Lost in a sea of emotion pt 2

Mikey found it impossible not to smile as he saw Damien's guilty expression. He knew it was coming. If there was anybody in the entire castle who looked like they belonged in the library at night, then it was definitely not Mikey. Damien however, somehow managed to pull off a guilty expression and look at home in the library at the same time. How was that possible?


"Well, you've really saved my skin this time," Mikey whispered, sneaking farther behind those tall bookshelves. "And believe me, this is the last thing I expected from tonight." There was a trace of amusement in his tone which suggested that he appreciated Damien's help. The library felt so different at night. During the daytime it was bustling with students running between the shelves, whispering in the corners, and trying to act like they studied while observing everybody else. Right now it was eerily quiet. Each step echoed in the wooden halls and each noise seemed to scream their exact location.

He turned back to Damien, whispering again. "I actually have no clue what I'm looking for." The words were followed by an embarrassed smile. "I can see that this isn't what you expected me to come up with." He glanced at the endless lines of books. "There must be something in here. "Some story, some painting, some odd magical tradition. Something that will give me an idea." His voice was barely audible right now. He stopped in front of the shelves, looking thoughtfully at them. His lips curled in a faint smile.

Mikey flinched when Damien whisper shouted at him and his shoulders hunched up, rapidly turning his gaze towards the end of the aisle. Just for a split second he half expected the librarian to appear behind one of the shelves. "Keep your voice down," he whispered, his laughter struggling to keep silent, making the threat sound like more of a joke. "You’re going to get us caught even before I manage too." He offered Damien an apologetic glance. The plan had made more sense before. At least, Mikey thought it did. Somewhere during their journey from Ravenclaw Tower and their entrance into the library all the details he lacked had suddenly stopped seeming important. "I know," he admitted. "I suppose I should’ve thought about what I needed before pulling you along with me."

Mikey just assumed he would recognize the correct idea once he saw it. With so many books in the library surely one of them should contain some useful information. Perhaps there would be an unexplored magical tradition or a really ingenious gift that nobody else would think of. "Thanks anyway," he added quieter. "You could’ve simply gone back to bed and let me get caught alone." Damien probably should have done that. Mikey knew he would owe him later. He begun to think on how they would manage to return home without losing points, getting detention or ban from the library.

He turned around and started checking the titles of the books on the closest shelf. First, nothing seemed relevant at all. The library had a lot of books about wand caring, old cauldron rules and some pretty unattractive looking volumes about magical mushrooms. He took out one of those and gazed at its cracked cover for a while, before putting it back. "Not quite what I needed," he whispered. He walked along the aisle, glancing at the spines of the books. Their titles were mostly unreadable in the darkness, until one caught his eye. That book was smaller than the rest and bound in dark green leather. Small golden stars had been pressed into it, but most of them had become almost invisible because of age. Mikey leaned closer and saw the last word on its spine was readable. Origami.

He frowned and took the book carefully. A cloud of dust raised from the shelf, so he covered his mouth to prevent a cough from giving them away. After the dust settled he wiped the cover with his sleeve. The Enchanted Art of Magical Origami. Mikey stared at it for a moment. He opened the book and flipped through the first few pages. They contained pictures of folded animals and flowers. There were birds able to fly, foxes that could walk on a table. Some of them were meant to deliver letters and other ones repeated messages. "Damien," he whispered, temporarily forgetting he should keep silent. "Come and take a look at this."

He kept the book open as Damien approached him, pointing to the picture of a paper crane sitting on a hand. Its instructions were written in narrow lines and the diagram showed all the folds required. "It remembers the message," he explained, while reading aloud. "After you cast the charm, you tell it what message you need it to repeat. When it reaches the receiver, it repeats it, once it is opened by them." He glanced at the page and Damien, a smile spreading on his face. This one could not be bought and given as is. He would have to make it himself, which was more personal. Perhaps Avery would enjoy seeing the little paper bird fly to her, supposing Mikey managed to fold it correctly. He continued reading the book, but found out the process wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. "Considerable patience," he read quietly. "Steady hands. Several attempts usually are necessary." Mikey glanced down at his hands and then at Damien. "Well, that might be a problem."

He had some patience when he wished to. Sometimes. Steady hands were another thing, particularly when he got frustrated. His first attempt would most likely turn out to be a crushed piece of paper instead of a crane. A soft laugh slipped from his lips. Nevertheless, he did not close the book or put it back on the shelf. Instead he flipped the next page and started looking at the diagrams, as if he could somehow memorize it before they needed to leave. Then he put the book under his arm and said "I think this might be it. Let's return to the dorm before we get caught."