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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Sept 3, 2009 12:23:33 GMT -5
Astrid was holed up in a dark corner of the library, her knees pulled to her chest as she held the book close to her face. The corner was too dark for proper reading, but she was smart enough to realize that if she dragged it to one of the better lit areas of the library, she'd no doubt be caught, and that would be bad.
Her parents weren't exactly big on policing what their children read, but they wouldn't be happy to know that their youngest had gotten her hands on a book that would even be allowed in the restricted section of Hogwarts it was so dark and dismal. Astrid had a good suspicion that it had been the old house elf that had hidden it behind the loose baseboard in her room, but she couldn't prove it, and she also knew that it had to be one of those contraband items her parents had done away with upon taking over Grimmauld Place. Still, curiousity was something that ran rampant in the Black girl, and it wasn't like she was going to use any of the spells and potions in the book. She just wanted to see what was so bad about it.
Granted, after the first few pages, Astrid had quickly figured it out. Not only were the illustrations enough to make the normally unflappable girl nauseous, but the spells contained within were downright horrible. The one she was reading now was about turning an enemy's intestines into worms, which then ate them painfully from the inside out. Pleasant, really.
Astrid froze as she thought she heard the door to the library open, and she quickly sat on the book, hoping she wouldn't be notice in her hiding place.
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Post by Jay Leon Black on Sept 3, 2009 12:47:44 GMT -5
When it struck 7 that evening, Jay wandered out of the comfort of his room, and into the dark, cramped hallways of Grimmuald Place as he did every evening at that time. He passed a few portraits on the way, hearing them mutter nonsense about the 'filth' that lived in their abode. This time, he hadn't brung a book with him on his tour of the large home. He usually brought a textbook, found a nice quiet reading area under a sleeping portrait, and tried casting pratice spells from his Charms book on the occasional mouse that scurried by. Tonight, however, he planned to venture to the Library, and perhaps pick up some light reading. He turned a corner swiftly and opened a large, oak door to his right. The long hallway he entered was only lit by a sole fireplace and a lone window at the edge. It was a long way to the other side, and it seemed even longer in the dim light. The walking area was spacious, but he kept his even footing in the middle of the rug, determined not to slip off to the sides where he could encounter numerous freightening statues. He opened a door to his left abruptly and stepped his foot inside the room. The entrance to the Library was lit, and he could see both sides clearly. There were many corners lurking offsides, however, that were dark. He spotted a row of books off to the right and followed the lit path that led there. He took one book off the shelf and examined it closely. It was a book on magical herbs and remedies, but he didn't feel at that moment like studying Herebology. He was looking for something a little different. The next book caught his eye from the gold writing across the top. "Offensive Combat Spells Version 2.0". He grinned, picked it up and was about to walk out of the Library. He heard a noise in one of the corners--it was slight, and wouldn't have been noticed unless he was listening very intently. He walked forwards, his wand outstreched in his hands, although he knew under normal circumstances he wouldn't use it for any reason. "Hello? Hello, is anyone there?" |
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Sept 3, 2009 20:17:57 GMT -5
Drat. Astrid let out a breath of air she didn't know she had been holding and looked up, trying to figure out which of her brothers had found her. Stupid question. Like Jared would be caught dead in the library- it had to be Jay.
"No need for the wand, it's just me." Astrid said quietly, shifting on her "perch" so she was facing Jason, trying to keep him from noticing the book she was sitting on. The last thing she needed was for her bibliophobic brother to want to see what had caught her attention.
"Isn't this your usual border patrol time? What are you doing in the library?" Astrid tried to sound disaffected rather than nervous, but it wasn't working so well. She was good at verbal lies, sure, but when it came to hiding things, she wasn't so good under pressure.
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Post by Jay Leon Black on Sept 13, 2009 12:07:56 GMT -5
He shrugged a little and looked at his sister. Her face was rather flushed, and he wondered for a moment why. He glanced behind her to the black corner in which she had come from. He didn't know why, but he sensed something was off. He lowered his wand and put it back on his belt loop. He nodded, and walked a little closer to her. "I felt like coming to the Library to retrieve some reading material is all. I don't have as much as I need really." He walked over to the bookshelves and paused for a moment. "I think the better question is what is holding your interest nowadays in our wide world of literature?" |
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Sept 14, 2009 10:53:31 GMT -5
"Oh, the usual." Astrid replied flippantly, looking up at her brother as he approached. She did her best not to twitch guiltily, forcing herself to stay still as if it was just a casual run-in in the library, and not the chance for her to get busted. "Muggle literature. Do you know how preposterous Wuthering Heights is? I mean really."
She was hoping to distract him- usually when she got him on the topic of books he would go on for hours and be completely oblivious. Maybe it would work this time, too.
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