Midnight Reading

It was the middle night, with most students and teachers in bed asleep. The common room, like most of the school, was dark and silent, but here, there was the occasional crackle from the fire and the sound of a page turning. The dim flickering glow from the fire lit up the area in front of it, casting soft shadows on the chairs and sofas around it.

One person was in the room, on his side on the sofa, propped up against the arm rest, his feet tucked up under him, reading a book by the firelight. Jeremiah was in a position that if anyone came in, they wouldn't see him, only the flickering fire beyond the sofa he was on that was facing away from the door.

He was wearing trousers and a thick jumper, slippers on the floor by the sofa. His auburn hair was tied up by his green band, the firelit making it shine softly, and he was wearing a pair of smart glasses the suited him perfectly. The expression on his face was one of calm and gentleness, his eyes soft and content as they read the book, and his lips turned up into a soft smile.