Anybody Need a Book? [Open][Tag: Hayward]

Hayward was all set to go to Snowy Vale and pick up his books and was in fact already out of the castle when he realized he’d forgotten something incredibly important. He wasn’t allowed to visit Snowy Vale on his own. He groaned with the realization he’d need to find someone to go with him. When he’d left the common room only a few students had remained there, none of whom he knew well. There was always the option of asking professor Morrow to go with him, but he wasn’t sure where to find the man and he was hesitant to ask the professor to give up his free time to accompany him. Perhaps the best thing to do, Hayward thought, was to send miss Elwyn an owl to ask her to deliver the books after all.

Feeling disappointed at missing out on a trip to the bookstore, Hayward turned back towards the castle, only to see his Defense professor exiting the building. Perking up at having found a possible escort, Hayward approached the man. “Excuse me, professor Wiggleswade, are you going to Snowy Vale by any chance?”

Thaddeus looked at the student who’d approached him and recognized him as a Leona first year named Hayward Morrell. A good student, polite, and of an acceptable bloodline, which was the only reason Thaddeus deigned to answer the child. “Yes, I am,” he said. “Is there a reason you are prying into my personal life?”

Hayward flushed in embarrassment, for the question had been rather impertinent. But the possible reward was greater than his embarrassment, so Hayward plodded on. “I was just wondering, sir, because I’ve arranged to pick up some books at the book store today and I find myself without a group to go to Snowy Vale,” Hayward said. “Normally I’d be quite happy to go another time, but these are materials I need for a project I am working on.”

Seeing what the kid was hinting at, Thaddeus sneered. “And have you left your homework until such a late time that you cannot wait to get these materials?” he said, feeling disappointed in the boy. From someone who showed such work ethic in his class, Thaddeus had expected better. And then to try and get a professor to be complicit in such laziness? But Hayward quickly shook his head. “Oh no, sir, the project isn’t due for some time. It’s just that I can’t really start without these materials and I did promise miss Elwyn to pick them up. So I was hoping you might be willing to accompany me to the bookstore, sir.”

Well now, wasn’t that interesting? Whatever this project was, the kid was invested enough to practically beg. And it clearly wasn’t because of laziness, as Thaddeus had originally assumed. He was intrigued enough to acquiesce to Hayward’s request, which had the boy light up with a big smile. On the way to Snowy Vale, Thaddeus asked about the project, which set Hayward off. Thaddeus was impressed as he listened to the kid’s plans. Thaddeus was familiar enough with Virgil Morrell’s politics that he suspected the man was far from neutral. As such, his son’s project could only have one real goal, no matter how neutral the boy couched it, and that was to prove once and for all that the Dark Lord was Slytherin’s Heir. Setting out to prove the Dark Lord’s genealogy with sources was a goal Thaddeus could subscribe to, which made him happy he’d agreed to accompany the boy. Even a little contribution to this project was a matter of pride.

Once they reached Snowy Vale, Hayward fell silent, not wanting to broadcast his project too much. He feared he might have already said too much, but the professor had been so interested in it that Hayward just kept talking. Now, though, he silently followed the professor, who seemed to know exactly where they needed to be. He led them to an old, red-bricked building with a huge window that showed the entire shop. Row upon row of books, all unexplored. Hayward couldn’t wait to get inside.

“After you, mister Morrell,” professor Wiggleswade said, gesturing towards the door. “After all, you’re the one doing business today.” Hayward thanked the man with a nod of his head and pushed open the door, causing the bell hanging over the door the ring.

"Hi! What can I help you with?"

“Good morning,” Hayward said, approaching the counter the woman who’d greeted them stood behind. “I’m Hayward Morrell and I wrote about some books and a magazine article to miss Elwyn. Are you her?”

Thaddeus, who’d followed behind Hayward, stayed back a bit, near one of the tables holding some of the newer releases. He was in a perfect position to see Hayward and what he knew to be the proprietor, apparently named miss Elwyn. He’d never bothered to learn her name before. Just a look at her stock showed him she was a muggle-lover at best and a mudblood at worst. She had on some music, but it was soft enough that Thaddeus would be able to hear the conversation from where he was standing, unless they started whispering. To not draw any undue attention to himself, he picked up one of the books on the table, called A Beginner’s Guide to Curses and started leafing through it. He didn’t take in any of the words, though, as his attention was focused on the conversation between Hayward and Nita.


Tag: Nita Elwyn

((OOC: this was my first time writing two characters in the same post. I hope it wasn't confusing this way. If it was, please tell me and I'll put one of them in a different color entirely next time, instead of just the spoken words.))

Hayward smiled brightly as miss Elwyn told him that not only had the Gaunt book come in on time, she also had the magazine for him. “Thank you so much,” Hayward said as he pulled the magazine from the stack miss Elwyn had put down. “This issue is kind of central to my research project, so I couldn’t really start without it.”

