Armor gallery on the third floor.

An 18-year old Aileen Reid leaned primly against the wall of the Armor gallery, inspecting her nails with a critical eye. Her clear nail polish was chipped - she could just tell, and she'd have to touch it up later in the dorms. She let out a sigh and checked her watch. Quincy, her dear friend, was late. The younger girl had sent her an urgent note this morning at the breakfast table, telling her she absolutely had to see her today, and would she please meet her at the Gallery at three.

Well, there was only one gallery, as far as Aileen could tell. If it had been anyone else, Aileen would have waited until the last minute to send a note back (just to make the girl sweat), but Quincy was... Quincy. She was one of the few people she considered a friend. Sure, the girl was a few years younger than her, but she showed promise and was much more entertaining than some of the giggling twits Aileen called peers. If all went according to plan, Quincy would be at the top of the chain come her seventh year. Just like Aileen was now.

But Quincy knew that Aileen didn't just stand around waiting for people! She had things to do, people to see, annoying freaks like Bombay to torture. Only a few weeks were left before her graduation, and Aileen was determined to finish her schooling in style, leaving no question behind about her status and popularity. Which meant she didn't have time to stand around in the Armor gallery chatting up the suits of armor.

Aileen took the opportunity to adjust her outfit and check her hair, something she did about ten thousand times a day. She posed in front of the reflective surface of the armor, silently approving of her silk coral tank top and cinch belt, the cardigan resting on her shoulders, and her plaid Slytherin skirt. Aileen shifted the wide headband in her hair so it was perfectly centered - there. Now she felt presentable.

To any onlookers, it appeared as if she was preening in front of her own personal knight in shining armor, practicing her flirting skills. Of course, if anyone had suggested as much or dared laugh at her, she would spend her last few weeks at Hogwarts making their lives miserable.

Suddenly, she heard the rushed click clack of heels, and stopped fussing with her hair to peer down the hall.

"Finally!" She breathed when Quincy came into view. Aileen stepped forward, hands on her hips.

"What in Merlin's name took you so long?" She scolded her. "You know I have NEWTS right around the corner." Not that it would matter, as long as she received somewhat respectable grades, Aileen thought with an inkling of dismay. Her mother had already planned to parade her around after graduation. She'd been planning it since Aileen's fifth year, in fact.

There was something in Quincy's face that caused Aileen's voice to drop to a conspiratorial whisper. "Tell me, what was so important that it couldn't wait until tonight?"

Sixteen, young and in love. Quincy was positively beaming from ear to ear as she dreamed her way through the day of boring classes and endless chatter of girls who didn't really know anything about life. She did. She had a big hunk of man-meat now, and she was damn sure she would let everyone know about him! But first and foremost, she needed to let Aileen know. No doubt Jason would have already heard - Quincy's nose wrinkled up as she thought about that horrific near-miss of a kiss with said Jason in a broom closet. If Eddie were to ever find out about that...she shuddered at the mere thought of what her knight in shining armor might do to his friend. Afterall, maintaining the integrity of his relationship with his 'woman' as he had already nicknamed her, was an important thing to Eddie.

She was late. She gave a a harsh blow on her nails trying to speed up the drying process. Lime green matched her uniform, and heaven forbid her nails should be less than perfect. Quincy St.James could not be seen as less than perfect. "Crap!" she hissed as the clock chimed to signify quarter past the hour. She had told Aileen to meet her in the armor gallery at three, and she was late. Under normal circumstances, her friend would have left at bang on three o'clock. But it was Quincy, her protégé of sorts, and Quincy knew that Aileen liked having a sort of wing over the younger girl's shoulders. She could forgive her for her minor follies.

Clack clack clack clack. She hurried as fast as she could along the third floor towards the armor room, hoping against all hopes that Aileen hadn't gotten so bored that she had decided to wander off in search of victims. Quincy grinned and almost sighed as she saw Aileen preening herself in front of a particularly shiny suit of armor. "He likes you," she teased as she arrived, trying to seem nonchalant and cool, though excitement was etched into every feature.

