FIC: Advanced Potion Making by Libatius Borage (PG)
Title: Advanced Potion Making by Libatius Borage
Type: FIC
Age-Range Category: Three
Characters: Severus Snape, Irma Prince, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick
Author: goddess47
Rating: PG
Click to View [Warning(s)]Implication that Dumbledore may not be a good Headmaster.
Summary: Severus is searching for a specific book in the Hogwarts Library and needs some help finding it.
"Madam Pince…" Severus started.
"You are a Hogwarts professor now. You can call me Irma," the Librarian said firmly.
Severus took a small breath. The transition from Hogwarts student to Hogwarts Professor felt more than slightly awkward. He was so much younger than all of the rest of the staff and felt wildly out of place. He wondered how long it would take to get used to it.
The Dark Mark on his arm was, at best, no help and, at worst, a hindrance to him inside the school. No one spoke of it but he knew Dumbledore made sure the others knew it was there.
"Irma," Severus nodded. "The Headmaster has told me that there are at least three additional copies of in the Library, yet I cannot locate even one," Severus said.
"That is odd," she said, tilting her head in thought. "Even if the books are mis-shelved, you should be able to locate them."
"Which is why I am asking for your assistance," Severus said patiently.
She stepped into the center of the Library, held up her wand and said, "Advanced Potion Making." She wriggled her wand. "Finite." She turned to him. "There is something there."
"It is not the Borage book," Severus said.
"Is it important to be that specific book?" Irma asked.
"I need to ensure there are enough texts for the class I will be teaching," Severus explained. "The book has recently gone out of print and Mr. Flourish has warned me that, after this year, that there may not be enough books for students who are studying for their N.E.W.T.s."
"Then choose a new book!" Irma waved a hand.
"That is the book the Ministry recommends students use to study for the exam," Severus replied. "I do not see a change in that, at least not immediately."
Irma sighed. "The Ministry is short-sighted, as always," she said. She frowned for a moment. "Oh! Check the Ravenclaw common room. Filius usually checks for Library books but, especially if it they had any inkling that it would be out of print, the students may have hidden it for their own use."
"Do they do that often?" Severus asked.
"The Ravenclaws do it most often but you may want to check Slytherin, also," she shrugged. "Even Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students have been known to hoard books."
"Excuse my ignorance but are the books in the Hogwarts Library entailed to the Library?" Severus asked. "If so, I assume you do a recall in the summer."
"They are and I do a recall but, well, we teach magic," Irma shrugged. "Books outside of the Restricted Section have a lesser entailment charm on them. A talented seventh-year could break the charm."
"What good is the entailment then?" Severus asked, trying to be patient.
"The entailment charm works most of the time," Irma replied. "Students rarely take books that are not textbooks and, when someone notices, we replace them."
"Except this book is now out of print," Severus pointed out. Again. "It cannot easily be replaced."
"Oh. Yes, that might be a problem," Irma said, seeming to finally understand the problem. She dug through a file cabinet and handed him a parchment. "Fill this out and I'll take it to the Headmaster to see if we can invest in more copies of the book."
"Thank you," Severus said as he took the parchment. "What kind of a book budget is there? There may be other books the Library should have."
"Oh, there is no set budget," Irma replied. "I just ask the Headmaster for things and sometimes we get them, sometimes we do not."
"How can anyone plan on books for their students to use?" Severus asked in frustration. Not that it was her fault, but it seemed that Dumbledore had his own blind spots.
"There are lots of books about everything," she said, waving a hand. "It's usually not a problem."
"I…" Severus closed his mouth and took another breath. "Thank you, again."
"Any time," Irma replied easily. She went back toward her office, leaving Severus standing alone in the Library.
Severus decided to start in Slytherin. It would give him some new insights about the dormitory space, even though he had lived there only a few years ago.
He went through some of the hiding spaces he already knew about. He found some left behind personal belongings, moldy food, and a forgotten case of butter beer that had gone stale. He vanished them all.
He spent more time in the girl's dormitory, since he had not been allowed in those rooms when he was a student. He didn't find anything interesting but he did note that the rooms were not ready for students, and it was already the middle of August.
"Wynde!" Severus called the Slytherin house-elf.
"Master Severus calls?" the elf asked.
"As you are aware, this is my first year as Head of House," Severus said. "When are the rooms made ready for the students?"
"Oh! That happens soon!" Wynde bobbed. "We wait until a week before, so there is little chance for dust to collect. It stays fresher that way."
"Good to know," Severus replied. "I am looking for any hidden Library books that may not have been returned to the Library. I have checked the places I know about but want to make sure I have not missed any."
Wynde considered for a moment, then popped away. She came back and shook her head. "No Library books." She wrinkled her nose. "I clean out other things."
"Thank you for checking for me," Severus said, not really wanting to know what she might have found.
Wynde giggled at being thanks and popped away.
Severus waited patiently for dinner, to ask the other professors as a group. Dumbledore was away somewhere, doing whatever he did when he was not at Hogwarts. As a result, dinner with the other faculty was largely informal.
"I have talked to… Irma," Severus said, bowing his head in her direction. "I have recently learned that the Ministry approved book for Advanced Potions is now out of print and that the copies that are supposed to be in the Library are missing. Irma suggested that students may have hidden copies away in the common rooms for their own use."
McGonagall frowned but Flitwick nodded. "Yes, the 'Claws often do that. I will make an effort to keep an eye out for any stray Library books."
"I did ask the Slytherin house-elf to check any hiding places in the dormitory," Severus prompted. "That was the most efficient and it let the elf clean some of the spaces out."
"Good idea," Flitwick replied.
"Cleaning up the dormitories is usually completed the week before students return," McGonagall added.
"The Slytherin house-elf informed me of that," Severus nodded. "Although I did find moldy food, so perhaps there should be at least a cursory check soon after the students leave for the summer."
"That is supposed to be done," McGonagall sighed, "but requesting that check is up to the Headmaster. I will speak to Albus and see if we can't get some checks performed earlier."
"Good to know," Severus nodded.
"Out of print, you say," Flitwick frowned. "What will you do?"
"It is the Ministry-approved book," Severus shrugged. "I do not know what it will take to have that changed, but I suspect that is onerous."
"Too true!" Flitwick laughed.
"Worse comes to worse, I will make copies for students as they enroll in the N.E.W.T. classes," Severus said. "Flourish and Blotts will have enough books for this year, it is in the future that will be a concern."
"I would think someone would be willing to make copies of the book available, especially if it is the Ministry-approved text," Irma replied.
"Ah. But you are making sense," McGonagall put in. "I am not sure I have ever heard the words sense and Ministry in the same sentence."
Severus snorted. "Too true."
"Send me a note as a reminder and I will bring it up with the Headmaster," McGonagall offered. "I am not sure what he can or will do about it, but it cannot hurt to ask."
"I will," Severus nodded. "Thank you."
McGonagall finished her meal and stood. "Well, I still have a lot of work to do. I will see you all at breakfast."
"Don't stay up too late, Minerva," Flitwick chided.
"I won't," McGonagall replied. "Good night, all."
"Good night," Severus said to the others.
He left the dining hall and went back to the Potions lab. While Slughorn had left the lab in reasonably good shape, there was still a lot to do before classes started.