee Jordan and Oliver Wood.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle and the surrounding grounds." Headmaster Dumbledore announced, "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge."

Before he left the Hall, he conjured hundreds of purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well." He told the students before he closed the doors behind him.

Immediatechatter burst forth around them as students from all year levels began to shout questions at the Gryffindors, everyone wanting to know what had caused the upheaval from their Dorms.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags now." Percy Weasley shouted, "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"A mass murderer just broke into the castle and is probably still inside, Weasley." Vesper Elowen commented. She rolled her eyes, "Do you honestly think anybody is about to even attempt to try and sleep?"

Sutton grinned as the Head Boy and Girl began to glare at one another.

"Oh, how I love it when the Heads of the school are in the rival houses." She exclaimed, causing Phoenix to let out a chuckle.

"I better go and start the first guard shift." Lyra sighed, "If I knew that this was going to happen I would've gone to sleep earlier last night."

"Mass murderers are so inconsiderate." Sutton mocked.

Lyra flipped her off as she walked away to meet up with the Slytherin Prefects who appeared to have the same idea as the girl.

✦❀✦

As the first Quidditch match of the season grew near, Sutton began her routine of getting up an hour earlier and heading out to the Quidditch Pitch. She jogged around the stretch of grass for twenty-five minutes before she practised both scoring techniques she'd used previously as well as ones she had seen performed at the games she had gone to during the Summer.

She'd then head to the showers and get ready for the day in the locker room, before heading up to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Though, with the threat of Sirius Black on the grounds, she had barely been allowed to leave the castle by herself, but surprisingly, it was Professor Snape that had granted her permission to head onto the pitch each morning on the condition that she only went there and to the locker rooms before heading straight back up to the castle with no stops in between.

But, during what would have been the last practice before their first game, she learnt that her more intense training habits in the week leading up to the match had been for nothing.

"What the bloody hell do you mean we're not playing?" She all but demanded Marcus Flint after he announced that it would be Hufflepuff playing against Gryffindor, not Slytherin, who would be playing against Ravenclaw four weeks after the first match of the season.

"It's a tradition that Slytherin and Gryffindor play the first match of the season," Lyra exclaimed hotly, "Also, why the hell are you even here? Didn't you graduate last year?"

"Exactly." Sutton fumed, "I was excited to finally be rid of you and be chosen for captaincy."

"That's true, but Draco's arm still needs time to heal," Flint replied, gesturing to the Seeker who was clutching his arm to his chest as best he could with a sling, "Besides, Dumbledore doesn't actually come to the games and it will be quite simple convincing all of the teachers that I'm still here to retake a failed class that isn't theirs."

"That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard," Lyra responded, throwing her arms up in disbelief, "Is that what you're telling people?"

"Bullocks." Sutton suddenly exclaimed angrily as she ignored Lyra and Flint, her eyes flashing, "He got scratched because he didn't listen to his Professor's intructions and insulted a Hippogriff and he's lucky that's all he got."

"You both just don't want to play in this weather," Lyra commented, momentarily forgetting about her earlier conversation with the team's captain.

"My arm hurts something dreadful," Malfoy argued causing Sutton to glare scathingly at the third year.

"I'll make your arm actually hurt something dreadful if you keep that up." She growled angrily before Warrington piped up, "What the bloody hell is your issue, Sutton?"

"My problem?" She scoffed as she stood up from her seat, "My problem is that Quidditch Scouts from all over the world come to the first match of the season to check out the talent on the field. My problem is that I'm not going to be on that field and if I'm not on that field, my talents aren't on display and I don't get offered to be recruited which means that I'll lose my chances of training with the best of the best at the Quidditch Recruitment Camp next Summer so I'll have to wait until next year."

"Well, my arm–"

"I am not done talking." Sutton hissed at the Malfoy Heir, "It might not mean that much to any of you but the first match is when the big leagues come to watch and playing Quidditch at a Professional level is my dream and just because you guys don't want to get a little wet out on that field, I might lose that dream. So, cheers for ruining my chances guys."

With those that parting words, she stormed out of the locker rooms fuming and Lyra stared at the door for a moment before turning to the rest of the team.

"You guys are genuinely stupid for getting between Ezra Sutton and Quidditch." She finally said.

══════════════════

i've begun writing scenes from the initial novel but i will tend to stray as sutton is in slytherin, therefore not hanging around the gryffindor common room or the golden trio and not really in the loop with gryffindor shenanigans.

also a very, very brief introduction of vesper elowen, who is another oc of mine and her book will be loosely connected to sutton's books!

thanks for reading!

~r