A walk through history....of a sort

The door to the bookshop opened and an eleven and a half year old boy strode through the doorway, making sure the door shut behind him. Facial expression in a customary frown, the child walked further into the store. It wasn't as if he meant to have a perpetual frown, it was just his normal expression. It showed his boredom and disinterest for most things.

Turning his head letting his gaze take in everything that it could, Ashley slowly walked towards the stairs and climbed up them to the second floor. There weren't as many people up here. Perhaps they were too lazy to walk up the stairs, or perhaps all the schoolbooks were located below. Whatever the reason, the boy was a bit relieved and rather happy to not have to fight through a crowd or worse, get books dropped on him by 'accident'.

The pads of his fingertips barely touching the leather and cloth covered bindings, Ashley let slowly walked down the isle his fingers running across the spines of the books. Every now and then a title would catch his eyes causing him to stop, pull out the book and read an excerpt from it.

Having spent over three fourths of an hour on the second floor, Ashley was about to move back down to the first floor. So far he pulled well over a dozen books and put them back only retaining two of them. It had been a good read to learn a bit about Falco Aesalon a Greek wizard that had been the first known Animagus. Then there was Vlad Drakul. The Vampire that had inspired that muggle author Bram Stoker to create his Count Dracula.

Just as the boy reached the stairs, a book on the shelf just next to it seemed to call out to Ashley wanting him to pick it up. As he reached out to do so, he didn't see the other hand that was reaching for that very same book. Turning petulant brown eyes on the person he stated, "I was reaching for it first."

There were few things in his world that Severus had any particular care for, and reading was one of them. Other children, muggles, had played with their friends in parks and other places. Severus had read and, the few times that he left the house, watched other's. It was how he had found his only real friend, Lily Evans. He had watched her longingly from afar, quickly realising that she was different from the other's. She was a witch too.

When he had arrived at Diagon Alley, on his own which was unsurprising, he had been hoping that he would find her running around somewhere. Sadly, he had not done so yet. Still, he knew he would see her at some point. They didn't live that far away from each other after all, and she was his friend. They had to see each other at some point soon.

It was with this in mind that Severus had allowed himself to enter the bookshop of Flourish and Blotts. There was so much knowledge contained within the shop and knowledge was power. It was at his fingertips, and it pleased him although he wouldn't really show it. There were two floors to the shop and the second one seemed to be less sparsely populated than the first. Naturally, that suited Severus down to the ground.

He had wandered a little, his eyes glancing at and fingers casually brushing the spines of the books. None in particular seemed to leap out at him but he knew that would change. Some books called to certain people, and none of these one's were calling to Severus. At least, not yet. He was near the stairs leading down to the first floor when he found it.

There! That book right there! He reached his hand out for it, a look of surprise flitting across his face as he seen another hand reaching for the same book. A boy who looked to be about the same age as Severus looked at him and spoke. He claimed he had been reaching for the book first, and Severus thought otherwise.

He straightened himself up.

"I think you will find that I was first." He said, clearly and quietly. There was no need to raise any voice in such a quiet and calming place.

Having only run into that one rather impertinent girl at the Leaky Cauldron, the boy hadn't met anyone else that he would be attending school with. The owner of the hand was a very welcome change. This was more appropriate behaviour then what that girl would have likely reacted. Mentally shivering, rather happy to not have to re-experience that, Ashley withdrew his hand conceding with the reply, "I suppose it was possible we both reached for it at the same time."

Glancing away briefly down towards the cashier he frowned wondering if there was perhaps another copy of the book somewhere in the back? There had only been the one copy on the shelf that he could see. Looking back towards the other boy, the almost twelve year old thought that he looked promising. "If there isn't another copy, would you mind sharing?"

The other boy withdrew his hand thereby, as far as Severus was concerned, withdrawing his claim on the book. Severus took hold of it and pulled it down from the shelf. He rested the book in his hands, holding it out between himself and the other boy.

The boy asked a question which startled Severus a little. He had never really shared much with anyone other than Lily. The concept of sharing anything with anyone else was rather alien to him. He looked between the book in his hands and the boy in front of him. They would both be attending Hogwarts, at least that was what Severus assumed. As much as he wanted the book solely for himself, there could be an advantage to 'sharing' with this boy. The question then was a simple one, should he share for personal advantage.

"It's not the right book I was looking for." Severus said, taking another glance at the title before thrusting it towards the other boy. Books were easy enough to get hold of, and there were many more for him to look at. This one wouldn't be a loss and he didn't want to get into an argument with anyone over a book.

The question had been asked out of politeness of course. Ashley could be polite when the situation called for it. Whether or not he actually obeyed and listened to the voice of reason was something else entirely. Watching the other boy as he looked from the book to him, he wondered what the boy would choose.

Holding back a snort at the reply thinking sarcastically, 'Of course it's not. That's why you reached for it in the first place.' Scowling, when the book was thrusted at him, the first reaction was instinctive. Hands came out to hold the book. Not liking having the tome shoved at him, his second reaction was just as instinctive as the first. Anger welled up and his grip tightened on the book, turning his knuckles white. Wanting to shove the book back into the other boy, but knowing enough that if he did the other might topple down the stairs.

Brown eyes narrowing as he glared at the other, Ashley deliberately let go of the book instead of throwing or slamming it down as he would have preferred. Let him have the book if he was going to be this way. "If it's not the right one why did you reach for it?"

Looking down at the book, Ashley brought his leg back about ready to kick the book down the flight of stairs.