[Library] Fickle Books [Open]

[Marishka Mayfair]

Marishka smiled darkly as the last of the group of seventh years bustled from the library, leaving her alone. She listening carefully, only picking up the sound of the occasional portrait mumbling in their sleep or the sound of parchment rustling as a book opened itself randomly, probably wanting the sun to yellow its pages in an attempt to look aged and respectable.

New books were so fickle like that. Most of the time a student would not touch them if they looked too new (and therefore containing only ministry approved content, which was very boring) and so it would try and beat itself up a little to look interest... of course, all the old books wailed meekly as their spines peeled away, missing their crisp and creamy youth.

Earlier that day news had got round that that lock on the restricted section in the library had been broken, and so far the librarian had done a good job in keeping rogues from sneaking their way in. Marishka had had to set loose a swarm of a book-biting bugs in the staffroom to distract the old bag long enough to slip in...

'Hello, handsome,' she smiled sweetly as a monstrous volume on vampires saw her approaching, immediately flapping its pages in an attempt to alert the librarian. 'Oh hush. I only want a quick peak...' she teased, grasping the bent cover and trying to prise it open.

[Nathan Holloway]

Nathan was sitting in a far corner of the Library, which was quite unlike him. He had got fed up with the small people in the common room making up pathetic rumours, and in the great hall some stupid girls were singing. In the desperate search for Peace and quite was the reason he was now reading a book on flesh eating slugs.
However he was distracted by the sound of a familiar voice drift across the silence of the room. Standing up Nathan walked over towards the restricted section.

“And I thought you were talking to me. I had got my hopes up.”

He gave a small snigger as he slammed his book shut and looked over at Marishka. In her hands she seemed to be holding a rather battered and agitated book. Placing his own book down on the closest shelf Nathan ran his figure over a few of the spines of the other books, trying to avoid paper cuts and nasty bites. Final after a moment of silence he spun around, his arms folded and a frown on his face.

“Why would you want to read these books. They are falling apart and they smell like old people.”

[Angrod Jacoby]

Deeply immersed in his book Angrod murmered softly to himself, continuously muttering and analysing what he was reading, soaking up the words upon the page of his second book today he was totally absorbed in his own work, remaining hidden from all prying eyes in his usual haunt. With feet propped up upon the table he flicked the pages carefully, paying attention to the poor moth eaten nature of the book upon his lap.
With talk ceasing Angrod arouse from his book, the near silence was very unusual, he always expected at least a soft murmering or the shrill voice of the Librarian scolding pupils. Resting his book ginerly upon the table he listened out for noise, hearing a dull scraping then presently voices. Unable to distinguish them he arose from his seat quietly replacing his chair back underneath the table and clearing away his numerous belongings, carefully depositing a thick leather bound book, the moth eaten decrepid novel, quill and parchment full of rigorous and extensive notes.
Slipping the satchel over his shoulder he glided noiselessly along the aisles, knowing exactly where to tread to make the least amount of noise humanely possible. Knowing the library far better than the back of his own hand he realised the voices were lilting along from near the restricted section. Curiously he peaked his head round an aisle surveying the scene before he approached.
They were both good friends otherwise he would have taken great joy in reporting them to the librarian. Approaching noiselessly once more though his large form wouldn't suggest such an ability he had managed to perfect it over years of sneaking and being relatively silent, much prefering to listen and not act hastily.
"One should have known" he said commenting upon Nathan's words, his speech was slow and deliberate his words carefully chosen, as he often had to tell the two; he disliked mincing words and only spoke when necessary.
"Books are the key to all knowledge" he stated folding his arm and looking unblinkingly at the two. His gaze would be considered by some as unnerving, he maintained eye contact especially with the superior and one he gave the more respect to; in this case Mirishka.
Analysing the situation and knowing the Librarian had been called off on an important errand he believed Mirishka was pouncing upon the opportunity to scour the restricted section for books of special significance.
Sweeping past the two without another word, he was a strong and silent type he went straight for a particular volume, specifically chosen, lifting it down he began scouring the pages feverishly seemingly ignoring the other two. In fact he was listening intently to what they said.

