The Simple House of Duffrey

(8) The Dark Aisle

Classes had actually gone quite smooth for the rest of the year so far. Anna's reaction to her own patronus had apparently taken many of the other students on notice. Indeed, when the holidays first appeared Anna was less happy to leave Hogwarts than go home and visit her parents. No doubt her father Devin who had not written her must have had bad feelings about his only other child being a Gryffindor. Anna had decided through correspondence with Mary that they wouldn't reveal the information Mr. Binns had shared with her. In fact, Mary had come up with a plan.

Since leaving Hogwarts she had taken up a position with Mr. Scribbulus who not only owned a writing shop but also two other storefronts where he sold assorted second-hand merchandise. Mary was quite excited of course by the secondhand bookstore which was right next to Fortescue's ice cream parlor. Indeed, she had told Anna that her relationship with the Friar was a combination of favorite foods and the friar's knowledge of the best books in the library.

Today Mary was planning on her sister meeting her at the used bookstore which was closed for the holidays. Anna would be getting on a muggle train to London from the Hogwarts express so as to buy them more time before the parents got interested. As far as they knew Mary was picking her up anyway. Only a few candles' illuminated the right hand side of the store where one could see Mary from the street, opening an unusual book to pass the time. She thumbed the page pressing her golden glasses back up her nose and behind her long light brown hair. Mary was more one for function than fashion but she was still pretty, if not much shorter than her younger sister, whom everyone said was much taller than she should be anyway.

The storefront's bell jingled and in walked an ever so tall, dark haired Anna. Mary enjoyed seeing the Gryffindor emblem on her sister's over cloak. If only because she knew it made their father red under his collar. Their mother on the other hand was much happier with the outcome since it meant that her youngest daughter who looked nothing like her followed in the footsteps of her family. Again, one would wonder how Wenda and Devin got married.

"Don't get wet on the books" Mary touted over her pages at her snow ridden sister. She dropped the not so well written 'Tales of temptation among the trolls' back into a pile in order to lock the door behind Anna.

The store was rather simple looking with glass pane windows and rows of plain bookshelves. In fact, it was the artistry with which Mary seemed to reshelf and stack the books that brought attention these days. Often, she chose to feature her favorite reads on display and in exciting passages to tempt people into the store that would otherwise prefer new copies. Scribbulus had been thrilled at the boom in his Gringotts deposits and gave Mary a raise.

There was one spot however which the sunlight and overhead candles never seemed to touch even when the store was open. Since it had been lengthened with an extending charm there was always a back row that never saw light and rarely any customers. Mary had assumed dangerous texts were probably kept back there along with the histories of dangerous wizards.

That was exactly what her and Anna were looking for over the holiday. Was Salazaar really one of their ancestors?

Together the two sisters took a long walk into the back corridor. Passing by the shelves Anna saw many magic books some titled in runes which were tattered around the edges. She wondered if the repair charm she had seen some older students use could also make a book whole again. When they reached the darkened aisle, the books became illuminated by lamplight alone.

Mary who knew the indexing took to the bottom shelves while Anna glanced at those in her eye line. Her thumb glided across a few titles starting with numbers and symbols instead of letters.