text: “What is that?” He asked, dropping down beside me on the bed. “Not sure.” I answered, spinning it between my hands. He took the chance to crawl up beside me, laying his cheek on my chest. I smiled to myself, laying the book on my chest so I could play with one of his curls. He didn’t take a moment to pull it off my chest and begin looking over it himself. “It’s a book.” He muttered, resting its weight on my chest. “Is it?” I rolled my eyes. “I had no idea.” He poked his tongue out at me and went back to fiddling with the book, pulling at the straps that kept it shut. I didn’t say anything, simply watching him as his tongue poked from the corner of his mouth while he struggled with the book. “Why won’t it open?” He asked, shifting so that he was sitting up beside me now. I glanced up at him, my fingers touching against his side lightly. “It’s locked. With magic.” Curiosity brightened his eyes. “A challenge!” I couldn’t help the chuckle that left me as he scrambled out of the bed, the book tucked under his arm. I propped myself up on my elbow and watched him set the book on his desk. Piles of books and a flurry of parchment were cleared from the centre of the desk. Some of the parchment spilled off onto the floor. “You’re making a mess.” I said lightly. He turned in his seat, giving me a manic grin. “Who cares about mess when there’s a mystery to solve!” I laid back down on my bed, listening to him mutter to himself. There was the sound of popping, one of his spells being cast. Then silence. I opened one eye to glanced at the desk and he began muttering again. He hadn’t opened the lock. He was cursing now, under his breath. I enjoyed listening to him descend into madness. He always got so agitated when he couldn’t figure something out right away. I wondered how long it would take him to realise I had simply glued the straps down. There was more popping, and another curse from him. I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face, but I kept my eyes closed so that I couldn’t see him. If I saw his face, I thought I would just simply start laughing. “I can’t give up.” He snapped over his shoulder. “I can’t even detect the spell that they used. It has to be some really strong stuff. Oh, I can’t wait to see what’s in the book.” Nothing, there was nothing in the book but blank pages. I’d bought it for him so he could fill it with his research. The straps had just been attached, and they wouldn’t stay in place. The book binder had simply glued them down so they would bend and learn the shape they needed to have. The glue would wear off in three days. In three days, he would find out that the book was empty, and I was probably going to get my ass singed. It was going to be a wonderful three days of peace. I put my hands behind my head and relaxed while I listened to him mutter over his work.