[Evra Thorn]

Evra had grown bored of lurking among the shadows of the castle, lurching at unsuspecting lower years and Hufflepuffs. However he had seen the old bat of a librarian waddle off in the opposite direction of the library. He smirked and headed to the library. There could only be a few reasons for this action he thought to himself smugly.

Evra entered the library, subdued light filled the room, he stalked through the rows of shelves following hushed yet familiar voices. As he caught a glance of them, he casually leaned against a bookshelf and coughed to inform them of his presence.

"Are you being troublesome for that poor old librarian?! What an outrage!" He stated in a mock suprised voice. As they turned he nodded in greeting, but otherwise remained still.

[Marishka Mayfair]

Marishka jumped slightly as Nathan's voice drifted from out of nowhere, following by the crack of a book being swiftly closed. Ceasing her attempts to tear the old volume's front cover from its spine, Marishka turned round with a lopsided smile on her face, crossing her arms as she looked at the taller boy. 'In your dreams, Holloway.' she said with a pout, patting his upper arm in mock sympathy.

She was just about to go into a speech about the superiority of older books - in other words, more dangerous ones - when the ever faithful Angrod slithered into their isle, his docile and watchful eyes settling on her. Marishka had always found the younger boy to be puzzling in his behaviour - always observing and soaking up whatever was around him, but never really having anything to say. At a glance he was nothing more than slow and biddable, but Marishka knew that he was only living up to his Slytherin blood: manipulative. 'Hello, Jacoby. Never change your hiding place, do you?' Marishka remarked mildly as he moved passed her, set upon something that was probably dusty and attractive.

Evra now rounded the corner. 'And here's me thinking I had done a good sweep too,' she huffed a laugh, wondering how many others were now homing in on their little gathering. 'You owe me a giant sugar quill, Thorn - Professor Black totally gave me the better mark on that coursework!' Marishka thumped him playfully in the stomach.

There was a commotion suddenly as the heavy double doors to the library were thrown open, a loud set of voices echoing about the cavernous room. The shrillest of them indubitably belonged to the librarian and was closing matched by who appeared to be Professor Hubbles, Starsmore and Fagin. 'I think my book-biting bugs overdid it a bit...' Marishka stated as she shoved the volume back onto the shelf, swepting from the restricted section purposefully. She did not beckon the others to follow but knew they would probably see sense in doing so anyway. Marishka for one did not want to be found anywhere in the library with those three adults on a rampage...

[Angrod Jacoby]

Reading furiously knowing time was precious he pretended he hadn't heard his friends comments, sliding the forbidden volume quickly into his satchel when the doors of the libray swung open with a dull crash, he moved off without a word, Angrod quickly analysed the scene, there was only one entry and exit to the Library; through the main double doors which they would of course be guarding, according to his hasty calculations the teachers were probably approaching along the aisles rather too quickly for escape to be easy. He had no wish to be caught therefore ignoring the others, he swept towards his usual corner, efficiently spreading his books and parchment across the table. Slipping gracefully into his seat he instantly began to write notes as if nothing had ever happened. Keeping his usual fixed expression he wrote swiftly upon the parchment his heart barely pounding more than usual.
Thought of as insignificant and being adequately able to meld into his surroundings Angrod believed the teachers wouldn't even acknowledge his presence if they noticed him at all, working furiosuly he listened intently to their raised voices...

