The Perfect Prefect [Cwen & Helena]

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that some decisions, no matter how hard, have to be made. The fact did not help Rowena Ravenclaw make her decision, though. Once more, she found herself sitting at her desk in her spacious office, staring wearily at the papers she'd been examining. She was getting even more tired and sleepy, but there was no way to make up her mind. After all, the choice of the Prefects was a serious issue and had to be dealt with very carefully, but it had never happened before that she had two possible candidates. The worst thing was that one of them was her daughter, Helena. Their relationship, quite stranded as it had been for a rather long time, would suffer even more if didn't choose her. On the other hand, Cwen Gewissae was probably one of the most devoted students she had ever had. Whatever she decided, someone would end up hurt.

Rowena stared blankly at her parchments for some time and then she sighed and sat back in her chair. There was no way she would be able to make a choice on her own. However, none of the other founders could help her and Alfie was clear and determined when he announced that he would not take part in choosing the Prefects and Head Boys and Girls. Not that she would ask for their help anyway... Rowena suddenly sat up, wondering how for Merlin's sake she could have been so stupid. The answer was very simple, of course. The easiest way to make her choice was to invite both girls and talk to them. She quickly wrote two very short messages and beckoned her pet owl, who as usual resided above her writing desk. Rowena whispered the instructions to the bird in soft voice and opened the window. As she watched the owl made her way across the twilight sky, Rowena sat in her chair, placed both her hands on the mahogany writing surface and waited.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen was just re-rereading her new Charms book when the owl fluttered through an open window in the Common Room. Cwen had been waiting for it and her heart leapt at the appearance of Rowena's bird. When it went to Helena first, Cwen's heart sank though. She stumbled backward into her chair as tears welled in her eyes. Of course she chose Helena. Helena was better than Cwen at Charms and Transfiguration. Cwen could not stiffle her emotions though and put her head in her hands and began to weep loudly. A prefect boy a year ahead of her pulled her close and gave her a consoling pat on her head. He had always liked her since meeting her in her second year but she had always been closer to the first wizard she had ever met.

The owl pecking Cwen's hand came as a great shock. Cwen thought it was Owen the Prefect being too rough at first, so she hit him with her arm and pushed him away. Cwen was teary-eyed and mad, the owl pecked her hand again and she finally realized what was happening. She looked at Owen apologetically and he grinned nervously back. Cwen took the note from the bird and unfolded it carefully. She read it over but it didn't settle her down. Owen stepped forward and offered his hankerchief. Which Cwen took immediately in exchange for the letter. After reading he nodded and took her by the arm, "Let's go." he said. "I'll walk you down."

Cwen followed closely beside him. Not willing to deny him after having struck him. She did protest verbally however. "I can't. I don't want to see her. What if I am not good enough?"
Owen shushed her and rubbed her back gently. "She cannot pick her own daughter, it is plainly favoritism. The other Founders will not stand for it.
They had just made it to Rowena's office. "And Helena is a troll. It'll be a blight on the Ravenclaw House if she were made Prefect." His voice was magnified by the empty corridor. Cwen disagreed but only made a small murmur in response.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena was curled in her favorite couch in the Blue and Bronze Common Room, reading Most Potent Potions and its Different Uses. Although Potions was a bit far from overthrowing Charms as her most favorite subject, she felt the thirst to know more about it. If there was one thing about the personality of Helena Ravenclaw that is very obvious, it is the fact that she is the type of person who is always curious… always hungry for knowledge. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she practically did not notice other people in the common room, or her mother’s owl when it entered and flew toward her. The young Ravenclaw only noticed it when it landed on her open book and stuck out a leg.

At first, Helena was surprised to see her mother’s owl sticking out its leg at her. She wracked her brains. What sort of miracle would make her mother exert some effort to talk to her? She stared at it and wondered what this was about but untied the scroll anyway. Her feeling of curiosity and confusion intensified when she saw it still carried a note in its other leg. She found herself staring after it. The moment the owl landed near Cwen, a crying Cwen at that, Helena frowned. She was never a fan of Cwen but why was the other girl crying? She pitied the girl.

