2/17/2002

 

Ravenclaw Common Room

 

The Ravenclaw common room is a very inviting and cozy room; even the nostalgic student would feel more at home upon entering this room.

 

 

 

The walls are painted a deep blue, trimmed with shimmering bronze paint, representing the colors of the Ravenclaw house.  The room is square, with stairs and halls leading off to the dorms.  A few tall windows are placed around the room, iridescent bronze-coloured curtains letting the sunlight filter in.  The 'mascot' of Ravenclaw, a beautiful grey eagle, has been portrayed in a banner, which is draped high above the stone floor.  An inviting fireplace has been installed in the western most part of the room, and comfy bright blue armchairs have been placed in a circle around the room where the students of Ravenclaw may mingle.

 

 

 

Two open doorways lead to staircases which lead up and down to two other rooms attached to the common room, which are the boys and girls dorm rooms.  The third door in the room leads you back out to the hallway.

 

 

Cho comes down from the 6th year girl dorms, carrying a book for Potions and her kitten following at her heels, mewing softly. "Now now, Kaui, you had food just twenty minutes ago. You're going to get fat if you keep begging like that," the Ravenclaw Seeker says down to her kitten as she walks into the room, only to be greeted by another impatient meow.

 

Stella is curled in one of the plush armchairs, reading a worn copy of Hogwarts: A History and scribbling occasional notes in the margin with her quill. She looks up at the sound of the mewing to see Cho and her kitten. After marking her place she closes the book and smiles. "Hello, Cho."

 

Cho giving her kitten an idle nudge with her foot, trying to give it the hint that she should stop mewing, as she's disturbing people down here. Then she notices Stella and decists, offering a friendly smile and walking over to wheer the other Ravenclaw is sitting, "Hello, Stella. Seeking out some study time as well?" Not surprising in the house that's known for it's intelligence and studiousness.

 

Stella smiles. "Trying to. I've really fallen behind in history lately." She sets the book on a nearby table, obviously only too happy for the interruption. She looks over to wear Kaui Hua sits, mewing insistently. "Hey, she's really growing."

 

Cho settles into the nearby seat and Kaui Hua jumps up to sit in her lap, still mewing lightly and even batting at the Ravenclaw badge on her robes a little bit. Despite that, she still smiles, reaching to try and calm the animal down. "It's easy to fall behind in History. If they'd get a living teacher perhaps it'd be more interesting, no offense to Professor Binns of course, it's just odd when you can see thru your Professor." Plus, he's deathly dull. The observation on her kitten earns a smile. She is getting big, soon enough she will won't be able to be called a kitten. "Yeah, they tend to do that. I just hope she doesn't start clawing things again. I feel guilty for having to have her declawed."

 

Stella nods her head in agreement. "Right. Most of the time after that class I discover my notes make absolutely no sense." She smiles as she watches Cho's kitten squirm. "I don't know," she says in a mock-serious tone, "She seems like the incorrigible sort."

 

Cho grins. "If your notes made any sense, I'd be astonished! I generally like learning history too, but..." She'll learn history on her free time, because she isn't really learning all that much here. The kitten gets a light rub on the head, which seems to quiet her for a moment as Cho adds, "I seem to be around more and more people like that lately, why shouldn't my cat be too..."

 

Stella laughs. "I start out writing about a specialities of ancient Greek sorcerers and end up comparing the specs between the Cleansweep and Nimbus lines. It's awful really." She raises her eyebrows at the last part of the statement. "Meaning Mr. Malfoy?" she asks.

 

Cho can't help but laugh at that too true fact about History notes. She too has had that problem. That, or she starts writing down ideas for Quidditch moves. At the mention of Mr. Malfoy, she gives a nod, still smiling, "More or less, yes, I mean him. Though, if he was a cat, he'd be more the type to hiss and spit than actually claw or bite."

 

Stella settles back in her chair, still smiling slightly. "Mm. D'you think he's become any less of a prat?" The way she sees it, Cho could only be having a good influence on the notoriously rude Slytherin.

 

"Sometimes..." Cho says, shrugging for a moment. "Sometimes he can actually almost be really nice. Well, maybe not /really/ nice, but in comparison to how he normally is..." She shakes her head, then smiles again, "But over all he's still the same Slytherin boy that I attempted to befriend. Maybe he'll change, show the somewhat nice side more often, but I'm not planning to hold my breath waiting."

