Deep in the Rows of Books Open Closed

Arden skims through the book in her hands, brows furrowed and gaze intense. Although the Hogwarts library is much more appealing and a fair amount larger than her elementary school's, she can't help but feel frustrated that all the books she finds interest in are either miles apart, or nowhere to be found. She's already tired enough from marching around the school to get to her tiresome classes.

The book she's reading through is supposedly about dragons, but she needs to make sure the story is actually about them, not discussing the use of their hide as gloves. Arden's eyes catch on a mildly disturbing image of blood-covered dragon flesh. She blinks once, twice, and then gently closes the book.

Sighing in exasperation, she places the book right back where she got it from and reaches for another one: "Bite of a Brown Recluse"- isn't that a type of spider? Feeling slightly intrigued, she flips it open. She had just started flicking through the first few pages when a student turns the corner, catching her off guard.

Arden glances up at the unusually pale student, stares at her for a moment, then moves out of the way closer to the shelves and continues to scan the book.

The student gives her a slight smile, a polite one, and Arden instinctively smiles back kindly. She’s a Slytherin-, Arden notices from the corner of her eye, as the student strides past her regally, the long streaks of forest green on her workrobe. Arden glances back down at her spider book and continues flipping through it.

Of course, there quickly comes a chapter on the “Uses of Spiders in Formidable Potions”; Arden shakes her head with a sigh. But one quick glance at the first potion name catches her attention.

Maxima Potion

Description: This potion greatly enhances the damage of the user’s spells, regardless of how basic or already damaging the spell may be.

Duration: 20-30 seconds

Arden’s heard of this one! It’s extremely useful, and although it doesn’t last long, the damage possible once the user drinks it is beyond comprehension. Especially when drunk with a Focus Potion- all that power, it could kill!

..And it apparently tastes awful. But it’s a potion, so it’s just bound to be.

Now even more intrigued, she continues skimming through the book. But she pauses when she hears a book being removed from a shelf somewhere behind her.

Goodness, has she been spending far too much time in the library.

Arden, still leaning on the shelf, casts a quick glance over her shoulder. She’d completely forgotten that the Slytherin student was still present, browsing just like she is.

Mentally berating herself, she turns back around to her book. But something clicks in her head; she then frowns and turns her head again.

The Slytherin is staring down at a small book. Browsing, of course. The edge of the cover just seemed tremendously familiar- if Arden was holding a Remembrall, the smoke inside would’ve turned a bright red.

She blinks, annoyed with herself, and goes back to her book.

///

It was almost evening, a school night. Arden’s mum was preparing dinner in the kitchen with Arden’s dad.

Arden strolled into the living room, Oliver’s favorite storybook tucked under her arm. She didn’t realize that she’d passed Hazel as she headed towards the couch Oliver was seated on. Hazel noticed the book by its cover immediately, and she regretted not hiding it better.

“You are not reading that daft Hopping Pot story again,” Hazel, her seven-year-old half-brother, yells at the top of his lungs.

“Hazel, simmer down,” Arden groans irritably, sitting down on the couch. “And I wasn’t even going to read it to you. I’m reading it with Oliver.”

Oliver, her smaller half-brother, crawls closer to her and gazes at the green cover book on her lap. “Is this the one with the Hopping Pot?”

“This is the Tales of of Beedle the Bard, the one with all those stories,” Arden reminds him with a grin, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. “You want to read The Wizard and the Hopping Pot first?”

“Yeah,” Oliver squeaks in excitement.

“I’m telling Dad you’re reading witchcraft again,” Hazel threatens them, and then goes running out of the living room. “Dad! Dad, Arden’s teaching Oliver witchcraft! Dad!”

Arden rolls her eyes heedlessly. She opens the book, and Oliver leans closer to her, eyes wide with interest.

“Once, there was a kind old wizard. He loved using his magic generously and wisely to help his muggle neighbors...”

///

Arden stares blankly through the brown recluse book in her hands, brows furrowed. She glances over her shoulder once more.

Sure enough, the green edge of the book in the Slytherin’s hands is unmistakable. The imaginary Remembrall in Arden’s hand goes clear. That book is The Tales of Beedle the Bard, no doubt. It’s the right size and everything. And Arden should know- she has most of those stories memorized inside and out.

Struck with alarm, Arden quickly ducks her head. She hopes the Slytherin hadn’t seen her looking her way.

Isleen's brows were furrowed as she read on. The stories were rather intriguing -to say the least.
She was now reading The Fountain of Fair Fortune, though she barely took the words in, her mother's strict voice nagging at her mind.
An heiress will not demote herself to the books of children, she remembered.
She flipped the page, diving deeper into the book, though her mind was split into two thoughts warring against each other.
No need for dramatics, she inwardly scolded herself, it's just a silly little book.
But it felt like more than that. This was the first time Isleen had directly disobeyed her parent's wishes.
At that thought, she felt guilt. What was she doing? She looked up just in time to see the Hufflepuff looking at her. Isleen's first reaction was panic.
She hurriedly shoved the book back into its place, praying the teal-eyed hadn't seen the title.
She listed her options in her mind. She could walk away under a disguise of calmness and forever feel embarrassed, or she could speak up like the lady she was -or at least trained to be.
"You saw nothing," Isleen said, her voice coming out more commanding than she had intended it to be. She wasn't going to take it back, however.
She was not the kind of person to apologize for an accident.

