Sunday is a wonderful day! Excellent sunny, warm weather turned out, for the sake of which our entire Hufflepuff year, numbering as many as six people including me, went to explore the surrounding territories. Well, only I was engaged in exploration, and the rest just went for a walk, simultaneously showing me local sights.
We just walked, the guys talked about all sorts of trifles, and Ernie pressed me with questions about the life of ordinary people. He is a pureblood, knows nothing at all, and operates with incredible "facts" heard here and there. This somewhat reminded me of ordinary people's fantasies regarding wizards, only in reverse. And if you look into it, it's all exactly the same, except that for some, science serves to ensure their own comfort, for others—magic.
"…and here we have the Black Lake," Justin pointed towards this very lake when we approached the shore.
The blue sky was reflected in the calm water surface.
"You can still walk here, but further on—the territory of Dementors begins," Susan explained very seriously, thereby arousing Hannah's interest.
"How do you know?"
"Well, my aunt is the Head of the DMLE," the redhead girl explained a little modestly. "She immediately explained to me where the safe zone is. True…"
Susan hesitated, and this aroused the interest of everyone else.
"True 'what'?" Hannah kept at her friend.
"Well, they are Dementors. They are quite intelligent, but satisfying hunger is their goal in life. And there are no Azkaban prisoners here, nothing to eat."
"Logical," I nodded. "Hunger can push even a human to rash acts. What to speak of creatures, the goal and meaning of whose existence is in satisfying this hunger. And here is a whole castle of schoolchildren."
"Dumbledore won't allow it," Ernie waved it off, but his face acquired an even more serious expression.
"You know," I turned away from examining the water surface of the lake and the green hills on the distant shores. "Ordinary people have many sayings, the general meaning of which comes down to the phrase: 'Trust in higher powers, but don't make a mistake yourself'."
"Hmm?" he didn't quite understand, and the others looked at me with interest.
Exposing my face to the sun rays and a light cool breeze, I continued the thought:
"Even if there is a force nearby capable of protecting and saving you from troubles, this is no reason to purposefully seek these very troubles. You need to secure yourself from Dementors, and reduce the 'safe zone'. The inability to visit the lake shore for some time is an incomparably insignificant loss compared to the chance of losing your soul."
Now the guys were a little shaken, and we went closer to the castle towering on the cliff. Wandering along wide clearings in the undergrowth, which were an analogue of a road here, the guys quickly recovered from the sudden realization that a certain "safe zone" is not such at all.
"And how to protect oneself?" Justin asked a reasonable question, whose thoughtful face looked too much like that of a movie villain plotting global mischief.
"To begin with, stay away from the territory patrolled by these creatures," Ernie began to bend his fingers.
"Learn the Patronus Charm," Hannah suggested.
"Yes, that too," Ernie bent a second finger.
"But how?"
This question from Justin took everyone by surprise. We had almost reached the castle, and now stood next to a large stone hut at the very edge of the forest. This hut itself was built for someone clearly exceeding human dimensions—this was traced in absolutely every detail—from windows and doorways, to ladders, roof height, and a certain bulkiness of the structure. A fairly large vegetable garden by the hut was completely covered in pumpkins of various, and sometimes absurdly huge sizes.
"Hagrid's hut," Justin explained to me, seeing curiosity in my gaze. "He is, generally, the Gamekeeper. They say he is excellent with animals, as a practitioner."
"Yeah, yeah," Ernie nodded with a smile. "I was told too. His criterion for 'safe animal' extends, perhaps, to everyone. Easily finds an approach to everyone, and due to his simplicity does not at all understand their danger to others. He himself is oh-ho-ho how healthy and powerful! Probably pulling a dragon by the tail is not a question for him."
"Yeah," the others agreed with a smile.
"A small one," Zacharias nodded with a smile.
"Oh, what have you gathered here for, kiddos?" a low rolling bass sounded a little to the side of us.
For me, the approach of a huge sentient was not a secret, although I noticed him unforgivably late—this big guy walks through the undergrowth too quietly and clearly. Once again I am convinced that whoever you are, experience in your business can overcome the inconsistency of physiology with the matter.
