Hiding Something

[Justly]

With a small frown she looked up and around once more before her eyes slid back to the book infront of her. Gwyneth had spent most of her free morning hunched over this book, arms holding it carefully as if it might help protect it from straying eyes.
Her eyes danced over the pages quickly, and she moved almost frantically from page to page with great speed.
"What on earth have you been reading all morning?"
The cool voice broke her trance and almost immediatly she slammed the book closed and leaned over it, crossing her arms over the surface.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the boy that had, rather rudely, interuppted her.
"Stalking me again, Gentry?"
"Of course not, who in their right mind would dare stalk you?"
The Slytherin male wasted no time in trying to find out what she had been reading.
"I don't believe saying you were in your right mind, DeBeaux, now scram!" She hissed, clutching the book tightly. Gentry, however, managed to steal it away anyway. Earning a strangled yelp fron Gwyn.
Gentry shot her an amused look as he tucked his prize under his arm, sliding into the seat across from her.
"Now what is our little Library mouse reading this morning?" He asked with a cocky grin as his eyes shot down to read the cover.
Almost instantly he dropped the book, eyes widening. Slowley, he stared up at the Ravenclaw across from her.
"Since when are you intrested in the Dark Arts?"
"SHHH!" Gwyn hissed, snatching the book away from him. "Do you want me to get expelled??"
"Holy hell, where did you even /get/ that?"
Gwyn sneered angrily, "No where!" She hissed, trying not to attract the attention of the ever lurking librarian.

[Andi Lupin]

"Gentry, please don't you have anything better to do than bother this poor girl?" Jessica asked as she snaked around the shelves. Jessica had been lurking around watching Justly for the past few hours, as she had recognized the book from the many times she'd seen it at her own house. She'd been attempting to figure out why a Ravenclaw girl could possibly want to read such a book. From what she had seen, the girl hadn't found anything of interest yet. No spark of triumph, or note taking had taken place, and now she would never know what the girl had been looking for. Jessica walked over to Gentry and snatched the book from his hands, a slight smile on her face. She looked at Gentry with a suddenly serious expression. She was hoping he'd get the clue to play along and help her find out what Justly was up to. "Don't expect any more favors hun." Jessica muttered as she took up a seat near where Gentry was standing. "Just tell me why you're reading the book and you can have it back by all means."

[jen]

A light thud sounded from the novel that was just dropped onto the wodden desk in front of him. Dalton swiveled his head around to see Jessica and Gentry standing over a pathetic looking Ravenclaw. A streak of curiosity came over him as he watched a large black book with silver scribbling on the front being passed along from one person to the next, well taken, actually.

His long legs took him over there silently. As he appraoched, the book suddenly became very familiar and Dalton's eyes changed for a slight moment as he recognized it. Going along with what everyone else was doing, he snatched the book somewhat effortlessly from Jessica, seeing as how she didnt see him coming. "Ah yes, a wonderful book we've got here, hmm?" He said to no one imparticular. Then the sharp green eyes that belonged to Dalton met the Ravenclaw's with a steady gaze. "I'm guessing this isn't any light reading for you...is it? You haven't gotten tired of your little goody-two-shoe ways and are stepping over to, uh, the Dark Arts." he inquired.

[Justly]

Gwyneth sat back in her seat with a scowl. Surveying the three Slytherins with a look of irritation, she drummed her fingers on the table top for a moment while planning her next answer carefully.
"I agree, it doesn't appear to be my forte. My grandmother sent it to me. And like most of the things she's shoved in my direction," She paused to glance at Gentry, "It was unwanted."
Gentry sighed angrily, muttering a few choice names under his breath.
"Your reading it though," He pointed out.
With a sigh she stood up, pulling her bag onto her shoulders.
"I've been reading books on the subject for years," She admitted, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug. She paused to meet Dalton's gaze, and then Jessica's.
"Curiosity... I suppose."
Gentry frowned deeply, trying to read Gwyneth's face. It was a little obvious she was hiding something.
"You've been up to something lately."
Gwyneth laughed, grinning broadly, "I'm just a goody-two-shoes Ravenclaw without any close friends. What could I be up to?"

[jen]

Dalton rolled his eyes while flipping a chair around to sit on it backwards, placing his forearms on the back of the chair. "Curiosity?" he repeats, looking out the window across the room. "..maybe." he said, finishing the idea of curiosity. "But what more could you be curious about? You've been reading books for years...you should know more than the average Ravenclaw about the Dark Arts, right?"

[Justly]

Gwyneth shifted around for a moment before shrugging, "Yes, I suppose I do. In Ravenclaw, we don't acctually go around prying into other people's reading habits... So I wouldn't really know, would I?" she mused, punctuating the statement with a glare.
Gentry chuckled," Amusing, but it doesn't really awnser all the questions does it? Why, for instance, your reading books on the subject is still unclear."
"I'm just working on a little project is all," She muttered, looking away and crossing her arms defensivly.

[Andi Lupin]

Jessica shot Dalton a glare as he snatched the book, but she wasn't really bothered by it. At least the measly little Ravenclaw girl didn't have it. Jessica sat at the table, her eyes boring into Justly. Usually, when Jessica wanted answers, Jessica got answers. For awhile, she let the boys take over the interrogation, hoping they wouldn't screw it up too much before she regained control. "Now really, any project that requires information in that book must be worthy of a Slytherin. Wouldn't you say Gentry?" She asked as she turned her head slightly to face Gentry the left. " I'm sure you and Dalton have a copy of this one back home. But, then again, what Slytherin doesn't?" Jessica laughed silently to herself. She knew that there were only a few copies of that book in existance, and her father had gone through a lot of trouble to get one. "Wouldn't you like to explain your little.. project was it?"