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Dragging his feet and grumbling constantly under his breath Fagin glumly followed his fellow teachers. Upon hearing the uproar he would usually have been the first upon the scene needing no encouragement to wring a few pupils necks. But he had been eating a most gorgeous chocolate gateau and this nonesense was disrupting it. Banging the door again for dramatic effect he grumbled execrations and glared at his fellows.
"A little whippersnapper might steal my cake now," he moaned sticking his tongue out at Professor Hubbles who seemed most adament about his coming. Having only stuck his head around the door this seemed most unfair, to Fagin at least.
"I'll guard the door," he muttered taking the easiest job on offer, though he know sorely wished to batter a pupil's head against the door he was now firmly closing, with yet another echoing clang.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Letting out a loud groan as he heard Fagin grumble under his breath and mention something about guarding the door Dan spun around and looked at the old man. Dan was not happy with having to walk around the Library when he could be doing something else. Giving Fagin a rather evil glare Dan pulled out his wand and pointed it at Fagin.

“I think maybe you should come with me. Starsmore should guard the door, he is more likely going to need a wand to stop people running for it.”

Dan turned his back on the other Professors and followed the Librarian. He found it hard to suppress a laugh as he and his sister had both noticed that Fagin never seemed to use a wand. Maybe he lost it, he also seems the type to have got it snapped by the ministry.

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

As one of his colleagues turned on him Fagin eyes looked ripe to fall from his very head.
"Don't..you..point..that..thing..at..me" He said slowly and deliberately somehow, through his force of will, resisting the urge to swipe it from the insufferable man's grasp. Grating his teeth his anger boiled slowly, before the little annoyance of leaving his pudding had been enough to make him furious, this was almost too much for him to tolerate.
But realising the Hub as he had nicknamed him, had the power now, he knew he still wore the trousers, if he acted cleverly. Grumbling further execrations and having looked mornfully at Starsmore for support, Fagin now glumly followed the Hub, as the man moved off at a moderate pace, Fagin found himself running to keep up with the two long legged creatures, obviously he was rather unfit to. Maybe it was the pipe that constricted his lungs in such circumstances. Sticking his tongue out several times at Hubbles' back he glared all the more when he realised the futility of it all. Though he had known people would find out eventually, they weren't all as thick as two short planks, he had hoped for longer secrecy, hopefully only this jumped up little upstart of a teacher had managed to work it out.

[Marishka Mayfair]

Distracted by Angrod choosing to head back the way he had come, Marishka involuntary walked right into the isle the professor were all arguing on. She stopped abruptly a few feet away from them, a look of fake surprise on her face. 'Oh, hello professors...' she said airily, slipping a thin book on goblins from the shelf. 'I am trying to work in silence, if you don't mind. You're not setting a very good example for Nathan and Evra here...' she gestured toward the two boys as they came hurtling round the corner after her, looking rather flustered.

Sneaking a glance behind the men, Marishka could see Professor Starsmore and the librarian in a rather heated argument over what could be considered a big enough emergency to disturb teachers from their drinking sesson...

[Evra Thorn]

Evra had been quite content on the slytherins meeting, fogetting the realisation that at some stage the librarian would return.

"Course you did, you're a female what would you expect!" he said with a grin, knowing he would gain a response at some stage or other.
As he was playfully knocked in the stomach by Marishka, he was about to poke her on the upper arm, however a commotion broke through the library in a wave of voices and thuds from the door, the most prominent noise of all being that of the librarian.

Marishka moved pased him, keeping her cool, yet in a rather hurried movement, not needing to be told that if they were caught at the scene, then he surely couldn't even blame it on some small child. He followed Marishka toward the exit, however abruptly stopped, as he nearly walked into the back of her.

Evra noticed the professors at the other end of the aisle and so took the casual approach of just leaning against the bookshelf, and waiting to be noticed, however for some kind of coverage he quickly grabbed a book closest to him off the shelf.
He opened the to a middle page, he noted the fact that the book was on pixies, and was instantaneously disgusted at the thought of being found with a book on pixies.

[Nathan Holloway]

Nathan continued to look in disgust with the books around him only to find it strange how everyone around him started to vanish. Looking down at Evra he noticed that he was now leaving the aisle after Marishka at some pace. Rolling his eyes Nathan strolled out of the aisle and looked around to see what all the noise was about. In the distance he could hear the Professor fighting and then Marishka and Evra stopped in the middle of the aisle and in fact she was talking to them. Speeding up he walked up behind the Slytherin and put his hands on her shoulder.

