Tales from the Ravenclaw Common Room

Lisa Turpin by KitLee

It was after dinner in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Lisa Turpin and her best friend Terry Boot were sitting together, going over their History of Magic and Astronomy homework. Throughout the rest of the common room, the other Ravenclaws were likewise doing something studious and productive. Quidditch Captain Cho Chang, a year older than Terry and Lisa, was reviewing school Quidditch statistics for the past seven years. Stewart Ackerly, a second year, was studying "A Beginner's Guide to Magical Medicine." First year Gary Pullman was sitting in a corner practicing his fife. (His mother made him play.) Stephen Cornfoot and Kevin Entwhistle were sparing with sticks in the corner closest to the boys' dormitory while reciting the ingredients for various potions (their way of studying for a potions test). The largest group of fifth years -- Mandy Brocklehurst, Sue Li, Isabel MacDougal, and Padma Patil -- had pulled several comfortable papasan chairs in a circle near the fire and were reviewing the week's notes for all subjects. All in all, it was a perfectly normal and peaceful Friday evening.

However, Terry Boot was having trouble concentrating on the Wizards' Convention of 1313. He found his attention to be wandering, as it had been ever since the beginning of the year. As if attracted by a spell, Terry found his head unconsciously turning to watch the girls near the fire. And then (the horror!) Terry would find himself unable to turn back to his history book and instead stare and gape at Mandy Brocklehurst. In the midst of the seventeenth of such unwanted reveries, Terry found his attention jolted back to history when Lisa hit him on the head with her history book.

"Ow! Hey!" Terry protested, rubbing his short brown hair.

"Pay attention," Lisa ordered. "There's no way I can do well in Binns' class without your help, and I am not about to fail just because you have a crush on Mandy."

Terry felt his face burn. He quickly hid behind the book and protested, "I am not. What makes you say that?"

"Hmm, just the fact that you haven't been able to keep your eyes off of her ever since school started," Lisa said exasperatedly. "Honestly! If you like her, just ask her to go in a couple weeks to Hogsmeade with her. If you don't, stop staring at her all the time. She'll think you're weird."

"I can't help it," Terry said, his voice softening as his eyes slid once again on Mandy's short blonde hair and dark brown eyes. "She's just so perfect. She's so smart and kind and . . ."

Lisa hit him again, this time with her collapsible silver telescope (a fifteenth birthday present from her grandmother). The hit was gentler this time, not because she didn't want to hurt his head, but because she didn't want to hurt the telescope.

"Snap out of it, will you? It's bad enough that Stephen likes Megan Jones from Hufflepuff and Kevin has a thing for Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. I never thought that you would. You always seemed too smart for that junk."

Terry shrugged. He wanted to go back to daydreaming that he and Mandy were a couple, but feared Lisa's hits too much. Besides, he reasoned, she might start messing up his books or homework. Like a good Ravenclaw, he bent back over his parchment to complete his essay: 1313, A Pivotal Year.

"Speaking of Gryffindor," Lisa said casually, "I heard a rumor that Potter's graduating early this year to go fight You-Know-Who."

"Really?" Terry asked, interested.

Lisa nodded. "But it's probably just another stupid rumor," she added quickly.

Terry nodded resignedly. "Probably. I wish Potter would graduate early, though. That would be perfect, since my parents said that I can't skip ahead."

"I don't know why you're so obsessed with being Head Boy," Lisa commented. "It's just a silly title. After graduation, it doesn't really mean anything."

"Of course it does!" Terry exclaimed. "If you're Head Boy or Girl, you can put that on your resume, and you have a better chance of getting a good job if you have that. Besides, it doesn't seem fair that I don't even have a chance just because of when I was born."

Sue Li, overhearing their conversation, came over. "Of course you do, Terry," she said briskly. "Just like I have a chance of being Head Girl."

Lisa laughed. "I don't think either of you can beat Dumbledore's favorite boy and girl. Potter's had Head Boy wrapped up since before he could walk, and I think Hermione's title of Head Girl was pretty much set in stone after the events with Quirrell."

Sue scowled. "Every Li since practically the beginning of time has been Head Boy or Girl, and I don't intend to break the tradition. Besides, my grades are as good or better than Granger's."

"Or a little worse," Terry added. "You have to admit that, Sue."

She nodded almost imperceptibly. "But not much worse," she pointed out.

"True, true," Terry said. "And while I may not be able to beat Potter on the Quidditch field, I can beat him in the classroom. My grades are nearly the best in our year." He smiled proudly. "At least if I do loose to Potter, I will have at least made Prefect."

Sue shrugged. "I still don't see why everyone assumes that Potter will be Head Boy. His grades aren't that good; and if he makes it, won't it seem like favoritism?"

