Stacey was in the Gryffindor common room around midnight, sitting in one of the armchairs. She was looking into the fire. She loved little fires like this one. If you looked long enough in the flames, you could almost see little pictures. She was a little bored.
Leah came down the stairs and into the common room. She looked at the fire, not seeing Stacey right away. Her eyes were reflecting the flames, bright and dancing. Even when the fire wasn't reflected in her eyes she had no exhaustion shown there.
She sat down in a different armchair, noticing Stacey for the first time. She smiled in greeting, but also just because she liked to smile. Leah tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth of the fire on her face, and enjoyed every second of it.
Just then, it occured to her that it was midnight and there was someone else awake. She looked at Stacey quizzically and said, *Not to be rude, but what are you doing awake?*
Stacey turned her head to one side and looked at the girl. "I couldn`t sleep." Stacey was actually awake because she was waiting for someone, but this girl didn`t need to know that. Stacey`s face had an golden-orange glow because of the flames.
Alex heard noises coming from the common room. "Those d**n Slytherin brats again." He muttered angrily under his breath. He came down the stairs to see Leah and a girl he had never met.
Leah shrugged and said, *Whatever floats your boat!*
Stacey saw a boy come down the stairs, he looked a little familiar, but not much.
*Hey Alex!* Leah said, smiling.
Stacey gave a half-smile. "Hi."
*What's wrong?* She said, noticing the anger showing clearly on his face.
"I`m Stacey."