(Open) Dangerous Readings..

[Olivia Blue Hyde]

Olivia pushed open the heavy wooden door of Flourish & Botts, amazed by the wide arrange of books they had to offer. A slight moldy smell wafted up her nose causing her to cough a bit. "They should really air out this place once in awhile to clear out the smell of the older books.It smells like a eldery person's house on a hot summer day." she said, hoping that no one old was near by to hear her. Getting hit by a cane or two was not on her agenda for today. The real reason for this visit was to buy some of the books she would be needing for next year's term, and to find a few books for her own personal reading.

She stared down at the list she realized that most of the books were by some author by the name of "Gilderoy Lockhart", who looked like a bit of a twit to her. "I wonder if he really did all of these things that he claimed of doing, or was it just some ploy to get more money. Lucky for her she would be using the same books from her first year, leaving her with more money to stock up her own book collection. Walking down a narrow aisle, she eyed a rather large book slightly worn labeled, "Rare Finds For the Avid Collector" which was only a mere 50 galleons which she could afford. Carefully she wiggled it free from the shelf, nearly dropping it on the ground due to its weight. A small basket was nearby so she carefully set it down in it, and when she picked it up she was amazed by how it felt despite there being a heavy book in it. "Hmm...the guess the shop owner wanted customers to be able to carry their purchases without feeling weighed down."

As she was walking through the store she noticed a small display tucked away in the very back of the store, as if the owner didn't want anyone to know it was back there. A cold draft seemed to settled over Olivia causing her to pull her robes closer to her body and causing her to feel slightly unsettled. Upon closer inspection, the display was a simple small table with a black shawl covering it and a few copies of a strange book, "Death Omens:What to do when you know the worst is coming." She lightly touched the cover of the book which showed a figure in a long dark robe and rather large dog of some unknown kind with piercing red eyes that seemed to look into a persons soul. If she had been paying closer attention to the display she would have seen a small sign which stated: Do not purchase this book under any circumstances. Not recommended for younger children or those who are faint of heart. She had never heard of this book before, but for some strange reason she felt herself drawn to it. "Why would such a book be tucked away this far from the public?" she said, lost in her own thoughts to those around her.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

((A "mere 50 galleons"? That's like $500 girl! How rich is your character and can she give me a loan?))

Pavlo wandered into the store, examining the various titles as he made his way to the counter. As always, a variety of shiny new books commanded the main displays and did a good job of distracting him from what he was actually there to find. He let himself stop, just for a moment, to pick up an interesting looking adventure novel and read the reviews on the back. After a moment he forced himself to put it back. He already had a stack he of books he had yet to touch and with the school year starting it's not like there would be time for another.

Gently pushing his way through the crowd that surrounded the school books at the front, he made it to the counter finally and spoke to a lady behind it. She nodded and pointed towards the back of the store before he thanked her and began that way.

Having been fairly intent on where he was going he almost missed seeing one of his students leaned over an odd display. Pausing, he was just able to make out a bit of a warning sign of some kind. Whatever it was, he wasn't sure that was the type of thing most second years were poking around in. "Hello Olivia. That doesn't look like your normal reading material," he said in a pleasant voice.

[Olivia Blue Hyde]

(( Her mother owns this boutique that sells high in products for your looks, plus her grandmothers passing gave her a good inheritance that shes allow to touch sometimes.))

Olivia was so aborbed in the book cover that she didn't realize that someone was trying to speak to her. Glancing behind she realized that the person talking was professor pavlo, her care of magical creatures professor. She noticed him staring at her book selection and felt a rush of heat spread across her face in embarrasment. "Hello professor. Sorry if I seem so out of it right now. I was just looking around for some extra reading materials after buying some more things for upcoing term." She said trying to avoid discussing why she chose to even consider lookig or even buying the book. For some reason the book just drew itself to her and she had to why it was so interesting to her.