The guys almost jumped on the spot, turning to the voice.
"Professor Hagrid!" they chorused, almost shouting.
"You scared us…" Justin expressed the general thought.
"I, well, didn't mean to… And let's do without all these 'Professors' and 'Sirs'."
Examining this huge, obviously half-blood up close was quite entertaining. He is no less than two and a half meters tall, stout, but powerful. Slightly baggy leather and fabric clothes make him more substantial and massive, and thick and completely curly hair and beard hide the head well, which is somewhat smaller than it should be if human body proportions are observed.
"Walking, are you?" he boomed. "The weather is good today. Just as if autumn hasn't come."
Hagrid walked up to his vegetable garden and put down a large wooden bucket he was holding in his hands.
"How can we do without 'Professors'," Hannah was surprised. "You teach at Hogwarts now."
"That's, of course, true," Hagrid turned to us. "I am, of course, glad to teach kiddos, you that is, to handle different animals. But I don't even know how… The thing is—I'm all with animals, and with animals. Dumbledore asked me, until he finds a proper professor, because absolutely no one wants to teach Care. That's the thing…"
Hagrid stretched his back, looked at us, and somehow even spoke with embarrassment.
"You, well… I'm always glad to chat, but there's heaps to do. Look, still have to feed the Thestrals…"
"We, then, will go," I nodded to the newly minted Professor. "Won't distract you."
"Go on, kiddos, study well."
Giving a parting word and waving his hand, Hagrid stomped into the hut, and we—further, to Hogwarts.
"Simple as five Knuts," Justin nodded at his thoughts.
Susan walked thoughtfully.
"Wonder who he'll bring to the first lesson?"
"Hope it won't be a particularly dangerous animal…" Hannah sighed. "Shall we hurry? Hector?"
"Yes?"
"You still need to practice spells, right?"
"That would be nice."
"Then, let's go to the same classroom? Clubs will be closed for another week and a half anyway. And there's nothing else to do."
"True enough," the others agreed.
Before lunch, we practiced various spells from the school curriculum. Although, it would be more correct to say that mostly only I practiced. The other guys spent about a quarter of the time on this, and everything else—on conversations, discussions, rumors, and other nonsense. And after lunch in the Great Hall, I went to the library. Justin undertook to escort me, to Ernie's great displeasure—he wanted to ask him about ordinary people. Again.
The abode of knowledge even impressed me. If shards are to be believed, far from every school of magic existing longer and teaching a larger number of students can boast such a large library—cabinets and racks with books were towering, on two floors, and rows of them went deep into the huge room.
"Are you looking for something specific?" my comrade asked when we approached the librarian's counter.
"Information on various pureblood families."
"Ho-o? Curious."
"What are you curious about, Mr. Finch-Fletchley?" a stately lady in large glasses and a wide-brimmed witch's hat asked sternly.
"Madam Pince, hello," Justin nodded. "Brought a friend to you."
"Mr. Granger?" Madam Pince looked at me. "I hope you will treat books as respectfully as your sister. A very talented young lady."
"Undoubtedly, Madam Pince."
"Anyway," Justin put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll be going. I'm sure Madam Pince will help you if such information exists here at all."
Justin left the library extremely quickly with an important look, leaving me one on one with this excessively strict, and clearly incorruptible lady.
"Madam Pince, I am interested in information on various pureblood families. Of a social nature. Who does what, where they were noticed, newspaper clippings, articles, magazines with significant achievements…"
"I understood you, Mr. Granger. True, I assumed you would choose educational literature."
Madam Pince came out from behind the counter and headed somewhere deep, striving to hide behind monumental cabinets with books. It seems she doesn't even wish to make sure if I follow her? No, of course, I followed, but what phenomenal presumption! Just like elves… And yes, now I found myself in the place of an ordinary person annoyed by this rather common character trait for elves.
Walking almost to the very depth of the room, Madam Pince led me to one of the rows with cabinets and, turning around, pointed at them with her hand.
