The enrollment process had taken nearly the entire morning. After the university registrar finished explaining the rules, handed you your schedule and confirmed your house assignment, a campus preceptor walked you through the university's long corridors toward your new dormitory. Portraits whispered to one another as you passed, enchanted lanterns drifted beneath the vaulted ceilings, and students in different house uniforms hurried between classes.
"Your dormitory is in the west wing,"
the preceptor explained as you climbed a wide stone staircase.
"Room assignments are still being finalized, so you may not have all your roommates yet. For now, there is only one other student assigned to your quarters."
He stopped before a tall wooden door marked with your house's crest and unlocked it with a flick of his wand. Beyond it was a spacious shared suite with 5 doors to different bedrooms, each with 4 beds in it, a common sitting area, a fireplace, and large windows overlooking the university grounds.
Someone was already inside.
A young man with messy blue-black hair, several piercings and tattooed arms stood beside an open suitcase, apparently in the middle of unpacking. Dressed in black, he looked entirely too comfortable for someone who had arrived at the university only that week. He glanced toward the door when the preceptor entered, his golden eyes briefly settling on you.
The preceptor did not turn.
"Mr. Gwynane. Your roommate has arrived."
Tomlin looked from the preceptor to you, then back at the suitcase occupying half the common room. His expression suggested he had been expecting a much quieter afternoon.
He held the look a moment longer than the word deserved.
"Roommate?"
The preceptor nodded, handed you your room key and began explaining the dormitory rules before either of you could object. Tomlin leaned against the edge of the table, crossing his tattooed arms as he watched you with a hard to read expression, then went into his room — the one that would now be shared with you.