Book Worms

Luna wandered back and forward in front of the blank stretch of wall.
"I wonder if you could please turn into a room which I can read my book in," she murmured softly. "It would be ever so nice of you, you lovely wall." She repeated this request three times, and a moment after the third time a door opened in the wall. "Thank you very much, wall," she said, and she turned the door handle.

Luna stepped inside the room. It had disguised itself as a library, its walls lined with row upon row of books. All sorts of books: leather bound with faded gold lettering on the cracked spines; shiny new hardbacks, smooth to the touch; ripped and battered paperbacks that had been thumbed through many times. On the floor, inbetween teetering piles of yet more books, a few beanbags and cushions were scattered around.

And there was a girl on one of the beanbags.

She was a burly girl, big boned. Her hair was dark. It was bobbed and tied back in a plain black scrunchie, keeping it off her face. She was wearing a pair of spectacles with square lenses, her legs were crossed and she was glaring intently at the book on her lap.
"Excuse me," said Luna. The girl didn't look up. "What book are you reading?" Then the girl did more than look up; she leapt up, clutching her book to her chest, hiding the title. She adopted a defensive stance, expecting Luna to back off. She didn't. Instead she stepped closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the book title.
"It's Rosalind Heart's A Witch Of Two Cities," snapped the girl. "Now leave me alone!"
"That's a classic," said Luna in admiration. "I haven't read that one... I've read Bleak Broomstick though." Then she finally recognised the girl stood in front of her. "You're Millicent Bulstrode," she said. Not accusingly, just matter of factly.
"So what if I am, Looney?" Millicent hissed. "I just wanted somewhere quiet to read- Don't tell anyone I've been reading, or I'll curse you!"
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read too." Luna held up the book she had been carrying. "People keep playing games, you see. They keep borrowing it."
"Well go find somewhere else," spat Millicent.
"Oh, there's plenty of room here," said Luna, sitting down on a purple beanbag and opening her book. Millicent glared at her, opening and shutting her mouth like a fish, but she couldn't think of anything to say so she sat back down on her own beanbag and began to read again. She had got to a particularly good bit.

"Is your book good?" asked Luna.
"Mhm," Millicent mumbled. Luna took that as a yes.
"We could swap books when you're finished. You would like this one."
Millicent looked up and glared at Luna.
"How do you know what I'd like?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because you're a little bit like me," said Luna simply, and there was silence again.

"I think it's nearly time for dinner," announced Luna eventually. "I hope there's pudding." Millicent stood up and reached over, grabbing Luna by the front of her robes.
"Don't breathe a word of this to anyone, ok?"
"I won't," said Luna. Millicent let go of her.
"Good." She placed her book on a shelf, removed her glasses and left the room. Luna followed her.

"I want somewhere to read my book." The door grew from nothing until it filled a whole portion of the wall. Millicent stepped forward and gripped the handle in her large hands. Her palms were sweating. She wanted Luna to be in there already, because it had been nice reading with someone else close by, sitting quietly. Then again, she had been perfectly happy before Luna had arrived, and it was Luna, for crying out loud! She stepped into the room of requirement and felt a rush of disappointment when she realised that Luna wasn't there. She found her book, picked a beanbag and perched her reading glasses on the end of her nose, but it just wasn't the same.

When Millicent heard the door open she felt a rush of relief. She hadn't been able to concentrate, even though the story had reached a particularly interesting point.
"Are you in here, Milly?" called Luna as she skipped into the room.
"Did you- Did you just call me Milly?" asked Millicent, shocked. Luna smiled as she sat down with her book.
"Yes... I'm sure we're going to be good friends."
"Hmmm," said Millicent, trying not to smile. She'd never had a real friend before. "Oh alright," she said. "But only in here." They both sat down in comfortable silence to read their books.

THE END