"Here is the archive of various periodicals and other non-educational publications, one way or another connected with the activities of pureblood wizarding families of England, France, and Germany."
"I didn't even hope that such things could be found in a school library."
"Mr. Granger," Madam Pince looked at me even more strictly. "The Hogwarts library is the most complete library both on the Isles and in Europe. Even such a ridiculous magazine in the eyes of the majority as 'The Quibbler' is honored with its place here. You, I dare hope, know how to handle books?"
"No, what do you mean, I don't even know how to read."
It seemed to me that Madam Pince's eyes would simply pop out of their orbits now.
"Mm-hmm, there is no place for irony and sarcasm within these walls," I shook my head. "Of course I know how."
"Do not be ironic. My question was not out of idle curiosity, Mr. Granger. You would be surprised if you learned how strikingly illiterate young wizards occasionally enter this school. Food and drinks are prohibited. Hands must be clean. Do not apply spells to books. Ladder…"
Madam Pince pointed to a ladder with wheels leaning against one of the cabinets.
"Reading tables…" now she pointed towards the window, where a couple of tables were located at this end of the library. I saw the same ones at the ends of other rows, as well as in the reading room.
"Have a useful time," Madam Pince said goodbye in a peculiar way and went to her counter, but turned around after a couple of steps. "And one more thing. There must be silence in the library."
As soon as Madam Pince disappeared from sight, I examined this huge number of diverse books, notebooks, files, and magazines.
"As I used to say, without a couple of gallons of fine ale, a good dwarf won't cope with the task set…"
Examining everything again and properly estimating the volume of work self-imposed on myself, I spat on everything. If I decided to study local magic, it doesn't mean that I will limit myself in such ambiguous circumstances. Properly straining will and mind, I "exerted myself," releasing thinnest tendrils of invisible energy around. If one could see these tendrils, I would look like a plasma lamp.
Making sure that I can perform this trick in principle, I took a notebook out of my triangle backpack, put it on the table, and directed one of the tendrils to it. Now I need to focus, wish to find a word in books. Malfoy.
The tendrils began to feel the literature on the shelves. If one of them found the word "Malfoy," the tendril connected to the notebook outputted the book title, page number, paragraph, and line in a string. Later it will be possible to find a specific book in a similar way—the tendril finding it will sort of tense up, and since they are connected to me, I will simply understand which tendril gave the signal.
Well, time to do some monotonous work.
. . . . .
Mental fatigue is an extremely unpleasant state. But it was in such a state that I returned in the evening from the library to the House common room. I managed to find mentions of the Malfoys in a fairly large amount of literature, but compared to the total volume of books in that section—very little. The remaining time was enough to deal with three books and five magazines in which this surname was mentioned—nothing particularly significant.
Entering the common room, I noted that the atmosphere here, as always, is quite friendly. Students are discussing something peacefully, five are messing with some strange and suspicious vegetation in pots, a few more people are playing chess that moves by itself. A few girls, gathered in a friendly team on large sofas, are actively and cheerfully discussing magazines, sometimes giggling after guys. Looking into that corner where I sat last time, I noticed all five classmates there.
"Hi, folks," I nodded as soon as I approached.
"Oh, Hector," Justin smiled immediately. "And I saved a seat for you here."
And nods at the armchair in which I sat before. Comfortable, and the view of the entire common room is generally magnificent.
"And didn't even occupy it?" I asked, sitting down and crossing my legs.
"It was a sin to occupy the place where you sat so royally," the movie villain shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah," Ernie nodded. "Walked by yesterday, saw it. Almost stumbled."
The guys themselves settled here no worse—dragged a sofa and an armchair, replaced the small table with a quite full-fledged one. In general, everything is civilized.
"Tell us, did you find what you were looking for?"
"Not quite, Justin. But moving in the right direction."
"And what were you looking for?" Susan perked up.
"Information about the world around—nothing more."
"Oh, well, you can always ask us."
"As soon as the need arises—I will immediately turn to you," I answered with a smile to the girl, who blushed a little for some reason. "And what are you doing?"
"Checking if we completed all assignments."
"Hmm, let's verify…"
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