Helena hastily opened the note and read her mother’s neat handwriting. The note was short and straightforward. Helena sighed and straightened up, her eyes darting toward her almost finished Potions book. For a moment, the girl was tempted to finish it before going to see her mother. However, she did not think she would be able to concentrate because her mother obviously wanted not only to see her but Cwen too. Then, it clicked and dread filled Helena. Surely her mother would not even consider, not even for a moment, not picking her as Ravenclaw Prefect. She tried to convince herself but to no avail. Her mother wouldn’t have had summoned Cwen if she had not chosen her. Helena was just invited so her mother can explain to her why she chose the other girl. “Probably something about her image being ruined if she picked her own daughter.” She muttered darkly, unconsciously crumpling the note, feeling betrayed, as she made her way to her mother’s office.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Rowena remained seated in her soft chair, waiting patiently for her guests. In order to prove they were worthy of the important position, the girls would have to make Rowena believe that she was making the right choice. They had to really want it, desire it more than anything else and prove that they would be willing to work even harder, having been proclaimed prefect. They had to be an example to others and make Rowena proud. If any of the girls couldn't live up to Rowena's expectations, then she probably was not the right choice anyway.

Rowena leaned forward in her chair and picked a quill from her desk. It wasn't by any means an enchanted quill and it didn't have any particular powers; it merely served as something to write her observations with. And it served her quite well. So, the quill was now laying in Rowena's hand and she played with it for a couple of moments, seemingly lost in her thoughts. It would probably take some time for her owl to reach the Ravenclaw common room and then after a few confused, perhaps even awkward moments, the girls would arrive in her office. A corner of Rowena's mouth curved upwards. It was probably something that the two girl didn't know, but Rowena had noticed the animosity between them. It had probably started upon their first arrival to Hogwarts (in Helena's case, upon her first arrival to Hogwarts as a student). Both of the girls were very bright and both of them had similarly competitive nature, so it was only logical that they would regard each other as potential threat. However, Rowena didn't know how deeply their rivalry had been embedded.

Rowena put the quill down and rose her head, casting her eyes to the door when she heard a soft yet determined knock. "Come in!" she called, waiting for her guest to enter.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen was trying, unsuccessfully to calm Owen down. She gripped his arm tightly when he made that ugly comment about their Head of Houses' daughter. "You're a prefect! You shouldn't say such things." Cwen knocked upon the door, wiping her eyes with Owen's hankerchief. "Thank you for escorting me. Go back to the Common Room, please."
The sound of Rowena's voice unsettled the embers in poor Owen. He nearly pushed Cwen to the ground as he entered the Professor's office. Cwen stumbled but caught herself against the opposite side of the door frame. Owen looked like a madman as he stopped in front of Rowena's desk. Cwen wished she hadn't let her emotions get the better of her in front of him. He is way too protective of her.
"Professor." Owen bowed his head respectfully. Cwen sighed her relief and followed the brash boy into the office silently. "If." His tone made Cwen freeze. She tried to look apolegetic toward Rowena. "If Cwen is not made Prefect, then I refuse to wear a Prefect badge any longer." Owen put a hand to his chest and pulled his prefect badge off his robes. "That. That is all."

Owen stormed out of the room, he sat outside the door. Cwen moved forward nervously. She felt on the verge of tears again. "Sorry, Professor. I will. . . or, sorry." Cwen stepped forward, wishing she were going backward. Each step toward Rowena brought an ill unease to it. The Founder reminded Cwen so much of her real mother. Wise, strong and beautiful. Cwen no longer cared about a stupid Prefect badge as long as Rowena would not be angry at her. Cwen stood before Rowena's desk, waiting patiently to be invited to sit. She had Owen's hankerchief twirled around the forefinger of her left hand. She truly felt sick. Her stomache ached horribly and she knew her head would also begin to ache if she did not relieve her stress soon.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

On her way to her mother’s office, her mind was doing a lot of speculation on its own. Her brain went from the moment her mother would say she chose Cwen to her own speech to try to make her see reason as to why she was supposed to be prefect instead of the other girl. She started brainstorming reasons why she should be the one and it all came to her easily. She deserved to be one of the prefects... and that had nothing to with the fact that her last name was Ravenclaw and the founder of the house is her biological mother. That was it; she was going to take this matter calmly. She will calmly converse with her mother. She will calmly persuade her to make the right decision by picking her. And more importantly, she will calmly do this without resorting to reasons about her being Rowena’s daughter.

