[HC.Room] The Creaking Door

[jordonqueens]

It had been a while since Jordon Queens had pulled an all-nighter and as she sat at a table in the Hufflepuff burrow she remember why she didn't do it as often as some other people she knew. Then there were other people who didn't do anything, or seemed not to, and didn't lose any sleep over it. Jord was torn between the two extremes but she knew that she had to stay up just a little longer, finish this Transfiguration paper, complete the Potions paper and start on the History of Magic Paper, all of which were due for the following day no less.

The common room was nearly completely empty by now, as the quill in Jordon's left hand scratched furiously along the bottom of her twelve inch essay page. She was lines away from completing it. All around the common room, people were retiring for the evening. It being a Thursday evening Jordon found that most of the people were wiped from a long week. It seemed to this attentive young girl that the teachers were giving more and more work as the end of term loomed. It made the days longer and the weeks seemed to draaag on for far longer then should be lawful.

With some emphasis, Jord planted the tip of her quill on the page, punctuating the end of her last sentence for that particular essay. Sighing heavily, Jordon lifted the essay and sat back in her chair, her head hanging over the back (as the back of the chair wasn't all that high). She lifted the essay over her head so that she could read it. It was a satisfactory conclusion and Jordon quickly put it aside, sitting up straight, in favour of the Potions essay that she had to write. She didn't understand the question so well so opened her text book and flipped through the pages quickly. The fast she got this done, the sooner she could get to bed! The light at the end of her tunnel.

Finding what she'd been looking for in the text book, Jordon picked up her quill again, dipped it in her ink pot and poised it to write as her brain quickly mulled over the information she was reading. Knowing how to start was always the trick to a question like this. Finally she found the opening words and just as she was about to start writing, as she leaned in to the beginning stroke a door somewhere down the long passageway to the dorm rooms began creaking open ... or was it closed? It didn't matter which way it was going, what mattered was that it was going. It creaked like some old knee that was being flexed for some perverse enjoyment.

Jordon's quill was still poised to write and there it stayed as the door continued to creak. Jordon slowly turned her head towards the corridor that lead off the common room and waited patiently. After a minute or so it stopped. Jordon took a deep breath. Rereading what she'd read before, Jord turned back to her parchment and was once again about to start writing when the creaking started again.

"Oh for pity's sake!" Jordon moaned and turned around in her chair and glared down the dark corridor, as though her death glare would solve the problem.

[Paige Matthews]

Of course she knew what she had done was wrong. After all this was school actual school and there were rules to be followed for all students. Paige understood rules problem was simply following them. see breaking them seemed to be so much more fun at least for her. So on this night Paige wasn't where she was supposed to be instead she was out on the grounds snooping around the dark forest. Of course she wasn't supposed to be there but when did Paige ever do what she was supposed to do.

She was deep into the forest when she heard the howling. It made her stop short as fear flooded through her. Of course she heard what everyone said about the forest but she wanted to be daring. Daring was way overrated and in no time she was running like a mad woman. Thrashing through the forest branches hitting her causing small cuts and scratches everywhere. The hardest part was no screaming because she might alert the gamekeeper.

The moment she entered the clearing she headed straight back to the castle. Opening the doors slowly her tiny head poked in making sure the coast was clear. Score, no one was around so Paige slipped in holding the door so it wouldn't creak upon closing. Finding the portrait that opened up into a short cut to her common room Paige slipped through unnoticed.

Standing outside the door she brushed herself off trying to look as if she hadn't been running around the place. Dust and dirt flew off her and she winced a few times as her hands hit the scratches the bushes loving left all over her. Dusting off didn't make her look any more presentable. Hoping there wouldn't be too many people in the common room at this hour she took her chances and entered.

Not too many people so she ran passed them all and back into her room changing her clothes quickly. Then she tried to sleep but just couldn't she tossed and she turned but she was restless now. So instead she got up and opened the door. Stepping foot out she suddenly changed her mind. Got back into her bed and attempted to go back to sleep. Still didn't work, eventually she would wake someone up and would get a right telling off so again she slipped out of her covers and made her way out.

