Fall Down

Chapter Two: The Tutor

-Audrey-

This was our fourth year here. Josiah, Eva, Rowen and I had all met at Hogwarts during the third week of our first year. I sat outside from the large wooden door with an enchanted knocker in the shape of an eagle. The knocker was supposed to ask anyone who knocks on the door a question, and if answered correctly they were let into the Ravenclaw dormitories.

My mind was as fogged up as the land surrounding the school of magic. I was prepared to sleep outside of the Ravenclaw headquarters, as it was night and nobody would still be up. I was on the verge of tears, my head resting on my knees in shame, when Josiah came up to me. I had no idea why he was up so late, or why he was alone. He gave me his signature grin that night, and crouched down beside me.

"Trouble with the password?" He asked titling his head slightly.

When I nodded briefly he helped me up and cleared his throat while knocking on the door.

"What is blue, but farther up is not?"

"The sky," Josiah answered in a deep voice without hesitation.

I remember how stupid I felt right after he answered the riddle. He must have saw the look on my face because he insisted on hanging out with me in the morning. We walked to classes together and spent free time with each other after that night. That was when we both came across Eva, who had spread rumours around that we were a couple. Not that I'm complaining. Josiah was probably the cutest guy in the whole house. Eva had started following us around and eventually, asked if we were a couple. When we said no, she started hanging out with us anyway to see if we were lying. A bit nosy if you ask me, but she stuck around and we never bothered to tell her otherwise.

When we all met Rowen, it was because of Katie. She had been throwing some minor spells at him while he was reading in the library. We heard him scream because he had busted out into blue flames, and quickly put the fire out before he burned the whole building down. He never minded of course, he was head over heels for the evil blond. I guess you could say that we 'adopted' him, in a sense that we started hanging out with him to make sure she wouldn't go around turning him into a pig. We found out we had a lot of classes together, and started a study group. The study group eventually evolved into something bigger.

The sun was beating down on me in the courtyard now. I had taken off my black cape and rolled up my white button shirts sleeves. I was tempted to take off my grey sweater vest, had it not been for a great oak tree. I leaned against its thick gnarled trunk, thankful for the shade it provided. Josiah had his head in my lap with a drowsy look on his face while I twisted his tie around my fingers.

"What's a good word that means stinky and gross looking? I have an essay due tomorrow about a potion we made in class today." Rowen asked while he rested his head on his stack of school books. He was sprawled out lying down beside me with his eyes closed and his foot tapping Eva's back.

"How about Katie?" Suggested Eva as she shoved Rowen's legs away from her. She sat turned away from Rowen and I on her knees. She was organizing her own homework of parchment papers on the grass into piles.

"Shush you lot, I'm trying to sleep. I have double transfiguration next." Josiah grunted. We all had a free period right now and as always, we spent it at the courtyard when the weather was nice.

Students lazily trudged across the courtyard and around the clusters of students sitting on the grass. Shouts of teenagers and a couple owls flying over head made the day, for Hogwarts that is. The great marble pillars and old brick towers of the enormous castle loomed over us. There wasn't a cloud in the great blue sky. A slight breeze picked up and blew over my skin. The scent of soap and vanilla wafted in the air from Josiah's hair. I looked down at the curve of his neck which was tilted subtly. His lips were slightly parted and his breathing was slow and heavy. Josiah's chest rose and fell in a slight pattern with his eyelids fluttering.