[Justly]

Gwyneth grinned, placing both hands flat on the table infront of her and leaning fordward.
"Honestly, Jessica? No, I don't want to explain it. To anyone. Expecially not you. You see, I hate people. They're idiotic and seem to lack the ability to reason half the time, and your one of the worst cases I've ever met. I suggest you give up on getting anything out of me sucessfully. I'm a stratagist, I always have a plan, I always think ahead. I may not be openly manipulative, sneaky, or a cheater like you, but I know how to hold my own."
Gentry nodded, crossing his arms,"Stratagy? Is that your game then? Well theres another peice of the puzzle, but I'm guessing its only the edging, isn't it?"
Gwyneth glared, standing upright once more, "There are some puzzles that specific people aren't ment to finish. I'd like to think this is one of them."
"Theres three of us, and one of you. One of us is bound to find it out eventually."

[jen]

Dalton's hand mechanically reached in his pocket for his wand as Justly poured out her thoughts to Jessica. Ah yes, that side of Dalton he even hates himself-- sticking up for someone. It was never his path to follow and rarely traveled upon. But back in the day Jess brought up this hideous caring streak. Probably because she was the cruelest female Slytherin unavailable.

"Shut up and start making a plan to escape if you want to leave without a scratch." he scowled. "Stratagist? Pshh. If you were a good one you'd have known that you'd get caught reading such a book when your stuffing your nose into it in public." he said, looking from the book to Justly's face.

[Justly]

"I did. Open the book, I dare you. It'll scream so loud in French that they'll hear it on every floor. Think about it, Dalton. Three Slytherins and one Ravenclaw with a Dark Arts book. Are they really going to believe it's mine? I've hexed that book so many times over just incase. It can change its appearance, it only opens to me, its words change constantly. Which is why I've been reading for such a long time. It gets tiring, but its worth it if it falls into the wrong hands. Apparently, that time is now. Give me my book back, and I'll gladly leave. I have an idiot to tutor in an hour and I thought I'd work on my project in the peace of my dorm, now that I've found the information I needed," As she said this, she extended a hand slowley.

[jen]

Dalton flipped the book over in his hands. "Open the book?" he repeats her first words. "But thats not the point because i dont have to open the book to know which one it is. We all obviously recognized the outside, as almost all of our kind would. So your bewitching it didnt seem to help in this case." he said, tracing a firm hand across the cover of the book. "It might've helped in our finding out which part of this book you were studying...but that can be discovered in other ways as well. Right Gentry?" Dalton finished, leaning forward in his chair and pushing the book to Justly.

When she grabbed the book though, it shocked her and bounced back into Dalton's arms. He had charmed it himself while Justly was ranting.

[Justly]

"Oh, but didn't I mention it changes its appearances?" She sneered. However, the moment she grabbed it, the shock sent a wave of pain up her better arm.
Gentry smirked in amuesment, "Well?"
With a sigh, she rubbed her hand gently eyeing the table for a moment. She muttered something under her breath and the book changed suddenly, its appearances chaning to a book of sewing techniques.
"Appearances can be decieving. What you thought you knew is something you didn't. I plan well. Do what you like with the book, like I mentioned before, I'm done with it for now."
Gentry frowned, reaching across the grab her wrist in a tight grip.
"You'd better play a little more carefully, my dear. Or you'll make more enemies than you need."
"I already have," She replied with a grimace. "I honestly could care less. I've been torn apart enough to stop caring when it happens. But," She pulled her wrist from his grasp, eyes hardening, "You'll find that I don't make a pleasent enemy either."

[Andi Lupin]

Jessica snarled at Justly as she ranted on, but a quick spark flew to her eyes as Dalton reached for his wand. She was somewhat used to Dalton caring enough to defend her, but he was a Slytherin after all and she didn't see it as often as she'd have liked. The glint in her eyes quickly faded as she continued listening, sort of, to Justly. Jessica did not like being crossed by anyone, especially not a Ravenclaw. "You'll find that I'm one person you do not want to mess with. As much as you'd like to think you have an upper hand, you don't. No one crosses me and gets away with it." Jessica smiled, almost pleasantly, as she said this. Jessica was quite used to this type of banter as she had a habit of getting herself involved in other peoples business. And for the most part, Jessica got out of the arguments with little more than a few irritated Hufflepuffs. As if they actually mattered to her. "You'll see me again sooner than you'd like I'm sure." Jessica taunted as she got up to leave. With a quick hug goodbye to the two boys and her trademark Malfoy smirk on her face, Jessica sauntered out of the library.

[Justly]

"Charming," Gwyneth mused, rolling her eyes wearily.
"Very charming. Nothing behind her pride, of course. But she knows how to keep ahead..."
Gentry chuckled," Your so amusing. Always fighting the losing battle, aren't you?"
Gwyneth looked at him for a moment before pulling something out of her bag and opening it, flicking through it before looking up at Gentry once more.
"Your Uncle... He was killed for being a disobediant follower, wasn't he?"
Gentry stiffened, staring hard at her. "Excuse me?"
"Just verifying a few facts I picked up. I'll leave you boys to continue whatever it was that you do in here."

[jen]

Dalton scowled and tossed the book into the closest fire, watching it flare up in flames that soon engulfed it. While he was at it, his wand directed the new book Gwyneth had taken out and threw that in the flames as well. It was like stealing candy from a baby. "I better be going too..." he said, watching the librarian inch her way closer to their table. "Good luck with your project, and dont forget to cast some charms around yourself. You may just feel the need for protection in the hallways." he added, giving her a half wink and tapping her on the shoulder as if they were the best of friends bidding farewell. "See you soon." Whether you like it or not...