Evander had reached a conclusion sometime around ten in the morning that the universe had developed a personal grudge against him. He had started out with something fairly harmless. Waking up later than intended, though not disastrously so, he got ready hurriedly and ran downstairs to the Great Hall wearing robes that were only half-on properly. Then, while sitting down for breakfast, he had picked up his normal goblet full of pumpkin juice and found out that the whole jug was empty. Empty. Gone. Finished. It seemed like someone else had drunk all of it and didnβt care enough about Evanderβs needs to fill it back up again. Evander had gazed at the now-empty jug for a few moments before accepting that he would just have to make it through breakfast without the juice. He could do that. Possibly.
Then it all became worse. During his classes, he had reached for another piece of parchment from his bag and found absolutely nothing there. Absolutely nothing. That was especially annoying because Evander always had enough parchment to survive a war against academia. He had simply forgotten all of it. His single sheet ran out half way through the class, requiring him to discreetly ask for another sheet from somewhere else while wondering when exactly he had lost his ability to be competent. He had prepared himself for hard questions, assignments, and even an unpleasing teacher. What he was not prepared for was the terrifying realization that he had somehow become one of those people who forgets to bring parchment.
Then, as if he had not been embarrassed enough already, he stood in front of the mirror and found out that he had forgotten how to tie his tie. He knew he had tied it hundreds of times before. He knew all the steps. Left over right, pull through, straighten. Simple. But once he tried, his hands refused to do what he wanted them to. He looked at the result of his efforts and wondered if anybody would notice if he just stripped it off. By the time he managed to get a knot that was acceptable, he was in such a bad mood that he did not even feel like talking anymore. Thus, when a free period appeared on his schedule, Evander disappeared.
He even let himself experience the tiniest bit of satisfaction. See? This is just what he needed. A little solitude. A little peace. He flipped another page. Then came a small thump from somewhere behind him. He stopped reading. His eyes were still fixed on the page. Silence. He waited. Nothing. It must have been the building settling. Old castle. Old pipes. Completely understandable. Evander went back to reading. Thump. This time louder. His fingers clenched on the edge of the book. Reluctantly, he lowered the book and turned to look at the old cupboard in the corner. The door was shaking slightly. He watched. The cupboard shook again. Evander closed his eyes.
"No!" he said softly. There was another shake. "Absolutely not." He had spent all morning getting inconvenienced by things that should not have been inconveniences. Couldnβt the universe have enough respect to leave him alone during one free period? He had been naΓ―ve enough to think that he could get one hour of peace. He opened the book again and looked down at the very same paragraph he had been reading for the last three minutes. Someone was entering the hallway.
He prayed with all his heart that they were only passing by. He turned a page in a way that showed how calm he was. "I hate today..." he whispered, and kept on reading as if there wasnβt something which was maybe alive, maybe talkative, and certainly annoying coming to the place six feet away from him. He had given up enough for the day. He would not let it take his calmness.
