DRACO GRIT HIS TEETH AND tried to block out the sound of the people gossiping on the table behind the bookcase to his left. He had come to the library in hopes of some peace but that was apparently too much to ask for. His quill stabbed the parchment, creating blots in the essay he was trying to write. Jaw clenching, he balled up the sheet in his fist, picked up his books and hoisted his satchel onto his shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, one of the whispers made him stop in his tracks.