Curiosity killed the snake

[Kaia Te Rua]

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Kaia let out a pained whimper as a textbook she had been planning to pillage... fine, sign out properly, from the library - dropped on her big toe. She bit hard on her bottom lip to stop herself yelling as her toe throbbed, it was probably broken. Yep, she decided it was definitely broken.

The textbook hadn't been a light one, it was a hardback and about triple the size of the bible. What was the blastered book anyway?

'Advanced Charms'

It had not been on the first years reading list but she noticed the title whilst browsing the shelves and was curious as to what was written within. She didn't feel as keen to read it after the toe incident though!

Leaving the book on the ground, Kaia hopped small in circles on her good leg, bending the other knee and trying to nurse the throbbing pain which shot up through her foot. Simultaneously, she made sharp inward breaths which sounded like hissing (I dunno if I'm explaining it very well, sorry) as she felt the worst of the pain begin to ease gradually. 'Bloody books, more trouble than they're worth,' she thought to herself, annoyed that she had been clumsy enough to drop such a heavy book on her own foot!

 

[Raylee Lagowski]

Nothing got past the beady blue eyes of Raylee Lagowski. Unlike her twin brothers, who were so unobservant they wouldn't have noticed the book-smuggler had she whacked them around the head with her find, Ray had been aware of her presence since she'd first laid her finger on the dusty spine. For a while, the redhead simply watched from her chair in the corner, hiding her amusement behind her own book and stealing glances Kaia's way. She knew little more about her fellow snake than her name, though was beginning to suspect she had a certain disregard for rules. There was nothing in that corner of the library that should have been of any interest to a first year. Ray was only there to get away from an obnoxious group of Gryffindors that were 'studying' next to the simpler books.

A sudden thud and subsequent whimper caused Ray to look up once more, this time with an expression of concern. She winced in empathy at what she saw, feeling her own big toe grimace inside her shoe, and then put her own book down (carefully) to approach. With Kaia hopping at her side, Ray squatted down and gathered the heavy hardback into her hands. "What is this?" she asked as she straightened back up, sweeping her palm over the dusty cover and then down her robes. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure there was nobody in close vicinity before continuing. "Do you know how to do any of these?"

 

[Kaia Te Rua]

Kaia stopped the hissing and hopping when she realised she had company, but still her toe throbbed, she lent on a shelf to balance herself, lifting her injured foot off the ground and watched the girl swipe the textbook off the ground.

Honestly, was that question posed to her seriously, no she didn't know any of the spells in the Advanced Charms textbook, she was a first year. "Technically, no." She replied, "But I bet they can't be that hard."

Limping closer to Raylee, Kaia gently took the book from the girl and placed it on the table. She flipped the book open to a random page and skimmed a few paragraphs. "See, it even tells you the proper wand movement and everything for the..." She read the name of the charm she had opened the book at, "The Bubblehead Charm. Cool, this one lets you breathe under water!"

 

[Raylee Lagowski]

Ray gave no struggle as Kaia took the book from her arms and lay it down in front of her. She bent over the page, knitting her eyebrows together with curiosity. Her concern for her acquaintance's toe had been long forgotten, though it was not in spite so much as general thoughtlessness. Perhaps she would remember later and ask then. The redhead skimmed across the page, settling her eyes on the diagram for the wand movement. Kaia was right - it certainly didn't look too difficult. So what was the wait for? Ray had heard that towards the end of the semester, first years would be turning matchsticks into needles, but compared to breathing underwater, it all seemed incredibly boring.

"Woah," breathed Ray, glancing over her shoulder once more. She was sure first years weren't supposed to be looking at books like these. Frustratingly, the front desk of the library appeared to be constantly occupied, but the spell didn't look too hard to memorize. She whispered the incantation under her breath a few times, tracing the wand movement with her finger. Then she turned to Kaia, a devilish expression coming over her rounded features. "I'm going to go and try it at the lake," she announced quietly, confident that it couldn't be all that hard. Her brothers were going to be so impressed. The redhead took two steps from the table before hesitating and turning tentatively back around. In her haste, she'd almost completely forgotten that it was Kaia who had discovered the spell. Her expression turned apologetic. "Is your toe OK?"

 

[Kaia Te Rua]

Kaia's throbbing pain in her toe was gradually easing, it reassured her that she had broken no bones and would suffer nothing more than a bruise for the next couple of weeks. She put more weight back on her injured foot, but continued to balance herself on the table for extra support, using it as an excuse to read the information on the Bubblehead Charm in greater depth. It was an interesting spell, she wondered why the school syllabus didn't start with spells like this, spells which were actually useful. Kaia thought there must be loads of great charms in this book that could easily be mastered by following the instructions.

If only she could take the textbook and go somewhere private to read it. Kaia also peaked a look at the front desk, a book this size could never be sneaked past the librarian with any success, and two first years signing out such an advanced textbook would no doubt prompt questions to be asked. Instead she planned to leave it here and check it periodically.

She looked up only as Ray stepped away, "Are you going to the lake now?" Kaia asked, brushing off the fellow Slytherin's concern for her toe with a small wave, "Yeah my toe is fine," She replied, "I mean, it hurts less than it did before."

 

[Raylee Lagowski]

Raylee smiled gently, lingering beside a self-organising bookshelf. She had already made up her mind with adamant conviction; nothing and nobody would keep her from trying out that charm. The rush of adrenaline was what Ray lived for, and the more dangerous something was, the more enticing it became. But even so, the newly sorted Slytherin was beginning to regret not buddying up with her peers sooner. Most of the girls and boys had already found themselves a best friend or two, and Ray was fast running out of options. Quickly deciding that Kaia wasn't the worst person in the world to hang around with, the fiery haired girl shrugged and placed one hand on her hip. "I don't know. Why don't you follow me and find out?" she asked, hoping she might be able to challenge the brunette into joining her. "Or are you scared?" she added with a playful grin.

 

[Kaia Te Rua]

Nothing about this situation scared Kaia, learning a new spell didn't frighten her, she had so much to gain from it. She'd achieve something no other eleven year old could dream of and breathe under water. Kaia wouldn't need Hogwarts, she would be a powerful enough witch to go it alone without a formal education.

Hell yeah, Kaia wanted to follow Ray to the lake.

She stood up straighter this time. Equally distributing the weight on both feet, she no longer felt her throbbing toe. Whether the pain really had gone away, or she had distracted herself from it was unknown. "Okay then" she replied, "Let's try the charm down by the lake, do you remember the incantation and wand movement?" She prompted, Kaia would not be taking the textbook with her.

 

[Raylee Lagowski]

Ray grinned. She hadn't really thought Kaia would be scared - she didn't seem the type. But if there was one way the Slytherin had learned how to get people to do what she wanted, it was to question their guts in doing it. Something told the redhead she and Kaia were going to get along just fine. "Awesome," she said coolly, and then closed her eyes to see if she could recite the incantation and gesture. "Yeah, I've got it. Come on, let's go before everyone gets out of lunch." Ray found her new friend's side and walked with her as inconspicuously as possible through the library. It was difficult not to giggle or grin with the excitement of it all, but she was sure someone would realise they were up to something and foil their brilliant plan. She couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when the two of them performed such an impressive charm.

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Part Two​

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