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Chapter 4: Gathering Appropriate Sources
The next morning bright an early Dan dropped Hermione off at the mundane entrance to the Ministry of Magic where she proceeded to the central resource library. As Hermione had been a frequent visitor to the Central Resource Library during the last summer holidays the librarian updated her reading card so she had more privileges to access materials.
Hermione had driven the staff batty with her frequent requests so the librarians thought they might as well give her the access she needs so she can do it herself and not bother the busy reference librarians. We know she is good with books as Irma Price vouched for her last year and from her own memory the desk librarian remembered that young witch was good with the tomes and materials they had in the Ministry's collection.
Hermione had a list of items that she wanted to find and double check. Unfortunately the magical library did not have a photocopier and she was not allowed to do magic outside of school so she could not magically make copies. Hermione was also hampered by the effect of magic on electronic devices but it was Kretcher's suggestion that found them an appropriate solution while providing Hermione with more time to gather information.
The plan was that Hermione was going to get a work area that enabled her to spread out her books and her note pad. Using mini post it notes Hermione was to mark the sections of the book she wanted copied and Kretcher who would be disillusioned would make a copy of the materials before returning the book to the shelves using magic. The copies of the materials would be filed in either of the library visitors' bags. These satchel bags were charmed in a manner that made them expandable and feather light. To make it look like she was copying out massive sets of notes Hermione was using a notepad and pencil to make the note taking process observable.
By 9 am one of the librarians who had remembered the quiet girl from last year had stopped by Hermione's workspace and her large spread of book stacks. Taking pity on the young mundane witch the librarian removed the underage charm on Hermione's wand.
"Just remember no magic at home", she whispered. "Do you know the textcopying, sourcing and book reshelving charms?" she inquired.
"Yes Madam. Thank you so much for assisting me with my wand and I will remember not do any magic in my mundane home. However I have a technical inquiry or two for you that I need some help with please", advised Hermione before addressing her queries to the helpful librarian. There was a short discussion and Hermione made a number of notes in her notebook for later.
Since there was now two of them working on the copying task at once they human and elf team had completed all of Hermione required sources by 10:30 am. After checking her watch and the list of tasks she had for this visit Hermione felt that she had enough time to move onto some additional information that she had on her one day when if I get a chance list I will look up.
While putting her copies into the satchel case Hermione whispered to Kretcher if he knew how to make complete copies of texts.
"Yes Miss I can do duplicate books for you and send them to the house", he quietly advised her.
"So while we are here can you copy books from the family history and legal section over there that your master does not already have copies of please. I would like you to store the copies of the books at my family home for now. How long do you think it will take for you to do this?", she inquired.
"I can do that section in the next ten minutes", he advised.
"Please do so. Kretcher can you enter the ministry library at any time and copy the books?" Hermione inquired with her brain firing with potential options it could open for her and their revolution.
"Yes miss but it would be better if I do it in normal opening hours. After hours the cleaning and stacking elves would notice me and report me for sneaking. So it is better in busy times then it looks like I am a ministry elf", quietly advised the old elf. He had definitely been in the diversion game before thought Hermione.
After strolling through the stacks Hermione and Kretcher had duplicated a fair number of texts on a range of topics. If the books were found at Hogwarts the text would likely be stored in the restricted section. After a very productive morning Hermione and the disillusioned Kretcher left the ministry via the Muggle gateway.
When they made it back into the city of London streets Hermione exhaled a rather large breath. They had made it. Hermione quickly organized with Kretcher that he would take both satchels back to her house and then bring another charmed bag back for her so she could visit Diagon Alley and to visit one of her favourite shops, Flourish and Blotts.
When Kretcher returned with a newly charmed handbag that included all the letters Sirius had wanted her to deliver Hermione then hailed a black cub to take her to Liverpool Street Railway station. From there she made the short two minute walk to Liverpool Street Tube station where she promptly exited through another entrance to make sure that there was no one tailing her. Nipping round to the cab rank she hailed one to take her to the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Road so she could enter Diagon Alley. With a smile at Tom and wave at Tom on her way in she advised him she needed to get some books to help with her holiday homework as he let her through to the magical shopping street.
Going into Gringotts Hermione waited in the queue looking at her watch and hoping that she would be out within half an hour cause she had to meet Andy Tonks in Flourish and Blotts.
After changing pounds into Gallons she packed away her coins in the bag while slipping out the two letters that she had for the goblin nation with the Senior Teller who had been serving her. With great respect she asked if Senior Teller Revenge could deliver the letters to the account manager of the Black accounts. Seeing the seal on the back of one letter he simply nodded.
"Thank you for your help today with my transactions Senior Teller Revenge. May your gold always flow and be highly profitable while your enemies tremble", she intoned before leaving the surprised goblin to make her way down to Flourish and Blotts. Closing his hatch Revenge rushed to Account Manager Sharpespear who quickly read the missive from Lord Sirius Orion Black who leapt into action demanding that Senior Teller Revenge follow him to see the branch manager.
After reading both letters that had been hand delivered to Gringotts, the Branch Chief Goblin Bloodtooth swore both the Account Manager and the Senior Teller into absolute secrecy. Calling in the Goblin known as Skulk from the internal security unit into the branch managers office Bloodtooth expressed his anger and concern that there were issues within the branch that suggested a potentially disloyal goblin or goblins to be passing or assisting theft from the goblin nation and their clients. The intake of breath by Skulk and the others present was sudden and the palpable anger that there could be disloyalty and betrayal to the nation brought on palpitations in Senior Teller Revenge. Bloodtooth left it very clear to all present in his office that there would be an internal investigation and full audit of the Potter Vaults and just to be on the safe side the Black vaults as well.
