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Library https://i.postimg.cc/5yWKz6K5/library-banner3.jpg A maze of thousands upon thousands of books, the library is heaven to any book-lover. Upon entering the high-ceilinged room, the smell of books, both ancient and new, hits you. There are many tall, narrow shelves neatly lined up, each divided into different sections -- charms, potions, Muggles, fiction, and so on. If you find a book you're interested in, simply make use of the sliding ladder or summon the book with Accio to retrieve it. |
Kath! There was perhaps no other place in Hogwarts, save for the Ravenclaw common room and dorm, that Cat felt as comfortable in as the library. She didn’t even have homework to catch up on; she was simply here for the chairs and the atmosphere (and to be surrounded by books). She wandered through a few of the shelves fairly aimlessly before stopping in front of one and picking a book at random. A large book. She hefted the book to her chest, wrapping both arms around it like a hug. A smile tugged at one corner of her lips. Her heart beat a little faster, there was a slight skip to her step (though, don’t worry, she was most definitely walking while in the library). She found her way to her favorite seating area (with a fireplace!) and picked her favorite couch. Bag down, book down, then Cat plopped herself onto the cushion and tucked her legs underneath her. Okay. So, what was she reading today? |
The crackle of the fireplace had been steady background noise for the better part of an hour, punctuated only by the soft scratch of quill on parchment and the occasional sigh that suggested OWL revision was not, in fact, a thrilling pastime nor was the Hufflepuff any closer to understanding the same couple of paragraphs he had been reading over and over again. Nyle had claimed the armchair nearest the hearth earlier that afternoon, long legs folded awkwardly to fit the space with his shoes nestled on the floor in front of him, books and notes arranged in careful, color-coded stacks on the low table beside him. Defensive Magical Theory lay open across his knee, though his attention had drifted more than once to the way the flames shifted and curled. He reached into his pocket absently and rolled the small pinecone there between his fingers. It was nothing special, really. Just something he'd picked up near the greenhouses weeks ago ― a grounding thing. He shifted to reach for another roll of parchment when the pinecone slipped free and his the floor with a soft wooden tick and bounced several times before rolling away towards a girl who had just settled in with a book nearly the size of her torso. Nyle froze mid-reach and straightened while offering an apologetic sheepish smile. "Sorry," he said quietly. "It seems I've lost custody of that." He gestured faintly toward the pinecone. "Do you mind?" |
Her posture had slowly melted as Cat settled into her couch. Her book (book of spells, come to find out) sat heavily against her knees, her head landing somewhere on the armrest as if it were a pillow. She was twisting a strand of her hair around a finger when she heard a soft plink on the ground near her. She pulled her eyes from the dense words in front of her face to the floor and... a pine cone. The immediate question formed in her mind was answered just as quickly by the boy sitting on the armchair next to her. She recognized him immediately as someone from class. The tall boy. What was his name? She eyed him for a brief moment, taking in the way his body was contorted to fit in his chair, then smiled and leaned off the couch slightly to grab the pinecone for him. She tossed it gently, underhanded, giving him plenty of notice so that a catch wouldn't be too difficult. "Not at all," she responded. Then, because of course it did, her curiosity hit and she offered a question before her brain could think better of it. "What are you studying?" Because it didn't even occur to her that someone who was studying may not be thrilled about having said studying interrupted by a |
Nyle's hands came up automatically when she tossed it back, catching the pinecone after a bit of juggling. Obviously not a quidditch player, but that may have already been pretty obvious from his long limbs. Relief flickered across his face. "Thank you," he said, the sheepishness lingering in the curve of his smile as he turned it over once in his fingers before tucking it safely back into his pocket. "I'll try to keep better custody of it. Nice toss, by the way. You ever thought about giving gobstones a go?" At her question, his gaze dropped briefly to the open book on his knee, as though reminded of its existence. "Oh—um." He glanced at her book then with its hefty spine, remembering the way she'd been curled around it like it was something precious. "That looks considerably more interesting than what I'm attempting to absorb," he added kindly. "What are you reading?" |