Hoping that now at least she would be the only one down there Paige walked down the corridor quietly. Strolling out into the room she happened upon an older girl who seemed to be studying. "Oh sorry there hope I'm not disturbing ya I just couldn't sleep so I came out here to hang out a while. You know what just don't mind me I'll be super quiet and you do whatever it was you were doing k."

[jordonqueens]

A very sheepish and embarrassed blond girl came walking down the corridor as Jordon turned back to her essay. It was unbelievable that there were people who were denying themselves sleep when all Jord wanted to do was finish and go to bed. Would she be able to and still get a decent night's sleep? The fifth year picked up her quill again and shook her head doubtfully, answering her own question.

The blond girl spoke to her, apologising for interrupting her at all. Jordon hardly looked up from her essay. She was once again furiously hard at work, resolute about her decision to try and get some sleep tonight. She didn't mean to be rude or anything, she just wanted to finish her work. Why she hadn't done it before was a mystery. Jordon was usually so good at that kind of stuff. Her essays were usually done the day she got them, projects completely weeks before they were meant to be handed in. So why o why was she sitting in the Hufflepuff common room in the middle of the night working to finished her Potions paper.

The girl had said to ignore her, right? Jordon hardly noticed she was still there. Her mind was so fixed on writing her essay, on finishing the two and a half inches she had left to do. Flapping through the pages of her text book a little more, Jordon began writing again, her dark eyes moving from the text in the book to the text in her paper. She was sure that Professor Shaw would be please with this work. She was no Dean Hogarth but Jord tried, couldn't ask any more from her after all. Though she was pretty sure that Prof Shaw was please she was no Neth Evans too, who Jord had never seen in the library in her entire time of knowing him.

In next to no time at all, Jordon had finished her essay but her left hand was nearly dead from all the writing. Jordon quickly rolled up the paper, put it with her Transfigurations essay and pulled out the History of Magic one. Reading their question, Jordon could still not feel her hand so, deciding rather peculiarly to no be so rude any more, Jordon put down the paper and walked over to the blond girl. Jordon wasn't good with talking to girls. She felt all awkward but she was determined to try here.

Clearing her throat, Jordon sat ups traight and looked at the other girl. "So, can't sleep, huh?" Jordon said assertively. "I'm sure Mr Nish would be able to mix something up for you. I hear he's very good with like this." Jord had heard a great many things and she always wondered if they were true but Jordon being the trusting person she is took them as as being real.

[Paige Matthews]

The girl was assuredly taking Paige at her word. Once Paige settled on the couch the girl said nothing to her. Usually being in the thick of things the center of attention Paige felt real weird simply sitting there not saying a word. Normally Paige's voice would rise above everyone else's but now she was sitting there silent as the living dead and it was taking all her energy not to start up a conversation with the studying girl.

There had to be something she could do to take her mind off her need to chat. An image popped into her head one of someone she hadn't seen around much lately. Dante had been sort of scarce he was so cool to hang out with, maybe when she had some free time she would go and look him up. Oh and she also had to find time to visit her cousin Will Vaid. They had barely spoken to one another since she got to the school and he was the reason she was even there.

The odd creak of a book being peeled opened got her Paige to stop look around and pay attention. Apparently the essay the girl was working on was done and now she was reading a book. That's what you call a studyholic. Paige was all for studying and all but when it kept you up all night while everyone else was sleeping it was starting to interrupt. What this girl didn't understand was the minutes before class that's when you tried to finish your work. In those moments you filled in answers and tried to make them sound good which is all a teacher wanted.

As soon as the book closed Paige looked up again and found the studier coming over to sit next to her. Nice turn of events she seemed sweet too talking to Paige about her not sleeping. "Oh no I don't think I need to see the healer or anything I'm just a little wired you know I just came in not too long ago from the fo..Um you know outside." Blabber mouth almost gave up her whereabouts. Hoping it wasn't noticeable she tried to do a real quick subject change "So you're up late studying and all were you have sleep trouble too?"

