Post by Ivy Tunstall on Jul 20, 2010 20:38:52 GMT
Bookshops had a magic all of their own, Ivy thought to herself, a little fancifully. Treasures lurked in dark corners, little gems of books were hidden away on the highest shelves, all collecting thin rims of dust in the still, undisturbed air. Flourish and Blotts had smartened itself up a good deal since Ivy first encountered it as a shy, wonderstruck eleven-year-old, but tucked away in the basement, secretive corners with tall, thin, unstable-looking bookshelves still existed. Always badly lit by a single, guttering lantern, the highest shelves accessible only by rickety stools that you would be loath to entrust your neck to. The smell of stiff leather bindings, the brittle crack of parchment as you opened up books that might have been waiting three-quarters of a century for a purchaser.
Ivy sighed and replaced the lovely old book she’d been perusing back on its shelf. The decadence of the wizarding world in giving its books leather backings had always been beyond her means; for functionality, tatty second-hand books with brown paper backings served just as well, and allowed a significant reduction in expenditure. But it didn’t do any harm to look at the real deal…
She made her way back up to the main part of the shop, where huge moving posters were advertising the latest popular novels. There was a book of DIY charms she would rather like to have… ‘how to mend your roof with a swish and a flick’ – not that she’d want her own roof to be the first thing she practiced on. It was a good thought, though. She picked up a copy of the book – the front cover illustration showed an entire house being reinstated from rubble, in a never-ending cycle – and turned the pages thoughtfully. She did want to have the book, but it was rather pricy. She’d have to see if she could find any reviews of it before making a decision.
She was about to climb the couple of flights of stairs to the room where the second-hand books were kept, when she noticed a familiar face – Finn Miles. The one what she’d left in charge of her Quidditch team. Not, of course, that it was hers anymore, but she couldn’t help feeling vaguely possessive. Finn would have done a good job in charge of her team, though, she was sure of that. He was a likeable guy: he’d worked hard in practice and hadn’t moaned at her when she scheduled practices in bad weather and insisted upon them going ahead. What wasn’t to like? Ivy approached Finn, smiling. She missed Hogwarts a bit, or at least suffered from nostalgia, and it would be good to have the opportunity to talk to someone she hadn’t minded.
“Hi, Finn!” she greeted the younger Hufflepuff, giving him a bright smile. “How are you? Did you have a good year?” She gave a wry smile as she asked a supplementary question: “Did the team have a good year?”
Ivy sighed and replaced the lovely old book she’d been perusing back on its shelf. The decadence of the wizarding world in giving its books leather backings had always been beyond her means; for functionality, tatty second-hand books with brown paper backings served just as well, and allowed a significant reduction in expenditure. But it didn’t do any harm to look at the real deal…
She made her way back up to the main part of the shop, where huge moving posters were advertising the latest popular novels. There was a book of DIY charms she would rather like to have… ‘how to mend your roof with a swish and a flick’ – not that she’d want her own roof to be the first thing she practiced on. It was a good thought, though. She picked up a copy of the book – the front cover illustration showed an entire house being reinstated from rubble, in a never-ending cycle – and turned the pages thoughtfully. She did want to have the book, but it was rather pricy. She’d have to see if she could find any reviews of it before making a decision.
She was about to climb the couple of flights of stairs to the room where the second-hand books were kept, when she noticed a familiar face – Finn Miles. The one what she’d left in charge of her Quidditch team. Not, of course, that it was hers anymore, but she couldn’t help feeling vaguely possessive. Finn would have done a good job in charge of her team, though, she was sure of that. He was a likeable guy: he’d worked hard in practice and hadn’t moaned at her when she scheduled practices in bad weather and insisted upon them going ahead. What wasn’t to like? Ivy approached Finn, smiling. She missed Hogwarts a bit, or at least suffered from nostalgia, and it would be good to have the opportunity to talk to someone she hadn’t minded.
“Hi, Finn!” she greeted the younger Hufflepuff, giving him a bright smile. “How are you? Did you have a good year?” She gave a wry smile as she asked a supplementary question: “Did the team have a good year?”
