Harry, Kat, and Spellbound ➩ Book 1 [Harry Potter] | #Wattys2016

[CHAPTER 2] Scene Unintended

Morion climbed up using a ladder at a large room near the attic. "This is honestly my favourite part of the house."

"Why?" Kataleen asked, intrigued. Morion wasn't one for a bookworm. They actually think he's claustrophobic sometimes, considering his liking for open green fields. Now this library was small, crowded, and had nothing but a hanging lightbulb at the centre to illuminate it.

"The mystery of silence unfolds," he whispered, then nearly lost balance as he held a thick, dusty book in one hand. He jumped off the low ladder and blew the dust off, both slightly asthmatic children coughing.

"What the --" Kataleen began, seeing on the maroon-like cover the title The Book of Spells. It was written by someone named R.E Dowley.

She touched the cover, and felt it was soft, like... "It feels like leather."

"I suppose it is," he shrugged, placing the book on the green, carpeted floor. "This entire shelf is full of books we don't use anymore." He waved his hand at a small area of the library.

Kataleen nodded, adjusting her glasses as she tilted her head at the book. It was big, to say the least, and also thick. She opened it, and, before her very eyes, she saw the yellowish pages turn... white, crisper and cleaner than the pages of her fantasy novels! And the cover seemed as good as new!

"M-M-Morion!" she yelped in surprise.

"What?" Morion, who was currently checking out another abandoned book, this time a pocketbook, from the shelf, asked, turning around.

"Don't you see? The pages... The pages are a fresh white!" Kataleen declared, her voice echoing down the library.

Morion tilted his head, confused. "Um, I hate to break it to you, but I think you're hallucinating."

"What do you --" She looked at the book and saw it yellower than ever, as dilapidated as when they first saw it. "But I was so sure I saw it."

"I think you're hungry, Kataleen. It's way past lunch time. Come on," Morion said, standing up and beckoning her out the door.

"Okay," she nodded, looking at the book briefly, then back at him. "But can I really keep the book?"

"Of course you can!" Morion laughed, exiting the library.

---

Nighttime. Staying at the bunk bed at the medium-sized guest room the Wisprocks generously offered was... different, to say the least. She could hardly sleep. And so Kataleen decided to check out her new book.

She opened a lamp and placed it on a desk, sitting on the round chair and putting on her cracked glasses. She opened it, and once again it became a fresh white. She wanted to yell for Morion to look at it this time, but she remembered they were all asleep.

She saw an inscription at the front page, where the title was. At first she could see nothing but symbols that looked like Greek letters, but suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she could read it.

"The one reading this has to say the incantation, Alohomora to open, with the wand pointed firmly on the book," she read aloud. "Now where the heck would I find a wand?"

With a shrug she turned the page and saw, surprisingly, nothing. All pages were that way. Then a thought struck her. "What if..."

She took out the package from under her bed, staring at it intently. She knew she would look absolutely ridiculous, but knew it wouldn't hurt to be like a child every once in a while and believe in unbelievable tales.

"Alohomora," she said, pointing it at the book. She just giggled at herself at the ridiculousness of the situation. But she was just so surprised it turned to the next page by itself, revealing paragraphs with colourless ink illustrations.