She descended the last steps with a feeling of renewed determination. She was going to do everything she could do to be prefect. In the event of failure to secure the honorable position, she also braced herself. She knew her mother for sixteen years now. Although their encounters were not as numerous as it should be, had their relationship been close, she knew by now that talks with Rowena Ravenclaw never resulted into anything close to what would be predictable. It was always wise to take things rationally and calmly as they come when she was with her mother. Feeling surer of herself, she walked confidently down the corridor to her mother’s office. As she was nearing, Owen, one of the prefects walked pass her. He looked mad about something and he looked like he just made his way out of her mother’s study. Not knowing what happened exactly, Helena hastened her steps, closing the distance from where she was to her mother’s open door even faster. She knocked gently to announce her presence and stood by the doorframe, looking from her mother’s face to Cwen’s back, her expression a mixture of slight surprise and wonder. “Good evening.” She said politely, not knowing if she should call her mother or professor so she just left her greeting at that.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Rowena's dark eyes were focused on the door, waiting for her visitor to get in. She was expecting to see Cwen, logically, or Helena, or perhaps, however improbable both girls arriving together. What she did not expect, however, was a boy from her own house. The one she had already made a prefect. What was he doing in her office then? "What are you doing here?" Rowena managed to ask before the boy approached her desk. Rowena widened her eyes at the sight before her: he looked like a madman and for a brief moment Rowena wondered if he was about to curse her. With a corner of her eye, Rowena did manage to see Cwen standing by door. Rowena watched Owen's performance without saying a word. When he left, without letting her say a word to him, she only calmly blinked a couple of times, before turning to Cwen.

A small appeared on Rowena's face. "Well, you are very lucky to have someone to guard you so vehemently." The dark-haired witch raised her hand to stop further apologies and explanations. "It is not my intention to relieve him of his duties. His intentions, no matter how noble, are probably more appropriate for the Gryffindor house prefect..." Rowena's eyes were focused on the badge Owen had left on her desk. She seemed to be completely lost in her thoughts; her attention was no longer focused on Cwen; she was no longer talking to her guest but to herself. "Yes, that would have been just as acceptable... yes..." Rowena suddenly stopped her seemingly random burst of words and focused her gaze on Cwen again. She beckoned the girl and then glanced towards one of the chairs in front of her desk "Please, Cwen, sit down." her voice was soft and another small smile appeared on her face.

Rowena's face turned towards the door as she heard footsteps. Suddenly, Helena appeared in the door-frame. "Ah, perfect! Now you are both here." Rowena exclaimed and clapped her hands together as a small child who had just received a particularly large box of chocolate. "Come in, Helena and please close the door behind you, would you?"

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen was glad that Rowena didn't think she had asked Owen to turn in his badge. She bowed and nodded. It was true, Cwen could not be mad with Owen even if he had cost her Prefectship. They were so close that Cwen often noticed her boyfriend, Orion, giving him dark looks. Owen was a Muggleborn like her and one of the few in her own house. "He would not have been so bold if I had been better composed tonight." She corrected the Professor calmly as though she were helping someone with school work. Cwen refrained from returning the professor's smile. Her desire to be Prefect was for the wrong reasons. Because Hermia, Owen and Orion were prefects too. And to have that connection to Rowena. Cwen didn't deserve the badge. She knew it now. But still desired it.

Cwen sat when prompted to. She turned in her seat and gazed at Helena coldly. Cwen had tried to befriend Helena. But found the young miss Ravenclaw's attitude toward her mother highly annoying. Cwen would give anything to have the worst mother in the world and Helena was always moping about being the daughter of a great woman like Rowena. Cwen turned back toward Rowena before she started started feelinng ill again from the sight of the other Fifth year.

