Ravenclaw Tower

Ravenclaw Tower
hogwarts tower

Easily the most extravagant common room, the Ravenclaw Tower opens into a large, white room with high ceilings painted with the constellations. The ceiling paintings move according to the stars' position, an easy cheat for Astronomy students if they can identify them. Large windows bring light in from all sides of the tower, shining down on the common room's organized study and lounge areas. A white statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sits in the corner surrounded by bookshelves often utilized by the students. Blue couches are scattered around for lounging, including two by the large fireplace. Much of what resides within Ravenclaw Tower is lined with beautiful gold.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Ant doesn't know how to feel about Mitzi transferring to Hogwarts. On one hand, it'd be wonderful to finally see her in person but on the other... he's kind of over that era of his life. He's hanging out in the Ravenclaw common room though; he's been here ever since he finally read the message that she was sorted into his house. He doesn't want to make it look like he's putting any effort into seeing her, because that's *lame*, but he *is* curious about finally seeing her in real life that he's hoping she'll pass by. Not that he'd notice, probably, thanks to his eighth pair of noise cancelling airpods plugged comfortably in his ears.

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

Mitzi had busied herself (as she always does) since arriving at Hogwarts. After her meeting in the Headmaster's office, she familiarized herself with the locations of most of her classes, discovered a peculiar bug crawling around near the Arithmancy classroom, and had unpacked her luggage all before Ant had responded to her text. It was disappointing, but he was probably busy too! When he had finally messaged her, she was actually already laying down in her dormitory scrolling through Witchagram, admittedly a little tired from her travels early that morning. Her eyes were a bit droopy, but a warm feeling welled up in her chest and she immediately felt energized enough to wander down to the common room to search for him. It was a little too early in the night for sleeping anyways. Looking across the common room, her stance is protective and nervous as she keeps her hands clasped together in front of her chest. The moment she spots the familiar face of her online friend, a broad smile turns up onto her lips and she moves to stand in front of him in all of her unimpressive glory and small stature. "I- Hey, Ant," she says, waving her hand down low near his gaze in hopes of catching his attention without having to touch him.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

He looks up once he sees the hand being waved in front of him, but makes no move to get up from his seat on the couch. Instead, he adjusts his position so that he's no longer taking up all the space all sprawled out, sitting down like a normal person. Of course he recognizes her from pictures but it's still different seeing her here. He's unsure of what to do, so he smiles and removes one airpod, lowering the volume on the other so that he can hold a conversation with his music playing softly in the background. "Oh, hey." he says, trying to act cool. There are other people in the common room, and he's not going to embarrass himself by getting all excited about a girl. "You done settling in?"

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

His lack of enthusiasm puts her off, making her smile immediately collapse into a small pout of doubt before she can correct herself. After these last couple of years, she would expect at least a smile, but maybe he just wasn't having a great day. Maybe his brothers were just being mean to him again and it's got him all stressed out and uptight. "Mostly! I think," she says as she collapses into the opposite corner of the couch, tucking her legs up and placing her hands neatly in the lap of her dress. "I- I still haven't sorted where some of my classes are, but I figured you could help me with that sort of thing." It doesn't dawn on her how presumptuous that truly is as she grins at him, playing with the ends of her long brown hair. "Or I have a couple of cousins here if it's too much of a bother," she adds.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

"Uh, sure. Whatever." he says, waving a hand dismissively. "We should have the same sched for core classes, anyway. What are your electives?" Ant notices his phone light up in his peripheral vision and reaches for it, unlocking the device and looking through his notifications while waiting for Marisha to answer his question. If it's Melissa again, he's probably not going to answer it anyway.

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

In almost an instant, her world collapses around her and her chest starts to ache and she almost *instantly* needs to blink back tears. It's so dismissive and reminiscent of her parents that it seemingly cuts her soul straight in half. Had she really waited all of these years for *this*? "Uh, A- Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and M- Magical Theory," she answers, starting to rub her thumb in the middle of the opposite palm nervously. Marisha's eyes linger down on his phone, which keeps getting blurry until she reminds herself to blink back her tears. Usually she doesn't mind crying in public, but she doesn't want to be ridiculed and...she has a feeling that's what he would do. "It- It's fine. I can just ask Sarai or Jai. I don't know if you know them?"

