Lost in the shelves Open Closed

Shiawase practically lived in the library, and today was no exception to her avid reading. She was perusing the shelves for a new book, herself, when she noticed the girl skimming books, muttering to herself. She tilted her head, unsure what to make of it at first. Someone who was looking for a book nearby, perhaps? Muttering the titles to herself, trying to find the right one? If that was the case, then Shiawase would have none of it! She would help this girl find what she needed in a timely and efficient fashion. You could count on it!

Actually, you probably couldn't count on it . . . not after what happened last time she offered to help someone out. It wasn't important! She'd just double and triple check the time so she wouldn't lose track again!

And so, Shiawase wheeled up to the girl, ready to turn on her charm and assist her. She waved.

"Hello, Miss. Sorry to disturb you. My name is Shiawase Mamori. What's yours? I'm here because I couldn't help but see you, there, muttering to yourself. If you're looking for anything in particular, I think I can try to help you. I know this place quite well. If you're not, then . . . I suppose I'd ask if there's anything else I can help you with," she said with an awkward smile. "But if not, no worries. I could leave and mind my business. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

@Harper Jordan

Harper jumped at the sudden noise of someone near her. She hadn't expected someone to come up to her, yet she was happy that someone was trying to help.

"Well.... I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I just need something knew to read to give me a break from studying." She said with a smile.

She suddenly had realized that she didn't give her name. "It's nice to meet you Shiawase! I'm Harper Jordan." She tries to keep a friendly tone, but she wasn't always the best at socializing. She got super nervous all the time and found it hard for herself to socialize like a normal person. She hoped that her tone wasn't too weird sounding.

Harper paused for a moment before speaking again. She would love to have help finding a new book, but she wasn't even sure where to begin! There were so many books in the library that it could be overwhelming to any young witch or wizard.

"So anyways.... I suppose I just need help finding anything at all to read! I'm not picky. What is one of your favorites?" She asked thinking that it might be the best way to narrow it down for herself. Eventually, Harper would love to read as many books as she could from this library, but she would have to start one book at a time.

@Shiawase Mamori

"Oh, is that a fact? Nice to meet you, Harper!" She held out her hand for a hand shake, though she had to hold her hand above her head to make it easy for Harper to reach. "Oh, to be in the library, not looking for anything in particular is the best time! I could just peruse shelves for hours if I'm not looking for something specific. You'll probably have a magnificent time!" She smiled. "I suppose I could get out of your hair if you'd like to explore alone."

She was preparing to wheel away when the girl said she needed help finding anything to read, and asking her favorites. Shiawase chuckled softly, aware she was in a library and trying not to make too much noise.

"Well, to be honest, I have so many favorites, it's hard to choose from! Maybe we can narrow it down a bit? Is there a genre you're looking for? Are you looking for something short or something to pass as much time as possible? Do you want lots of action or do you want lots of description? Do you prefer when the work has lots of big words in it and poetic descriptions, or do you prefer when smaller words are used and the writing is much more direct? Do you like poetry generally? How about brain teasers, riddles, and puzzles? Personally, I like to read text books for fun, so I'm pretty much happy with anything, as long as the quality of the writing is good!"

@Harper Jordan

Colin was sitting at one of the tables between the stacks in the Library, tearing through a book on elementary jinxes and hexes --- you just never know when you might need to defend yourself in a place like Hogwarts! --- when he heard the commotion of two girls gossiping about books behind him. One of the girls had been muttering quietly, while the other one, not so loud that the librarian would come and haul them all away to detention or anything, was gushing about the place!

She sounded smart, and seemed to know the Library up and down. Colin got to thinking that she might be able to help him find some books after she was done cataloguing the whole place for the other girl!

As he listened, he thought: No, she has to be smart. She reads text books for fun! Colin wasn't about to read a text book just for fun, but he'd read anything to learn more!

He looked down at the page again and uncrossed his eyes. He realised he'd just read the same paragraph about the knock-back jinx twice, and was just about to have a third go at it, when it became clear that his concentration was broken. He listened to the excited girl some more. Riddles, puzzles, poetry!

Colin decided to ask for her help.

