Back in the library!!

[alt_hermione]

Work in the library is back to the usual. My word of the day is numinous, which sort of means "holy," but not really. It also just kind of means the feeling that you get when you go into a church. I can't remember ever being in a church so I don't know if that's true or not.

Today Neville was in looking for Transfiguration books, but I didn't want to talk to him in case we got in trouble. Neville, if you read this, I might have some ideas for you! There are a lot of different kinds and I don't know what you need. Madam Pince told me I was being silly not to just talk to you, but I think she doesn't know how people can be. She doesn't really leave the library much.

Terry has been awfully antsy lately. I don't know if he's been going to his work in the hospital wing or not. Madam Pomfrey has been very nice to me, though. Yesterday I even got to mix some potions - just mix them, mind you, not make them. But it was still loads of fun!

Comments

[alt_sally_anne]

You mend books, right? Can you mend a torn page from a textbook? I tried with the spellotape but I couldn't get it to line up right.

I've been in a church. There was an abandoned muggle village near my home and it had an old church. There were a bunch of squirrels that lived in it. I used to go there to look at the sun shine through the big window of coloured bits glass at one end, because it was pretty, but then there was a really bad storm and the window got broken. After that the squirrels moved because the wind just blew right through and it wasn't a very good shelter anymore. So if numinous is the feeling of going into a church, maybe it means sad? Although before the windows got broken -- well anyway, can you fix my book?

[alt_hermione]

Yes, I can mend your book! You should bring it to the library. Just come right in to the back room and tell Madam Pince you're coming to see me, I'm sure she won't mind.

Maybe it does mean sad, but I think that it means what old Muggle churches were like when you would have hundreds of Muggles in one place. Madam Pince gave me an encyclopaedia article about that when I asked and it seems they were really big and full of people. That would probably feel - strange, to be in such a big crowd.

[alt_neville]

Thanks loads, if you have some ideas with Transfiguration books. The library has so many, and I wasn't sure which ones would be best. I'd rather ask you than Madam Pince. She looks so . . . fierce, every time I walk up to her desk, that I lose my nerve and walk away. But maybe you know her better?

Funny that you mention it, Terry stopped me on my way to Charms yesterday, and he asked, real polite-like, if I could deliver a note for him to Madam Pomfrey. I was surprised, but said, 'sure,' and he popped back in the Transfiguration classroom before I could ask him what it was about.

Took it up to her, and she didn't seem half pleased when she read it, but don't know what it was about.

I've been inside a Muggle church once before, too, Lancaster Cathedral. Not far from my home. It was kind of ruined, too, during the war. Had splendid stained glass windows once, they said, but they're all broken now, and the roof's caved it. Pity, really.

I think I get the idea of that word, numinous, when I think about walking into the Great Hall for the first time and seeing those floating candles and all.

[alt_hermione]

The Great Hall? You think that's what it means? I suppose it is very grand.

Madam Pince is nice enough when you get to know her, but she's very fierce about her books. I think a lot of people don't treat them nicely. The thing for her is to use an indoors voice. If you speak like you were out of doors she'll get angry because she doesn't think that's library-like.

[alt_neville]

Thanks, that helps me understand Madam Pince a little better. My Gran's sort of a Harpy about books, too, so that I can understand (although don't ever tell her I called her that!): you can't eat while reading, because of crumbs, and Merlin help you if you ever placed a book open upside down instead of using a bookmark.

[alt_hermione]

Your Gran's right! It's really disgusting to find crumbs in a book!!

I think that some people don't read books enough, or they would know not to hurt their books by treating them badly. If they read books, they wouldn't do it!!