Stephen was having a quite content evening, he had a good book open in front of him, and a beautiful girl next to him. His arm drapped over her shoulders, he didn't even notice the howler until it started screaming next to him.
He blinked for a moment, not entirely sure what to make of the whole situation. Stephen was hardly a strange boy he had been around Padma since first year! He took her gently by the shoulders.
"Hey, Pads, why don't we get out of the common room." He said gently knowing that the audience was certainly not helping things.