Guided to a tower by a male student, Iblis offered a polite word of thanks to send him on his way before climbing the stairs. As she approached, a bronze eagle-shaped doorknocker spoke in a woman's voice, "Where do vanished things go?"
Iblis considered this with interest, then replied, "Things never truly vanish; they only transform. Beneath the void, there still are heavens and earth—we simply cannot see them."
"An interesting answer." The common room door slowly swung open to reveal a circular room decorated in blue and bronze. Stars were painted on the domed ceiling, and the deep blue carpet below was likewise scattered with them. Tables, chairs, and bookcases filled the floor, and a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stood in a niche opposite the door.
Chapter 96