Charmed Ceilings

"Come on, let me show you," Alice prodded the raven haired boy.

He sighed in resignation and closed the book he had been trying to read, before Alice had once again come up with an extremely 'smart' idea. That girl really had taken to heart Dumbledore's words, when he had told her to show him around.

Seeing he complied, Alice gave him a smile and started moving towards the exit of the Tower. He briefly debated himself whether he should raise the topic of leaving the Tower after curfew just for the sake of annoying her, but he let it drop for once.

He had lost the last three arguments anyways. It would seem like sore losing if he'd lose a fourth time as well. Not that he was doing it intentionally.

So he let the dark haired girl lead him. She was the one who knew the Prefect patrolling schedule by heart after all.

A few fake walls and secret corridors later they arrived in the Entrance hall. He was very puzzled as to what they were doing there and his confusion increased threefold when Alice laid down on the hard stone and started staring upwards towards the stairs. She patted the spot next to her.

"Come join me, it's not as uncomfortable as you think.Or nearly as dirty," she added as an afterthought after she saw his face scrunch up. A staring battle ensued and  the only noise made was caused by Alice's sheep slippers. He was starting to think those sheep slippers were nocturnal.

In the end he succumbed when she broke her stare and shrugged her shoulders in a way he recognized that if he didn't comply, he wouldn't find out what exactly it was she would be showing him. And he was curious.

Alice had been right: the ground wasn't nearly as dirty as he believed it to be and he made a mental note to thank the house-elves next time he visited the kitchen. He briefly saw from the corner of his eyes that Alice had turned her head back to stair at the seemingly endless amount of staircases in Hogwarts and from the way the everything quieted down, so did the sheep slippers.

"Just a minute more, I think," she whispered and for some reason, he started to anticipate something amazing.

The clock struck twelve. They were deep bells and their sound echoed in the many halls of Hogwarts, only to be muffled in dorm rooms and personal quarters. 

After the twelfth gong struck, all the staircases shifted simultaneously and revealed a large charmed ceiling.

It was probably the same basics as in the Great Hall, but it was amazing because at the moment, a full moon was shining down on them, stars adorning its sides. He felt himself breath in sharply at how beautiful the sky looked and how small it made him feel.

The sight disappeared after a minute.

"Not many wander in the halls at this hour, much less pay attention to what's going up there." Alice explained later as she got up into a sitting position. "I find this a shame because I believe that this is one of the less amazing secrets in Hogwarts."

Her smile turned into a frown. "They're not even trying to get to know this castle. I failed my N.E.W.T.S on purpose for this castle."

He watched her, confusion visible on his face, but she simply shook her head. "You don't understand. I wanted to show this to you, but perhaps, it was too early." She got up completely and started heading towards the staircases.

Both he and Alice were unaware that another raven with bright green eyes was watching them not from afar, covered up with a cloak that perhaps could top the Sorting Hat's age. The newcomer might have not understood what Alice meant, but Harry Potter most certainly did.

Hogwarts was home.

Perhaps Luna was right and he really needed to sit down and have a proper chat with this rather confusing Ravenclaw student.
  

  

Let me laugh at the absurdity.

I am craving for writing.

I am craving for reading.

I am craving for drawing.

I managed to force myself to do something I thought I was never capable of and now I am laughing hard at the world's absurdity.

Also, in the last few realities, you've still been a jerk.