”You saw nothing,” the Slytherin student snarls, her baleful voice laced with venom.

Thanks to Arden’s half-brother, Hazel, shouting and loud insults fly way over her head. She is always unconcerned when idiots at her school try to intimidate her with threatening charades and voices louder than thunder because she hears it so often that it doesn’t affect her anymore.

But the stone-cold, hardened voice of the Slytherin is unlike any other threatening voice Arden's ever heard before. The Hufflepuff stumbles back, more perturbed than she is comfortable with. (And perhaps a bit affronted, but now is not the time.)

She risks a quick glance to her other side, where the row the two are standing in T-intersects into another row. If she bolts for it, she could get to the checkout desk quickly and would the Slytherin be willing to harm her in front of the librarian? Probably not.. oh, but she's wearing robes, she's not going to get far-

Arden digs her fingertips into the hardcover book she's hugging to her chest, glaring at the floor. Goodness, what is wrong with her? Her first week at Hogwarts and already, she's in danger- and of all things, for catching a Slytherin reading a book! Well, sure, it's a children's book, but it's the library, for crying out loud. There's all sorts of books in here!

On second thought, maybe she should run.

But Arden can be daft. Tremendously daft. She lifts her head and instead of immediately running for her life, stares right back at the Slytherin and mockingly snaps, "I saw nothing." She glares harder. "Don't follow me. And never talk to me like that again."

Then, before she can feel frightened with herself for speaking that way to a complete stranger, she whirls around on her heels and darts out of the aisle, book still in hand.

Note: Arden is still in the library, just no longer in the row of shelves Isleen is currently in.

Note: Isleen is still in the library, but she's gathering her things to leave.

Now fully aware that she'd raised her voice at a student whose clearly has murder on her mind, on school property of all places, and may have just signed her own death warrant, Arden continues to dart down the long, empty row and turns the corner again. She's not exactly panicked, but she doesn't want to die, either.

"Nothing destroys iron but its own corrosion," she grumbles to herself in Tagalog, the phrase her mum uses on Hazel all the time to get the child to cool off. Iron is strong, but the rust created from its surface is what wears it down; Arden has a way with her words, but in this case, it might just be the end of her. And she's the smart kid in the family?

She glances around the corridor, wracking her brain to remember where the front desk is.

But she can't. All the shelves look the same. Arden taps the book tucked under her arm absentmindedly, hesitates, and then turns another corner and nearly yelps in alarm when she comes face to face with the Slytherin.

Wow, she's losing her touch. How'd the Slytherin already find her?

Before Arden can step back and bolt off the way she came, the student speaks up. Her voice is much more gentle than before, catching Arden by surprise.

"I apologize for scaring you," the Slytherin says in a rush, gaze a little bit softer but still firm, as if she's wearing a stoic facade that's melted a bit. Or maybe it's the other way around.. "I meant no harm. Farewell."

And then, the student walks away, posture still elegant and stride quickened a bit.

Arden stares after her, rather startled. So the Slytherin was not, in fact, about to write her name down on a death note or AK her out of existence or something. She thought Arden was scared of her.

(Well, Arden was scared of her. But she doesn't think that would've been at the top of the Slytherin's mind when she'd 1) mocked her, 2) openly rebuked her tone choice, and 3) spotted her reading a book, which was apparently bad she knew and well, if someone knows something you don't want them to know, you kill them, right? ...Right?)

She blinks at the floor, relieved at least to know she wouldn't be six feet under any time soon. Arden sighs wearily; she wants to get back to her dorm with the plants and cool sky-ceiling and away from people. This small interaction with that Slytherin only further proved her poor socializing skills.

Arden turns around, going back the way she came. She certainly knows the way back to the front desk this way. She will check out the spider book and leave as soon as possible.

Arden, reading the "What Do Spiders Taste Like" chapter of the book for no good reason as she waits in the checkout line, takes a mere glance over her shoulder when she feels a gentle breeze as someone rushes past behind her. See? This is what keeps getting you in trouble, Arden! Her brows raise in surprise when she sees it's no other than the Slytherin, walking away from her hastily (though in a manner still as dignified as before).

She quickly turns around, not wanting to get herself involved in yet another dramatic, yet unnerving, situation.

The Hufflepuff slightly shifts the book in her arms. She really wants to get back to her dorm. What is taking that Gryffindor student so long? Her mind wanders as she grows bored, shutting the book. And why are there more Gryffindors in the library than Ravenclaws? Oh, that pillar over there looks like a Basilisk..

Her eyes somehow catch onto the Slytherin's refined frame as the student heads into an aisle to put away a book.

Arden turns away again.

Honestly, she doesn't know what to think of the student.

She's polite and reserved and can be intimidating, but when she apologized to Arden she was a bit softer and felt more... authentic? (Arden isn't too sure.) She walks with such elegance and seems so cultured, but is willing to read a children's book? Who is she?

That Slytherin is interesting. Intricate. And she seems alright in Arden's book.

Arden reaches the front desk (finally!) and has her book checked out. She's heading for the library exit, not in a rush, and sees the Slytherin in the corner of her eye.

Not wanting to leave her on bad terms (..or whatever they're doing right now), Arden raises a hand in a tiny wave before ducking her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and opens the door to leave.