It had started with annoyance, in the days leading up to the holiday Zakir was having a difficult time figuring out what he could get for Niccolò. Classes were winding down and the work load was slacking off, which always made the young Pureblood feel anxious. In the year and a half that Zakir had been attending RMI he still had a difficult time accepting the concept of free time. At home his days had been very structured, revolving around aiding his father in potions, and working with numerous tutors who were far stricter than any of the professors here.

So, like last term when the work began to slow in anticipation of the upcoming holiday Zakir spent more time in the library chasing his own interests, namely potions. That day had gone wrong from the start, a pair of students had taken up the table he preferred and the only other table that was open and out of the way was situated closer to the muggle section than he would prefer. Then all his research had come to a dead end which was just one more obstacle in a seemingly endless line of them.

Frustrated and not wanting to look at the mess any longer, Zakir had glanced up just in time to see a student vanish behind the muggle literature stacks. Right where he knew a wall was supposed to be. Zakir had stared at the spot the student vanished for a long time, an idea brewing in his mind. Niccolò and he had been searching for over a year for the secret passages and while Zakir didn’t know how the passage opened, he now at least knew where.

Zakir’s sable gaze trailed lightly over book titles as he waited and remembered what he’d seen. Time had been against him before the holiday and he hadn’t had a chance to talk to Niccolò, so he decided that their adventure could wait until after they returned. I’m sure that Niccolò and I will be able to figure out how to open it he thought as he glances at the door almost impatiently wanting Niccolò to arrive (ignoring the fact that he was early).