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

When he hears her stutter out her words, he almost immediately puts down the phone and looks up at her. His eyes widen a bit when he realizes that she's about to cry, but he tries not to make a big fuss about it. There are *people* around, after all, and if his brothers got word that he was comforting a crying girl in the common room then they'd be on his case about her being his girlfriend or something. Merlin, he doesn't want *anyone* thinking he has a girlfriend. "Sarai and I are friends. She's cool. Haven't really gotten the chance to talk to Jairus." he says. From what he knows of Jairus, they probably wouldn't get on anyway. "We don't have the same electives, but maybe Sarai can help you there." Ant's trying to avoid having to actually ask Mitzi why she's *crying*, but he feels a bit guilty so it comes up anyway. "You good?"

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

If Sarai was able to be friends with him, then maybe he isn't always like this. She will have to ask, but texting her can wait until after this conversation. Even if he's willing to be disrespectful, she doesn't have to stoop to his level. "We don't have any of the same electives either," she says quieter this time as she glances over towards the fireplace. Her eyes almost immediately fall back on his though - she's a sucker for eye contact even when she's nervous. "W- Well, *no*. I think you're being incredibly mean." And she's proud of herself for being able to say it. Her year mate back at her old school had really been working her through that when she had to switch schools. It was terribly inconvenient timing, but at least he would be happy to hear from her. Again, she could remember that and wait until the end of this conversation though. "And I don't understand why."

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Considering that for the longest time Mitzi's been one of his biggest sources of comfort whenever the RL world was getting too tough, he will admit that *does* sting. "Hey," he says, pulling out his other airpod and inching a bit closer to her on the sofa. "I'm sorry. Just having an off day, I guess. But I *am* happy to see you." *Is* he? There's no need to bring that up anyway, especially not in the midst of an apology. "You know me. I could never be mean to anyone, Mitzi. Least of all you." He cracks a smile.

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

When he gets closer, she gives him a quick once-over glance before meeting his eyes again. It's difficult for her to read if he's being sincere or not, which is she shocking considering how many times she's had to deal with insincere apologies before. Most would think she could call them out by now. "I- I know that. I think so at least," she says, voice sounding more assured until it quickly takes another nosedive back into insecurity. "I was really excited to see you finally. I just-" Mitzi stops herself, looking down at the space between them before turning back up towards him and smiling. At least he was smiling now.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Okay, she's smiling. That's a good sign, right? He can't help the way his smile gets a little bigger, then his eyes dart around the common room to make sure no one's watching. "So... Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, *and* Magical Theory, huh?" he asks, trying to change the topic into something a bit more light. "Those are like, the three nerdiest electives you could've picked." He chuckles a bit to show he doesn't mean any malice. His friends might've been a bit more sinister about it, but Ant personally thinks it's endearing. "I could *never*."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

Mitzi turns to follow his gaze the moment his eyes flicker off of hers and takes that moment to swipe the little budding tears in her eyes. Once she's facing him again, her smile becomes a bit brighter and she leans in slightly, clearly enthused about the conversation. "Sure, they *are* nerdy, but they're really interesting!" Her voice lifts, bringing her hands up to her cheeks and grinning before she drops them back into her lap. Regardless of her passion, she's soft and quiet in the way she speaks aloud, being used to murmuring about her interests in secret. Being at Hogwarts does bring her some sort of comfort plus being with Ant is nice even if it hasn't gone to plan so far. "What do you mean could *never*? I think you could really enjoy Ancient Runes actually..." she drifts off, thoroughly confused by that sort of comment. "Which electives are you taking anyways?"

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

He breathes a sigh of relief when it looks like she's stopped crying. Admittedly, he's been taking Ancient Runes but swapped it out this year for Muggle Studies because the people taking it isn't really his crowd anymore. His brothers would argue they never were. "I tried Ancient Runes but it wasn't for me. Not to mention it was too much work, and I have Quidditch training now." he says, shrugging. Quidditch is also a recent development. "I take Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, and Music. It's a lot more me, but I'm glad you think your classes are interesting."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