The front of the magazine proclaimed it to be the Quibbler of September 1998, several months after the Battle of Hogwarts. The issue was actually called The True Tales of the Second Wizarding War, but it did have Harry Potter and Friends Tell All as the subtitle, which explained why his mother had remembered that as being the title, albeit slightly incorrectly. A quick look inside showed him the issue was filled with interviews and stories about the Second Wizarding War. There was indeed an article called The Truth About You Know Who, and much of it seemed to be an interview done by a Luna Lovegood with Harry Potter. Hayward looked forward to reading it and then picking it apart to show it for the lie it surely was.

Placing the magazine back on the stack, he said to miss Elwyn, “Yes, I’d like a bag for it, thank you. But I also want to take a look around first, so I might be adding some more books.” He turned to professor Wiggleswade and called out to him. “Professor, would you mind if I take a little bit of time to check out the books here? I might find another book that might help me and I’d want to at the very least make a note of it.”

Thaddeus had to suppress a smile at Hayward’s enthusiasm. Had he ever been that young and filled with wonder at everything? Probably, but Thaddeus couldn’t remember it. Due to keeping his ears tuned to the conversation Hayward was having with Nita, his question didn’t come as a surprise. Though Thaddeus did have to give him points for couching it as an extension of the reason they’d come here, instead of the rather transparent book lust the boy showed. So he decided to reward the boy’s effort. “I am not in a hurry,” he said. “So you’re welcome to look around.”

He put the book in his hands back down and picked up the one next to it, titled The Pocket Companion to Countercursing. He sneered at the popular title, knowing the contents were unreliable at best and utter nonsense at worst. He didn’t even need to read it, for he was familiar with the author, a pompous ass he’d encountered in his early years on the dueling circuit. The man hadn’t made it very far, as his spellwork was subpar. “Please tell me you have better books here than this,” Thaddeus said to Nita, “or I might rethink my decision to let mister Morrell spend his money here.”

Hayward took the paper bag with a quiet thank you and made a beeline to the non-fiction section of the store. It was organized by genre and though Hayward longed to look through everything, he didn’t want to impose too much on the professor’s time. So he decided to just look through the History of Magic section. That would just have to tidy him over until he could come back here to look around leisurely.



“I am Thaddeus Wiggleswade, Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Aurora,” Thaddeus introduced himself while he walked up to the counter with the book in his hand. He dropped the paperback onto the counter as if it was too distasteful to hold on to any longer. “And this dribble might have good reviews, but as I personally know the author, I can assure you that at best it’s hilariously unaccurate. And at worst, if people take it seriously, it will get them killed. The man had no head for strategy, could barely perform the simplest of defensive spells, and he never got the chance to show his offensive spells before he was blasted out of the dueling competitions he took part in. Had he the tenacity to keep trying, I might have believed he’d improved, but as he gave up after only three months of tournaments, I highly doubt it. In short, madam, I suggest removing this book from your shelves entirely.”



((OOC: a bit short, but I wanted to give Nita the chance to respond before throwing much more at her. Also, Thaddeus has turned into a bit of a pompous ass - sorry for that. He apparently sees Nita as below him.))

Thaddeus arched his eyebrow upwards at the tone Nita took with him. So unprofessional. And then to dismiss him like that. But he’d show her. She wanted his advice? Well, she was going to get it. Without a further word to Nita, Thaddeus turned and walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts section.

Meanwhile, Hayward was happily browsing through the History of Magic section. There were a lot of interesting books, but even if he could afford it he wouldn’t buy them all. Some he knew to be in the Aurora library, others he’d seen in professor Morrow’s office while he’d been sorting the teacher’s books. Others could be found in the library at home and his parents would be happy to send them to him if he asked. So those books he skipped, although he made mental notes if they were particularly interesting. For now, he’d already filled the paper bag miss Elwyn had given him with The Great Wizarding Wars of the Twentieth Century and Parselmouths Throughout the Ages. The first might have some information on the early years of the Dark Lord and the second should have information on Salazar Slytherin at the very least and most probably also his descendants since it was a hereditary trait. And, although it wasn’t for his project, he’d also added A Practical History of Magical Beasts to his stack, just because it sounded interesting.

Feeling he’d taken up enough of the professor’s time, even though the man was now idly browsing the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, three books in his hands, Hayward started to move towards the counter. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the titles on the shelves, though, and decided that he definitely needed to come back here. There were so many interesting books here, and some were on topics the Aurora library didn’t cover. And the Morrell family library was biased towards subjects his ancestors were interested in, so while they had a lot of books on Transfigurations because his great-uncle had been a Transfigurations Master, they had only minimal books on Charms since no one had really been interested in them aside from what was necessary to know.

