The holiday break was coming around the corner. As Sirius was packing up to depart the next day, James broke the silence.
"So, going to explore the Muggle World, are you?" James asked.
"Yes, we're going to a Muggle library," Sirius answered.
James grinned. "Do you want my invisibility cloak?" he asked, throwing the cloak in Sirius' direction.
"Er, why would I need your cloak?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, you never know," James replied with a smirk. "You could sneak into sections of the library where your grandparents wouldn't want you to be."
"Er, James, Muggle libraries work a little differently than Wizarding libraries," Sirius said with a laugh.
"Oh, come on, I'm sure they have a restricted section like Wizarding libraries," James said. Sirius, Severus, and Remus rolled their eyes.
"James, Muggle libraries don't have a restricted section," Remus informed him. James widened his eyes in shock.
"What?! No restricted section? You mean, Muggles can just read whatever books they want?" James asked excitedly.
"Correct," Severus confirmed. "The only real restriction is if a parent or guardian tells you not to read certain books. Other than that, you're free to read whatever."
"But, what if there are dark books?" James asked, not quite grasping the concept of a library not having a restricted section. Even the Potter library had restrictions on which books could be read.
Severus sighed dramatically while Sirius grinned.
"Remember, James, Muggle libraries don't have books on Transfiguration, the dark arts, or any of that," he reminded him. "Therefore, there is no need for a restricted section." James was impressed. He was thinking of all the things he could read if he had the chance to go to a Muggle library.
"Brilliant," James breathed.
The next day, most of the Marauders got onto the train, except for Sirius and Regulus. They were staying behind at the school until their grandparents were ready to leave.
"Have a great holiday!" Mary said as they were about to leave.
"We'll see you at Yule," Capella said, giving Sirius and Regulus a hug.
"Unless Grandmother and Grandfather do another surprise visit before then," Lyanna added. The year before, Arcturus and Melania had paid a visit to their house on short notice before the Yule celebration. They had wanted to make sure that Marius and Ilaria were prepared for certain family members' backlash for their involvement in a pure-blood family gathering, seeing as they were the only two Squibs. Arcturus and Melania hadn't just wanted them to be surprised by the rude attitude some members would have towards them. Marius was already prepared for it, seeing as he had been to gatherings before as a boy before being disowned, whereas Ilaria was not as prepared. To put it simply, the Yule Ball had been tense last year.
"I hope Grandfather Pollux doesn't curse your parents again this year," Regulus said with a shudder.
Lyanna scowled. "He was a mean pezzo di merda," she muttered.
"Do I even want to know what you just said?" Sirius asked.
"Probably not," Capella said, giving her sister a thumbs up. She then spoke to Lyanna. "Non lasciare che mamma e papà ti sentano dire questo!" she told her.
Lyanna grinned. Sirius and Regulus gave each other confused glances. This wasn't French, so they assumed it was Italian.
"You better get going, or you'll miss the train," Sirius cut into their conversation. They gave him and Regulus smiles before leaving.
"I still don't know if I want to know what they were saying," Regulus commented.
"Me neither," Sirius said. "But the fact that she switched to Italian in the middle of her sentence means it was probably something bad."
"True," Regulus said. They headed up to the headmaster's office to wait for their grandparents.
Two days later, the four Blacks were dressed in Muggle clothing, so they would blend in. They were going to the nearest Muggle library. Black Manor wasn't too far from the Muggle town. It was located in the magical part of Yorkshire, so they were going to visit the Muggle part.
"Are we ready?" Melania asked, making sure Sirius and Regulus looked their best.
"Yes," the brothers said in unison. With that, they headed out.
They met Cassiopeia outside of the Muggle library. "Good afternoon," she greeted them in her usual formal tone.
"Good afternoon, Cassiopeia," Arcturus greeted her. "Let's go inside. Perhaps we can go in two groups to cover some ground, one group of two, and one group of three."
Cassiopeia nodded. "I'll take Sirius, you and Melania can take Regulus." It was agreed upon. They headed inside in their groups.
The library was big, but in Sirius' opinion, it wasn't quite as big as the magical ones. This one was nothing compared to the Black Family library at Black Manor or Grimmauld Place.
Cassiopeia and Sirius spent the first fifteen minutes just trying to find the right category of books. If it had been a magical library, it would have taken much less time. They took another twenty minutes just to find a book that they hoped was promising.
Cassiopeia flipped open the book, and, after reading the table of contents, quickly shut it. "Not what we're looking for," she said, putting the book back on the shelf. It went like this for several more books, until she finally found one that she didn't immediately shut. She handed it to Sirius to read from a page she had opened.
In 1921, James Biggs of Brazil invented the white cane, a tool that is used today to help a blind or visually impaired individual navigate in the community. Biggs painted his walking stick white in order for people to notice him when crossing the street. Since then, the white cane has developed, and it is now sold in different sizes. The size of the cane depends on the height of the individual.
The white cane helps a blind or visually impaired individual find things like curbs, sidewalks, holes, stairs, and more. White canes are highly encouraged if an individual has a visual impairment.
"That's it!" Sirius exclaimed when he had finished reading. "Aunt Cassie, let's go tell the others." They headed over to Regulus, Arcturus, and Melania, who were, by the looks of it, having too much fun reading about things that were definitely not on the topic at hand.
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Unlike you three, we have found something," she stated.
"Well, we were on the right track, until Grandmother found a book that sounded interesting," Regulus said with a grin.
"What did you find?" Arcturus asked. Sirius handed him the book. Arcturus read it aloud. "So that's what he needs," Arcturus said once he'd finished. "A white cane."
"Then he'll be able to get around Hogwarts!" Regulus said excitedly.
"Then that's what we'll do," Arcturus decided. "We'll find out where to get him one of these white canes."
"As long as we don't just paint a walking stick white," Sirius joked.
"No, because we would have to ask your great-grandfather for one of his spare walking sticks, and that would never happen," Melania said with a smirk.
Sirius and Regulus shuddered at the mention of their great-grandfather Sirius II. He was a nasty piece of work, and they would all rather jump into the Black Lake at Hogwarts than ask him for help with anything.
"No, we'll find a white cane that is for the visually impaired," Arcturus said with a smile. They all left the library with the answer they had been seeking. Now, they just had to get Yeoman a cane.
Author's note: Remember, Marius, Ilaria, Capella, and Lyanna live in Italy, so they know Italian. Here are the translations.
Italian: Pezzo di merda.
English: Piece of shit.
Italian: Non lasciare che mamma e papà ti sentano dire questo!
English: Don't let Mother and Father hear you say that!