[Library] Dusting Out The History Section [Shab]

[Warren Frell]

Warren trailed a finger down a shelf positively stuffed with books. Of course, being the History section -- a subject none too many found pleasing -- that was only to be expected.

Pulling a thick volume from a tight space in between two others that were equally large, he set it on the table next to him and immediately went looking for another. Of course, pulling out such a large, unused book from its place had the consequence of spiraling dust rapidly in front of him.

After a rather long coughing fit, Warren (scowling just slightly) settled himself onto one of the chairs and began his long, long, read.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

Oh dash.

Only one book was ever carried around by Shabnam, but it wasn't ever for reading. Inside she had cut out a rectangle in the middle of the pages to create a small, hidden space that was unassuming to the eye, and inside that uneven, roughly cut-out rectangle she kept her deck of tarot cards, many of them frayed at the edges from use. Normally they sat quite snuggly inside the book, but as Shabnam traced a finger down the spine - the spine that was broken, which was news to her - it seemed that several of them had managed to slip out without her noticing.

Standing up, Shabnam began to walk slowly, her large eyes scanning her surroundings carefully as she searched for the telltale pink and blue of the cards, and as she rounded into the Herbology section - where she had just come from after placing back a book about the healing properties of nettles - she saw one of them sat neatly on the worn stone of the floor, right in the middle of the isle.

'Lovely,' she whispered with a smile as she picked it up, turning it in her hands as if she had never held it a thousand times before. 'Where are the rest of you?' She said a little louder, moving out of the isle and into the History section, where a boy with dark brown hair - it reminded her of dark chocolate, how ace - sat alone at one of the tables, his brow creased and a book poised in his hands.

'Oh ace,' she breathed, smiling again. 'I didn't know anyone else was here.' She paused for a moment before stepping up to his table and holding the card out over the page of his book. 'Have you seen the others?' She wondered, as usual failing to notice that he was busy.

[Warren Frell]

Warren was immersed in the second chapter, his fingers collecting dust where they rested on the pages, when a slight rustle through the aisle caught his attention.

It seemed to move through the shelves, followed by low whispers, until reaching Warren's table. He, of course, ignored it skillfully and was about to flip one of his pages, when a long rectangular card landed atop the tiny print of his book, effectively stopping him.

"The others?" Warren said, his impatience forgotten as his gaze moved over the intricate pink and blue pattern. He concentrated on the card, a small frown appearing on his face as he thought, before he shook his head.

It was a moment later when he realised that the cards were tarot cards, and he let out a small snort. "You can't be serious... Tarot cards?" Shaking his head, he pulled his book from underneath the card and placed it in front of his nose once more, cutting the girl from his line of vision.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

As the boy barked a laugh Shabnam did too, although confused by what was so funny. He eyed the card with bemused criticism before lifting his book back over her hand, shunning her away, and she glanced quizzically at the card before looking back at him, confunded. 'For real,' She smiled, unsure, lifting her leg over the bench and sitting down opposite him. '

For a few moments he seemed to be determined to ignore her, but when his eyes swiveled over the top of his book to look at her irritably she grinned madly, leaning forward. 'The others have a Dove, a Catfish and a Lantern on the back...' She carried on from her original point, once again holding up the card but this time showing him the other side. A worn image of the Nighttime Sky was presented to Warren. 'This one means adventure... although I found it over there so it could mean getting lost... oh, my cards are lost!' She shook her head, laughing.

The Ravenclaw boy continued to start at her with a wrinkled nose, perplexed and agitated. Shabnam bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She reached forward and slipped the card onto the page of his book, leaving it there. 'I'm Shabnam. If I find the others, I could read your fortune.' She offered, joining her hands together as if in prayer.

[Warren Frell]

Being unsuccessful in ignoring the girl, though still very much determined to do so, Warren turned the angle of his body just slightly. At least now she wasn't directly across him.

However, it had been minutes since he had last flipped the page over, and it was obvious he wasn't even trying to read anymore. As silence loomed over them, he finally peered over the edge of the book and cursed inwardly at the bright smile etched across the girl's face.

"A catfish?" Warren made a face, but placed the book on the table and begrudgingly looked at the tarot card she had seemingly decided to use as his bookmark.

Though that actually wasn't what she had meant to do, he shut the book anyway. The card hung over the edge of the cover rigidly.

"I hardly believe that any catfish or lanterns are going to help decide my future." He said, raising a brow as she took on a bizarre posture. Though, after a moment of silence where he stared at the girl's freckles in a resigned way, he let out a long sigh.

Pulling himself out of his chair, he pried the Tarot card from its place in his book and glanced at it once more. "I suppose the only way to go about this is retracing your steps."

