Tea time
Working to unveil a mystery is always a strange feeling. Your head is full of thoughts and what-ifs, and as you’re learning that the world is much bigger than you thought people around you go by unaware. It is with this feeling that the trio enters the library to find Ms Pince and by extension the Head Librarian. Students of all age are either reading or working on some homework, each of them absorbed in their task. Nobody really pays notice to them, while they are here to see a mysterious entity just separated from them by a wooden door.
When Ms Pince sees them she just nods and stands up not even turning back to see if they’re following her or not to the restricted section.
As they enter, Harry Ron and Hermione are greeted by the eery blue light they are starting to associate with the restricted section. The Head Librarian is there waiting on a comfortable chair at his desk, but in his hands is a tea cup. Tea. Food. In the library. In Ms Pince’s vicinity. Warily, the three students turn their heads to her to see her reaction, but instead of hexing him, she simply pours herself a cup and settles in an other chair.
“He knows what he’s doing,” she smiles at them. “I can trust him with tea and cup is a wonderful way to relax. Now sit down.” They do so on a couch nearby. The more time they spend here, the more they realise this is some sort of office and not just a storage room for dangerous books.
“Here, no reason for you to go without tea as well. Take a cup, and then I will have some questions for you.” With a gesture from his hand holding a fountain pen, three cups fly to their hands, filled with warm and sweet smelling tea. They are then treated to the slightly disturbing sight of the Head Librarian’s hands disappearing under his veil to bring the cup presumably to his mouth. Ron and Hermione share a look, then with Harry as well. Now they have the answer to how he eats.
“From what I understood, it was you Ms Granger that found the book, yes ?”
“It was me, yes.” she says, examining the pattern on the tea cup. It was a garland of very pretty yellow flowers with dark green leaves.
“Hmm, then I would like to know why you decided to keep it, if you realised it was that old.”
“I was… intrigued. Something seemed to be different from the other old books and I noticed the word “Hogwarts” in it. I thought I could learn something interesting ?”
That made the Head Librarian chuckle. “Ha ! Yes, there are definitely interesting things in it ! What exactly did you get from it ?”
“Well, we’ve only got Hermione’s notes,” answered Ron, “but something about a deal with the Founders. Oh, and a place with a weird name. “Tharlegiones” or something like that.”
“Thargeliones” corrected Harry.
“Yeah, that, thanks.”
“I see. That’s a good beginning. Have you found something else ?” As he asks this, they can feel his eyes on them and know that he will not let them go until he has all the answers he wants.
“No, not really, but we’ve been searching around and there's nothing !” exclaimes Hermione “It’s as if there is no other book that mentions that place and even if we have our notes, well… you took the book back.” At this she looks to the side, still feeling guilty about it all.
“Hey !” cries Harry, making Ron spill some tea on his hand and grumble. “Maybe you can help us ? Can you answer our questions ?”
“Can I ? Yes, of course I can, but I can also make you work for it, which will be more entertaining.” They can hear the smirk in his voice. “You see, my job here is to take care of all the old documents we have here and if some are too damaged I make copies of them. I do these manually as a simple copy spell is linked to the original object. A manual copy imbued with magic will last longer. It takes time and patience but conservation is a vital part of library work. This is why I needed this book, it is very important but was getting too damaged by time and handling. I finished the copy yesterday evening.”
He takes his hands from under his veil to set his empty cup on his desk and reach behind the blue lamp to grab a book.
“Here, I knew you wouldn't give up on your little treasure chase. This is a magical copy, one I can dissipate if I feel this would be needed. That way you can resume your case without me fearing for the security and integrity of an important historical document.”
“You would let us continue ?” asks a flabbergasted Harry.
“You lot are far from the first troublesome kids I have had to deal with. I know otherwise you would have tried to sneak in or do some other inadvisable things. Now, the only thing I ask in return is that you do not go talking about it to everyone.”
“We won’t sir, we swear !”
“Ah, no need for that. Just be careful.”
He falls quiet for a few seconds before adding “Before you all go, I'll give you a small piece of information. The correct name of the place is “Thargelion”. What you saw was of course a declination.”
The trio thanks him again and before leaving agrees to come and give him regular update to “humour him” as he said.
As is becoming a routine for them, they leave the library in a state of intense confusion. But this time with a book !