The chastising she received forced her to roll her eyes and fold her arms defensively over her chest. She jutted one hip out to the side and leaned slightly over, giving the impression of a teenager with an attitude - which on some levels she was. "Alright mum!" The slight huff was followed by an excited glint in her eyes.

"Eddie asked me out!" She blurted, unable to contain the excitement that had been building up. "Like properly, not just lame holding hands once and then never talking again! He wants me to be his 'girlfriend'!" She let out a giddy squeal before leaning against the wall as though all the excitement of the day had tired her out.

Aileen merely rolled her eyes at the mum comment. Quincy was positively beaming, and the minute Aileen's question left her mouth, Quincy pounced on the opportunity to tell her.

Eddie had asked Quincy out! Officially!

Aileen blinked in surprise, processing this information. An automatic, cool smile curled her lips as her mind sorted through all the facts and details. Pratt was a Slytherin, in the same year as Quincy. He could be insufferably arrogant, but most Slytherins were. He was popular, outgoing, and had a good sense of humor. He and Quincy had been friends for a long time.

All in all, he was not a bad match. There was just one problem.

Eddie Pratt was a halfblood.

Obviously, the pickings for completely pure were slim (especially if you didn't want to go the 'kissing cousins' route). However, this whole purity obsession had become more and more important to Aileen's mother these days, and consequently, more important to Aileen. It was fine and acceptable that she'd dated halfbloods when she was younger. She'd even had a fling with Jason Marren, Eddie's friend. But now, with graduation around the corner, and the expectation that she'd settle down soon after, she had to think in 'long term commitment', not flings.

And if Aileen had to think about it that way, Quincy should have to as well! Quincy shouldn't settle for anything less than the best, no matter how much she liked him. The sooner she got that into her head, the better, and the less heartbreak she'd have to go through later on.

Aileen leaned against the wall with her, shooting her a sympathetic smile. "Oh, he's acceptable, I suppose," she conceded in a tone that was somehow both gentle and haughty. "He is cute. And popular. And he certainly seems to like you," she bumped Quincy's shoulder playfully with her own. "Still. I personally think you could do better, Quincy. Let's see... what are our options..." she trailed off, running through the short list of purebloods in her head.

She felt just the slightest bit guilty that she was crushing Quincy's hopes and dreams like this, but she firmly believed it was for her own good. Like her mother always said, someone had to make the tough decisions and keep everyone on track. She was only interfering because she cared about her!

The shuffle of Graham's trainers added to the din of the hallway.  He had been discreetly following his dark-haired beauty from a distance.  His study hour was often divided between studying voraciously in the library or skulking after members of the feminine sex that would never allow his presence within three feet of their rapturous forms. 


He ducked around the corner, pleased to hear Quincy St. James' melodic tones.  One day, especially this year, the year to make everything happen, Graham would find a way to make her his.  They belonged together, if only the stupid, bratty, ignorant pox Eddie Pratt would go away.


Graham spotted his muse, her bared elbow peeking out past the corner into the armor gallery.  If he could just lay one finger upon that soft skin, he would be in heaven.  He started walking towards her, intent upon brushing against that elbow, ever so softly.


"I personally think you could do better, Quincy.  Let's see..."


That voice belonged to only one person, the snob, queen bee, bushy-haired blond fury--Aileen Reid.  His step faltered.  If they were talking about Eddie, however.  And listing alternatives? Well, Graham was a pureblood.  He stopped, barely breathing, hoping against hope that she would mention his name.  Even though he knew she would follow it with laughter, maybe just the mention could plant a seed in Quincy's mind. 


After the names of the five most popular, single, pure-blooded Slytherins, Graham knew his chance was gone.  Quincy's elbow, once so desirable, now only seemed to mock him that it would be the only contact he could ever make. He'd be bumbling after Quincy all his life.  Unless he stood up for himself.