[jordonqueens]

Jordon loved her sleep. Sleep was one of those few things that she got right, just like most everyone else. And even if she wasn’t doing it just like everyone else, it didn’t matter because she’d be asleep and not know she was doing it wrong. She took comfort in this though constantly which might have seemed strange to some but it made her feel better so what others thought about it didn’t really matter to her. For once. Jordon was very image conscious without meaning to be.

The girl who sat on the couch across from the fifth year seemed to be a year younger then Jordon, maybe two. She couldn’t be sure, Jord was dreadful with guessing peoples ages so she didn’t ask. She was sure it’d come up in conversation. Those sorts of things always seemed to: your name, your house (which wasn’t going to come up here because it was obvious), your year, your favourite milkshake on a hot summer’s day … or maybe that last one was just her.

Getting comfortable in her own seat, Jordon pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them it her fingers locked in one another. The instant Jordon had finished speaking the girl was off! Jordon didn’t know many people who could talk that much and that fast either. Jordon’s over-worked brain took a while to register everything the girl had said. Jord blinked once or twice before nodding her head. No healer needed, right. Mental note, this girl says she is weird. Ok. She spoke about being outside but that hardly registered with Jordon.

She’d asked about Jordon’s studying. Jordon looked at the pile of her stuff still on the table and shook her head. “No, I just had to finish a few things before tomorrow.” Jordon was a little pedantic that way. “I still have another essay to write but I have a free tomorrow before History of Magic so I’ll get it done then. I sort of wrote my hand to death a bit.” She shook her left hand, indicating that it was still rather dead to feeling. “I was prepared to stay up all night to get it done but …” she shrugged, “that’s a little stupid, isn’t it?”

She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Speaking? And to someone she didn’t know? How uncharacteristically unlike her. Maybe it was the fact that Jordie found this girl to be comfortable with who she was and that the fifth year wanted the same thing. Locking her fingers into one another again, Jordon looked into the fire, still mulling over what the girl had said. Then it dawned on her, as a confused frown came to her face and she looked up at the other Hufflepuff. “You’re the girl who ran through her a few hours back, aren’t you?” Jordon asked, her wavy hair falling into her face. She blew at it and continued. “Nearly gave me a heart attack that did.”

[Paige Matthews]

Paige started to wonder if this girl was going to really keep talking to her. She was a bit older though she didn't look much older and sometimes Paige found that the older kids didn't often like to deal with or talk to the younger ones. Most of the times she felt sorry for the first years. People seemed to ignore them and they seemed to just put up with it as if it were a normal way of life. Of course she didn't start here as a first year so for all she knew it was normal for them. Whatever the case it was the norm that she witnessed and she wondered if it was about to happen now.

Though come to think of it the girl did start the conversation really didn't she? Yes so it didn't seem that she was that kind of girl. Maybe she was a smidgen on the tightly wound side but that wasn't always bad. Maybe she should learn to buckle down herself get some studying done.

The girl Jordan got comfortable in the seat a less threatening then she was when she was in the study zone. Paige looked at her a moment wondering what drove her to work so hard, from what she heard it was usually the people in her sisters house that studied that hard or so she heard. Everyone was different she supposed being in a certain house really didn't define you completely as a person.

"No it's not stupid if you want to do well you have to work hard, but you do need your rest too." She winked and giggled at her own little rib. Here she was talking to a practical stranger and being quirky and fun loving. She always knew she'd do well in a school setting.

Jordan asked her if she had been the one to run into the common room a few hours ago. Paige suddenly blushed a little but not much she looked a bit flushed but she didn't think it was all that noticeable. "Yeah that was me I had been outside and um well I realized it was late." Paige could have kicked herself because she was about as subtle as an anvil to the head. Maybe this girl wasn't the kind to pry that would be good no one need know she was sneaking into the forest when she wasn't supposed to.