"And I suppose I wouldn't mind a short reading." he added, trying his best to sound nonchalant but unable to keep the light curiosity from his voice.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

'It's like you're the stars,' She smiled vacantly as she slowly took the card from him and placed it back on the rest of the deck, lining it up carefully. At his bewildered expression she laughed, tapping the Nighttime Sky with her little finger. 'The light in the darkness,' she added. 'Like you were supposed to help me find the rest of them. Isn't that surreal?' She stood up now, her hands on the table. 'I last had them out when I was near the restricted section. I sneeze and I dropped it.' She said, gesturing to the book she kept them in.

Moving around the table she began to walk swiftly in the direction of the restricted section, the rest of the cards stacked neatly in one hand. It was odd that they didn't blow over as she walked. 'I could look myself,' she remarked thoughtfully, stopping to look back at him with a small, considerate frown. 'But you're my light, obviously. Light... latern... ah, I'm very sure you're supposed to help me now!' She grinned brilliantly, dashing off with a new zeal.

She vanished into the isle, her frizzy, wild blonde hair the last thing to be seen...

[Warren Frell]

Light in the darkness? Warren thought to himself with a pained expression. I've agreed to help a nutcase, isn't that grand!.

"Wait a moment!" He called, tucking in his chair and slinging his bag over his shoulder after stuffing his large books inside. "I'm your lantern, aren't I? Hang on!"

It took longer to reach her than he had suspected it would. Although she seemed to be hopeless at first, Warren soon came to discover that she knew exactly where she was going. When he caught up to her at last, breathing deeply to gather air into his heaving lungs, he tugged on her arm a bit restlessly.

"Don't you know not to run in the library?" He hissed in a menacing way, though managing to keep his voice low. It would be bad to attract attention near the restricted section, and he didn't exactly want anyone to know he had abandoned his History Books to search for tarot cards of all things.

"If you know which one's you're missing, you may be able to accio them toward yourself." Warren said thoughtfully, pulling one of the books from the shelf next to him and taking a quick glance at the table of contents. There were obviously no cards buried deep inside the pages, but it was worth a look--

It also helped that the book was one of Warren's particular favourites.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

'I'm sorry.' Shabnam apologised softly as the boy rushed up beside her, out of breath and clearly disgruntled. The quick run-about had only caused Shabnam's hair to curle more uncontrollably from her head, right now making her look as though several forks of white lightening were striking around her face.

The Ravenclaw inconspicuously slip a book from the shelf for disguise. 'I've tried that before,' she sighed, referring to his suggestion of a summoning spell. 'It's like none of them have their own specific name... they're just pictures to be given names, to be interpreted... would you respond to someone else's name?' She asked, smiling insightfully.

She looked at the book he was holding, her eyes becoming somewhat mistified as she spotted the corner of something pink sticking out of the very centre of the pages. 'Oh look...' She prompted, still not knowing his name. Gingerly she took hold of the corner between her index finger and thumb, slowly pulling it out. The Latern card was now gripped in her hand, held up between them. For a moment they both stared at it, before looking at one another. 'What book is that exactly?' She smirked.

[Warren Frell]

Warren narrowed his eyes a bit as she explained why an accio spell would render useless. Put out that his idea had been shot down so easily, he breathed a low "Whatever..." before turning back to the book in hand.

It was when he was getting ready to place it back on the shelf that she peered closely at his book. He had felt completely unnerved at first, having thought she was glancing closely at his hand and fully expecting her to spout some nonsense about palm reading. Instead, however, she pulled one of the cards from in between the pages delicately with the grace of someone who had done it numerous times before.

"Name?" Not quite sure why she was interested, though relieved she was finally talking about literature-- something he could relate to-- he flipped open to the page the tarot card had been. "It's called Lord of Light." He said slowly, reading over the page with a creasing brow. "Centered around someone who can manipulate fire magic and -- wait a minute."

It seemed the pages the card had sat between were the ones that Warren had last left off on... as though the Lantern card had actually served as a bookmark.

"Strange." He muttered, before closing the book and eying the girl exasperatedly. "Now... the catfish you say?"

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

As the boy closed the book, his expression loosing some of it's harshness upon studying the card further, Shabnam realised some of the skepticism in him had slipped away. In his question about the Catfish he half-relluctantly, half-willing gave in to the idea that maybe there was more to the cards than met the eye. These kind of people always delighted the Hufflepuff and she smiled enchantedly, her eyes twinkling. 'Thank you, Lord of Light.' She said daintily as she slipped the Latern back on the deck, although it was unclear whether she was talking to the book or to him.

