Post by Blaise Zabini on Jun 22, 2013 17:04:58 GMT -7
It was probably not a coincidence that there were less adults in the library than anywhere else in the castle. There were Death Eaters coming and going from the castle all the time. Blaise didn't think that they were all stupid, but chances were all the most intelligent ones were those who were off doing missions that meant more than guarding children. The ones that had remained here, Blaise was almost certain, were useful more for their cruelty and skill with certain curses. He doubted even if some were literate, though that was probably going too far. Some of them were graduates of Hogwarts. Still, he was nearly certain many of them hadn't spent hours in the library going over books the way that he did.
“Is this seat taken?” a young girl asked Blaise. He looked at her for a moment and nodded once. It wasn't true, but he could tell from the bruise on her cheekbone that she had upset someone that she shouldn't have, and recently. Blaise was a smart man and didn't want the wrong sort of people surrounding him. Not this year. Not ever. Why would she want to sit by him anyway? He was a Slytherin which had marked him from a young age as cruel and selfish. And there were empty seats throughout the library. He realized that she might have seen him as someone she would be protected by. Not that he would defend her, but that he was in robes of green and silver, and that was assumed to mean protection from the death eaters. All signs seemed to point otherwise. Slytherins were under more pressure than anyone else to perform dark spells ably, and on their classmates. “I'm waiting for someone,” he said sharply, going back to his book.
He could feel the girl standing there in front of him for a long moment, and then she was walking away. He sighed, feeling an odd combination of relief and guilt. Why should he care? No one had liked to sit with him before. And now, it was as though all students in other houses looked at Slytherins with accusation or envy. Blaise knew, though, that house meant nothing now really. They were all trapped here. And they'd all be the new soldiers of the Death Eaters.
Blaise tried reading, but his eyes kept going over the same words and he wasn't retaining the information. After a while, he closed the book and glanced around. It was so quiet... That at least, wasn't much of a change. Pince had always been an irritating wretch and hated when children were loud in the library, or mistreated books. Maybe that was why he'd found himself here. It was the only place that seemed even a little like the castle he'd known so long.
“Is this seat taken?” a young girl asked Blaise. He looked at her for a moment and nodded once. It wasn't true, but he could tell from the bruise on her cheekbone that she had upset someone that she shouldn't have, and recently. Blaise was a smart man and didn't want the wrong sort of people surrounding him. Not this year. Not ever. Why would she want to sit by him anyway? He was a Slytherin which had marked him from a young age as cruel and selfish. And there were empty seats throughout the library. He realized that she might have seen him as someone she would be protected by. Not that he would defend her, but that he was in robes of green and silver, and that was assumed to mean protection from the death eaters. All signs seemed to point otherwise. Slytherins were under more pressure than anyone else to perform dark spells ably, and on their classmates. “I'm waiting for someone,” he said sharply, going back to his book.
He could feel the girl standing there in front of him for a long moment, and then she was walking away. He sighed, feeling an odd combination of relief and guilt. Why should he care? No one had liked to sit with him before. And now, it was as though all students in other houses looked at Slytherins with accusation or envy. Blaise knew, though, that house meant nothing now really. They were all trapped here. And they'd all be the new soldiers of the Death Eaters.
Blaise tried reading, but his eyes kept going over the same words and he wasn't retaining the information. After a while, he closed the book and glanced around. It was so quiet... That at least, wasn't much of a change. Pince had always been an irritating wretch and hated when children were loud in the library, or mistreated books. Maybe that was why he'd found himself here. It was the only place that seemed even a little like the castle he'd known so long.