The entrance to the Thunderbird Common Room was on the roof. Chase thought that was maybe just a tiny bit excessive, but it worked well for scaring the first-years. He remembered when he was first ushered up the swaying rope ladder onto the tower roof to get in. He'd run across the roof tiles, nearly slipping off the gutter and giving the prefect a heart attack.
Now, of course, he was used to it, and he loved to sit on the roof at night, watching the clouds sift by and letting the cool, thin air waft by his skin.
Ilvermorny was located on the top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, and was concealed from No-Majs by numerous spells and enchantments that took the form of a huge, hazy fog surrounding the granite castle. If you had good eyes, though, you could look out far past the fog to the surrounding mountains and watch the birds flying high in the sky.
Chase had good eyes.
Right now, though, he wanted to get into the Common Room.
Chase crept carefully across the warm roof tiles of the tower to the locked sunroof. The trapdoor had been enchanted to be strong and sturdy, so no one could break in. There were, however, several enchanted locks that, when unlocked, allowed the trapdoor to be opened. There weren't strictly any keys, and they couldn't be opened with magic, so if you wished to sleep in a bed that night, you better be good at lock-picking. Of course, if you came from the side streets and alleys of a big city, you got pretty skilled at that sort of thing.
Chase crouched in front of the trapdoor and dug out several thin metal wires from his pockets. A couple of minutes later he had all three locks undone and he tugged open the sunroof, jumping down into the Common Room. Above him, the trapdoor slammed shut. The locks magically clicked themselves closed behind him.
The Thunderbird Common Room was big. A whole lot bigger than the Pukwudgie Common Room, that's for sure. Chase had seen the inside of all of the Common Rooms, courtesy to several giggling girls and boys. He still thought Thunderbird's was the best, though. The main area was a huge, circular chamber, a fire pit located right in the middle. Several benches carved elaborately into the shape of magical animals surrounded the fire, which was always flickering, regardless of the temperature outside. Tables skirted the room, ready to be pulled next to benches if one wished to study in the Common Room instead of in the library. Carefully placed windows were located around the room, stretching from floor to ceiling, letting in the maximum amount of sunlight. Book detailing ancient adventures lay strewn about haphazardly across a few narrow bookshelves.
Across from the fire, on opposite sides from each other, the doors to the boys' and girls' dormitories swung, each half-open. The girls' dormitories were right below the common room, but the boys needed to take several more flights down the precarious stair set before reaching their sleeping areas.
Cautiously, Chase pushed the door to the boy's dormitory open all the way. Several times he'd gotten black eyes when magical contraptions had exploded from behind the door. "Adventurers have to be ready for everything," as Professor Blackfoot loved saying.
When nothing happened, he crept past the door and ran down the rickety steps. Everyone had their own way of getting down the perilous staircases that were full of surprises. Some people cast spells on the staircase and others cast spells on themselves, but Chase preferred to dash helter-skelter down, the adrenaline rushing through his veins whenever a wooden stair snapped in half or when the slates tipped together to form a slick slide. He usually acquired quite a few bruises from his method of descending, but he considered it quite worth it.
The stairs must have been feeling quite mellow today, however, because Chase managed to make it to his room with nary a scratch.
Chase, of course, had roommates—three other Thunderbird sixth-years named Collin Marmac, Alexander Jones, and Taj Chaudhary. Unlike him, they were in class at the moment, their beds lying messy.
Chase made his way to his bed and knelt on his blankets, prying a window open. Cool mountain air wafted in, causing goose bumps to erupt on his skin. Putting his fingers to his mouth, Chase gave a piercing whistle, calling his falcon.
With a screech, the mottled gray bird dove into the room, grabbing onto the leather armguard on Chase's right forearm. She bobbed her head and called again, this time quieter.
"Hey Ople," Chase crooned, stroking the side of her neck. The bird bobbed again.
"I have a letter for you," he said, opening a drawer on his nightstand and pulling out a perfect square of paper. "Can you get this to Shay McAllister? Please." He held it out and Ople hopped down his arm. She croaked and grabbed the letter, a second later launching herself back out the window.
Shay had been Chase's summer girlfriend. Past tense, because Chase's letter to her was to tell her that he couldn't possibly pursue their relationship.
Chase liked to be no-strings-attached.