PARADOX » cedric d.

iii. while you were sleeping

When she dropped the empty glass onto her lap, she suddenly felt too awake for the darkness of the Black Lake outside her dormitory window. Even if the murky waters made it impossible to ever tell the time of day, she could tell that it was still an ungodly hour of the morning.

Eloise kicked herself out of her blankets and swung her legs over the bed, breathing in sharply when her bare feet touched the cold wood. She managed to find her old worn sneakers in the dark and slipped into them, not even bothering to bend down and pull them on completely.

"Lumos Minima."

A soft, faint light emitted from the end of her ebony wand, casting a delicate light against her face. She held the wand between her teeth as she pulled a knitted cardigan over herself and snuggled in.

The corridors of Hogwarts hid secrets within its crevices and casted flickering shadows against its walls, even more so after sunset. Eloise admitted that it wasn't the best place to be wandering alone at three in the morning while feeling like she had just been raised back from the dead.

She stopped at a lone painting and leaned in conspiratorially. "Hello there," she grinned as she reached up and prodded at the pear sitting innocently inside the oil painting. It squirmed in protest before the entire painting—frame and all—shifted on its hinges and proceeded to creak open like a giant, unconventional Hobbit door.

The smell of cinders and spices flooded over her as soon as she stepped in through the opening, and the warm glow of dying hearths was enough for her to wave the light away from the end of her wand.

And with a snap, Kippy the House-elf popped into existence before Eloise like a popcorn kernel.

"Miss Ryu! Kippy is so glad me Miss is here—oh, me Miss—"

Eloise crouched down onto her heels and tucked her arms around herself with a grin. She was now nearly the same height as the House-elf. "Hiya, Kippy. Everything good?"

The little House-elf beamed. "So very good, me Miss."

"Busy, huh?"

"Nothing Kippy can't handle!" she proclaimed, puffing her chest out and gleaming proudly.

Eloise's grin widened. "Of course."

"What can Kippy do for me Miss?" Kippy offered shyly, her nimble fingers fiddling with the hem of the worn sweater she was adorned in.

Eloise pretended to mull it over, her chin on her palms. "Some rosemary tea would be lovely, actually."

"Oh, ros'my tea does match tonight so," Kippy squeaked, her eyes widening. "It will only be seconds, Miss."

Eloise sank down onto one of the many benches that spanned the kitchens, a cozy reflection of the Great Hall right above their heads. She rested her chin onto her knuckles as she peered out an open window that was letting in a crisp breeze tasting of autumn and freshwater.

Something clinked onto the table before her. "Kippy made much ros'my tea for me Miss."

Eloise choked back a startled gasp when she saw that Kippy had seeped a bundle of freshly dried rosemary in a pint glass. "Merlin, Kippy. You'll run McGonagall out of the tea business, I think."

Kippy only smiled shyly, her hands clamped behind her back. She teetered excitedly between her toes and heels.

Eloise took a slow sip and basked in the steam that rose from the tea. Kippy remained in her spot, her eyes expectant.

"Hm?" Eloise tilted her head pointedly.

The House-elf jolted slightly before looking sheepish. "Kippy thinks Miss is sleepy."