Uncommon places to study

Dear Luna,

Do you know of any good places in the castle to study, aside from the library or our Common Room? Those areas are always too crowded for me to properly get work done. In fact, the whole castle is often too loud for me to tolerate. I figure as a fellow Ravenclaw, you must have had the same problem at some point!

Sincerely,
Trying to Concentrate

Dear Trying to Concentrate,

First of all, studying from books alone is vastly overrated–I prefer hands-on learning, myself–but I am very familiar with places in the castle where one could find some solitude:

The third floor was never put back into use after the incident with Fluffy and the Philosopher’s stone (which was before my time, sadly–I love dogs): turn right at the entrance arch and there’s a disused classroom through the fifth door on the left. It has a window seat; when she returned for her final year at Hogwarts, Hermione liked that feature in particular. The cushions are probably a bit dusty, I’ll grant you, but it’s nothing a quick spell wouldn’t put right.

If you prefer somewhere a bit sunnier, there’s a lovely crop of rocks under the willow by the lake–no, not the Whomping Willow, the proper weeping sort. I know, you’re probably wondering why such a seemingly prime spot–a sunlit rock right on the lake and under a tree–wouldn’t be swarming at all times. That would be because somebody (ahem) started a bit of a rumor that there was a nest of Aquavirius maggots living in and around the root system of the tree. Despite some skepticism on the part of the students who heard this rumor, the prospect of large, gooey, pulsating maggots was far too much to risk, which meant that that particular spot was left largely undisturbed. That rumor has perpetuated itself to this very day, if Professor Longbottom is honest (and he is).

And, of course, there’s The Room of Requirement. I daresay you’d find all the quiet and comfort you need there, if you only ask.

Love,
Luna