His question caught Cat off-guard, and she gave a soft huff of a laugh. Her cheeks heated. “Gobstones,” she repeated, her brow furrowing slightly. “I know that it’s a game, but I actually don’t know anything else about it, to be honest.” Add that to her ever-growing list of topics to read about. And, likely, activities to engage in since she (apparently) potentially had the skills for it. Interesting. She watched the boy curiously as he moved, her eyes dropping with his to the book in his lap. Oh, another fifth year. OWLs and all. Cat was getting used to finding these students with their noses in book or piles of parchment or in various other states of stress. But he seemed rather fine with her interruption. Still, she nodded, empathy clear on her face. “It’s not my strong suit either,” she said solemnly. She was about to ask more questions, of course, but he actually got one in first. Her gaze moved to her own book. She frowned slightly, flipping the book closed (her thumb hooked inside to keep her page), to look at the title. The book was so old and worn down that she could hardly read the letters on the cover. So, instead of wasting time with that, she looked back over at the boy and shrugged. “It’s a spell book, I think. At least that’s what it’s talking about so far. But most of these are spells I haven’t even heard of.” Which, to be fair, wasn’t difficult. Still, she’d spent the better part of a year and a half reading all of her required texts (and then some), so to find spells that were completely new was exciting indeed. “It is interesting,” She confirmed. “Do you know of the Melofors Jinx?” Because she’d just learned of it. |
Nyle chuckled and raked his fingers through his hair. "That's fair. It’s not exactly the most glamorous of magical sports. Most consider quidditch first." He shifted forward slightly in his chair, forearms resting loosely against his knees. "It's a bit like marbles, if you're familiar with that," he explained. "You've got a set of enchanted stones and you're trying to knock your opponent’s out of a small ring. The only complication is that you can get squirted with a rather foul-smelling liquid...but it does wash off easily enough." His fingers tapped lightly against the arm of the chair, his smiling warming. "I play somewhat casually. I'm on the Hufflepuff house team but I'm not… particularly cutthroat about it." He hesitated just a fraction of a second. "If you are curious," he added, "you'd be welcome to sit in on a club meeting sometime. Just to see if you like it." Another small pause. "If I could be so bold as to offer to have you as my guest." The fifth year's brows lifted slightly at the mention of the spell and completely failed at keeping his expression neutral. A hand drifted up as though to rub the back of his neck. "Yes. I—ah. I'm familiar," he admitted with a chuckled that was nearly a cough as he tried to swallow it back. "I may have… accidentally cast it on myself in my first year." He could absolutely feel the tips of his ears going pink. "It works exactly as described," he continued, shifting in his chair and long legs readjusting again. "I panicked. Ran directly into a corridor wall. Thankfully for me, the impact split it open." His gaze flicked to her spell book again and shook his head in amusement. "I've heard it can be quite proficient in matches in Dueling Club as well." |
The explanation caught her attention, and Cat double-checked her page number before setting her book aside so she could give her full attention to gobstones. She’d definitely forget her page and have to go searching later, but it was worth it. She shifted to face the older boy, leaving her legs kicked up on the couch to one side of her. She did know marbles, at least in a basic way. She smiled to herself when she realized this meant that she may not be at a huge disadvantage if she ever played gobstones. At his invitation to join a meeting as his guest, though, Cat’s eyes positively lit up. “That’d be amazing!” She didn’t even try to tone down her excitement. “That’d be so much fun. I’ve watched quidditch tryouts and games, you know, but I just don’t think it’s for me. But maybe gobstones...” She trailed off. The possibilities. His reaction to the spell wasn’t what she’d been expecting (so, of course, it only piqued her interest that much more). “You didn’t.” She couldn’t help it. She laughed. She was absolutely delighted by this conversation. “That’s great to know.” She paused, considering something momentarily. “I suppose the Dueling Club is a good place to try out a lot of spells, isn’t it? I’ve thought about that too. But I’m lousy at spellwork.” It may have been an exaggeration (and some insecurity), but Cat was quite worried that she’d lose any duel she tried. Terribly. |
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