CURTAINS
The common room was alive with bronze, blue, and white. The floors were marbled, with a wide expanse of open space. A reading nook full of bookshelves was hidden away. The rest was filled with window, curtain, and breeze. A statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stood proudly, beside two stairways that must have led up to the dorms.
One couldn’t help but think it was bare. It was glorious, yes. Likely one of the most beautiful places in this dimly lit castle. But it didn’t feel - it didn’t feel like home. Not like Theodore seemed to think it was. She could be happy here, almost certainly. But it wasn’t home, it wasn’t warm or inviting any more than the library. And that little bit scared her.
Clearwater stood by the door, leaning against one of the few couches in the common room. She looked tired, but smiled when Evangeline caught her eye.
“There’s always at least one first year that wants to test their luck at the door. I was going to come let you in if you didn’t manage it in 7 minutes or so. That’s what I like to call ‘pass the point of no return’,”she said, air quoting the last part, “No good ever comes out of just thinking about a single riddle for 3 hours.” Evangeline chuckled.
“I suppose you’re right, would have been unfortunate if I had been forced to sleep outside that door on my first night.”
“Quite,” Clearwater replied, with the look of one who had spent more than one night outside that door. She stood up straight then and gestured for Evangeline to come along, taking Evangeline by the shoulder up the left most staircase.
“The rooms fit 4, but we have 6 first years this time around,” she began, then upon seeing a concerned look from Evangeline chuckled and continued, “there’s plenty of rooms though of course, you lot can split it however you like. Or, I suppose, however the house elves have decided to put you.” Together, they walked down a line of doorways, some open to long time roommates catching up and others closed with no light coming up from the door. Passing Clearwater’s, she waved at the others as she passed, then informed Evangeline that she could stop by if she ever needed help. She got the feeling that Clearwater really meant it. Finally they came upon two open doors, facing each other.
“One of these is yours,” Clearwater said, then waved goodbye, making her tired way to her bed. It looked like the house elves had split the rooms evenly, three and three. Though Broklehurst seemed to be switching hers and Turpin’s belongings. She was friends with Li, apparently, and had wanted to be in the same room as her. That put Evangeline in a room with Turpin and Patil - the one on the right.
Stepping inside, she allowed her gaze to be pulled toward the chair beside her bed. It was completely decked out in Ravenclaw gear. There was a scarf - dark blue striped with silver. Evangeline fiddled at the soft fabric - then a sweater that seemed to be the very same. The black tie she wore now could be replaced with the Ravenclaw one. There was a note that explained to leave the robes out for the house elves to put the new patch onto. All neat and tidy and prepared. She pulled open her trunk, trying to remember what she had packed two nights before and dashing away the thoughts of her sorting.
Inside wasn’t much in the way of useful items: some extra robes, misc clothing if she ever actually needed it, a set of pajamas (which she took out now), and a few toiletries. The rest was filled largely with the required books. Some of which may gain their use in the coming year. The other equipment was tucked away neatly as well - the pewter cauldron and telescope included. The cauldron was collapsable and she had both an iron and brass one as well. A plethora of her own ingredients were stored here - though she would be able to use the school’s resources for her in-class projects. In the farthest corner was her violin in its case.
Evangeline tugged at her pockets, finding the herbs she had stashed away as she had left in the morning. She tucked them in with the rest - though she left them on top to be used sooner.
She rummaged in her trunk again for Edmund’s two bowls - filling one with water at a tap of her wand and grabbing a handful of food from the bag she had stowed. Little rat feet raced down her arm in excitement and Edmund gratefully slurped at the water. She smiled at him, rubbing the bridge of his nose - which he responded to by trying to eat her finger.
Their beds were in a large circle, but Turpin’s and her own were broken up by the door. Patil’s was beside hers, but there was also a window in between them with long draping blue curtains - matching those around their beds. Largely white with bronze accents covered the rest of the room. The empty bed lay in between Patil’s and Turpin’s. Turpin was sitting on her bed, watching as Brokelhurst switched their things. She seemed to be lauding over the situation, happily being treated like what she seemed to think was a queen. Brokelhurst only seemed slightly amused, this had probably been the payment for Turpin agreeing to switch rooms. Patil was neatly moving everything that was in her trunk to the various drawers in the dresser beside her bed. Evangeline supposed she should really follow suit, but instead flopped on her own bed and felt the curtain fabric again.