Hayward passed the Muggle Studies section – it was fairly big and seemed to hold both wizarding books and Muggle books – but studiously kept his eyes off the title. Professor Morrow might be accepting of an academic interest in Muggles, but Hayward got the feeling professor Wiggleswade wouldn’t be tolerant of that at all. When Hayward reached the counter, he placed the paper bag with his books on it. “I’ll be taking these, miss Elwyn,” Hayward said.

Hayward smiled as he counted out ten galleons and put them on the counter. “I’ll definitely show them to professor Morrow. All of them except for A Practical History of Magical Beasts are for my project and I had to promise to let the professor approve of my sources before I used them,” Hayward said, a little distracted as he hunted for a sickle in his money bag. When he finally found one between the galleons and knuts, he pulled it out triumphantly and put it on the counter as well. “Here you go, miss Elwyn,” he said “And thank you so much for your help.”

A quick look towards professor Wiggleswade showed that the man was still browsing through the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, though it looked like he was almost done. Since Hayward didn’t mind waiting, he turned back to miss Elwyn. “The professor told me you would also be able to get Muggle books should I need them for my project. Can I simply owl you again if I find I need any?”

“Thank you,” Hayward said as he took the bag. “I doubt my father will want to see a receipt, but it can’t hurt to have one. And I’ll probably end up owling you again, once I’m trough with these sources.” Hayward chuckled. “Which will probably be next week or so, knowing myself.”

Just then, Thaddeus approached the counter with five books in his hands. He'noticed Hayward was done, though part of the conversation he'd had with Nita worried Thaddeus. But this was not the place to bring it up. Instead, Thaddeus focussed on educating Nita, after which they could leave. He put The Pocket Companion to Curses on the counter. “This one has the exact same problem as his newest book, despite, as you said, good reviews.” On top of that one, he piled two more books. “The Essential Guide To Hexing contains practical advice for hexing people, including at least fourteen hexes that are illegal in Canada. You might not want to sell it to people, lest anyone hold you accountable. Though at least the information is accurate. A Beginners Guide to Defensive Shields is dry, theoretical, and anything but basic. Not to mention half of the described wand movements are flawed.” Next, he placed Defend Yourself! A Practical Guide on the stack. “This book, while it contains excellent information, was published fifty years ago. There are several chapters which are outdated, most importantly the one on what is and isn’t legal when defending oneself. Also, there are many spells missing from it that have been developed since.”

Hayward watched with big eyes as professor Wiggleswade explained to miss Elwyn why some of the books she had in stock were subpar. It amazed Hayward that the professor had not just read all of those books, but also that he remembered the flaws of each of them so specifically without needing to refer to notes. Hayward hoped that one day he could be equally as knowledgeable, although he’d probably choose History of Magic as his field of expertise.

With a smirk, Thaddeus placed Curses and Countercurses, a Complete Compendium next to the stack of four books. “Now this book is truly excellent. If you want to promote something, I suggest using this one. It’s comprehensive, engagingly written, factual, and up to date. It is also useful for both beginners and advanced students.” He raised an eyebrow at Nita. “I trust I have informed you well enough with this information?” he asked, a slightly mocking tone in his voice.

"I'll be happy to hear from you whenever you happen to owl," Nita said to Hayward with another smile. "Book lovers are always welcome here."

She'd just said that when Wiggleswade--who seemed to be the opposite of a book lover--made his way back to the counter with five books in hand. He proceeded to explain why four of them shouldn't be on her shelves any longer. Nita had to force herself not to roll her eyes at him. Yes, she'd asked for this, and she'd expected something like this in response to her challenge, but that didn't make it any less annoying. "Thank you so much, Professor," she said. "I'll take note of all of that and make changes." She made a point of writing down the book titles so he could see her doing it. Again, she probably would pull all of the books he mentioned were flawed, but he could have found a less condescending way of suggesting it.


"Oh, yes, thank you for informing me with that information." Nita let the sarcasm drip off her words now. "Do you want me to put a 'Recommended by Professor Wiggleswade' sticker on that last one so people know you've approved it? I mean, knowing that you like the book, I'm sure all the students will just rush in here to buy it. I might need to order extra copies to keep up with the demand your approval will surely bring in. Do you want to buy a copy of it for yourself, by the way? Just so I can tell people you actually bought it?"

The bell over the door dinged. Nita looked over Wiggleswade's shoulder to see  another student--Trevor Campbell, one of her regulars from last year--walk in.  He made his way to the fiction section.  Ordinarily she would have greeted him, but he looked like he didn't want to be noticed at the moment, so she didn't say anything.  She hoped Wiggleswade would leave now that he was done criticizing her stock.  If he was like this here, she'd hate to see what he was like in class.  She'd bet money that Trevor was hiding from him.  

