Elizabeth Orangeveil - Chapter 6, Year 1

Instructions

The heavy oak door of the library creaked softly as a shadow crossed our table. Crystal and I looked up from our Charms textbooks to find a girl standing over us, her arms crossed over a dark blue jumper. She had platinum blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail and cool grey eyes. "You're in my spot," she said flatly. "There are four chairs here, and we were here first," I said, standing my ground. "I'm Elizabeth. This is Crystal." She set her notebook down with a firm thud. "Carina Malfoy." She pulled out a chair and opened a heavy volume titled Advanced Dueling Theory. "Are you related to Draco?" I asked. Carina didn't look up. "Unfortunately. Slytherin cares about reputation; Ravenclaw cares about results. And I don't waste time on small talk." When the chimes signaled dinner, Oliver appeared from the Transfiguration stacks with a pile of books. "Hey, Elizabeth! Hey, Crystal!" he called, flushing slightly as Carina turned her cold gaze toward him. "A Gryffindor in Ravenclaw territory. Revolutionary," Carina remarked dryly before snapping her book shut and stalking out toward the Great Hall. "She seems... intense," Oliver breathed, relief evident in his voice. "That's Carina," Crystal chuckled, packing up her parchment. "Hotheaded, stubborn, and officially our new housemate." We left the library together, chatting as we headed toward the Grand Staircase. The corridors were dim, with floating torches flickering to life along the stone walls. As we stepped onto the stairs, the floor beneath us suddenly gave a shuddering groan and began shifting mid-air. I lost my footing on the slick stone and stumbled backward. "Whoa—gotcha," Oliver said, reacting instinctively. He caught my arm to balance me, his hand slipping down into mine as the staircase jolted into place with a heavy thud. For a second, neither of us moved. Oliver looked down at our hands, a bright pink blush instantly creeping up his neck and dusting his cheeks. He quickly cleared his throat, pulling his hand back and shoving it deep into his pocket as if nothing had happened. "Uh—right. Watch your step," he mumbled, staring intently at a floating torch on the wall. "Yeah. Thanks," I said, my own face burning as I adjusted my bag strap and stared straight ahead. Crystal walked between us, coughing loudly to cover up a grin, but both Oliver and I kept our eyes firmly on the corridor, casually walking side by side as if my heart wasn't pounding at a million miles an hour all the way to the Great Hall. Crystal caught my eye with a sly, knowing smirk, but I just smiled and looked down as the three of us walked toward the glowing warmth of the Great Hall.