Tomes || Open

Madi was not the library sort of girl. She was the sort who doodled Quidditch drawings down the margins of her notes instead of paying attention and rushed through her homework in the common room at the last possible minute with just enough effort to get a passing grade. She didn’t bother wasting time reading when it could be put to good use on other things. Like pranking. She had been known to research spells for a prank or two. But that was pretty much the extent of her library career.

The world was changing though, and Madi was changing with it. For the first time in her short life, she was painfully conscious of things like werewolves and creature rights. And after what had happened in Godric’s Hollow, Madison wanted to be prepared. She wanted to know about the monsters that had hurt her. She wanted to understand exactly how long a leash the Ministry gave them (Was one actually allowed to teach children, for example?) and what the weaknesses of those creatures might be. Forewarned was forearmed.

Which was how she came to find herself combing the shelves of the library for material on werewolf laws. But some of these books were probably as old as dirt. They certainly smelled like it. And their thick, unwieldy forms were heavy as hell. Madison was a strong girl thanks to Quidditch. But easing a gigantic book off a high shelf was apparently an art she just wasn’t equipped for. The one she was trying to access now suddenly decided to come falling towards her. Madison managed to catch it, but the effort felt like it nearly broke her arms. Her shoulder, mostly healed but still rather temperamental on occasion, cried out in protest. Madi hissed from a combination of pain and irritation. “Merlin’s bloody pants,” she muttered under her breath.

A voice called out from around the bookshelf, and Madison froze. Damn. The headmistress. Not that Madi was actually doing anything wrong at this moment. It was more of a reflex. As part of a highly dedicated group of pranksters, Madi had been in her fair share of trouble before. The few times she had gotten herself called into the headmistress’ office had all been because she was in trouble of one kind or another. But she was perfectly within her rights to be here. She quickly called back around the bookshelf. “Yes! Everything’s fine!” Although the very fact that it was her voice answering would probably bring the headmistress to investigate simply because Madison Kingsley in the library without a stack of parchment and a very grumpy expression generally meant she was up to no good. But then the woman she would see the book of very boring wizard legislation Madison was holding. Which might not be altogether advisable, seeing as how the headmistress clearly didn’t share Madison’s blossoming view on werewolves. Otherwise she never would have hired one. There were even rumors of a student werewolf, although Madison didn’t see how something like that could possibly be kept hidden. Regardless, it might be better to keep this little research project to herself. Especially because being found out would doubtless require her to explain that she had been in Godric's Hollow the night of the attack. With that in mind, she heaved the ridiculously heavy book back up to the shelf just above her head and attempted to wedge it back into its vacated position.