Lurking in the shade PV Erik Fyriel reopened

“URGH! BLOODY GOB-!”, Fyriel cursed and sighed as she struggled her way through the corridor to reach the Courtyard. It was a very busy place as usual and Fyriel usually didn’t have an issue with this, as she was quite used to the overflowing passaging. Only today, she could not handle it, at all. The first-year had woken up to the worst day she’d experienced since she attended Hogwarts. Her hair was so unruly, she almost cut it all off but when she couldn’t find a pair of scissors, she gave up the reckless idea and left for breakfast. To continue her dreadful morning, at breakfast one of the owls that delivered a package to the Hufflepuff table had lost control and landed right in her plate of food. Which caused an outburst of laughter from the students surrounding her. She had been able to laugh it off as if it was hilarious to her as well but anyone paying close attention could have seen she was upset by the incident. So, after a displeasing, half-eaten breakfast, the girl decided to try and blow off some steam by finding a quiet place to read.

Of course, she hadn’t thought of how busy the Courtyard could be at this time of day. She was used to only going there when most students were inside, sheltering from the cold. The cold didn’t bother Fyriel as much, definitely not when she had her nose buried in a book. The Hufflepuff got more and more agitated as she almost had to push her way through the many students. It was so loud! Hundreds of students chattering, gossiping, laughing with each other. At that moment, Fyriel recalled why she had always been more fond of animals than people. Sure, animals could be noisy too, but at least they didn’t anger her as much. Fyriel felt as if some of the students deliberately didn’t move out of the way. “Could you take even more room to stand around and do nothing!”, she shouted at an unknown target. It was possibly meant for everyone crossing her path.

After a considerable amount of time, Fyriel finally reached the Courtyard. The first-year located the quietest spot she could find on this busy patio and sat down on a stone block sticking out of the wall. Out of her bag, she picked up one of the books she was currently reading. It was a small pocket-sized book with a teal-blue cover. The golden letter work on the front spelled ‘The tales of Beedle the Bard’. It was quite an old and well-known book filled with children stories. Her mum and dad used to read her several of them before bedtime. She would do the same for her younger sister once she was old enough. Reading this book made her feel torn into two. On one hand it reminded her of home and her family and made her happy. On the other, it made Fyriel more homesick with every chapter.

After an instant of time sitting there, reading her storybook, Fyriel felt an uneasy feeling creeping over her spine. Her bright purple eyes flickered up and analysed her surroundings. Still bothered by the amount of students covering the courtyard, the Hufflepuff searched what made her feel this way. Her hands tightened their grip on the book while her breathing changed to a faster pace. She was getting more and more restless. Is someone watching me? Could someone be following my movements? Maybe I should grab my wand… Fyriel’s thoughts jumped from one to another quickly. She didn’t want to behave erratic and take her wand out in such a public place. Hmm.. The nervous girl thought of what her dad had taught her: “If you feel threatened and think someone is after you..” Damn! Fyriel couldn’t remember that lesson, she hadn’t been very attentive that day. She decided to take action of her own. I could go somewhere remote and private and see if someone follows me… Fyriel slowly packed her book back into her bag. While still studying the students around her, she stood up and walked towards the Serpentine Corridor that was connected to the Courtyard. No one rarely went there as it was often used to enter the staffroom. Which students had no business for.