Professor McGonagall escorted Belle back to the Great Hall for lunch, though they of course parted ways at their respective tables. Belle didn't see Ginny, so she sat down in an empty area, pulled out her Field Guide, and caught up on some of the pages she hadn't read yet.
Thankfully, no one spoke to Belle during the time that she ate her lunch. She felt a little adrift without Ginny and wasn't sure where to go. She enjoyed reading about the wizarding world in her book, but she hadn't the faintest idea what this Professor Flitwick looked like.
Luckily, he came to her. "Oho, hello Miss Granger," a very tiny man said from his position standing by the opposite side of the table. "Ready for your lesson?"
Belle had seen him sitting at the table where all the professors sat so she guessed — or rather, hoped — that this was Professor Flitwick.
"Yes, sir," she said, standing up and following him out of the hall. He led her through many corridors through the castle until they reached a classroom. He opened the door for her and then closed it behind her.
"Professor McGonagall filled me in on the situation," the man said after closing the door. "How very strange and remarkable. I've never come across anything like it. Of course, Miss Granger would be the one to accomplish something like this."
Belle didn't know what to say and felt nervous.
"Oh, how rude of me!" The man said. "I haven't properly introduced myself." He extended his hand towards her. "My name is Professor Filius Flitwick and I teach Charms here at Hogwarts."
Belle took his hand and shook it. "My name is Belle," she said, appreciating his kindness and open nature.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Belle," Professor Flitwick said brightly. "Is there anything you'd like to know before we get into our lessons?"
"I have so many things I'd like to know, Professor," Belle laughed. "But I'll start with this. What is Charms?"
"Oh! Charms is a vital subject for any person learning to do magic. It's where a young witch or wizard learns how to produce spells with precision through proper pronunciation and wand movements," Professor Flitwick explained excitedly. "Unlike other subjects, our sole focus is on producing spells and magic. Charms can also be an outlet for creative expression in magic."
"Thank you," Belle replied. "I discovered when I was practicing magic with Ginny that I could produce magic without casting spells."
"Interesting," Professor Flitwick said, sounding thoughtful. "Why don't you show me, if you don't mind?"
"Okay," Belle said, withdrawing Hermione's — her — wand from her wand pocket in her robes. "Ginny gave me different tasks to do, like levitate a feather."
"Let's start with that then," Professor Flitwick said, brandishing his wand and a basket of feathers appeared on a nearby desk.
Belle held the wand in her hand and imagined the top feather floating. Immediately, it began to float towards her.
"Astounding!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "Did you think of any incantations?"
"No, sir," Belle replied. "I just imagined it floating."
Similar to Ginny, Professor Flitwick gave Belle a series of tasks to perform with magic with increasing difficulty. Belle was able to do every one of them.
"Magic is a complex and many layered thing," Professor Flitwick mused. "Other countries and cultures have developed different ways of performing magic. From what I understood from Professor McGonagall, you come from a different time period and different country."
"But I was never able to do magic before now!" Belle cried. "I didn't even know magic was real until two days ago when I saved my father from an enchanted castle."
"An enchanted castle, you say?" Professor Flitwick asked. "It sounds like you have quite the story. Would you mind telling it to me?"
So Belle explained what had happened to her up until that point. She felt like she should mention her dream, so she told Professor Flitwick that she suspected her mother might have gone to Hogwarts.
"Now that's an interesting thought!" Professor Flitwick cried. "Why don't you go to the library and look up past student records?"
"I can do that?" Belle asked.
"Yes, tell Madam Pince, the librarian, from what time range you'd like to see them and you'll be able to examine the lists," Professor Flitwick advised.
"Thank you very much, Professor!" Belle said. "Was there anything else you'd like to do today?"
"No, that will be all," Professor Flitwick replied.
"Thank you," Belle said. "I will go to the library now before dinner."
Belle gathered her bag and made her way to the door. Before opening it, she paused. "Do you know why I'm able to perform magic the way I can?"
Professor Flitwick looked at her for a long moment. "I suspect that you are naturally able to replace verbal incantations with strong mental visualization. I also suspect you might have challenges with more advanced types of magic that require complex incantations, but that's not something you'll need to know how to do at this moment. Better focus on catching up."
Belle nodded, not quite sure if she understood his meaning fully, but she got the idea. "Thank you, Professor. Have a good day."
Belle entered the hallway and stopped dead in her tracks. She realized she had no idea where the library was. She began to walk aimlessly for a few minutes before remembering her Field Guide. She took it out and asked it where the library was. The book opened to a map of Hogwarts and she could see a little flag that indicated the library's location and an arrow. Belle started to walk and realized that the arrow represented her location. Belle was astounded at how useful this guide was and how she'd be able to find her away around the castle on her own. It gave her a sense of independence and empowerment that she realized she hadn't had before. Thanks to this Guide, Belle had agency over her new life at Hogwarts.
Belle followed the map to the library and recognized the stern librarian at once, seated at her desk.
"Excuse me," Belle said to the librarian that Professor Flitwick had called Madam Pince. "Could you help me find student records from the 1720's?"
Madam Pince's gaze scrutinized Belle. "And why, might I ask, would you need such a tome?"
Belle scrambled for an explanation. "It's an assignment from Professor Flitwick." It wasn't a lie, he had been the one to tell her to go ask the librarian about the records, after all.
Madam Pince raised her eyebrow at Belle but, thankfully, didn't question her further. She briskly walked out from behind her desk and through the various bookcases until she stopped before one.
"Here you can find all of Hogwarts student records," Madam Pince said. "The ones from the 1700s can be found here," she pointed at a shelf. "Be careful. These are extremely old and fragile."
"I will, thank you," Belle said.
Madam Pince eyed Belle again. "Something seems…different about you."
Belle shrugged. "It's a nice day," she commented, not sure what to say.
Madam Pince's eyes narrowed, but then her attention was drawn away by a loud outcry of laughter from a few bookcases down and she ran off to shush the offending merrymakers.
Relieved to be away from Madam Pince's piercing gaze, Belle turned her attention back to the shelf the librarian had indicated.
Belle opened a volume at random and saw that the years written on the page said 1723. It looked to be a list of students and what house they'd been sorted into. She flipped through the pages until she found the year 1731. That's when she suspected her mother might have started Hogwarts. She'd heard that children started Hogwarts at 11.
Belle scanned the pages, looking for her mother's name. A wave of emotion flooded through Belle. There it was. Colette Ashworth, Ravenclaw. That was her mother's maiden name. And it seemed like she'd been sorted into Ravenclaw. Belle didn't know anyone in Ravenclaw, but she'd read that it was a house known for its intellect and wit. Her mother certainly was witty and smart. Belle inherited her love of books and reading from her mother.
Belle stared at the pages, stunned. Her mother had gone to Hogwarts. Her mother had been able to do magic.
She flipped through the pages to see if she could find anything else about her mother, but it seemed to simply be a book that showed which students enrolled in Hogwarts and what house they'd been sorted into. There were no additional details about the students. Belle wondered if it were possible to find more. But for now, she had enough to think about. She wasn't sure what she'd be able to do with more information about her mother besides satisfy her own curiosity and longing to know her mother more deeply.