Gryffindor Common Room

[Pontifex Maximus]

Gryffindor Common Room
Head of House: Professor Arthur Holmes White



The Gryffindor Common Room is located in one of the castle's towers (Gryffindor Tower), the entrance to which is located on the seventh floor and is guarded by an oil painting of the Fat Lady, who is garbed in a pink silk dress. She permits entry only after being given the correct (regularly changing) password. Behind her is a large common room, with a fireplace, and two staircases leading up to the girls' and boys' dormitories. It is very comfortable, and members of the Gryffindor house meet there for study groups, celebrations, or relaxation. The Gryffindor house emphasizes the traits of courage as well as "daring, nerve, and chivalry," and thus its members are generally regarded as brave, though sometimes to the point of recklessness.

[Agamemnon]

Arthur strode to the front of the room, bowed to the assembled students, and spoke.
'Welcome to Gryffindor House! I'll be the head of your house, Arthur White. You may call me Arthur, Professor, or Arty. Please don't call me ghost.'

[Kip]

Weatherby paused from setting up Wizard's Chess on one of the Common Room tables in order to introduce himself to his Head of House. "Hello sir! We met on the Hogwarts Express. You were... err... quite flexible about the rules," he said quietly, not wishing to inform all of his new Housemates that one of his first acts as a Hogwarts student was to violate a rule.

When he finished arranging the pieces, we waved for Cecil to join him for a match.

[Agamemnon]

OOC: IC or OOC?

'Pleased to see you Weatherby. How was the sorting ceremony?'

[Barry Goldwater]

Cecil smiled and waved at his new Head of House, allowing Weatherby to do the talking as he moved to sit opposite the other boy. He carefully surveyed the chess pieces, now more concerned about his opening moves more than Professor White.

[Kip]

"I can't very well complain about the Sorting, seeing as I ended up here," Weatherby said with a smile, gesturing around to the entire room and the occupants inside it. "I think I confused the Hat a bit as to where I belonged, but it eventually decided that this was best for me. I think I'm quickly coming to agree."

As he spoke he pushed a pawn forward, rather nonchalantly.

[Agamemnon]

'Good to hear. Have you selected your beds?'

[Barry Goldwater]

"Yeah I have Professor, nabbed the one closest to the door." 'Well, I have now, anyway,' Cecil thought. He, too, pushed a pawn forward, and as he waited for Weatherby to move next he asked, "So...what did you think of our first day here?"

[Kip]

Weatherby nodded his affirmation to White's question, as he moved a second pawn forward. "The first day's been great! All of our professors seem like interesting characters - I was afraid we'd get a real strict one or boring one. We put on quite the show in Defense against the Dark Arts today, too," he said, flashing a smile. "But mostly I'm just glad they're keeping the delicious food coming."

[Barry Goldwater]

"Yeah..." Cecil's smile fades. "But professors and our old friends weren't the only people we met. You remember that Slytherin prat from after Defense Against the Dark Arts? That one snake with a wand stuck up his behind...oh, and he wasn't the only one. What about that Ravenclaw who had a breakdown in almost every one of our classes? Seriously..."

[Kip]

"Don't get me started on that annoying little ferret. I don't trust him, not one bit. He's got it out for us Gryffindors, even Atticus said as much, and he's a Slytherin too. We should keep our eyes open, no doubt he's planning something for us. That Ravenclaw is a strange character as well. There's something not quite right about him, is there?"

[Barry Goldwater]

"Don't get me started on that annoying little ferret. I don't trust him, not one bit. He's got it out for us Gryffindors, even Atticus said as much, and he's a Slytherin too. We should keep our eyes open, no doubt he's planning something for us. That Ravenclaw is a strange character as well. There's something not quite right about him, is there?"

"Exactly. Remember what I said at the Sorting? Atticus and Violeta are alright, but that one snake...he's the one who'll try to blast us in the back if we give him the chance. But I won't, and I'd bet you wouldn't either, right?" Cecil laughs grimly as he pushed his own pawn forward.

"And that Ravenclaw...no kidding. I mean sure, at first I thought he had a real problem, but after the other outbursts, and when he does it for practically no reason..." His voice took a harder edge. "It's really annoying, and it's actually making me angry. His whining makes it impossible to concentrate, too." Cecil continued to watch the board for Weatherby's next movements, concentrating on the game fully again. "I mean yeah, our Defense teacher raised his voice at 'im, but who wouldn't? Kid seemed pretty eager to use an Unforgivable if you ask me. I think he's just trying to fish for our attention."

[Kip]

Weatherby shrugged, maneuvering a bishop along the board. "That sounds about right. And I'm too busy cramming my head full of all these lessons to worry about what that fiend might do to one of us in class, when we're not paying close enough attention."

[Barry Goldwater]

Cecil moves a knight. "Well, if a professor's watching, he probably wouldn't have the guts to try anything. It's outside the classroom that we'll have to watch our backs."

[Kip]

"I hope that's true. He antagonized just about everyone even with the professors watching, there's no telling what he'd do when they're not." Weatherby nudged another pawn forward, before realizing he'd pushed it right into the path of Cecil's knight.

[Agamemnon]

'I surely hope he doesn't try an unforgivable... I've only used one in my whole life, on a spider that was terrorising my mum... It's much to difficult for a first year to control... And I'll take this bed while I'm in here.'
Arthur sits down on an old, decrepit bed in the far corner of the room.
'I won't be sleeping here, I've my own house. But, I do hope this bed is left open for my cat, Jefferson. Also, I'm placing two portkeys under my bed - a lava lamp and a sabre - if you want to reach my office, hold the lava lamp. If you want to get to my home, do the same with the sabre. I'm trusting you two, don't go blabbering about them and don't use them unless there's an emergency.'

[Kip]

Weatherby nods. "You can trust us, sir." As he studied the board, he reflected that it might prove very nice to have a Head of House so willing to hear from his students - or at least the ones he preferred, an elite club which Weatherby and Cecil seemed on their way to joining.

[Agamemnon]

'Good to hear. Now, I'll be in my home. Come get me if you need me.'
He touches the sabre.

[Kip]

Weatherby rubbed the sleep from his eyes with clenched fists. A smile slowly spread on his face, and he stepped out of bed, his long pajamas hanging loosely from his shoulders and hips. He walked to the foot of his bed, and perched lightly on top of his chest, beside his scarf and earmuffs, which were stacked nicely from his evening stroll the day before.

A stack of colorful, neatly-wrapped packages sat temptingly in front of the fireplace, which still burnt with a lively flame. The stack had appeared overnight - Weatherby had a hazy memory of an owl pecking at the windows, but he couldn't be sure whether he had dreamt it or not. "Happy Christmas," he whispered, hugging his arms around himself. He imagined that his mum and sister might feel the holiday wishes, despite their distance.

He savored the warmth of the fire, waiting for Cecil to rise before exploring his share of the presents.

[Agamemnon]

Arthur, hoping the students were still asleep, dressed as Father Christmas and portkeyed his way into the common room.