“Where’d you go?” Patil asked eventually, staring at her from her own bed, having finished unpacking. Evangeline sat up.
“I just wanted to try the door myself,” Evangeline muttered. Patil’s eyes lit up and Turpin turned from her makeshift throne to look at her as well.
“What did it ask you?” Turpin asked with wide and curious eyes.
“I’d wanted to try it too!” Patil said, then, quieter, “Thought I would look weird though.”
Evangeline shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t like that riddle had been chosen for her and her alone and yet it felt.. Special to her somehow. Her very first riddle in a house that obviously dealt with a lot of riddles. That riddle had seemed like it was supposed to mean something. Though that probably couldn’t be true, the door knob likely didn’t have the same legilimency ability that inhabited the sorting hat. It wouldn’t even know enough about her to have chosen a riddle that was in anyway special. Most likely it rotated through a set of riddles that would one day begin to repeat. Theoretically, if someone were here for enough, they likely would have heard every riddle that the knocker had to give and then some. Was that actually why Clearwater had seemed to be able to get into the common room with ease? Had she already known the answer and entertained them for a while? No. That didn’t seem accurate, Clearwater frankly seemed more honest than that. And anyway it would probably be the professors and the headmasters that had that kind of power - which brings up the idea of navigating the staircases again.
Turpin and Patil were staring at her. Remembering that she had yet to reply, Evangeline cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Ah, uhm…” Evangeline hesitated, scouring her head for a different riddle. One Clark had told her, trying to confuse her when they were little - laughing at her when she didn’t get it right, yet never seeming truly malicious. One her father whispered to her to force her mind to be good for an important dinner. One from Theo, maybe, all laughs and smiles as he thought up a tongue twister that would split your head.
“What? Did it ask your deepest darkest secret or somethin? Come on Dox we don’t have all night!” Brocklehurst exclaimed, standing in the doorway, Li was beside her (staring with more wide eyed innocence than annoyance). Turpin laughed, agreeing quickly. Evangeline flushed, realizing what she was doing was fairly stupid.
“No, sorry, my answer to it just wasn’t that great.”
Before anyone else could make an attempt, Patil said softly, “That’s ok, just the riddle is enough. I want to know if I’ll be able to keep up with them.” Evangeline nodded, finally placing her mind on a good replacement riddle.
“Under pressure is the only way I work,” she began, “and by myself is the only way I am hurt, what am I?” The previously disgruntled room sat in contemplative silence for a moment, each individual working the answer out themselves. Turpin was the first to speak again.
“So what was your answer then Dox?”
Brocklehurst and Li bursted into laughter, quickly joined by a chuckling Turpin and Patil. Evangeline was the last, finally cracking a crooked smile.
“Myself.”
Thankfully, the rest broke. Patil especially, who Evangeline thought she saw wipe away a tear. Brocklehurst made a half wave gesture as she left the room chuckling, presumably to go to sleep. Li stepped into the room a bit more.
“I was thinking a pencil, ya know, since you can only make use of them by applying pressure and they really only break when you apply too much,” her voice was cheerful and kind, “The lead cracks inside, kind of like it's breaking itself!” Evangeline had heard of pencils, little sticks that muggles often used to write with. But she had never used one herself. And she certainly hadn’t known that muggles had written with some sort of lead alloy? Turpin screwed her face up.
“Li I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s a diamond. Not whatever weird contraption you’re talking about,” Turpin said. There wasn’t much of what one could call malice on her face, but certainly a some breed of confusion. Li shrunk a little bit.
“I wouldn’t call a pencil a contraption, it’s better than a quill. Can’t spill the ink everywhere with a pencil,” Patil chimed in, “and it makes sense with the riddle!” Li, bolstered by someone else who knew the many seemingly miraculous uses for a pencil, smiled a big grin, then wished everyone a good night, returning to her own room. Bewildered, Turpin whispered at Patil to ask her what a pencil was, which sparked a whole discussion between the two, during which Patil was very patient. Evangeline listened with some interest, but eventually fell back onto her bed - lost in some thought about her riddle. She drew her curtains at some point, which Edmund scuttled under, but fell asleep in her robes (a soon to be usual occurrence)