"Thank you very much," Nita said, only just resisting rolling her eyes. If he did send her an invitation, and she doubted he actually would, she would ignore it.  She would prefer to ignore this man as much as possible in future. "I'll look forward to that. I don't know how I'll stand the wait. If you're not going to buy the book, though, I'd appreciate it if you could put it back on the shelf where you found it, along with those other ones." And then get out of my shop already, you pompous windbag, she added to herself.

Hayward was still standing at the counter, watching both of them and looking slightly uncomfortable. Nita bit back the other sour words that had been building up. It wouldn't do to snap too much in front of the kid. He was young yet and seeing adults argue was always weird for kids. Besides, if she stopped now, she might get the pompous professor out of the building.
Yep, the kid was definitely uncomfortable.  That was a classic strategy, changing the subject.  Nita had used it herself when her parents argued, years ago.  She felt a bit sorry then, not for sniping at Wiggleswade, but for doing it in front of Hayward.  She knew what that felt like. She looked at Wiggleswade expectantly, waiting for him to answer the kid.  If he ignored the boy's question, Nita would only think worse of him, if that was possible.  

((Those both sound good to me. I especially like the name for the South American school. That's good!  )

Trevor heard the bell above the door chime and peeked around the bookshelves just in time to see Professor Wiggleswade and the kid with him leave the store. With a sigh of relief, Trevor put the book in his hands back on the shelves and approached the counter. He noticed miss Elwyn seemed a bit stressed, and hoped she would have the time to help him find some suitable books. “Good morning, miss Elwyn,” he said with a smile. “I was hoping you could help me with something.”



(OOC: a bit short, but I thought it worked better as a separate post from Thaddeus and Hayward)

“I need some extra material for my Defense Against the Dark Arts class,” Trevor said. “I, uh..don’t think the professor likes me very much. And since he told us in the first lesson that he’d kick us out of class if we can’t keep up, I’m a little worried.” The confession came out hesitantly, because he had just seen miss Elwyn talk with the professor and he wasn’t quite sure about their relationship. What if they were friends and miss Elwyn was insulted on the professor’s behalf? But the risk was worth it, because he really did need help.

“I thought, if I got some extra study material, then I’d be better prepared and able to keep up,” Trevor explained. “So, I’m looking for NEWT level material. Right now we’re working on silent casting, so things to do with that is a priority.” He turned begging eyes on her. “Please tell me you’ve got something like that?”

Trevor snorted as miss Elwyn said professor Wiggleswade didn’t much like her either. He wondered if perhaps the professor had something against friendly, happy people? That would certainly explain some of the irrational hatred he seemed to have for certain students and now miss Elwyn too. But at least miss Elwyn seemed to know what to get as extra study material, and Trevor gamely followed her to the Defense Against the Dark Arts section.

Miss Elwyn pulled down a book and showed it to Trevor. When she said that the professor had seemed to like it, Trevor immediately decided to buy it. It sounded interesting too. Then miss Elwyn pulled three more books, which all sounded good too. But would it be enough? “I think I’ll take these and work through them,” Trevor said, after a bit of contemplation. He had a fairly heavy class load, and this was extra work. Too many books would probably overwhelm him. “I can always come back for more when I’m through with these.”

Trevor smiled at miss Elwyn as she suggested looking through the books. That’s what he liked about this bookstore. Miss Elwyn didn’t mind if you read the books first. “Yeah, I think I’ll look through them, thanks,” he said.

He took the pile of books to the chairs by the window and started with the book professor Wiggleswade had apparently recommended. It was interesting, though there was nothing in there about silent casting. Still, the professor had a tendency to have duels in class, plus Trevor was in the dueling club, so this was going to come in handy. Trevor placed it next to him on the small table as the start of the ‘definitely keeping this’ pile. Whatever you had to say about the professor, he definitely knew his stuff.

While outside dark clouds had gathered, blocking out the sun, Trevor picked up Confronting the Faceless. It was divided into sections, and while Trevor really wanted to read through the section on wards, he instead turned to the spell casting section. There was a part about silent casting, but it didn’t tell him any more than the professor had already done. But the wards section did look very enticing. “Maybe,” Trevor mumbled, placing it next to Curses and Counter-curses, A Complete Compendium, on what he now designated as the maybe pile. “Could be topics in there that he’ll cover later on. Then again, maybe I’d be better off buying a book on just wards.”

Trevor’s ruminations were interrupted by the sudden flash of lightning, immediately followed by a loud thunderclap. It startled Trevor into jumping up with a shout and looking out the window, where the heavens opened up and rain started to come down hard. Trevor hadn’t even noticed the weather changing outside, but the thunderstorm raging outside was a heavy one. The other side of the street wasn’t even visible anymore through the curtain of rain. Trevor turned away from the window and sat back down. “Well, guess I’ll be sticking around for a bit,” Trevor said with a grin at miss Elwyn.