Chapter 47
A/N Thank you Maria for taking the time to beta this.
Just a tiny update so people stop worrying that I have disappeared entirely. I haven't done much writing the past few weeks, but I will try to have a full chapter finished for next Friday.
The books in his library were things of beauty, works of art, things to be revered and admired from afar. Perhaps to be handled with all due care and respect by a select few scholars, but certainly not something to be pawed over by the teeming masses that frequented his small alcove of the castle.
Just the thought of all those grubby little hands and even grubbier little minds making contact with his books…the careless way they pulled them from the shelves by their bindings…the folds and creases they used to anoint passages…the way they tore the pages while flipping through them quickly, not savoring the words, merely skimming…the inconsiderate way they passed them amongst each other, tossing or haphazardly levitating them…it sickened him. They all sickened him.
There was no way around it; children had no business being in a library.
Biblio Caries scowled as another of them entered. This one, this one, wasn't even after the books. She headed straight for a boy.
At first she just stood in front of the boy, waiting to get his attention. Finally, with a smirk the boy looked up.
"Come to ask me to Hogsmeade again, Amelia?"
Talking wasn't allowed in the library so as quickly as he could, Caries made his way over to reprimand them.
The girl glared and turned to leave. Given the boy's attitude, the librarian wasn't surprised. But biting her lip, she turned back around. "Avery and a few of your other friends took your precious kitten down to your room in the dungeons. I thought you might want to know."
The boy rose so quickly that he knocked his chair backwards. Caries couldn't blame the boy for looking so panicked. He wouldn't want that girl in his rooms either. There was no telling the damage she could cause. He thanked his lucky stars that she had never tried to venture into his library.
Before knocking over a few more chairs in his haste to leave, the boy paused to give a nod of thanks. "I won't forget this, Amelia."
The librarian had been making his way over as quickly as he could to reprimand them for talking. Unfortunately as quickly as he could wasn't as quick as it used to be. Before he reached the table, both had headed out of the library in opposite directions.
Righting the chairs and gathering up the books the boy had been using, Caries was just grateful they were gone.
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How he loathed this room. Despite the presence of his canvas here, he had hoped never to return to it.
Too trusting, the girl wandered the room checking almost every spot that might conceivably contain a puffskein. The only area she avoided was the wardrobe.
The one called Avery noticed her hesitation and laughed. Still standing with the other two young men by the now closed door, he spoke in a voice that was genuinely curious. "How is it you already know not to open the wardrobe, but you don't know what happened to your puffskein?"
When the girl didn't answer, the would be young man continued trying to goad her. "Go on, open the wardrobe. For all you know, the puffskein could be in there too."
He didn't know what was in the wardrobe and what's more, he didn't want to know. The girl looked quite unhappy debating her options.
"Avery, this is boring! This isn't what we brought her down here for!"
"Quiet Mulciber. There is no need to hurry. We have time for all kinds of fun."
In the end, it seemed the girl had more Gryffindor in her than he had thought. Her desire to be reunited with her puffskein was greater than her fear of whatever was now kept within the wardrobe.
As soon as the wardrobe door was opened slightly, a large serpent worked its way out. The girl retreated as the serpent, like many a genie before it, sought to take out its anger not at the one who had imprisoned it, but the one who released it.
Despite being next to the door, it wasn't until the serpent, seeming as if by random, retreated back to the wardrobe that anyone noticed the new arrival.
"What the bloody hell do you three think you are doing?"
In a panic, the one called Nott responded. "Why would you care? You're done with her. Why shouldn't we get to have a little fun?"
The new arrival seethed as he answered back. "Just because I am through with her doesn't mean you can have her."
The young man checked the condition of the girl and her garments. Finding them wrinkled and quite a bit dusty, but not torn or out of place, the young man gently lifted her up.
"I will deal with you three when I return. And believe me, if I don't find you waiting right here, as impossible as it may seem, I will make you ever sorrier than you otherwise would be."
Moving through various portraits, he listened and followed as the young man carried the girl back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Don't ever go anywhere with those boys again."
Happy to be once again back with the young man and recovered from her fright, the girl began to argue. "I want my puffskein. They said they saw my puffskein."
With an almost apologetic frown, the young man explained. "Those boys lied. Your puffskein is gone and he can never come back. You know that."
Reaching the entrance to the Gryffindor Common room, the young man set her down. Sadly the girl tugged on his hand trying to pull him in with her. "Come with me."
Leaning down and stroking her hair, the young man shook his head. "Those boys won't try to bother you again, I'll see to that. You know what you need to do. I'm not going to spend time with you or even talk to you again until you do. Come back to Slytherin and we can be together again."
After kissing her cheek, the young man again stood straight. His tone became less gentle and forgiving. "And don't ever do anything like what you did in Binns' classroom again. That was completely revolting. Little girls don't eat mice."
Stalking away, the young man failed to hear the girl's quiet rebuttal.
"But they are so crunchy and delicious!"
tbc