Xxxx
After her mission in the goblin bank Hermione made her way to Flourish and Blotts with 15 minutes to spare before she proceeded to peruse the shelves in the various sections.
Precisely at 1pm a mature witch with a small stack of books in her arms bumped into Hermione knocking both their selections to the floor. "Oh dear I am just as bad as my daughter Nymphadora", she exclaimed before bending down to help Hermione in trying to sort out the piles of books.
"Do you have an interest in healing?" she asked Hermione noticing one of her books.
"Yes my parents are non-magical teeth healers which are known as dentists", replied Hermione.
"Sorry, my name is Madam Andromedia Tonks. I am a potions mistress and general practice healer", the kindly woman advised Hermione.
"It is nice to meet you Madam Tonks, I am Hermione Granger", said the young witch after placing the books onto the shelves so she could extend her hand in greeting to the lady with a similar interest to her. "Can you give me some advice over a good selection please especially for household complaints?"
Flipping through Hermione's book selection Madam Tonks asked "Are you likely to encounter quidditch injuries?"
"Yes Madam both my best friends and their extended family play the sport. I tend to be on the ground and be one of the first to get to them when they fall off their brooms", Hermione advised.
"These are good but I would ditch the Medley's and see if they have a Household Domestica. I can see you are interested in Domestic Charms and Transfiguration as well and the one book would assist in all three areas the medical and the household management. Can I inquire why you are interested in household maintenance charms?" asked Madam Tonks looking at the young witch.
"I have only briefly been in the magical world and that has been in school. I want to understand magical houses and homelife. Also Professor Flitwick set a bonus charms essay task that relates to the use of household charms and I thought that I would get some general reading in first before I research my specific charm type", advised the young witch.
"Here I would take the Nigella book", advised Madam Tonks while handing her a selection from the shelf area where they were reviewing Hermione's book selection. "It was nice to meet you and if you have any questions for your assignments or self-study please don't hesitate to call or write to me. Here is my card" the older witch instructed holding out a printed address card.
"Thank you for your advice on my selection Madam Tonks" Hermione advised the kind witch while returning the Medleys back to the medical section and grabbing a Household Domestica.
"You are welcome. My husband Ted is a first generation wizard so I understand what you mean about magic and its uses in home maintenance and homelife. What seems as normal to me would be different for you if you have not been exposed to it before. I have to go now and meet my daughter on her lunch break but please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to know more about wizarding homelife. It was nice meeting you Hermione".
"Thank you again for your help and goodbye Madam Tonks. I will contact you if I need some more advice for the research", said Hermione as she left Madam Tonks to go to another section of the store. Hermione had transferred Sirius's letters to Andy Tonks when the book selection had been picked off the floor. Madam Tonks' exchange with Hermione had been slipped in the Nigella book she had passed to her. After transferring the messages and letters that had been inside the cover of the Nigella "Magical Cooking and Domestic Goddess" book into her purse, Hermione took her book selection up to the front counter. Since she was there at the bookshop already she also purchased her school text books for the third year and picked up a new catalogue for the book mailing service.
"Miss Granger we also have your book orders here as well do you want to collect everything today?" the sales assistant enquired.
"Yes please and can you pack them into collapsible stacks so I can carry everything home easily", Hermione asked thinking what sodding order they normally send it out to me. "How much do I owe you today?" she enquired.
"Your account has been credited so you now have a balance of 400 gallons Miss and of course todays selections will go on your frequent shopper parchment notice" the sales assistant advised as he handed over the collapsible stack and her sales receipts.
"I have also put in some additional information sheets for our bookclubs and information resource collection services, just remember when you get home it is one touch of your wand and your shopping package will open.
After her nice surprise in Flourish and Blotts with the account credit and how much she had available Hermione wondered up Diagon Alley visiting the Stationary Emporium, Timbuktu Trunk Makers and of course the Magical Menagerie where she saw an orange half keasle, called Crookshanks. Talking to the owner of the Magical Menagerie she asked if Crookshanks could be put on hold until she asked her parents promising to owl tomorrow with the advice whether she was allowed to have a cat. While in the Magical Menagerie Hermione picked up a selection of owl treats as she had noticed that her parent's supplies were running low.
Before leaving Diagon Alley Hermione decided that she would have a ice cream treat from Florian's. When entering Florian's she was recognised by Madam Tonks and she called her over to the table with her daughter. Hermione was introduced to the trainee Auror Nymphadora Tonks. It was interesting to listen to the two women talk about their lives while she ate her ice cream. Nymphadora gave Hermione her card and told her to owl her if she wanted to talk about a career in the law before she headed off back to work. At the end of the ice cream Hermione thanked Madam Tonks for all the help she had given her in the bookshop again and how kind she had been to her to invite her to join her table.
After completing her ice cream Hermione left Diagon Alley and started to walk back down Charing Cross Road towards the near by major mundane shopping area. When she was sure that she was not being followed she stopped at a bus stop shelter and called for Kretcher. The house elf then popped her back home.