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*Zoe* · #1 (**permalink**) 11-22-2017, 01:56 AM

As you walk along the fifth-floor corridor and pass by a statue of a man with his gloves on the wrong hands, you see a series of identical-looking doors. The fourth door to the left of the statue looks no different from the rest. However, those that try it will find that they cannot open the door. A simple Alohomora will not make the door budge, so carry on with the rest of your day ... unless you happen to know the password, of course.

Only prefects and Quidditch captains know the password (Rub-a-Dub-Dub) to get this door to creak open and reveal a shiny marble-floored bathroom. Toilet stalls and a shelf containing towels and swimwear take up one side of the room whereas the other contains a set of couches, a coffee table, and a wizarding wireless. Many, however, often find themselves heading straight for the enormous, swimming pool-like tub in the centre of the room. The large tub fills up remarkably fast due to the many taps surrounding it. If you plan on staying here for a while, you might as well add some bubbles.

Don't mind the portrait of the mermaid -- she just likes showing off and flirting with the boys.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 09-09-2018, 06:25 PM

While all of the students were in class, Scrimgeour took his period off to pay the Prefects' Bathroom a visit. Naturally, the man knew where this private room was. He had been a Prefect himself many years ago, back when he was a Gryffindor. But the old man was not here to reminisce on his days as a student. No, he was heading there for an entirely different reason.

A stack of black leather pocket notebooks and a piece of parchment dutifullying following after him, the Headmaster grunted the password and swiftly stepped inside the bathroom. He was not surprised at all by the fact that the room hadn’t changed one bit. It was just as clean as he remembered it.

In his peripheral, he saw the mermaid in the portrait jump from her rock and into the water. Of course, he didn't care about the antics of magically moving paintings. Scrimgeour never had fallen for her charm.

Not wishing the stay in the room very long, for he had other important matters to attend to, he gave his wand a flick and sent the stack of notebooks and the parchment to rest on the coffee table. Satisfied with their placement, he left the room and hoped the student leaders could read and act accordingly.

Text Cut: Parchment

sweetpinkpixie · 09-09-2018, 10:25 PM

Some hours later and during one of his free periods, Derf made his way to the prefect's bathroom, mumbled the password, and dragged himself inside with every intention of soaking his sort limbs in a bath for a little before having to tackle the rest of the day. It wasn't that the morning runs were making his days worse or anything, he had always jogged a few times a week. But the crack of dawn part WAS starting to have it's wear on the 16-year-old. Even if the length of the jog itself was no longer a challenge and very routine to him.

....maybe nap instead of the bath?

Rubbing his face, Derf took notice of the notebooks and changed course to go inspect those. They looked...a little foreboding, didn't they? He reckoned something from their new Headmaster - which was really no profound thought. Picking up the one with his name on it, his blue eyes turned their attention towards the note.

"..........do not abuse this power," he chuckled drying. Well, wasn't that a bit of an ironic command?

Though what interested Derf MOST about these journals were the charms and jinxes in place on them. He reckoned he knew the charm to communicate what was written on the pages to the Headmaster...but what about the ones the made these journals AWARE of whether or not they were reporting things? ALL the things? Did this imply there was a daily quota they HAD to fill and if...there were say...five things written by dinner time THAT was when the punishment would strike?

Or...was there some form of Legilimency cast on these things...so the Headmaster could LITERALLY see into their thoughts?

Whatever it was, Derf did NOT like this journal, it brought up scary parallels to another certain journal in history - down to the black cover.

"Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain..." he mumbled to himself, dropping the journal back on the table and flopping back on the couch behind it, his face smushed by his palms.

Felixir · 09-09-2018, 10:46 PM

The prefects' bathroom was literally actually one of the best rooms in Hogwarts, only really beaten by the Room of Requirement (because duh). Abra's main reason for believing this was that 1. it was generally a lot nicer and a lot less busy than the other bathrooms around the school, and 2. it had a swimming pool sized bath. Abra liked to swim, and though he generally used the Room of Requirement to do so (it could provide a much larger pool when he wanted one), there was something to be said for the magnificent taps that lined the bath in the prefects' bathroom. They were an awful lot of fun to use.

