Clash of the minds?

William sat at the far back right hand table where the shadows would keep him mostly hidden from site and unwanted attention. A few candles were lit but only enough so he could see the faded letters on the old pages of the book he was immersed in, there were two stacks of books with him the ones he had already read which was a rather large stack and then the ones he had yet to do so it only held four or five books. William must had been setting there for hours as he read.

Walking happily into the library, Serena turned in the most recent book she had finished, and, smiling at the librarian, went off to find a new selection. As she looked through the stacks, she came across a couple of books that caught her fancy and pulled them from the shelf. Looking at the red leather with gold embelishments cover of the top book, she rounded the stack and ran into an older Slytherin boy. Dropping her books with a loud clatter, she quickly stooped to pick them up. "My fault, sorry about that," she said, brightly. "Ummmm... Don't worry about it... Just watch where you're going next time..." he said curtly before trudging off. Serena's bright eyes followed him as he walked out of side, rounding one of the other stacks. Giving her head a shake, she picked up her books and headed towards the tables to read.

As she walked past a few tables, her eyes caught the glow of several candles at a table towards the back where a lone boy sat. Looking back at her books, she glanced back at him and figured why not. Walking nearly silently towards the table covered in shadows, Serena cleared her throat slightly before asking with a friendly smile, "Mind some company?"

William was awoken from his book by a friendly and soft voice, he waited for a moment before making his place on the page, closing the book and softly laying it on the table. "I see no reason why you can not," William said with a small smile and soft words. He was by no means a shy boy but he was not use to strangers asking to sit with him ether. HE had always been an outcast even as a child.

Waiting patiently for his answer, Serena clutched her books to her chest and took note of the stacks of books on the table already. When he accepted her offer to sit with him, she took the chair across from him and set her books in front of her. She didn't recall this boy from her casses or in passing in the halls, but he certainly didn't seem like a new student. "You read all of these?" she asked, curious. It was a silly question, but for all she knew he was researching and thus didn't read them cover to cover. "I'm Serena, by the way. Serena Black," she added, finally happy to add her last name to her first when she introduced herself since her father was cleared and now a free man as he should have been all along.

William gave a slight nod to the girls question, "I did." He said in once more a soft voice. "I am William Tolliver, its nice to meet you Serena." He said as he pushed one of the candles to to other side of the table giving her a little light to read with.

Serena couldn't help but smile when he answered that he had, in fact, read all of the books stacked up around him. Looking at them once again, her eyes slowly adjusted to the light from the candle he moved closer to her. "It's an impressive selection," she said looking back at him, the light catching in her bright blue eyes. "William... It's nice to meet you, too. You in... Ravenclaw House?" she asked, taking a guess at where he might likely be.

"Indeed it is, I love books they are wonderful books to." He said as he rubbed the cover of the book that only moments ago he was reading, "I am in Ravenclaw, I am also willing to stake my life that you are in Gryffendor." He said as he raised his hand pointing at the tie around her neck.

Glancing down at the tie sporting her house colors, Serena nodded, "Can't fool you. The light it dim enough that I couldn't see your colors properly. I knew it was dark, but that could be blue or green. I just guessed for blue." Chuckling lightly, she pulled one of her books to her and opened the cover. "What are you reading up on?" she asked curious about all the books as there didn't seem to be a theme to them all. Well, that she could see anyways.

"It is a bit of this and a bit of that, mostly wand work and advanced spells." William said as he picked up his book and proceeded to open it to the page he stopped on, "and what are you indulging in this evening?" He ask glancing up at Serena from the pages of his book.

"Wand work and advanced spells?" she echoed his explination of what filled the books on the table. Serena knew of a fair amount of students that delved into those topics, and really, she had, too. Just not here in the library, or at Hogwarts at all. "What kinds?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. At his question of what she was reading up on, she lit up slightly. Opening to a page that showed Monet's paintings of his Water Lilies, she turned the book and pushed it closer to him so William could see. "Art," she asnwered simply, with a happy smile.

"Its beautiful," William said as he turned the page and looked at her. "It depends on the book I have read everything from simple charms to the darkest of curses." He said as he waved his hand over one of the candles making the light grow a small bit letting it gleam off his eyes.

Theresa's books were growing heavy as she approached the doors to the library. She had waited all day to be able to escape the stress of everyday classes and dwell in the sanctuary that surrounded her in book for a good few hours. It wasn't that the girl was against people, or conversations. It was that rarely did she find someone who had the time to talk that was actually interested in the same things as she was.

