Hauke made a terrible habit of combining a late-night stroll with a good book. He ambled, one slow step at a time, watching the floor for obstacles over the top of the book as he idly skimmed the page. At this late hour it wasn't usually a problem. Students were meant to head for their beds, by now, or at the worst lingering about the Great Hall with the remnants of their suppers, so Hauke did not expect to stumble upon any in the deepest corners of the library.
The strap strap of a bag pulled Hauke from his half-present reverie. He looked up from the tome in his hands and stuttered to a stop. Nonplussed, he stared for a moment at the stooped back of a sleeping student-- parchment for a pillow and quill still close at-hand. It seemed terribly early in the semester for that. Not that he had ever been the sort to judge another's sleeping habits. He had no right, given the hours he kept most nights.
"Miss-" he started, then hesitated. He did not know the girl-- not one of his First Years, certainly-- and felt half-bad for waking her. Clearly she needed the rest, but he could hardly leave her with curfew creeping upon them. Gently, he closed his book and set it on the nearest shelf. "The library will be closing soon," he kept his voice low, hardly expecting her to hear but hoping it would somehow ease the start when he gave her shoulder the gentlest shake.
The strap strap of a bag pulled Hauke from his half-present reverie. He looked up from the tome in his hands and stuttered to a stop. Nonplussed, he stared for a moment at the stooped back of a sleeping student-- parchment for a pillow and quill still close at-hand. It seemed terribly early in the semester for that. Not that he had ever been the sort to judge another's sleeping habits. He had no right, given the hours he kept most nights.
"Miss-" he started, then hesitated. He did not know the girl-- not one of his First Years, certainly-- and felt half-bad for waking her. Clearly she needed the rest, but he could hardly leave her with curfew creeping upon them. Gently, he closed his book and set it on the nearest shelf. "The library will be closing soon," he kept his voice low, hardly expecting her to hear but hoping it would somehow ease the start when he gave her shoulder the gentlest shake.