The Great Escape | Julia/Bear

Another book whipped past his shoulder, close enough that he felt the air move against his neck. He ducked and pressed his back against the astronomy shelves, watching the thing spiral toward the study tables.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Three hours into what should have been simple reshelfing, and half the Restricted Section had apparently decided to escape. The air smelled like old parchment and something sharper that made his nose wrinkle. He pulled out his wand but kept it low—reckless magic around irreplaceable books seemed like a good way to lose his assistant job.

A small journal with brass clasps flew overhead, trailing green smoke and making soft chittering noises that set his teeth on edge. Definitely not harmless.

Something red filled his vision, covers snapping at him with papery teeth.

A snapped out "Depulso" was barely enough to send the book spinning backward into the stacks, rather than his face.

The problem was coming from the Restricted Section entrance. The wards had failed—another one to add to the growing list of magical protections breaking down across the castle this term. Books kept streaming out, some flying in circles, others diving at anything that moved. A thick book with scaled binding had taken over the circulation desk and was shredding scrolls.

He edged along the wall toward the source, his bag strap tight against his shoulder. Most of the escaped books looked like lower-level Restricted materials—still dangerous, but manageable if he was careful.

The brass journal dove again, trailing silver sparks. He dodged sideways and bumped into a shelf. A star chart rolled to the floor.

Where was Professor Laurence?

A crash from the study tables meant the scaled book had moved on from scroll destruction. He looked toward the main entrance, then back at the chaos. The brass journal made another dive, and he ducked as it swooped past, green smoke trailing behind it.

He stepped away from the wall and rolled up his sleeves, wand held firmly in his grip. Time to get to work.

It was supposed to be a quieter afternoon in the library. It was the end of first quarter exams, and after the study-crunch, most students preferred a break from the walls of endless books and bauble shushing. It gave her a chance to catch up on inventory, incoming orders, late returns and reconciliations. While it wasn't her favorite task, Julia didn't mind the menial work of organization. She thrived in a peaceful, orderly environment and didn't always enjoy leaving its assurance in the hands of her Head Assistants. While Ellen, Cassian and Rosalie were diligent and responsible, they were teenagers, and things were missed at times.

She had just closed her budget book, noting that she had enough left from her initial funds to order a few additional potions books that Professor Roan might find interest in, when a bauble soared into her office, red and screaching Corbin's name and something about the Restricted Section. Julia sighed, holding out her palm in exasperation. She'd tasked Cassian with doling out the assistant assignments for the day, and she hoped he knew better than to send a third year into the RS.

As the bauble landed in her palm, the red faded, showing the boy depulsoing her books around the astronomy section. Definitely not the Restricted Section but then -

The woman cursed under her breath, dropping the bauble onto her desk with a thud and raced out of her office. To her left, where the gate should have been properly sealed and warded, it was wide open, a parade of dangerous books spilling out into the main library. Books were airborne, tomes were tearing apart scrolls, and a binding on necromancy was gnawing absently on the leg of an innocent chair. More were spilling out, growling, howling and some rudely spitting at anyone in the way.

And there, was Corbin. In the midst of it all.

"Immobulous Maximus," Julia said, flicking her wand in a wide flourish across the room, stopping every book in its tracks. "It'll only hold a few moments. These types of books are stubborn and headstrong," she said with exasperation, eyeing the boy and watching as the few students who'd been in attendance fled the area. "We'll have to freeze them, grab them and reshelf them, and then refreeze the others again when they start to mobilize."

Her wards were down. There was no way a third year had broken them and then left the gate wide open. It also didn't explain how so many books had seen themselves off their own shelves. Usually they were well-behaved once placed in their proper home. "What happened?"

She caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye. "Bear!" she snapped, turning to her other assistant in the area. "Help Corbin snatch up as many books as possible while they're frozen. They have to go back in their right spot, otherwise they'll throw another fit."

Where was a ruddy lazy cat when you needed an extra hand?

---

*Permission to mention Cass given by Dani <3

Bear was in the library. In other news the day also ended in y. He'd had his fifth shush-off with baubles so far while relaxing in the library doing occasional tasks asked and getting happily distracted by books he found. A couple of the books he was planning to check out. Yes, in case you are wondering the baubles won all the shush-offs.

In more surprising news for the day the books seemed to have taken on bird like qualities and started flying. He ducked a couple. If it was really a problem he was certain one of the baubles that was floating nearby waiting for him to excitedly speak to himself in mutters about something he read as he wrote it down would surely find it more interesting than himself.

The trio of baubles floating near him seemed calm. Or they seemed calm until one of there trio was hit dead on by a book and he whispered to them " Don't look at me. Your books did that. " Though it did certainly make him take the book he was reading to the side and start paying attention to his surroundings as he put back the rest of the books he was handed to re-shelf.

The library definitely needed the help and admittedly he had the time today. Re-shelving books was a good way to relax his mind and occasionally find a book he hadn't considered.

He heard Corbin's spell. He didn't react as he knew Corbin would scream if he really needed help. He was more concerned with his section as he jumped over a book that tried to take out his ankles and suddenly as it moved away suddenly stopped in the air. Thankfully, they didn't just fall. Or that would be a crime on the bindings.

"Bear!"

He moved from where he was and picked up the pieces of the bauble that was broken by being hit with a book. Which got him followed by the red lit up pair of bauble friends it had emitting a noise that he'd gotten to the point of ignoring. Then he scoped up the floating books on his way.

Looking between Corbin and Julia he said " Fred, the bauble, took a direct hit from the books and needs a patch up. Can you show me how to patch them up after I help Corbin with the books? " Then he deposited Fred, the broken bauble, on an empty shelf nearby. There were odds some of the bauble stuff could be applied in clockmaking - or at least that is what drove his curiosity into them.

Look he was trying to be nice to the sometimes distracting baubles.

Then he said " How about I fetch and you put back. " As surely Corbin, the actual library assistant, would actually know where the books went. Which was more important than his general method of putting them close to where he thought they went as with how big a mess the library was it was good enough - but maybe not for these books.

Then he put his collected books on a table and started to fetch more from the air.