A small shiver runs down towards the base of her spine at the mention of *quidditch*. It terrifies her - the *flying*, the bludgers, the heights, the expectation of catching a quaffle or a snitch. Everything about it fills her with anxiety just at the thought. "I considered taking Muggle Studies to see how horrible it is," she says absentmindedly, starting to rub her thumb along her palm again. "Should I switch in? I have another elective slot. I just- just didn't know which classes were worth it." Mitzi smiles. Her smile is always soft and curious no matter what mood she seems to be in, but this time it's completely genuine. Plus a little part of her wants him to say she should, so there's a hopefulness there as she stares up at him. "Also, since when have you liked quidditch?" Her voice lowers closer to a whisper, not wanting to embarrass him.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Ant shrugs, not looking particularly invested in whether or not she switches. "You could? I dunno, up to you. It's not that bad; I mostly took it because it was an easy O." For a brief moment, he thinks of how disappointed his fourth year self (so obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge) would be hearing him say that, but he ignores the nagging feeling. He's a bit glad that she asked the question so quietly, not wanting it to get out that he used to hate the sport so much. "My brothers got me into it last summer," he says, hoping she doesn't make a big fuss. After all, Mitzi has been his confidant; she *knows* how much he didn't get along with his family. But that was *before*. "It's actually really fun, and I'm pretty good."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

Well, it looks like she won't be transferring in if he doesn't consider it worthwhile. It's disappointing to hear that he's taking up classes based off of how easy they are to pass, but she's not taking Care of Magical Creatures for a similar reason, she supposes so at least. "Oh, um..." She struggles to come up with a response. Knowing what she does about his brothers, it simply doesn't seem right. "Well, my opinions on it have stayed consistent. It's still...r- really terrifying, but I'm glad you have found something you enjoy!" She forces a smile, but she's visibly anxious and she starts toying with the ends of her long hair. "Have you tried out for the team?"

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

"I haven't, no." he says. He's good but he can't imagine having to train all the time. Truth be told, he still doesn't like Quidditch very much, but at least now he doesn't have to sit out and *read* every time his brothers or his friends want to play. He guesses at the very least all the Quidditch he's been playing lately has been able to help him bulk up instead of just staying the lanky, tall nerd that he was in fourth year. "I don't have much time nowadays to go to practice, but I guess if they ever need a reserve I can play." he remembers suddenly, that Mitzi doesn't like Quidditch very much and he thinks about whether or not he should offer a disclaimer. "It's not that scary after you get into it." he says, "I've been playing since summer and I've only gotten hit by the bludger once." He offers a weak laugh to show he's all fine. "Was only out for a couple hours."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

It *does* make her happy that he's found something he seems to enjoy and she's of course going to support that. That said, she's reassured he isn't playing for Ravenclaw. She would feel obligated to go to games then and watching quidditch makes her nauseous, so there's a look of small relief when he says he hasn't tried out. "Is it?" she asks, not convinced. Mitzi isn't very good with healing, so she understands magical medical treatments very poorly and often expects things to be closer in similarity to Muggle medical advancements. Of course she would fear getting hit by a bludger and falling off of a broom if that was the case. "Only a couple hours doesn't seem horrible. W- What was it like? Did you fall off?"

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

"Got hit by the bludger." He doesn't specify that it knocked him off his broom, but she can probably figure that out. "It honestly isn't that bad, and that was my first game with my brothers. I've improved a lot since then, so it doesn't happen anymore." he reassures her, "I guess they forgot to take it easy on me." He laughs a bit, trying to make light of the situation.

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

Mitzi laughs to match his, but it's far more nervous. The corners of her eyes crinkle to demonstrate genuine happiness, but her pale cheeks are already working themselves towards a soft shade of pink. "I- Hm," she lets out, turning to look down at her hands as she thinks about her next question. When she looks back up, she seems more sure of herself, but she's certainly gotten pinker. "I would probably pass away if a bludger hit me. I think you're built to be more resistant." Her eyes wander over his shoulders and arms for a moment before meeting his gaze again. He's certainly a lot bigger than she was expecting, but people generally aren't this tall in Israel. "Oh! Can you imagine me being one of the- the- uh, the people with the bats?" she asks, moving her body to pretend she's ready to swing a bat.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Ant's heart nearly melts when she tries mimicking the movement of a beater's swing. It's adorable, yes, but his rational thought kicks in and reminds him that even *adorable* can be perceived as *fucking weird*. He laughs, but he looks around and accidentally makes eye contact with a sixth year – one of Max's yearmates and his mind immediately goes into overdrive. He's not one for physical contact but he lays a hand on Mitzi's shoulder to get her to stop. He laughs weakly. "A beater?" he supplies, taking in her tiny frame. "Yeah, that'd be *very* threatening." He's being sarcastic but it doesn't sound malicious.

