Closed A Labyrinth of Books

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha Khatri had loved the Hogwarts library from the moment she had stepped foot in it as a first year. Over the years, she had spent many hours here, browsing for books, doing homework, reading curled up in a chair. She was very familiar with all the different sections and had a few favorite books in each one. There was one section she hadn't gone in yet, though, and Anisha now found herself lingering near it. The restricted section had always intrigued her, and Anisha tried to get a peek into it as she pretended to browse for Arithmancy books. She didn't even take that subject, though that usually didn't stop her from reading about things. She couldn't really see anything though, and let out a small frustrated sigh. She should probably talk to a professor about getting permission to go in there, though she worried she wouldn't get it.

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

"You're not very subtle," Dorian announced flatly from the Ancient Runes section where he definitely hadn't been watching Anisha. Not that he would need to have been watching her to notice her snooping, Anisha was never subtle. It was an incredibly grating and annoying thing about her that Dorian couldn't help but admire despite himself. He wished he could be so obvious with all his thoughts and feelings but they only seemed to jump out when he least wanted them to. Usually around her in fact.

"Still can't believe you landed head girl," he said while he was at it, always compelled to keep the conversation going with Anisha even when he was sure it'd be smarter to stay quiet. "Not that there was anyone else really in the competition with you who could have gotten it, or at least earnt it, but still," he said with a shrug, hurriedly turning and pointedly reading a few book spines before his brain could figure out if what he'd said was meant to be an insult or a compliment.

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha jumped as she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned her head and glared at Dorian, who was in a different section but close enough to see what she was doing. She huffed. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, grabbing a book at random. "I was just browsing."

It surprised her that he brought up her new badge, and she glanced down at it on her robes briefly before focusing on him again. She frowned a little as she took in his words. Then she smiled slowly. "Was that a compliment, Dorian?" She asked him teasingly. "It sounded an awful lot like you think I was the right person for the job."

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

"Uh huh," Dorian said flatly, deciding he would be charitable and not push. Knowing her, he'd find out she was up to something insane and he'd end up an accomplice just because he knew about it. She was certainly capable of using the books in the restricted section and Merlin knew she didn't have the restrain to know not to.

"No, it wasn't," he denied quickly, shoving a book back on itself hard enough that he felt a few of the more magically inclined volumes on the shelf shudder in disapproval. "I just mean, well. They could have picked a worse candidate. That's all. Your heads big enough without everyone encouraging you just cause they gave you a badge," he said gruffly.

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha was prepared to defend her 'just browsing' stance, but it seemed like Dorian wasn't going to make her. That was probably for the best. Somehow, he could always see right through her. It was unnerving.

She sighed at his denial. She forgot how he always got when she teased him in a friendly was. She wondered if he just wasn't used to that. She moved over to his section, still holding the arithmancy book she had grabbed at random to her chest. "Well, don't worry about that. Not all that many people are encouraging me because of it." She said wryly. "You didn't hear about the big prefect meeting drama of '63? Apparently I'm satan for daring to patrol together with my friend." She let out a sigh. "You really should've been given a badge, you know." Dorian was many things, but he wouldn't have been nearly as childish and petty at the meeting.

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

Dorian snorted derisively at Anisha's suggestion that someone had a problem with her being head girl. Sure, he had problems with Anisha, but it had nothing to do with whether or not she'd earnt the badge.

"Sounds annoying, who cares about that stuff?" He said flatly, pulling out another book at random just for something to do with his hands. "Doesn't anyone in this school have something better to do?"

His hands fluttered when Anisha mentioned he should have been a prefect and Dorian cleared his throat quickly, flipping open to a random page. "I would hate it," he said truthfully. Sure, the recognition would nice and Merlin knew his parents weren't pleased about it, but Dorian wasn't cut out for that sort of leadership, he'd rather be reading. "Imagine me dealing with first years. Disaster waiting to happen. I like being able to sit somewhere quiet. Alone. And not feel guilty about it, thanks."

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha tried not to be bitter about how the prefects meeting had gone, but she couldn´t really help how she felt. It just felt like she was somehow held to a different standard than everyone else. But she tried not to dwell on it too much. "We apparently put some people together who would rather not be, our fault for not knowing who all the prefects like and dislike apparently." She said, trying to sound flippant. "Apparently not." She said with a small smile. Oddly, his dismissal of their issues were making her feel better, even if he didn't really know the context of what was being talked about.

Dorian opened his book and Anisha wondered for a second if she had said something wrong, if that was his way of ending the conversation. But it didn't seem to be the case, as he kept n talking. "You might hate it, but you'd be good at it." She said with a small shrug. She couldn't help the amused chuckle as Dorian mentioned he wouldn't know how to deal with first years. "Oh, I think you'd be fine. Under all that grumpy, you're nice." She told him, gesturing to him vaguely. "I think you'd be surprised." But as he explained he would rather sit somewhere quiet and alone, she nodded. She did understand that. "Well, if would've been nice to have you with me glowering at Veronica as she cussed me out for putting her with someone she didn't like." She said lightly. "You can give some scary looks."