Study Buddies ((OPEN))

There was some free time in between classes, just another perk of being an upperclassman, so Quentin spent it in the best place possible to find quiet time alone. Maybe it was Ravenclaw thing or just because he was a bookworm but since his first year the library had been his sanctuary. Not only could he escape in a book or the silence, he could also keep from proving to his peers that he was a weak athlete. He figured one would only be recruited to the Quidditch team if he was actually present. Back in primary school he had been the same only instead avoiding football. The written word was his calling. At the library written word was the decor.

The restricted section was his favorite of that place. It was only during the current school year that he could finally access it. He knew that it was possible for younger students to get signed permission from a professor but Quentin never had. His curiosity over the protected area only grew and grew. On the second of September he immediately found himself there skimming shelves. Already he had read fifty-three, none absolutely entertaining but he definitely learned why they were restricted. So far nothing he had read was very appropriate for younger students.

Quentin was meticulous about how he organized his desk while studying. On his left was the book he was taking notes from, in front of him was his parchment with the ink well on the top right corner holding it down. He liked to arrange the books not being used in a semi-circle around his "work station" as if he was cuddling up with friends. It was also crucial that he had a window near him. That was difficult in the common room as so many good spaces were taken up and in his dorm room he just couldn’t put himself in the right mindset to study. Lucky for him, on a day like that one, most students took advantage of the fine weather to lounge around outside. At the small table Quentin was sitting at, his view from the window was a crystal blue sky and cotton-like clouds. It was perfect.

He was supposed to be studying Arithmancy since it was his weakest subject and he could smell a pop quiz coming just a few weeks before final exams. However, as soon as he skipped through the bookshelves of the restricted section, he found himself with no less than four leather bound books with more than six hundred pages each. Of course the subject of those texts weren’t arithmancy, not numerology, not any sort of gematria. He found himself some history stories, which Quentin loved. There was something that attracted him to events that occurred long before he was born.

The boy was nose-deep in a page about Norman the Conqueror and the undercover wizards he had working for him when Quentin heard a noise outside the window next to him. He ignored it at first, thinking it was a bird that had stupidly flown into the glass. Then there was a faint noise again, this time like the cry of small creature. That startled Quentin so he lifted his head instantly and laid his brown eyes upon the maker of the sound. Standing quite uncomfortably on the stone sill behind the glass was Kaur, his calico cat. He nearly gasped in shock at the revelation but smiled brightly, appreciating that the cat had searched for him and needed his company.

Kaur was given to him as a gift from his grandparents after his first signs of magic. Before he was nine years old and had accidentally set fire to his neighbor's oak tree, magic had been a secret to him. Quentin's paternal grandparents were wizards but his father was a squib who married a Muggle and lived as a Muggle. Quentin guessed that his father just never thought his children would ever have magical skill. So when he showed the signs, his grandparents were summoned immediately to explain a few things to the young boy. In their way of accepting Quentin to the magical world, they gave him a tiny kitten.

"You can stay here with me if you are quiet," he warned the feline as he push the glass ajar and she slipped through opening.

She purred deeply and loudly, ignoring his warning. Quentin moved over his books on the table to give his pet some room. Kaur slumped down in her designated spot and continued to purr. Quentin rubbed her white and brown belly distracted as he went back to the book. The cat switched her tail with happiness. Her purring grew stronger and it stirred Quentin from his concentration.

He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he didn't think pets were allowed in the library. He worried the librarian would hear Kaur and come searching for the noise. The last thing he wanted was his house to lose any points or to miss out on a Saturday afternoon with friends to attend detention. Worst, even, he could have been banned from the library. He shushed in a whisper but it didn't calm the cat's sounds.

"Kaur, please!" he pleaded under his breath. "Shhhhh."

That's when he heard footprints behind him.