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

His laugh makes her incredibly happy because, well, he looks happy for a moment. It makes her grin, which always manages to make her look a little goofy in her opinion (that's what her Runes teacher told her), and she starts to pretend to swing towards him when a hand lands on her shoulder. It makes her crumble, the touch being all too familiar and foreboding. Her hands clasp together in front of her chest again as she drops her eyes away from his, attempting to shrug off his shoulder all as her heart begins to race. "P-Please don't t-touch me," she whispers, not wanting to make a scene for both of their sakes. When she's ready to meet his eyes again, she smiles weakly, the right corner of her lips quivering before she starts to speak again. "I- I don't know, Ant. I think that might be the perfect team strategy." Her words are obviously meant to be playful, but she's losing track of that tone. Usually when a hand gets laid on her, it means to stop joking around and it's hard to get back into being *okay* after that.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

He immediately recoils but doesn't say anything about her little display of emotion. *Ant* hates being touched too; it's not like he can blame her. He probably should've checked first, and he feels a little guilty that he let his anxiety over being seen with Marisha override how he's normally such a stickler for boundaries. He wants to apologize. In fact, he *knows* he should apologize – it's a dick move not to, but he keeps his mouth shut. He lets his hands fall awkwardly into his lap as he notices her demeanor shift. "I could teach you one of these days." he offers instead, "Or we could play a game without the bludgers, so it's ten times less scary."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

It doesn't bother Mitzi as much as it should that he doesn't make an effort to apologize. In fact, it takes almost no effort to mutter out a couple of words, but she takes his recoil as obvious regret and that's enough for her. Her shoulders roll a couple of times to try to loosen up her muscles, but she remains visibly tense like she's painfully ready for the worst. "Oh, w-we could if that's not a bother to you?" she says although she really doesn't mean it. Flying is horrifying. Just the thought of hopping onto a broom and- Mitzi shivers despite the rigidity in her body, making her ache more as her two instincts fight against each other. However, the action forces her to loosen up some and she shifts back, leaning her side into the couch and softening some. "I d-don't know how to fly. It wasn't mandatory in Israel and I- I hate, *hate* heights. I- Um, maybe it could be nice to learn." Once she's done, she smiles hopefully and realizes that her cheeks were starting to get quite hot.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

"If you hate heights, then maybe it's not for you." he backtracks, not wanting to force her into anything. "But I'd be happy to help you get over that fear if one day you feel up to it. Flying's pretty cool. And it's no surprise that flying wasn't mandatory in your old school... I feel like here, it's mostly just for Quidditch, but weren't you two people in your whole year?" He snorts thinking about it. If it were him and he ended up stuck with just one person, he'd probably die. Imagine if he didn't even like the other person. That'd be horrible. "What was that guy's name again? Joseph? Wait, no, *Yosef*, right?"

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

"Yosef, yeah! It's cute that you remember that. Anyway, we didn't have quidditch. My school focused more on dueling and wizard's chess," she says, voice becoming a bit more proud as she puffs up her chest. Mitzi grins, pushing her hair back over both of her shoulders as she leans forward onto her elbows. There's a notable tightness in her heart still, but it's not something Ant can see and that's what matters. "Which, by the *way*, guess who beat out a *seventh year* to become my school's reigning chess champion?" Her eyebrows raise and she brings the tops of her hands to the bottom of her chin, posing cheerfully. "I- I would still like to learn how to fly though. You're j- just the person to teach me, I think." Mitzi trusts Ant a lot and it's clear in the demeanor she has around him. Even if they've been messaging through a phone all this time, she knows she likes him and despite the rocky parts of this encounter, she has no plans of *not* liking him anytime soon.

Ant

exochorda, seventh year
paintedred

Oh, Merlin. *Wizards' chess*. Yet another one of his hobbies his brothers found too dorky. Still, Ant doesn't regret choosing Frog Choir over Chess Club. Above all, music is still his passion, and the toads are *adorable*. "Of course you beat out a seventh year. You're brilliant." he says, "I'd say we should play a game but I'm a bit rusty." He hasn't touched a chessboard in months, which Mitzi would know is unusual for him. "I've been too busy with other things."

Marisha Gorski

ravenclaw, seventh year § head girl
ateleia

It's rare that she gets complimented let alone on her *brilliance*, so her pale cheeks already return to a pinkish tone. "Thank you," she responds, voice a little quiet although not necessarily timid. She's confident in her abilities, but struggles to discuss the things she likes out of embarrassment. It's nice that she doesn't have to feel that way around Ant though. When he mentions not playing chess for a while, her lips turn down into a small pout. "We should definitely play! What other things have you been busying yourself with? Just quidditch?"