 

Stella says, "Any improvement at all is a good sign." She toys with a strand of loose hair. "I'm impressed that you manage to get through to him at all."

 

Cho shakes her head, "I wouldn't say it's me that's caused any of this. I think it's more because Draco's never really had friends before. Goyle and Crabbe, yeah, they follow him around like a bunch of bodyguards, but he doesn't trust them as far as he can throw them, which isn't far. Not that he trusts me either, but..." She trails off, shaking her head. It feels weird actually talking about her friendship with Draco with someone, besides just assuring them that they are 'just friends'.

 

Stella smirks a bit, but admits, "He can't be happy, treating people the way he usually does. It can't possibly bring him any real satisfaction. He could use some real friends. Though I imagine it must be hard to breech the 'Hi, my name is Malfoy and I'm an arse' barrier."

 

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. Draco seems to take great satisfaction in insulting people, especially Gryffindors." Cho says, shaking her head. She's managed to get him to stop some of the times he's done things of that nature, but... "You'd think he'd learn to keep his mouth shut. I don't think I've ever met someone more prone to getting hit by people and things than him." She even did the hitting twice so far, but that's another story.

 

Stella chuckles. "I'm wondering exactly how many fights he's been in with Harry Potter since first year." She sighs. "Sooner or later, I'd think he would get tired of being despised...of course now people practically expect it from him." She looks thoughtful.

 

Cho looks skeptical for a second, "I don't know. I actually think that's one of the things I like about him. He honestly doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, unless they're really important..." After the word important, she frowns for a second before she continues, "To him, at least."

 

Stella says, "Well, not caring what someone else thinks is one thing...and being rude is something else." She pouts a little, thinking of her conversation with Malfoy in the library.

 

Cho nods. "Yes, it is. He does have a tendancy to be very cruel..." She has to shake her head. He's been cruel to her more times than he's been nice, but the moments of actual humanity are enough to keep her somewhat determined to give him a chance. "I suppose the only thing to do is wait and see. He /might/ change..."

 

Stella says, "I hope so." She pauses. "Otherwise he might find himself, eventually, lonely and full of regret."

 

Cho can't help but frown, "If he even understands what regret means." Somehow she doubts Draco Malfoy would ever lower himself enough to feel 'regret.' "If it wasn't for... certain things... I probably wouldn't continue to bother anymore."

 

Stella says, "What things?" There's no particular undertone to her voice, just her typical curiosity. She knows that after talking to him once, she'd filled her Malfoy-quota for the rest of the year.

 

Cho shakes her head. "Just that when he makes an attempt to be nice..." She looks momentarily confused, then shakes her head. "It's not important... Just things that I've... noticed." She starts to remove the now dozing kitten from her lap and leans over to put her on the floor, trying to make her go find something to chase around.

 

Stella shrugs. She isn't going to be a pest about it, though she is genuinely curious. If a nicer Draco Malfoy came out of the situation, it'd be terrific for everyone involved. Stella reaches back and undoes the ribbon in her hair then bends over and dangles it above Kaui Hua.

 

Kaui Hua looks a bit lazy at first, yawning as she's put down and mewing softly, but at the added distraction she wakes up quickly and starts to bat at the ribbon with her declawed paws. Cho smiles at the cat, shaking her head for a moment, then gathers up her book and says, "I think I'm going to go down to the Library for a while. It was nice talking to you again. I only wish Quidditch would be back on so we could have gotten you set up as an alternate." She can't help but sigh. She misses Quidditch.

 

Stella smiles as Kaui Hua plays with the ribbon. "No Quidditch is torture." she says firmly. "We're never going to get the Cup at this rate." She pulls the ribbon out of the kitten's reach, only to tease her with it again. "Take care, Cho."

 

Cho can't help but smile, "Well if Draco and Harry keep getting into fights and losing points for their houses, we might just have the House Cup handed to us at least." Though, Hufflepuff would still be in the running, she has no doubt they could out number them in points. Of course, she won't be offended if that house wins the cup either, but that's another story. "See you later, Stella." She starts to move towards the exit now.

 

Stella gives a slight wave then turns her attention back to her neglected history text. The hair ribbon she leaves for Kaui Hua to amuse herself with.