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Hermione's digital watch went off the following morning at 8 am. That gave her enough time to make it down to breakfast and then to the library by 9 to finish her potions parchment along with some personal research. She quietly rummaged through her trunk for the new Gryffindor jumper she bought from Madam Malkin's before term. As she pulled it out she smiled at the memory of her parents being asked about the nuances of muggle life by Mr. Weasley. Over the summer Mrs. Weasley owled Hermione asking if she and her parents would like to spend an afternoon in Diagon Alley. Hermione jumped at the chance to be back in the magical community and as far away from her parent's dental office as she could. During their afternoon Mr. Weasley finally found out the function of helium balloons while Mr. and Mrs. Granger learned more about the world Hermione was a part of. She quickly threw on a pair of her softest jeans and headed to the girls lavatory.
Since it was Saturday morning the Hall was mostly empty except for a few early risers, including Neville who was studying a strange potted plant he had brought to breakfast. Weekday breakfasts usually consisted of the boys using all the butter and Ron talking loudly with his mouth full. But this morning for once the young Gryffindor was able to eat her breakfast in peace. Finishing her toast Hermione discretely poured some hot tea into her Thermos to take with her to the library and slipped the container into her canvas bag.
On her way to the library she saw the Beauxbatons girls exit their carriage and head towards the Hall. She was only able to get a quick look at the group through a window before they rounded the corner and were out of sight. In that quick moment she saw no sight of the girl from the night before. Quickly she closed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts then headed on towards her sanctuary.
Once she was settled in her spot she finished up her writings for potions and polished off her smuggled in tea. With that out of the way Hermione made her way over the magical creatures section of the library. There she began her hunt for any information regarding veelas. Growing frustrated after pouring over dozens of books Hermione sat on the floor with a Ministry issued volume of Magical Creatures: Classification and Regulations. The only new information she could find was. "Veelas have never been referred to as beings or as beasts, so their legal status is currently unclear. They are considered "cousins" of sirens." With that the brunette shut the book and was beginning to get up to reshelve it when a dull gold spine caught her attention. The book somehow got shoved behind a row of books about banshees and was pressed against the back of the shelf, almost out of sight. She kneeled to take a better look at the bottom row and fished the worn and dusty book out. She wiped the spine but couldn't make out the faded title, so she turned it to the front cover where in neat gold script it read: Veelas: A Guide.
Her mind raced and her heart soared, finally she could find some answers. The most pressing matter was the strange feeling that she could not shake when the older girl looked at her the night before and the smile she had flashed across the Great Hall. And according to Ginny and the Ministry this book shouldn't exist and why was it hidden in the Hogwarts library? She continued to dust the book off with the sleeve of her jumper as she made her way through the stacks back to her corner of the library. There she sat cross legged with the book open resting in her lap. With the well-worn book open she skimmed the chapter titles. The first page read:
Veelas: A Guide.
Chapter 1: Culture and Heritage
Chapter 2: The Clan
Chapter 3: History of the Veelas
Chapter 4: Mates
Chapter 5: Veela Magic
Chapter 6: Transformation
The book was short, with only six chapters Hermione figured she could read the whole thing before lunch. Just as she was about to start on the first chapter, she heard the soft click of shoes on the ancient wood floors. She slipped the book into her bag and pulled out her advanced charms textbook instead. Just as she flipped to the current chapter they were working on, a blonde girl wearing worn oxfords, pale blue button down tucked into jeans came around the corner.