Now that Rowena hadn't rejected her or removed her from her house, Cwen felt much less ill. But a residual sickness remained even as she gazed adoringly at her favorite professor who reminded her so much of her deceased mother. Cwen allowed herself to grin a bit. Even though she tried to remain composed and unemotional. "Good evening, Professor." Cwen repeated after Helena. Realizing she had not properly greeted her yet. "What can we help you with, Professor?" Cwen added sweetly with a glance toward Helena as she said, 'we.'

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena nodded, smiled and closed the door gently behind her just as her mother requested her to. Her curiosity as to what had transpired before she came in, which undoubtedly involved Owen, a prefect, almost pushed her to ask a question about it. However, something inside her knew it was wise not to. It did not happen in her presence so most likely she had not been meant to know about it.

The girl's greeting somewhat vexed Helena. The girl was so rude. How can she be there ahead of her and not greet her mother? And, there was something about the way she added professor. Was the girl trying to make Helena look impolite so she could be prefect? Helena let out a breath softly, feeling like she was being over critical because she thinks the girl has already been chosen as prefect instead of her.Seeing as Cwen was seated, she made her way to one to the chair opposite Cwen and sat, unaware of Cwen's cold gaze.

The young Ravenclaw, though she thought she deserved to be a prefect, started to wonder why she really wanted to be a prefect. Partly, she knew that it was just supposed to happen... ever since her first day in school. It is what is expected of her or at least what she expected of herself. She was Helena, Rowena's daughter, and she had Ravenclaw as her last name. But the deeper reason was, well... if Rowena did choose her to be prefect, it meant she finally gained her mother's approval. And that would be her first goal in life attained. Before she could ask herself anything else, the girl's question to her mother snapped her out of her internal monologue. Maybe this was not even about the prefect badge. The young Ravenclaw eyed Rowena and waited for her to answer.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Rowena's eyes widened and she gave Cwen a surprised look. "Really? What happened?" she asked gently. Rowena would never have thought that her letter would bring so much discomfort and trouble to poor Cwen. She hadn't intended to make her sad or hurt her in any way. So she was genuinely surprised and had no idea what could have made Cwen so uncomposed. Meanwhile, Helena closed the door and Rowena looked at her with a small smile, which appeared to be nothing more than a mere sign of professional politeness. "Thank you." Rowena's dark eyes followed her daughter as she walked towards the empty seat and sat down. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to put Helena and Cwen together in the same room. Salazar or Godric would probably simply let the two girls duel, eventually giving the badge to the winner. Both Cwen and Helena would be very glad to duel to the death. However, there was no way that Rowena would let that happen. No, her house was supposed to be the embodiment of wisdom and civilised behaviour and they were about to prove it.

Rowena blinked and picked her quill up again, before answering Cwen's question. "I am glad that both of you are here because, as you know, every year the four of us - Godric, Helga, Salazar and myself - are required to choose a pair of prefects from our fifth year students. It is of course our duty to select only the best of our students, those who would serve as an example to others, those who have the best grades and who deserve that position the most." Rowena made a little dramatic pause and looked from one girl to the other. "This year, however, I am faced with a challenge, because I have two candidates for one place. I have been thinking and simply couldn't make up my mind." she said truthfully, with a small shrug. "I know that both of you desire the badge." Rowena glanced at Owen's badge which still lay on her desk. "And I think you both deserve it. Unfortunately, only one of you can get it."

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Helena was very quiet. Cwen felt as though she would be attacked at any moment. She wondered if the other girl felt the same way about her. Cwen made a pathetic whimper, wondering if Rowena would actually make them duel for the position of Prefect. Cwen was second only to Helena in Charms in all of the fifth year but had never been very interested in duelling so much. In fact, now that she thought of it, Cwen didn't think that she held much respect for the violent practice of magic at all. Except maybe where it was unavoidable. She stole a glance toward Helena and couldn't help but wonder which of them actually would win in a duel. Cwen personally thought that she would not stand a chance against the Founder's daughter. But she strangely was not sickened by the idea of Helena in pain.

