WotW catch up (featuring D.I.S.C.U.S.S.) on Library

Oscar, with a cameo from Tarquin

October 03, 2007 5:39 PM

WotW catch up (featuring D.I.S.C.U.S.S.) by Oscar, with a cameo from Tarquin

Oscar luxuriated on the top of the bookshelf. Tarquin had chosen to settle in an aisle that was delightfully shafted by sunshine and, given his general aversion to the stuff, this - to Oscar - evinced his human’s devotion to him and his predilections. The librarian sat below, in one of the room’s many chairs, a book settled open on his lap. They were reclining in the wizarding literature section, which was sleepy and still, even for the library, playing host to no other life but theirs. The majority who used the library for work would have no need of it, of course, and perhaps those who wished to indulge in the divinely rich books, from the finely spun verses, decorated with metaphors and gilded with couplets, to those humorous works plumped full of irony, chock-full of witticisms and scattered liberally with amusing malapropisms, preferred to do so curled up in their commons, or out in the beautiful gardens, even though the towering ceilings of the library provided, to Tarquin’s mind at any rate, a perfectly dramatic setting for such reading.

Oscar squirmed on the shelf-top, delighted to have regained the sanctuary of the school, away from Danny and his nauseating prattling (which had taken a decidedly worrying turn towards the end of the summer). True, he had to exchange him for an entire host of precocious brats, but they were banned from yammering inanely in this particularly room, and so things worked nicely in his favour. And up here he was also perfectly safe from their pots of ink and sticky hands.

From ground level, he heard the disappointing sound of a book closing. With the kind of sigh only a cat can give, he rolled onto his front, and trotted along the bookshelf, keeping pace with Tarquin. Luckily, the long library windows meant the sunlight continued to spatter along the best part of the shelf. At the end, he was forced to leap down, alighting elegantly on a nearby table. Tarquin, well trained as he was, halted, allowing Oscar to climb up onto his shoulders. Humans frequently took this to be a demonstration of his own good training, which amused him greatly. Tarquin submitted to his every whim in being carried, performing as a human Sedan Chair, and yet he himself was the one cited as the model of obedience.

Upon their return to the library office, they were greeted by the sight of an owl. This was where Oscar’s good training came in. He most nobly resisted giving it a desirous and hungry look until after Tarquin had untied the large scroll from its legs, and it was free to make a swift and startled exit. Oscar helped himself to the most padded of the chairs whilst the librarian unrolled the missive, which consisted of more posters. The library was liberally adorned with all sorts of ones about reading, from the little girl astride a book about winged horses which declared ’Books give you lift!’ to Tarquin’s favourite of a boy using a book as a shield against a dragon bearing the slogan ‘Escape with a book’.

“Look Oscar, they’re from D.I.S.C.U.S.S.!” Tarquin beamed excitedly. Oscar paused in licking his paw to show that he had absorbed this scintillating piece of information. “I’m going to put them up.” Oscar did not pause in his resumed cleaning, in order to indicate that he had no intention of accompanying Tarquin on this little trip. He was rather impressed with the amount of spine the librarian was demonstrating, he had to admit. Although he rather suspected it had to do with the tiff he’d had with Danny about being ashamed of his sexuality, which - as it related to Tarquin’s love for the man - annoyed Oscar no end. However, telling close friends was one thing, putting up posters in the library declaring support for a pro-gay movement was quite another. Tarquin supported them, of course, and had always been one to support the underdog, but usually quietly. In principle, Oscar supposed he supported this latest move, but when he had just settled into a comfy chair, demonstrating such advocacy was beyond him.

Not allowing his cat’s apparent nonplussed attitude to deter him, Tarquin carried the posters into the library proper. They were rather good, given that they were student made, the glossy black background bearing a prism into which white light entered, splitting it into red, green and purple light. It reminded Tarquin of the cover of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, except that the beams on here bore the words ‘PUREBLOOD SUPERIORITY AND ARRANGED MARRIAGE’ on the red, ‘BANNING GIRLS FROM QUIDDITCH’ on the green and ‘HOMOPHOBIA’ on the purple. In huge letters across the bottom were the white letters ‘FIGHT THEM ALL WITH D.I.S.C.U.S.S.’ Tarquin was sure to scribble his name and ‘library office’, into the blank white contact box before placing an anti-defacement charm on the posters, and attaching them to the wall with semi-permanent sticking charms. He was fairly sure they were going to need them. He just hoped his office wouldn’t need protecting as well. \r\n\r\n

13 Oscar, with a cameo from Tarquin WotW catch up (featuring D.I.S.C.U.S.S.) 1464 Oscar, with a cameo from Tarquin 1 5

Taltha Cumni

October 19, 2007 12:07 AM

May I speak with your human, please? by Taltha Cumni

Talitha closed another book and rubbed her eyes. The extra assignment Professor Flatt gave her wasn’t mandatory, but she felt she had to do it to make up for her outburst in his class. She was to look at more modern forms of institutionalized bigotry in the modern Wizarding world. Thinking that modern history and law books could tell her what she needed to know, she trouped into the library to begin her research. One problem with what she found. It was confusing! Legal speak and ten mile long words had her shaking her twelve year old head in wonderment.

She knew werewolves were segregated as to what kind of jobs they could have and very few people associated with them. She also knew that people who wanted to drop the secrecy laws were derided by most of the magical community. She hated the way so Purebloods treated witches and wizards who were born to mixed or muggle families. She heard there were efforts to restrict their lives as well. She understood one thing, Professor Flatt wouldn’t accept anything she wrote if she couldn’t back it up with hard facts, but she had to admit she needed help.

Sighing, Talitha pushed her books aside and crossed her arms, resting them on the table and laid her head down on them for a break. She’d almost dozed off when she heard someone rummaging around her. Her chin still on her arms, she opened her eyes and watched the librarian place a poster on the wall as his cat supervised. Of course! The librarian could help her find a book or two that she didn’t need a doctorate in magical law to understand!

The poster was pretty. Talitha liked prisms and rainbows. The words in each color mentioned some of the things that her paper should include. Superiority of Purebloods Well, that’s what was being argued in class sort of, wasn’t it? At least to a point?

Arranged marriage still happened in some families. Talitha was shocked to learn some girls her age were already engaged and proud of it even though they’d never met their fiancés. She was a Pureblood herself but that was just because her parents fell in love. Mother said she wouldn’t have cared if Daddy were red haired German muggle instead of a Cherokee, Navajo wizard, he was too much fun to let go.

But what was all that about banning girls from Quidditch? She’d heard rumors about what Quidditch did to girls, but even though she hated to fly for fear of falling, she knew better than to believe that rubbish. Was it becoming a law or something? The whole poster seemed to allude to what her assignment was about. If she could learn what D.I.S.C.U.S.S. was, she might have what she needed for her essay. Cool!

Quietly, she got up and moved closer to the librarian. Almost automatically, her fingers stretched to Oscar, the cat, to offer a scratch between the ears if he so desired. She waited a moment or two until the man finished his work.

“Excuse me, Mr. Tarquin?” Talitha asked in a quiet voice. “What is D.I.S.C.U.S.S.?”
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0 Taltha Cumni May I speak with your human, please? 0 Taltha Cumni 0 5