It was because of the bath and its mega fun taps that Abra headed for the prefects bathroom during a free period on this particular day. Not even a full day of sixth year classes had stressed him out something awful, and he was hugely looking forward to taking a dip in the scented, bubbly water.

After giving the password and setting his bag down by the door, Abra spotted Derf already in the bathroom, over at the couches. "Hey," he called out, then headed in his direction rather than for the swimwear and towels, which had been his original destination. Oh, but... "What's that?" Without waiting for an answer, Abra stopped in front of the coffee table and picked up the note that had been left there, casting a curious glance at the notebooks stacked beside it.

It took him some time to get through the entire thing, and as he read, he felt his anxiety start to spike. By the time he'd reached the sign-off at the bottom of the parchment, he had a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that had everything to do with what he had just read. Setting down the parchment, he picked up one of the notebooks and turned it over in his hands, flopping down into one of the unoccupied couches.

So they had the power to dock points now. Abra supposed that being given this responsibility was supposed to make him feel good, proud, trusted. Well, one out of three wasn't bad; there was no denying that the school management trusted them to be responsible with this. Still, he didn't feel great about this. The fact that they HAD to dock points if they saw rule-breaking was perhaps the most anxiety-provoking part. He could already feel the guilt and he hadn't even had to take any yet.

DaniDiNardo · 09-09-2018, 11:34 PM

Was it just her or did the day feel particularly long? Jessa suffered dutifully through her morning classes, spacing in and out both from a lack of interest in the subject matter and the tiredness that came with this early morning hell routine the Headmaster seemed hellbent on putting them through. The prefect bathroom had become something of a reprieve for her by now. It was one of the only places she didn’t expect to find the Headmaster and where she could decompress and not be Head Girl (ironic given she would’ve needed that to get IN). Here, she didn’t have to be on the look out for anyone behaving poorly.

Jessa muttered the password, allowing her felines to move through the entrance before following them inside. “Oh.” She hadn’t been expecting to find anyone in here, not that she minded her present company. On the contrary, it was the pleasant sort of surprise.

“What’re we looking at?” She asked, now moving over to the couches and coffee table too. The stack of books had caught her attention as it had there’s but if it was good news, neither was particularly good at showing it.

A book now in hand, fingers leafing absently through the empty pages, Jessa leaned over to give the parchment a read but the more she read was the more her brows creased until they were in very real danger of getting tangled in each other.

....

..... “You’ve got to be bloody joking.” Much like Abra, she could feel her own anxiety rising. She didn’t want anything to do with this. As it was, Jessa was in the habit of quickly walking in the opposite direction of anyone breaking rules or behaving questionably. She didn’t want to intervene. She didn’t want to have to deal. When did she ever?

The book in her hand felt as if it’d gained some weight since she picked it up, likely all in her head but there it was. “I don’t wanna have to deal with this.” A statement she would otherwise have kept to herself but felt safe enough saying in the presence of her friends.

sweetpinkpixie · 09-10-2018, 01:19 AM

Letting out an unceremonious groan, Derf felt anything BUT good, proud, and trusted. How was he supposed to feel anything positive when there was a threat laced in with this new duty. Derf also...really did not like elitist tone of some of the words on that parchment, he had always struggled with that idea since receiving the badge in his fourth year. Why he, well, had always brought friends into the prefect's bathroom even if they didn't have a badge. He just didn't see the point in that kind of exclusivity. It only made people act like that first year lion had done on the train, try and force your way in.

But this wasn't about that right now, this was about being told they had to watch their schoolmates like vultures and swoop down to pick at their flesh. He could be impartial, yes. He had been on a few occasions already so that wasn't the hard part.

