Chapter 4: Francis' interest in history unnerves the librarian.
IV
Restrictions
[Hogwarts September 2017]
"What do you mean they're in the restricted section? They're bloody newspapers!" One can only imagine the scandalous knowledge a newspaper may impart to Francis' young and impressionable mind. Quidditch scores, who won the local election, what new brand of slug repellant has been recalled for safety…
"Language, young man! And volume! You're in a library!" Madame Pince shushes him sternly. "I don't make the rules, I just enforce them."
"If I had a knut for every time someone said that to me." Francis mutters.
"Another word out of you and it'll be fifty points from Slytherin." She says this like it's a threat.
"Oh no! Wouldn't want to lose any house points. God forbid." His sarcasm is not lost on Madame Pince, who slams a book down on the counter before her. Everyone in the library turns to look in her direction.
"Detention, Mr - what's your name?"
"Potter." Francis says. Everyone loves the Potters so much you'd think they're all personally responsible for ridding the world of evil. Madame Pince narrows her eyes as if to say nice try. "Can you just tell me why I can't look at a newspaper from 1958?"
She gives the answer everyone gives when they don't know but don't want to sacrifice their authority. "Because."
"Have you tried asking some people who were alive during that time about - whatever it is you're trying to learn about?" A Ravenclaw girl with shimmering white hair and big blue eyes says over his shoulder, making him jump.
"Yes. But nobody remembers me." Francis snaps. Or at least McGonagall and Professor Binns don't. To Francis' surprise, the staff at Hogwarts has had a high turnover rate of late.
"I remember you. From Charms. You are very good at levitation." The Ravenclaw girl says. Francis stares at her, struggling to recall her name. "Pandora Lovegood." She says, as if reading his mind.
"Right. You were telling me about those cards."
"Tarot cards." Pandora says.
"I know what they're called." Francis huffs. "You were saying that they don't just predict the future, but that they're a framework for the cycle of life and death or something."
"The path to self-discovery." Pandora nods her head. "I could do a reading for you, if you want."Francis eyes her warily. "It'll be confidential, of course. I don't have many friends here so who would I tell?"
"I'll think about it." Francis hastily packs up his things.
"You don't have many friends here either, do you?" Pandora watches him.
"I don't have many friends anywhere." Francis says bluntly, with a sharp frown.
"I don't like it much. It's nice to have people to talk to sometimes." Pandora says wistfully. Her statement hangs in the air between them and goes without a response.
As Francis drags his feet out of the library, trying to figure out which professor he might manage to convince to give him a permission slip to check out a stupid old newspaper, he walks right into James Potter, who's carrying an armful of books.
"Oi! Watch where you're going!" He barks. But when he realizes who it is, he finds himself picking up the books and handing them back to James Potter. Apparently even he thinks the Potters are royalty.
"You're from the hospital." James says, remembering the scruffy boy who was rude to his father. "The one my dad was talking too. Did they ever figure out what happened to you?"
"No. Figures though, right? I mean, what do they know?"
"Huh?" James adjusts the books in his arms.
"So when did they start locking up newspapers around here?"
"Newspapers?"
"You know, the old issues of the Prophet. The librarian won't let me look at one, says I need permission."
"Why d'you want to look at an old newspaper?" James has never looked at a newspaper in his life. Those are for old people, and for pets to use as toilets.
"Thought it might help me figure out what happened." Francis looks around, as if Madame Pince might be hovering just behind him. "Not only that, I can't seem to find any books in here on recent history. Like stuff that's happened in the last century."
"Oh." James nods. "I dunno. There's a lot of stuff in the restricted section now that wasn't before. That's what my dad says anyway. After the battle of Hogwarts, they wanted to prevent other students from getting their hands on anything even remotely dangerous."
"There was a battle? At Hogwarts?"
"Um, yeah. Everyone knows that. You really did lose it, didn't you?" James laughs. Francis doesn't. "Anyway, I gotta read these." James looks down at the stack of books he's carrying with immense distaste.
"Have fun with that." Francis pushes past him and continues out of the library. As he walks, he wipes the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.