thick skin and an elastic heart

Chapter 17

Feeling lighter than she felt in days, Juliana left the headmaster's office and headed to the library. Her mother's encouragement inspired her to focus on the second task. While it was still two months away, Juliana needed to prepare. More than anything, she needed to win. Now that Lupe was here, her goal felt closer than ever. She could win the money, and they would leave England, and start a new life. Valentina's offer stood out bright and bouncing around in her mind. They could have a fresh start in Mexico. They could do this.

She entered the library, where the almost unnatural quiet washed over her. The weight that was always on her shoulders lightened for a moment. She didn't have to speak to anyone here; she wasn't expected to fill a role or be someone she wasn't. Teachers weren't asking her questions, and students weren't crowding her to get a moment with the Hogwarts champion. Everything was calm. The only sound was the occasional flap of books overhead as they reshelved themselves and quills scratching on rustling paper.

Juliana walked between the towering stacks, past Aris and Temo, both of whom haunted the library, towards her usual spot in the Muggle Studies section of the library. She jerked to a stop as a feeling shot up and down her spine. It sent a shock down her spine, like the tip of a blunt knife skimming across the surface of her skin - not hard enough to cut but enough to discomfort and unsettle. The librarian's back was to her, but Juliana saw the older woman was quivering with anger. She towered over two second-year boys. Her voice was low, but deadly and as loud as a shout in the otherwise quiet library.

"What were you thinking? Casting spells in the library? Look at this!" She held up what looked like an overgrown feather duster. "Are you proud of yourselves?"

Juliana looked past her at the Muggle Studies section. It was entirely covered in feathers. Each book, the armchair beside the window, and even the tables; all were overgrown with white feathers.

Juliana crept away. She didn't dare to breathe until the librarian was out of sight. Those poor second years. Juliana didn't envy them, the librarian was a terrifying woman on a good day, but was positively feral about the library.

Juliana exhaled as she leaned against a bookshelf in the Care of Magical Creatures section. With her section otherwise covered in feathers, she needed to find a new nook. She huffed in annoyance, pushing off the bookshelf harder than anticipated.

A book fell off the shelf and landed onto the floor with a loud thump.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath. She glanced around the empty aisle, listening hard for approaching footsteps.

Silence.

She crouched for the book. It had fallen face down, and several pages crumpled when it landed. Juliana grimaced, flipping it over. The librarian was going to kill her if she found out. She tried to smooth out the pages with her hand. A wild-looking man with a makeshift trident bobbed above ocean waves and glared at her from the book. His hair was an unnatural blood-red color, falling in wet clumps around his face, water dripping on his scaly grey skin. He bared his yellow, pointed teeth, opening his mouth like he was talking. Juliana read the caption: Hafmeyjan: A merman from Iceland.

Next to the picture was a moving image of a sketched wand tapping the picture. Juliana had never seen that before. She drew her wand without thinking and touched the picture of the merman with the tip of her wand. A loud, shrieking like a thousand scared cats boomed from the pages.

"Shit!"

Juliana smacked the image with her wand, and the shrieking stopped. She threw the book onto the nearby table and ran from the stacks before the librarian found her and skinned her alive. She ran until she was out of the library and a floor away.