Letting out an unceremonious groan as he lowered his hands, Derf's eyes widened a bit when he saw his Gryffindor enter the bathroom...and then proceeded to watch him carefully until he slumped down on the couch across from his. He knew Abey well enough to be able to venture a pretty good guess at what was going on in his head, and while he searched for the words to offer...Jessa entered. And before she even picked up the parchment to read he knew how she would react. Jessa did not like conflict and even all of last term she had pushed responsibilities on to Erik whenever she could, and now she - along with their Hufflepuff Head Boy who Derf still did not know well enough to be able to gauge how the seventh year felt about all this - had to be the example for this.

Or...did she?

"........I'm not doing it." He said firmly after a moment. "I'm not going to play the auror looking at all of my classmates as though they are Dark wizards, just waiting for them to slip up so I can book them....I'm not doing it. I'm not going to participate in this cycle."

He had OTHER ideas for how to use his journal though, yes.

Ginevra · 09-10-2018, 07:14 AM

Daisy needed a nice soak to soothe her aching muscles. She said the password and entered the bathroom. Much to her surprise, she saw Derf, Abra and Jessa and then she spotted a series of notebooks on a table. Daisy made her way over to the table and as she read the parchment from the Headmaster, her face turned ashen.

Daisy picked up one of the notebooks and there was a look of fear in her eyes as she looked towards the others. "We aren't going to be respected anymore but instead I fear we're going to be feared and/or hated."

Felixir · 09-10-2018, 11:48 AM

Uncomfortable. Abra felt uncomfortable. The worst part was that he couldn't rightly tell whether or not he was being ridiculous for feeling anxious over something like this, or if it was a perfectly reasonable reaction. Which was perhaps why it was a little bit reassuring when Jessa, who had since entered the bathroom, declared her own thoughts on the matter. It sort of implied she felt just as uncomfortable with everything as he was, and knowing he wasn't on his own in that was sort of a relief.

"I don't either," he replied quietly, though he figured that, if it absolutely came to it, he would do what was required. Not because he liked it, not because it would give him any sort of satisfaction - actually, the complete opposite was true - but because he actually really didn't want to do anything to jeopardise his badge. It meant a lot to him. His family had been so proud of him for being made prefect, he had eventually been proud of himself, which was huge for him. The idea of losing it now was just... well, he didn't really want to consider it, and he supposed there was only so long he could keep his badge if he wasn't doing the things he was supposed to do. Also, incredibly anxious about the whole situation though he may have been, he was easily more scared of the wrath of Scrimgeour than of facing off with misbehaving students. Easily.

Abra leaned back on the couch and thumbed through the pages of his notebook, already wondering just how long it would be until he had to use it, and wondering what the likelihood was of him never happening across a student misbehaving or breaking the rules. Not impossible, right? And, if it did happen, maybe if he just kept reminding himself that points were essentially worthless, in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't be so bad...

Derf's voice made Abra look up again, his expression slightly nonplussed. "They're not asking us to look at people like they're Dark wizards," he said simply. Yes, he got the analogy, but still. "But... that's up to you." He wasn't going to attempt to talk Derf around into doing something he was clearly morally against. As long as... as long as he didn't have to go back and start reporting that people were planning on not using their notebooks. That was sort of where Abra drew the line, though he imagined Scrimgeour would figure it out on his own soon enough.

Then Daisy arrived, and Abra watched her curiously to see her reaction; after how she'd been with the first year on the train, he had expected her to take this in her stride, but she seemed just as upset about it as everyone else.

At her words, he shrugged. "I don't know that we'll be feared. Disliked, maybe." Which was one of the reasons Abra was so very anxious about it all. He knew, though, what the rebuttal would be, were he to take leave of his senses entirely and complain to Scrimgeour: prefects weren't there to be popular, they were supposed to make sure the rules were followed. It was, without a doubt, incredibly frustrating, being able to even just consider the Headmaster's side of things.