The sun was seeping through the edges of the shutter-clad windows, streaks of light marking the floors of the isles and moving up the walls in blunt, bold lines. As the two third years began to move again they passed under the rays, disturbing their perfect symmetry and creating a strange rippling effect that Shabnam found quite beautiful. It confused her as to why it was so always so empty in here.

It seemed as though the Ravenclaw boy was one of those people who knew how to appreciate such an atmosphere without finding it boring. How could someone so astute be so lonsome?

Shabnam looked over her shoulder and back at him as she walked, overtly contemplating him without concern of where she was going. 'I think you've got to be the one to find the rest of them,' she speculated, narrowing her eyes slightly. 'You're literally a latern, did you know that?' she grinned wryly.

Stopping abruptly she turned to face him, her hands joined behind her back. 'Light then way then!' She chanted, giving an expectant smile.

[Warren Frell]

Warren walked a few steps behind the girl, his eyes squinted just slightly to avoid the harsh rays of sunlight pouring into the room. It only took a moment for the Ravenclaw to realise she wasn't focusing on the search, but instead the rippling of their shadows. Holding back the urge to roll his eyes, he was about to let out a grumbling protest, when she suddenly craned her neck to face him.

Her dazed expression made him frown, no longer willing to voice his impatience.

Perhaps because he was curious about her, much like he would be curious about an unusual book, he continued to follow her.

Their silence was suddenly broken by the girl's melodic voice once more, and Warren widened his eyes a bit, a startled look on his face. "Me?"

At her expectant look, he felt his temple begin to throb just slightly. It was a wonder how most knew him to be moody and arrogant, but she seemed to think of him as the exact opposite--

A Lantern.

Considering this, he gave her a slightly exasperated look and took a few steps ahead. It was true that few knew the library as well as he did.

"The other's can't be far from here. It's natural physics--" He began, curving around the bookshelves. "Once the first fell, gravity had to have taken its toll on the others." He paused in front of an isle and bent down on his knees, tilting his head to the side to check underneath the shelf.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

Gathering her hair in one hand and holding it out of the way, Shabnam too got down on her knees and peered under the shelves, the side of her head against the floor. There was enough light bouncing off the polished floor so that they could not only see under the shelf they were looking at, but the several that came after it. There was no such luck though - plenty of dust, but no Catfish. The two of them shared a look before standing back up again, brushind down their knees.

'Would a catfish follow a light... or flee from it...' She mused, drumming her fingers on her thighs as she stared through the Ravenclaw. If Shabnam were a fish she would certainly swim away from anything that glowed - especially something as big as a boy. 'It could be hiding.' She whispered. It occurred to her that perhaps the cards were never lost: they had probably run away.

She fell very silent suddenly, beginning to walk without making a sound...

[Warren Frell]

Warren brushed down his robes, making a face as some of the dust refused to leave them. "But I'm not actually glowing," he whispered back, immediately frowning as he stepped back looking thoroughly confused with himself. There was no need for him to keep his voice low; it wasn't as though he believed the catfish could hear him.

Sending her a wry look, he shook his head warily before moving to a new section of the library. Perhaps magical objects didn't always follow Muggle concepts like physics--

"But if it were hiding," Warren said, pausing in his tracks, "How exactly do I, er... get rid of my glow?" His eye twitched slightly and his strictly logical mind began to sulk.

[Shabnam Snapdragon]

As Warren vanished into the isle next to hers, Shabnam leaned against the shelf and parted two books, peering at him through the narrow gap. Shabnam herself couldn't see his glow but she had no doubt that he was a beckon to other creatures, as were most humans... of course, whether he agreed or not, he was extra bright.

As she watched him read the spine's of the books carefully, a flash of light out of the corner her of her eye drew her to Offley's desk. Letting the books tumble back into the place she drifted along until she came out of the isle, walking up to the semi-circle table quietly. Offley - who Shabnam liked very much and oftened visited - was no where in sight, but her things were scattered over the desk messily.

The source of the light had been the sun catching the large fish bowl sitting to the right, two handsome fish with long blue tails and gold eyes circling inside.

She stared at them for a moment before readjusting her gaze so that she was now concentrating on her reflection. For a moment she smiled, pleased to see herself... but then something began to happen. Her face started to distort...

[Panos]

Another one... a deep, haunting mellow voice drifted into the girl's mind as a grey-green mist swirled across her line of sight. Soon the place where the fishbowl was, was replaced with an ancient forest scene. An old, gray faun piped music on his pan-flute as two young Slytherins began arguing with him. His eyes shot upwards, connecting with those of the Hufflepuff girl. He smiled an awkward, old, all-knowing smile at her and winked. His voice penetrated her thoughts again, with the simple words Find me.

As the vision collapsed back into the fish bowl no one else would've known what had just transpired. Only the young lady who had experienced it herself. Isn't that just how things in this school work?