Catch The Snitch

The Hufflepuff common room was particularly quiet on this Saturday morning. Likely due to the fact that most students enjoyed sleeping in a bit on the weekends. In the last couple of weeks the temperatures had dropped substantially, and this was a particularly cold morning. Which might have also had something to do with most everyone still being in bed. It was awfully difficult to get out of a warm bed on a cold morning when there were no classes to miss.

This, of course, made it all the more attractive to Devereaux who could be found sitting at a table near the fire and reading a book. It wasn’t even for an assignment either. He was genuinely reading for fun. Of course, the book just happened to be a first hand account of The Witch Hunts, specifically during the years 1563 to 1600. They had discussed the event briefly that week in History of Magic, and it had left him curious to learn a little more. To Devereaux, of course, this could not possibly be considered studying. It was most assuredly leisure time, he swore it.

Finishing the last page of a particularly brutal chapter, which had gone into a very descriptive account of the common execution methods of the age, Devereaux sat the book down with a sigh. There was a mug of hot cocoa steaming on hit table, which he promptly snatched up and began sipping on. It was in this state, hot cocoa held up close to his face while staring at the flickering fire, that he heard the sound of footsteps.

It wasn’t often that Thaddeus got some time and space for himself.

The chilly morning air hit him as he crawled out from beneath the covers. It was a perfect day for a lie-in: there were no classes on Saturday, and the weather was ideal. But for some reason he had woken up half an hour ago and sleep would not welcome him back to its sweet embrace.

Perhaps he’d just relax in the Common Room then. It was something he rarely did: as the heir apparent to the influential Egerton family, the weight of public scrutiny was something he rarely could take a respite from. There were duties he was expected to perform, company he was expected to keep, values he was suppose to uphold – and often he wondered if his life was truly his to live, or if it was his lot to play the role written for him by his parents. But hopefully, on this beautiful morning where almost everyone else should still be in dreamland, he could enjoy a moment of privacy in the Common room for once.

After washing up and changing into something comfortable but still presentable – a striped yellow and navy rugby shirt, camel brown chinos, and a pair of pure white trainers – Thad left his dorm and stepped into the Common Room. Expecting it to be empty, he raised a curious eyebrow when he caught sight of someone seated by the fireplace, engrossed in a book and sipping a hot beverage. The dancing shadows obscured the person’s face, but the person’s build gave his identity away: Devereaux Gordon, a Fourth-Year and a fellow art student. For some reason – perhaps due to him usually being stuck with his group of ‘friends’ who were all mutually obliged to hang out together – he hadn’t really had the opportunity to get to know Devereaux better.

Not wanting to break the silence too abruptly, Thad elected to clear his throat gently to announce his presence. “I didn’t think anyone would be up so early today,” he said. As he approached Devereaux, he finally got a better look at the book, and found himself surprised yet again. “And reading up on so heavy a topic as well,” he added.

Looking away from the book to Devereaux, Thad offered his hand and a warm smile. “I’m Thaddeus. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Devereaux looked away from the orange and yellow flames of the fire to find Thaddeus Egerton approaching him. Although they had never interacted with one another, they had art together, and of course, people loved to talk about Thaddeus because of his family. Not to Devereaux of course, he had extremely limited interactions with others, and he was sure to avoid social interactions that involved gossiping. Nevertheless, it would have been hard to make it into his fourth year of being a Hufflepuff without hearing people talk about the Scion of the Egerton family. It was interesting to Devereaux in one regard, that, of course, being the historical implications of the family. Devereaux would be more than elated to read a book covering the family history, perhaps something that detailed the events surrounding the bestowing of their title. Other than that though? Uninterested.

These were some of the reasons that Devereaux was grateful for how his mother decided to raise them. She had leaned heavily into the fact that their father was a muggle and had kept the family mostly removed from magical society. Sure, she taught them things that they needed to know, and they interacted plenty with her side the family, all of whom were wizards and witches, but they were never immersed in the wizarding world as most of his classmates had been.

All of that to say, to Devereaux, Thaddeus was just another fifth year. Which wasn’t inconsequential. Being a fourth year himself, he felt a natural inclination to admire those who were beyond him on the path of magic training.

“Well, it is really is the best time to get some reading done without being disturbed.” Devereaux said with a smile and a shrug. “It’s really not bad, I mean, the witch hunts were awful, if thats what you mean. But the book itself, not a bad read, very interesting. At least to me, I know it’s not everyone's cup of tea.” He realized he was rambling and snapped his mouth shut with an embarrassed smile.

Releasing one of his hands from the warm mug, Devereaux took Thaddeus’ hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’m Devereaux Gordon. I believe we have art together, but it is a pleasure to officially meet you.” He quickly returned his hand to the warmth of the mug. “What about you? You have a particular reason for getting out of bed early on this chilly Saturday morning? If you aren’t headed anywhere then please feel free to take a seat. I find this table is just the perfect distance from the fire to catch a little heat without getting too warm.”