“Please Marishka you will give the Professor a bad impression of Mr. Thorn and myself.”

With a sly smile he looked over his fellow Slytherin’s shoulders at the Professors. Out of all the ones that had to turn up the Liberian had to get these three. Nathan had bumped into Fagin before, if Starsmore had been drinking they would be in for some fun and Hubbles, well he had no precious sister to protect so his mood will be more changeable then the Scottish weather.

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Fagin glowered at the three Slytherins they encountered. Trust such young upstarts to talk with such disrespect, yet in doing that he quite admired them; at least they had some gall, just what he had done all through his school life. The cheak of the girl especially wrankled his temper already wearing thin due to his encounter with Hubbles. But now was a time to undermine the impudent git and get his own back, he might have won the battle, but Fagin was certain he'd win the war.

"Silence," he roared "no damn witticisms,"
With a calculating expression he smirked at the students, such evil beings he could easily meld to his own wishes, adding into the bargain of defeating the pathetic Hufflepuff he so dispised now, he smiled and his eyes grew wider as his plan formulated
"ah my dear little proteges! Here you are, did you do as I asked? Capital capital," winking at the girl he used his eyes to suggest that she play along or loose her head.

"I believe the culprits must already have disappeared, but don't worry yourself Hubs, I'll deal with the little upstarts, they didn't complete my instructions to the letter as I asked." With a sudden movement he swept to the Thorn as he believed he was called, snatching the book roughly from his fingers he glared down
"good god above, they're damn pixies, pull yourself together lad," he grated clipping his ear with the book which he promptly flung to the Librarian.
"Will you allow me to deal with them Professor? Or else I'll leave them to you, I've much better things to be doing."

[Evra Thorn]

Evra found great amusement in how the eldest professor present was solely trying to wind up the head of the pathetic house that was hufflepuff, clearly a deserving job of no one but himself. A muggleborn he was led to believe, this was obvious, just by appearance, he even looked like one of false blood. Even thinking of the house filled him with great levels disgust. Whilst in his train of thought, he became unawares of his surroundings.

He did not happen to notice the Professor head toward him , and had been caught off guard, as his generally stealy hold, allowed the book to be released with much more ease than usual.
Evra grunted as he was knocked on the side of the head by the book.

"Well, pixies, it is very interesting to know about them, incase we are attcked by a bunch of pixies released by those dangerous hufflepuffs! We must be able to protect ourselves from that rabble!." Evra attempted with much difficultly to portay an innocents expression.

"However professor, we did see some hufflepuffs in here before whilst we were studying! They left in a hurry indeed! One can only wonder as to what mischief they were causing!" Evra hid a smile, it was always amusing to play upto a teacher when blaming another. Just to see how gullible they were.

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

'Look, just deal with it yourself next time!' Jonathan shouted with his hands over his ears as the librarian continued to squeal and shout indignantly up at him, tugging on his arms and robes in an attempt to ragged his hands from his head and make him listen. 'You're a witch, aren't you!? Don't you know any magic? You're a librarian from Merlin's sake - find a bloody spell!' He roared back, furious that she could not handle a simple infestation of book-biting bugs by herself.

'Please, Dan, deal with her...' He said wearily as he wandered up behind the two other Heads of House, his hands still over his ears. It appeared a gang of Slytherins had been caught doing something, for they all looked very suspicious. 'You what?' Jonathan stated with a frown as he stood next to Fagin, looking from the students to his esteemed colleague. One student he knew to be called Evra was looking at Dan with particular disgust, while two others - Nathan and Marishka, nasty pieces of work - were trying to charm their way out of whatever, although the confused looked that crossed their faces as Fagin applauded them told him Fagin was up to his old tricks.

'Make her leave me alone,' he said, prodding the man in the back. The librarian had stormed into the gathering now, turning her attentions to Dan, although his problems were quite different - for Merlin only knew how long, the awful woman had harboured a crush on the poor Hufflepuff Head...