Dokimoto · 09-10-2018, 12:14 PM

It was a decent day so far if he was being honest. Jackson had spent the last period on patrol, BUT that was okay because now he had some time to relax in the Prefect bathroom. That was the original idea anyway. He gave the password but stopped in his tracks as the door opened and holy cow, who WASN’T in here? There was a pile of this and that over on the table that had caught his (and everyone else’s) eye. Curious, Jackson walked up to the table and looked at the pile of notebooks there, along with a… note? He read the excessive looking parchment and his eyes darted line to line, trying to comprehend the reinstatement that he didn’t even know was ever a thing. He was now expected to take points from the troublesome kiddos. That was actually understandable mostly, except...

“Wait… am I misunderstanding or are we only allowed to deduct points? If someone’s doing something good, we can’t give out points?” Jackson’s eyebrow furrowed as he continued reading. ‘will magically appear on a master list that is kept in my possession.’ …Hm. Interesting. The last point Jackson didn’t think needed any explaining at least, that one made sense. He apprehensively picked up one of the books and flipped through it. It was just a blank notebook… if you forgot about whatever charm was on it to duplicate the info into a master book. The other student leaders were starting to voice their opinions and Jackson found himself disagreeing with them. “While I don’t think it’s fair that we can deduct but not give, I don’t think this is actually that ridiculous… I mean,” he reread the line from the Headmaster’s note in his head, ”this has been a responsibility for leaders before… It probably got taken away because people started abusing it.”

Honestly, even the recording part was understandable. Who ever heard of a boss that didn’t have his shift leaders check in?? It was literally impossible for them to be everywhere at once and in order to run a good business… you had to delegate. That was how it worked. After getting used to this school year a bit more, Jackson was really not surprised. If anything, he felt relieved that they were still trusted and respected enough by the Headmaster to have consequential responsibility like this. Kind of harsh? Could be. Don’t break the rules and you won’t have to worry about it!

DaniDiNardo · 09-10-2018, 12:51 PM

And just like that she was suddenly not just among friends.
She'd been relieved when Derf and Abra agreed they didn't exactly think this was a GREAT idea and she'd been about to further voice her opinions when Daisy then Jackson showed up.

What a brilliant way to raise her anxiety.

As Head Girl, she was aware she was technically meant to be leading everyone else and setting the right example for them to follow. All that meant to her was that there was a very real possibility of saying the wrong thing. Just the thought saw her clamming up, gnawing away at her lower lip in agitation.

While mild for most people, this situation was quickly becoming overwhelming for her. Finding out she would suddenly have to go taking points and ACTUALLY DEALING when things went wrong, the realization that this, among other things, would now be an expectation--the obvious expectation of her leading by example and keeping THEM in line with the orders and honestly, the 7th year just wanted to put the book back where she got it from and head back to her lab for a few hours.

A part of her knew this was nothing to REALLY get worked up about but when had that ever stopped her anxiety?

After Jackson chimed in, sort of agreeing with Abra while contradicting Derf and Daisy to some lesser extent, she felt she needed to say something as well but the pressure to say something quickly became overwhelming too for the simple fact she didn't know what the RIGHT thing to say was. The reluctance to say the wrong thing was not budging. Jessa fidgeted with the pages of her book, looking between everyone present. Internally, she berated herself for not taking charge of the situation as she knew the role demanded--berated herself for not being able to form a simple sentence but that didn't help anything. Words were no easier to come by. She would feel all the worse later if she left here without doing what she knew she should've. There was no winning.

"Jackson....isn't wrong......" She said finally, the fidgeting more pronounced once the words finally came. "Neither is Abra. It is expected of us, but it's also a decision to be made yourself. We know there'll be consequences. Means we can each make an informed decision for ourselves. These are the rules, it's a new duty--our duty--so long as we still have our badges." Words she assumed the Headmaster would've preferred her saying. She herself planned to lock herself away indefinitely. Couldn't fall into confrontation if you never saw people but couldn't put THAT into a Head Girl speech.