As she made her way to the darkened back corner of the shelve filled room, the girl quickly noticed that there was already a pair of students seated at her favourite table. Taking a quick look around, Theresa considered leaving them to their conversation, but after a moment she shrugged and completed the walk to them. "Hey," she said, adjusting the stack of books in her arm, "Would it be okay if I join you both?"

"Aren't they?" she said rhetorically, when William commented on the picture. Pulling the book back to her she watched as he made the flame of the candle grow slightly to show what he had been looking into, advanced magic-wise. Before she could comment further, a voice asked if she could join them. Glancing at William, she brought her bright eyes back to the girl and nodded, "Sure. There's more than enough room for one more."

William looked at the girl he knew her from his house but had never really talked to her, "Theresa, right?" William asked her as he cleared his books away making a spot for the new comer he eyes repeatedly glancing back at her, she just like Serena was most beautiful but he would never have the heart to tell her such things not after what had happened to him in the past a wound that has not yet fully healed.

Theresa smiled as the Gryffindor girl that she recognised from classes addressed her. It seemed like this was a good start, at least. Usually she got far too nervous to talk to someone, especially when there was more than one someone. The brunette then turned her smile to the boy. "Yes, I'm Theresa," she replied, "you're William, right? And I'm sorry but I can't quite remember your name.." The last part was addressed to the blonde girl as Theresa placed her books on the table and took one of the spare chairs.

"Sorry! Serena, Serena Black," Serena answered with a smile when Theresa asked who she was. Seeing another massive stack of books from her, she chuckled lightly. "A meeting of the minds it would seen," she mused looking over the new books added to the table. "My cousin, William, is in Ravenclaw. Do either of you know him?" Serena asked before flipping back to the front of her art book and glancing between the other two students.

Williams eyes glanced up from the pages of his book and he slightly shook his head, "My apologies I do not know you cousin." He said letting his smoking soft voice float across the table before letting his eyes drift away from Serena back to his book that he was so immersed in only moments ago. As he started to read his eyes jotted back and forth between the lines on the page as he drank it all in every so often stopping for a moment so he may linger over a few words that seemed to be important to him. As he read the pages began to flip faster and faster as he drank in the book with every glance at its pages. As he finished the last few pages of his book he closed the cover and softly laid it in the stack of books he had already read, "yes I am William." He stated as he picked up another book and opened it to the first page, "but my friends call me Will." William said as his eyes locked on to Theresa.

“Yes, it would appear so.” Theresa smiled at the girl, nodding slowly as she realized that she did in fact recognize her name. They shared a number of classes together, and it wouldn’t appear that the three of them were all in the same year. “William Black?” Theresa asked, as she lifted the cover of the book atop her stack and let it drop again, “I’m pretty sure I’ve spoken to him before about something. Back in first year, I think. But I could be wrong. He’s quite nice if I remember correctly?”

Glancing at the boy who was extremely engrossed in the book, Theresa couldn’t help a quiet chuckle to herself. Majority of their housemates held the same fascination with books, though some of them would not admit it. There was an older girl, Carmen, who liked to play herself as an odd one in their house, but really she loved to read as much as the rest of them did. A smile spread across her face as William responded to her. “Well, William, I am glad I didn’t mix up your name,” she replied, before pulling a book from the pile before her and opened the cover.

Hearing that William didn't know her cousin, but Theresa did made Serena smile. Nodding she answered, "Yes, William is quite the pleasent fellow. You might have seen him playing his guitar? He tends to have a pretty even split between his love of music and his love of books." Glancing at the boy that was across from her, she was surprised as just how into his book he had gotten in such a short time. It was crazy! "Good book?" she asked softly. She was all for reading and getting completely pulled into what she was reading, but she'd never seen it happen so fast, especially when there were others around talking. But, there was a first time for everything. Looking to Theresa and her stack of books, Serena asked, "What are you reading up on?"

Will's eyes shoot up from his the book he has just started almost pinning Serena where she sat as he gave her a soft but firm nod yes. His eyes lazily drifted back to the faded pages and started to read again, "we all have an even split between music and the other half of our life's, for me it is working with magic for others book but we all have a love for music." Will stated flatly as his eyes roamed over the words on the page.