"But his grades aren't bad," Terry pointed out. "And he is a hero. I think the hero card out-trumps the grade card any day."

Lisa gave a loud and exaggerated yawn. Terry and Sue didn't even look up, so intent they were in debating Head Boy and Girl. Personally, Lisa didn't care that much. Whatever happened, would happen, and Lisa wasn't about to waste valuable time fussing over it. She rose and, grabbing her books, walked over to Mandy, Padma, and Isabel's group near the fire, dodging the dueling Stephen and Kevin.

"Hi Mandy, hi Padma, hi Izzy," Lisa said.

"Hi Lisa," Mandy said cheerfully. Padmai nodded her greeting before turning back to Potions.

Izzy smiled and said, "So, tired of Terry's not-so brilliant conversation?"

Lisa nodded. "When Sue came over to debate Head Boy/Girl, I decided to give up and hang out with more human people."

Izzy grinned. "That's probably our fault. Sue was going on and on about that, so we steered her towards a sympathetic ear."

Lisa plopped down in Sue's vacated chair. "That's okay. I'll just bother you guys instead of Terry."

Padma and Mandy exchanged a look.

"What?" Lisa asked, confused.

"Nothing," Mandy said quickly, too quickly.

"We were just wondering if the rumors were true," Padma exclaimed.

"What rumors?" Lisa asked, opening her History of Magic notes and glaring at them. History was her worst subject.

"Well --" Mandy began.

"That Terry and you are a couple," Padma interrupted.

"A couple of what?" Lisa asked, staring blankly at them. Then comprehension dawned on her, and she exclaimed far too loudly, "No!"

People around the room looked up to stare and her, and Lisa blushed and tried to hide under her notes.

"No, of course not," she repeated, this time much softer.

"Really?" Mandy asked, cocking her head to one side as she did when thinking. "You make such a sweet couple."

Lisa was seized the strong impulse to tell Mandy the real person of Terry's affections, but then shed the impulse. Terry would hate her forever if she did anything like that. So instead, Lisa only shrugged and said, "Well, we aren't dating and probably never will."

"Probably?" Padma asked, arching one eyebrow. "Does that mean that perhaps --"

"Good God, no," Lisa said. "I'd rather be tortured by Death Eaters or go to a dance with a dementor."

Izzy giggled.

Mandy frowned, thinking hard. "But Terry seems so nice," she protested.

"Oh, he is," Lisa said gesturing with one hand. "But I would never be his girlfriend. He has such high expectations for whoever fills that position. As much as he would deny it, Terry can be a bit of a romantic. He believes in marrying your Hogwarts sweetheart and living happily ever after."

As the other three girls ruminated on this bit of information, Lisa noticed that Sue Li was leaving Terry and heading back towards Mandy, Izzy, and Padma. Lisa took that opportunity to rise and gather up her books again.

"Well, I guess this is my signal to leave. I'll see you later," Lisa said.

"No, stay," Izzy protested.

"I'll just pull up another chair," Sue suggested, holding up her wand to do so. Lisa silenced her by raising her hand.

"Really, that's okay. I'm just going to go back and study with Terry." With that, Lisa strode back across the room, once again dodging sweaty Steven and Kevin.

"I'm ba-ack," Lisa sang out as she dumped her books down in the chair next to Terry.

"Oh, yeah," Terry said in surprise. "Where did you go?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "I went over there to avoid the great Head Boy/Girl debate and to see Padma, Izzy, and Mandy." Lisa carefully watched Terry's face as she said the last name. Just as she'd expected, Terry's ears burned red.

His voice could not hold steady as he tried to casually ask, "Oh, and what did you say to them?" His voice shot up an octave. "You didn't tell them about my, um, my --"

"You're what?" Lisa feigned confusion.

"You know what," Terry insisted shrilly, his voice rising in pitch but dropping in volume. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

Lisa smiled at his blankly. "I really have no idea --" she began.

Terry interrupted her impatiently, "My crush on Mandy!" he hissed. "Okay, are you happy now?"

Lisa grinned. "Very," she told him. "And no," she hastily added as she saw his darkening face. "I didn't say anything about your crush."

Terry sighed with relief. "Thank God," he muttered before going back to his books.

"So, are you just never going to tell her?" Lisa asked after a while.

"I will; I will. I'm just waiting for the right moment. Besides, maybe I just like enjoying my crush in peace."

Lisa shrugged. "If I were you, I would tell her."

"You'll understand once you get your first crush," Terry said, sagely.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Well, if you can spare some of that sage wisdom, I need your help on some more mundane things, Oh Love Guru."