"What brings you here today professor pavlo?, trying to stalll before spilling to him why she was near the death omens book.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

((Ah-hah. I remembered the boutique after I posted that and thought that might be part of it at least.))

"I was just in to pick up a copy of a new book about the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary while I was around. Hagrid told me the author is a former Hogwarts student he knew," he explained, as he reached over to pick up the book. "A Charles Weasley. Apparently he's been studying dragons there for quite a while. Thought it might be an interesting read when I have some spare time."

Still holding the book, he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'm all for extra reading material, obviously, but that seems like a rather odd choice," his voice softening slightly as he spoke. "Anyhow, most of that stuff has never even been proven. That's part of the reason it gets shoved to the back of stores. You're not worried you're going to fall over dead randomly are you?"

[Olivia Blue Hyde]

Olivia held her breath for bit before answering, "My grandmother had always been interested in strange things sir, including death. She would collect unusual things in her house that she would keep locked up, and the only reason I knew about it is because I got curious and sneaked in while she was looking at some things." she said, softly wincing remembering getting caught and getting a major tongue lashing she recieved from granny angeline. She explained that there are some things in the world that could ruin young minds, and to never ever go into the room without her, under any circumstances.

"She would never let me into her world of amazing or unsual things unless I bugged her enough about it. I thought that now that shes gone that I could continue to study and collect these things to remember the time spent with her." wiping away the tears collecting in her eyes. Grandmother Angeline's death was always a touchy subject to her because she felt deep down that someone wished her great harm and that her death may not have been a natural thing.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

Pavlo caved in a bit as she spoke. He didn't agree with the darker types of magic, he had had enough of it at Durmstrang, but he couldn't blame Olivia for her interest when it was tied to a relative. It's not like he hadn't been curious about similar things himself at that age.

"Well, you're certainly a Ravenclaw. Breaking rules in the name of curiosity that is," he said with a small smile. "I know how it is to want to try and keep in touch with a passed on relative in any way you can but...your grandmother obviously wanted you to stay away from it while you were younger for a reason."

Moving over to the little table, he picked up one of the books and flipped through it. On the whole it seemed harmless enough and she wasn't one to get in trouble anyways. "I suppose if you stick to the print information on the topic you can't get into all that much trouble," he sighed. "Try to stay away from the objects, okay? I know they're tempting but your grandmother sounds like she knew what she was talking about."

[Olivia Blue Hyde]

Olivia shook her head in agreement to promise to stay away from the objects related to the dark arts. After trying to pick up a jewelry box in the secret room, she felt a dark presence emitting from the cracks of the lid slowly drifting around her body. She dropped the box on the ground and quickly ran out of the room, never mentioning it to her grandmother again, but sometimes she feels as if she is being watched by something very sinister.

"Yes sir," she said, hoping her voice would convey her promise to him. He was always helping her in class whenever she ran into a bad situation, so the best thing would be is to take his advice for this. "Its just...sometimes I feel she was taking away from my family too soon. My mother thinks I'm mad to assume anyone would want to harm her crazy mother, but deep down I believe it wasn't a natural cause for her." she said, feeling her anger stir a bit which made her eyes change to a deep midnight blue you could get lost in forever.

She picked up the book one last time and placed it in her basket with her other books. "Hopefully, the professor doesn't think I'm mad or have anger issues." she thought, trying to calm herself down.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

With a furrowed brow, he shifted uncomfortably a little as she spoke about her grandmother's death.

"Obviously I can't say what your grandmother passed away from. Many people lose their grandmothers but...I also can't deny the power some dark items have. It may not have been a natural cause, but it may not have been any certain person trying to harm her either. There are certain items that have been known to essentially...suck the life out of a person. They can be fascinating to study but at a very steep cost. That is one reason I caution you against getting too involved with the items themselves," he explained. "If you're considering trying to hunt down whatever, or whoever, it was, then you would be better off waiting til you're older anyways. You'll be better educated then."