B.Q. Book One: Princess of the Blacks

Chapter 12: Settling In

Disclaimer: Did the Gryffindors ever have House rules to follow? If not, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.
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The rain had stopped by the next morning, though the air still possessed a crisp bite. Jen woke early and, after attempting to return to sleep, packed her satchel with her course books, parchment, quill, and ink before strolling downstairs to the common room. She waited for other students to rise, aiming to wile away the time by examining the books in the room's enormous library.

The Ravenclaw's common room was circular due to taking up an entire level of the tower and packed with overstuffed armchairs that would be extremely comfortable to curl up and read in. Two large fireplaces, situated between the door to the rest of the castle and the stairs that led to the dorms, provided heat to counter the cold stones of the uncarpeted floor. The walls, too, were stone, but there were hidden behind curved bookcases that covered every square inch of available space, from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Ladders were attached to rails on the shelves for access to the highest books.

"Enjoying the decor, Miss Black?" a squeaky voice asked from behind her. She redirected her sonar and identified the short figure of her head of house.

"That I am, Professor Flitwick." Turning to face him, she continued, "I take it that this is our monthly meeting?"

"I see Professor McGonagall has explained the process to you. We need to meet once a month at a minimum, but as I tell the first years, my door is always open. Come, let us adjourn to my office." He led her out the door and to a portrait a few dozen feet down the hall. "Curiosity is fundamental," he said, and the painting swung inwards to allow them through.

The room revealed by the opening portrait was a perfect size for someone of goblin heritage, with every item being miniature besides the two chairs in front of the desk that she supposed were meant for guests. A ring of low bookshelves surrounded him, though there were not as many books here as she expected; likely he only kept the various resources he needed as a professor in here, with his personal reading in his private rooms. Swords and warhammers were displayed above the shelves, and a tapestry was hanging behind a bench on his side of the desk. She sat in one chair and declined Flitwick's offer of tea.

"Well then, now that we are situated, I would like to discuss the house rules with you. The library you were admiring is open to all students, regardless of year, though the higher on the shelf a book is, the more it is geared towards upper level students. Private collections are, of course, allowed, but it is your responsibility to keep track of your books when they are in the common room. If you lay one down and forget about it, someone else could very easily mistake it for a House book and shelve with the rest or use it for their own purposes."

"I'll be sure to do that, Professor. Several of the texts I brought with me have special significance to the family, and I really don't want to be the one to lose them." She shuddered; Andi liked the library at home to be just so, and the Baron help anyone who messed it up. If she lost a book, not even hiding in Antarctica would keep the woman from tracking her down.

"In that case, I ask that you be especially cautious. Now, I hope you and your roommate are not having any difficulties—"

"Professor? Mandy Brocklehurst was supposed to be the girl I shared with, but she said that she preferred staying in Li and Turpin's room, so I could have one to myself. That isn't a problem, is it?"

Flitwick stroked his mustache for a moment. "It is highly irregular, but if none of the four of you have an issue, I see no need to interfere. Understand that I will be asking the other girls to verify what you have told me."