He began walking again, rounding the corner to confront the two elite women himself. "She's right for once," he spoke snidely, hating even as an icebreaker to the conversation that he had to agree with Reid.  "Why would you ever date someone so beneath you.  Pure with pure, you know that."

Aileen thought Quincy could do better? Her triumphant smile faltered slightly before she regained composure and allowed a cool exterior to wash over her. The only emotions she liked to show were happiness, excitement and anger. Sadness and disappointment didn't fall in her vocabulary.

She should have known, really. It should have been expected that being the ward of possibly the most popular girl in school meant that one had rules to follow. Quincy lifted her nails up to inspect them, trying to seem as aloof as could be. No chips - perfect, as she had intended.

"Then who do you suggest?" The manner in which her question was posed suggested that she thought Aileen wouldn't be able to come up with anything better. As the older girl started listing names off, Quincy folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Too short," she quipped. "Unbelievably annoying." "He has halitosis breath!" No, none of them would do. Aileen needed to just give up and put it down to not knowing everything, as she had previously thought.

Suddenly a voice piped up. Quincy's territorial nature kicked in and her and went for her wand, eye narrowing at the intruder. Graham Bombay?! Her expression softened and she left go of her wand, instead opting for a chastising look that a mother would give to her peeping-tom son; Graham was most certainly the peeping-tom type.

Graham's comment about dating someone beneath her made her chortle somewhat. "What would you know Graham?" Came out the teasing sing-song voice. "Who was the last girl you dated?"

Aileen ignored Quincy's complaints, confident that she knew best and her young friend would simply have to learn to listen to her. If she didn't like the pureblood options at school, perhaps she'd be more willing to try one of Aileen's cast-offs - men a year or two older who had already graduated from Hogwarts.

She sighed a sigh that let Quincy know just how far she was going out of her way for her, when a voice sounded in the corridor. Aileen straightened immediately and touched her hair, preparing to twirl a strand around her finger if it was a cute young man. But wait - she knew that voice! Aileen sneered at Graham Bombay as he stepped from the shadows, as pathetic-looking as ever.

At least he agreed with her for once, bluntly stating that pure should stuck with pure. It wasn't difficult to guess why. He'd been skulking around Quincy for as long as Aileen could remember.

Quincy greeted him in a teasing voice, and Aileen narrowed her eyes at her. How many times did she have to tell her that teasing him only encouraged him? No, if she wanted him to leave her alone, she had to be much crueler than that.

Someone must set an example.

Aileen took a step forward, lips curled in a mocking smile. She flipped her hair over one shoulder and shook her head in feigned dismay.

"And what do you suggest, Bombay? That she date you?" Aileen let out a laugh. "Pure or not, you're as short and ugly as a goblin, with the personality to match. The only thing you're fit to do is look, and admire."

Aileen glanced back at Quincy and raised her eyebrows. "He's never dated, you know. Only his own mother can stand him," she paused, smiled spitefully. "Even she wishes she threw the baby out with the dishwater sometimes."

A horrible, abysmal, adolescent blush spread across Graham's features.  It happened every time Quincy addressed him, despite how much he tried to control it.  It was a sign of weakness, a sign of emotion that Graham absolutely abhorred.  Yet there it came. He lowered his head a bit, hoping his long hair might cover a bit of his embarrassment.  Her sing-song voice was beautiful, even when it was teasing.  Except that nitwit Aileen had to interrupt.  Merlin, if there was woman he wished he could push off a cliff, it was her. 


The blush grew a hint more intense at her comments.  Of course he had heard them all before, almost daily.  Except she had to go and do it in front of Quincy.  "I-," get it together, Graham, he told himself, "I went with  Thursby."  Except, damnit, she was a half-blood.  Which contradicted his point.  "If you consider screwing a half-breed, dating," he followed, smugly.  So what if that wasn't true.  They didn't have to know.  And it's not as if there weren't rumors about Niobe, anyway.  "It's really all they're good for."

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