L.O.V.E.

Prologue

Minerva McGonagall was what you would call an outstanding student, perfect grades, and top of her year, always on time, wonderful manners, and never doing anything wrong or unexpected. She was in her 5^th year and, much to the enjoyment of her parents who loved hearing how wonderful their daughter was, had been sent an owl over the summer that asked her to be a Prefect. She of course had said yes to please them and now she was making her way towards the Prefect carriage in the Hogwarts Express, ready for yet another year of school.

Minerva stepped into the carriage with a sign that said "Prefects only" on it in sparkly gold letters, and had loaded her trunk into one of the overhead bins that said "Prefect luggage only" on it in sparkly gold letters, then took a seat on one of the red poufs, while resisting the urge to tear off the sticker that said "Prefect arses only" on it in sparkly gold letters. She looked around, the room was stuffed with various furniture and food dispensers, all equipped with stickers, who's sparkly gold lettering she could barely make out. There were rather tacky sparkly gold curtains adorning the windows and white wallpaper. There was also a door in the wall, which she guessed led to a bathroom or kitchen of some sort.

She sat there for a while, wondering about what she'd be doing this year, how many first years would be sorted into her house, if there were any new professors, same old, same old. Suddenly the door opened to reveal a dark haired boy of about sixteen who she didn't know. Before she could get a good look at him, about ten prep prefects waltzed in the door, creating so much noise and confusion that by the time the dust had cleared, he had slipped off somewhere. With a sigh Minerva left, trying to avoid catching the prep group's eye, she didn't feel like being attacked by a mob of girls asking her stupid questions and watching their dumb-muscle boyfriends being used by the girls like pawns, and liking it. (no offense to any preps out there) They brought it upon themselves. God, why couldn't any of the other Prefects be interesting. She heard the train's whistle and felt it begin to leave as she made her way through the back door of the cart that led to the real part of the train. Maggie and Tara, her two friends, had told her to come back and visit them once she had dropped off her luggage, but she didn't exactly feel like being attacked by them either. They would probably pester her the whole time about their theory about her seducing and doing naughty things with Professor Sequa, the relatively young potions teacher to get good grades (according to them, it's impossible for any students not in Slytherin to get an A from him without bribery of some sort), and getting a boyfriend, because if she didn't soon, she'd end up with a geek for the Christmas dance. Minerva decided to hang out with the Max and Thomas instead, they never paid that much attention to her and were usually too busy to annoy her that much anyways.

So Minerva walked into the carriage at the very back of the train; their special headquarters. She walked in just in time to see a slightly taller and tanner Max and Thomas boot some rosy cheeked first years out the door.

"Hey Minerva," said Max, giving her an over enthusiastic hug, "what's up!"

"Minnie, darling, you're looking sexier than ever!" followed Thomas, also engaging in a hug in which Minerva was sure was to get a shot at unstrapping her braw.

"Yo," She replied, flopping down on the cushiony seat they had reserved for her.

"How's being a Prefect, Minerva, are you proud and exited," said Max, "because we sure are."

"Yah," said Thomas, "I bet it's just spiffy."

"Oh yah, I feel so superior and important, I think I might just bust with joy." Minerva leaned forward to get a better view at the contraption they were setting up. "I guess it'll be cool, but I mean really, the whole Prefect carriage is like covered in little gold stickers saying 'Prefect whatever only', and the only people that are there are scary preps and their boyfriends."

Max began clipping tubes and vials in place on what Minerva now recognized to be the table that had gone missing from the Gryffindor common room the year before. "Yah, well the real reason you became a Prefect was so you can assist us in our mauradering,"

"And so that you can get 'closer' to Professor Sequa, if you know what I mean," added Thomas with a snort. Suddenly both boys burst out laughing and received in turn a particularly painful punch from Minerva.

"Oh shut up, you both are so immature, I did nothing with Professor Sequa, nothing!" She sighed and sunk back into the seat. Boys...

About an hour and a half later, the candy cart witch came bye, asking, "Would you like something to eat dears?"

"Whatcha got?" asked Thomas, getting up from the quill he was hexing. There were pitchers of pumpkin juice, chocolate frogs, chocolate blocks, chocolate-shaped unicorns and chocolate flavored jellybeans, as well as hundreds of other chocolate things. Five minutes later the three of them were pigging out on chocolate everything.

Suddenly there was a static noise and an amplified voice echoed throughout the train. "This is Professor Dippit," it said, "Would all of the Prefects please report to the Prefect carriage, I repeat, would all the Prefects please report to the Prefect carriage." There was a bit more static, then silence.

"Umm," said Minerva, standing up, "I guess that's me..."

"K, see you."

"Yah, bye."

As she walked down the hallway, Minerva heard a loud explosion and a "oh shit" from the compartment she had been in. She stifled a laugh as she ran into the candy cart witch about halfway down the train. The witch was pouring cups of pumpkin juice for four first year girls with pigtails and had stopped in the middle of the hall. Just as Minerva was about to make an attempt to squeeze around the cart a dark haired boy dropped down from the ceiling right next to her. She realized that it was the boy that she had seen in the prefect's carriage early that day.

"Oh, sorry," he said, seeing her startled expression, "did I frighten you?"

"No, not at all, I was just- well- I mean- how'd you get up there?!"

"Magic." He replied, with a smile. "C'mon, we have to get to the Prefect carriage or it'll destroy your reputation of being everywhere on time Minerva." Minerva had been so startled by him that she didn't realize that the witch had moved on to the next compartment.

"Wait!" she said to the boy, who was starting to walk down the hall, "How'd you know my name? I mean, I don't think I've ever met you before..."

"Minerva," he said. "it's not like I'm some loner. Basically everyone knows your name. Minerva McGonagall, you have all A's, even from Mr. Sequa, you're at the top of all your classes, with a Greek background, every teacher's ideal student,-"

He got cut off as they came to the door entitled "Prefects only". The boy gave a bit of a snort upon seeing the sticker, and Minerva wondered if he had thought the sparkly gold writing as humorous as she.

"Ah, welcome Mr. Riddle, Ms. McGonagall, you are the last of us. Now we were just going over the procedures in which... blah blah blah."

Minerva took a seat in the red pouf she had first sat in and looked around for the boy, but he had disappeared again. She wondered if she would see him around this year. She continued to look at Professor Dippit who was rambling on about rules or something as she drifted into her own thoughts...

But I never learned your name...