Cwen turned her head back to Rowena and shrugged with a sigh. "It is a rough time for me. Orion has fears about his family. But I wont bore you with the details." Cwen doubted the Malfoys had the courage to try to prevent her seeing Orion. Honestly, she was also worried about Orion's lack of courage as well. But that was not the problem of the Professor or her daughter. Cwen beamed, hoping to keep Rowena from prying too much. Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of prefect. Cwen's mouth went dry as she listened intently. Sure that Rowena's last words were to be that Helena was going to be the new prefect and that Cwen would have to return to the Common Room. When the matter was not closed by their Head of House, Cwen stared, her mouth gaping open. She was stunned. It seemed highly unlike Rowena to be unable to decide. Or was that her personal perception of Rowena, Cwen thought to herself. "So, this really is about that then?" Cwen realized this was a rather silly question once she'd said it. She averted her gaze to the floor, feeling as though she'd disgraced her House by allowing herself to be so startled as to utter something so foolish.

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[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena frowned a bit when she heard that Cwen had personal problems as of the moment but did not say anything. Something about the atmosphere in the room that moment seemed to tell her she was not suppose to speak a lot, like she usually does. She found herself smiling naturally back when she saw her mother, looking even more beautiful, smile at her. Her mother’s smile sort of comforted her but when her eyes landed on Cwen, she began to feel the good feeling drift away and even out of reach the moment her mother started answering Cwen’s question.

Her heart pounded so hard she could practically feel it in her throat, her ears attentive and her eyes focused on her mother. As her mother spoke, she felt more and more anxious. She revealed that the meeting for tonight really was about the badge… and since there were only two of them summoned they had to be her options. Cwen was chosen, she was certain. Her mother was nice enough to invite to tell her in person that she was not chosen. However, she found herself surprised when her mother declared she could not decide. Even she was not prepared to hear her mother was indecisive about something. That was both good and bad. Good because that meant she still had a chance and bad because she was equal with Cwen and the probability of losing the badge to Cwen was 0.50. Her mother’s kind but frank words in the end made her feel like talking for the second time that evening. “So, Professor, are we going to take an exam? Or you are going to interview us? Make us answer some riddles?” She inquired curiously, almost at the same time as Cwen spoke and realized it only after she was finished, her cheeks went pink a bit.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

A small frown appeared on Rowena's face when she heard Cwen's words. "You are my student." she said gently "If there is anything that is bothering you, you should tell me. Perhaps I can help you. It is always a pleasure to help a student in need. And it is my duty, since you are in my house." Of course, there were certain issues and problems which students certainly wouldn't like to share with their professors, but Rowena wasn't a typical professor. She was certain that she could listen to her students' problems, understand and help them, without prejudice. If only it were the same with her own daughter...

"I beg your pardon?" Rowena raised an eyebrow as she looked at Cwen. The girls had obviously been expecting her decision and, when she failed to let them know whom she had chosen, guessed correctly that she would invite them to talk about it. Then she turned towards her daughter and listened to her question. She managed to hear them both, despite the fact that the two girls spoke almost at the same time. "No, Helena." she spoke slowly and softly. "You are not going to take an exam. There is no need for that, because both of you have excelled in all exams you have taken. More or less." she added with a small smile. "And no, I'm not going to make you answer any riddles. You do it every time you enter your common room. Much better than creating a password..." she muttered, obviously referring to Godric and Salazar and their foolish ideas. Well, everyone knew that none of the other founders was as creative and inventive as Rowena.