"I don't think we'll have to go out of our way to find troublemakers, that's what patrols are for after curfew which we're used to anyway, so maybe Abra's right. We don't have to look at everyone like they're about to ruin our day, just if we happen to be there when it happens," walk the fudge away quickly, "do what we'd have done all along......de-escalate the situation. Only difference now is we take points too." Sounded so much easier than it actually was but she was trying not to think about that for the moment. Her thoughts were currently, solely on what was expected--her default when she became too overwhelmed. Lean on the will of someone else. In this case, it was the Headmaster's will.

sweetpinkpixie · 09-11-2018, 05:44 AM

Derf's blue eyes honed in on the journal he had left on the table, hearing what Abey was saying and...well...he knew his analogy was dramatic but when wasn't he? But he thought his Gryffindor of all people would get what he meant. They were expected to find trouble and report it, and if they didn't...then they were going to be the ones in trouble. So they literally had to be on the look out for trouble. But right now, he really didn't want to argue about this, he was still processing it all in a sense.

"Disliked, yeah," Derf nodded as Abey replied to Daisy. He didn't think anyone could fear him honestly. Though, well, he supposed there was a first time for everything. Though his eyes did look at Abey after a thought crossed his line. "You know you are under obligation to report me," he said, his eyes warm though tone a bit sad. "I won't hold it against you. You're just doing a job."

And then it was as though Jackson could read his mind, because that was ALL Derf was planning on using his book for - writing down positive things people were doing. The good things that were contributing to a healthy Hogwarts...instead of focusing on the negative. And, well, he couldn't very well punish someone for breaking rules when he himself broke one or two daily. "You know...most of the people who break rules...don't even care about house points," he added, thinking specifically of a certain Gryffindor before speaking again. He didn't even care all that much about house points either, in all honesty."I could take 150 points from Zoryn and she would celebrate that."

More words were being spoken around him and with each his brow knitted further together. "EXACTLY. We've already been doing this," he groaned in frustration, rubbing his face. He wasn't being ridiculous here, so people needed to stop implying that he did not understand his duties as a prefect. "But why the need to book someone if they forgot their house tie with their uniform? I understand serious offenses, things that deface school property...put themselves and others in danger...but every rule? No matter what? No warnings? Not even to first years who are still learning the ropes of Hogwarts? The transfers who are likely accustomed to the way things were at their old schools and still need acclimated and help with their transition here? It's a load of dragon dung." His eyes narrowed at the journal on the table. "What's next? Booking people for holding hands in the corridors? Bans on celebrations after quidditch matches? Minus 50 points for celebratory tackling because it is inappropriate to show affection?" He was spiraling into probability and unknowns, as he always did. This all should come as no surprise to those who knew him. "The last time...the Ministry...the Board of Governors... got involved in Hogwarts like it is now...was exactly 100 years ago...and history always has a way of repeating itself...it's why we are studying it."

And shouldn't they, you know, be learning from it too?

His eyes resettled on Jessa, wanting to raise a few points about her specifically with this but also not wanting to call her out in front of everyone. The quiet unintentional rebellion he had overheard on the quidditch pitch and, well, her aversion to confrontation. "But you will have to go out of your way. How do you reckon it will look if your book is never written in once? You can't just turn a blind eye."

Ginevra · 09-11-2018, 12:37 PM

As Daisy listened to her fellow student leaders, she realised that they each had a point. She didn't have anything to add in regards to the matter. Besides, she had resigned herself to the fact that this was a task that was inevitable. Daisy might seem to have weakened her stance but frankly, it was just because she was wanted to get through the term with her sanity intact.

Pips · 10-08-2018, 11:19 PM

Pips walked through the door of the prefects bathroom ready to make it clean clean clean. Pips was always so busy, scrub scrub scrub, cook cook cook. All Pips wants to do is chit chatsie with the studentsies in the kitchen. His favorite place.

But...

Pips was in the bathroom *hiccup* cleaning instead.

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