"The reason I couldn't make a decision..." Rowena started, feeling the need to explain herself. She must have sounded so foolish when she said she couldn't make up her mind. "Is that I didn't want to hurt either of you by choosing the other, without any explanation. I believe that both of you deserve the badge." Rowena repeated and looked from Helena to Cwen. Then she looked at Helena again. "I just want to know which one of you desires it more. And why do you think that you should get it?" Rowena smiled. There was something slightly insane about the way she smiled and her eyes sparkled, but that tended to happen quite often with Rowena, especially when she had to deal with issues of intellectual nature.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen was more than a little stressed when her professor proved amptly worried about her. It was, of course, the reason she wanted the Prefect badge. To be Rowena's favorite. The kindest, cleverest professor in the school. Though Cwen thought that revealing any sort of weakness or problems might diminish her chance at becoming Prefect. So she was naturally quite upset. Even being so foolish to have let those problems show themself in the first place. Perhaps Cwen wasn't clever enough to be a Ravenclaw prefect. She hadn't taken this whole ordeal seriously enough. Had she been smart, she would have had the foresight to be away from anyone, even Orion while waiting for some word from the Professor. The fact that she had even told Orion that she was worried was wholly unnecessary and now, at least from Cwen's persepective, completely destructive. On top of that, Helena was the last person that Cwen wanted to know about her personal problems. So it was with great reluctance and an exceptionally soft tone that Cwen admitted, "Orion seems to think that his family will hurt me if we remain friends." Cwen shrugged and continued even slower. Realizing now that it was extremely hard to say regardless of the current situation. "He said that he'll leave me if anything at all might happen." Despite the pain of saying the words, Cwen kept her expression set. Unwilling to ruin her chances of becoming Ravenclaw's prefect by falling to tears right now.

Cwen was so busy chastising herself for being so foolish that she hardly noticed Helena had spoken at all. She had made so many mistakes tonight, she wondered if it was the stress of the prefect badge that was getting to her or if she was simply a clumsy thinker. There didn't seem to be a clear answer in her head. The professor began to speak again. Cwen looked up suddenly and listened greedily. Cwen didn't think there would be an exam, most everything about the school was still well known. Far too recent to be considered history. She made a small grunt of victory at Helena's assumptions being completely wrong. Cwen enjoyed Rowena's swipe at Godric and Salazar as well. Especially Salazar since those Slytherin were the closest to the Ravenclaw in cleverness. She giggled softly at the joke.

Cwen nodded as Rowena explained her actions. She looked sideways at Helena, wondering if the founder's daughter even cared about the badge. Cwen turned back to the professor quickly. The question ignited Cwen's brain. She immediately spoke without waiting to be invited to. "I don't think I deserve the badge. I believe the badge deserves the candidate that is a consistent and ardent student of great work ethic. Someone who is impartial and fair. A born-," Cwen gulped suddenly. She hadn't meant to but it put a disruptive pause in her speech. She narrowed her eyes with annoyance for a second then continued, "leader." Cwen had meant to go on. But now just felt even more foolish than before. She nodded, trying to look across Rowena's desk with solid conviction but She began to bite her lip as she waited for someone to speak.

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[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena could not help but listen to Cwen's personal problems. She was not very fond of the girl but she still symphatized with her on the inside. However, since they were never close, despite the fact that they have been classmates since day one, she felt that it is just was not right for her to overhear what was going on with Cwen's life. The girl's very soft voice accentuated her feeling of intruding. So, Helena just looked at nowhere in particular, to give her classmate and her mother some privacy. Though she pitied the girl for having quite a few problems, she knew that she is a very clever girl and was almost certain she was up to something. As the other two people in the room conversed, she can not help but think that the girl was just sharing her problems to gain her mother's pity so she would give her the badge. She knew her mother was wise and knew it was not likely that she would fall for that kind of stunt but she really did not know what her mother would and would not do.

The moment the two seemed to finish their discussion, her mother started answering her questions and was not surprised that all her assumptions were wrong because she did not expect any of it to be right. She merely stated the questions to get her mother to reveal what she intended to do with them. She stared at her mother the whole time and could not help but feel her heart skip a beat. The look on her mother's face told her the significance of her question to her getting the badge. While she merely nodded and not rushed into answering, the other girl did the opposite. After hearing what she had to say, she kept a neutral face. While she agreed with the girl's definition of ideal prefect, she disagreed with her opinion that she did not deserve the badge. "I agree with your ideal prefect. A prefect must not only be consistently responsible but also display good leadership, impartiality and fairness at all times. However, I disagree with your opinion that you do not deserve the badge. I've known you since first year. You do deserve the badge Cwen." She said sincerely, even though she knew the girl was probably being modest in order to get the badge. She might not like the girl much but she was not going to not say anything to her rather wrong opinion about herself, even though it meant she might increase her chances to get the badge. If she was going to get the badge, she wanted to ensure that she did not just end up getting it because her competition backed down.