He turned in the big wooden chair and found himself face to face with the most cheerful looking Slytherin he'd ever seen. He watched as she rattled off books for the other girl to read. Now there's a girl that belongs in Ravenclaw for sure!

And then he saw she was sitting on some kind of wheeled contraption. And then it hit him!

"Wicked!" he exclaimed. His hands flew up to his mouth as his neck and face turned red. He turned this way and that. "Oh, I hope the librarian didn't hear that! She'll have me off to detention for sure. Um. I wonder, lass, if you can help me find some books, too? And then tell me aboot that machine you're sitting on? I've never seen anything like it!"

He looked up at the other girl, then back at the young librarian in training. "I'm Colin. Slytherin, too. Och. That's obvious!" he said with a laugh.

Harper listened to the words of Shiawase. She wanted to find a good book and she didn't care too much about the genre. She did like non-fiction books though as well as realistic fiction.

"I like non-fiction and realistic fiction books." She said with a smile. She likes learning new facts and honestly didn't care what it was about. It gave her conversation pieces as well as the feeling of constantly stimulating her mind which she found to actually help her with her homework.

She hoped her explaining the genres she likes would help narrow down her search a bit.

Upon hearing another voice she jumped to see a Slytherin boy who also appeared to be around her and Shiawase's age. She just waved her hand in greeting as she awaited a response from Shiawase. She just needed to find a book then she'd be off for sure.

When she found a book she knew that she would definitely take it back to her room and begin reading it right away! She had been studying nearly all day and sitting down and reading a nice book would be the perfect way to get a break. The thought of it put a nice smile on her face.

@Shiawase Mamori

@Colin McCoire

Shiawase nodded, very seriously, as Harper said she liked non-fiction and realistic fiction.

"I see, I see." She nodded to herself. "Well, the library has a lot of autobiographies and biographies. Hairy Snout, Human Heart is a really good non-fiction book. It's the story of a person struggling with lycanthropy. That's a pretty good starting place since it has a little of everything. I also have a few books I brought with me from home. Maybe I'll bring some with me next time, if you're curious! Although, I must say, it's a lot harder to determine what's 'realistic' fiction when magic is real. Is 'Salem's Lot now considered realistic fiction because vampires actually exist? What about books about merpeople?" She blushed slightly. "Sorry. I suppose my musings aren't much help right now. Anyway, about those books . . . ." She had wanted to list a lot more books, but around book ten, she noticed the boy, and so she blushed slightly, a little bashful at having been caught rambling again. She really should stop doing that. She turned her wheelchair so she could face both the boy and Harper.

"Hello, sir," she said, flashing him a friendly smile. "Of course I'd be happy to help you, too. And I'll explain about my wheelchair in just a moment."

She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, and began writing. She was a quick but tidy writer. Years of practice - though admittedly with a pen instead of a quill. She proceeded to make a long list of books Harper may look at, though she was kind enough to list them by order of recommendation. She also drew a layout of the library, assigning each recommendation a numerical value and putting that number on each shelf it belonged to.

"There you go. That's every book I can think of that might hold your interest. If you find you want any more, I brought tons of books from home that I'd be happy to share as well. I hope this helps you! If you have any other questions, I'll be here for a while yet and I'd be happy to help!" She looked at Colin.

"Okay, your turn. I'm Shiawase. It's nice to meet you, Colin." She paused for a moment, considering how best to describe her wheelchair. This was relatively new to her: most people at least knew what a wheelchair was by the time they met her. But in the wizarding world, it was very rare. After all, most of the time, these things were cured . . . just not for her. Never for her, since the magical incident . . . .

"I'm not particularly surprised you haven't seen one of these before. It's not very common but it's not incredibly rare, either, among Muggles, to see someone in one of these. I should think it's really exceptionally rare in this magical world, though, considering most conditions which would cause someone to be in a wheelchair are cured through magic. Though obviously, certain things cannot be cured." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, you know how you can walk? Well, I can't. I mean, I could, a little, before, but I can't now. It's a long story. The point is, I don't have use of my legs. Without this wheelchair, I'd have to roll around on the floor to get anywhere. This is certainly preferrable to that, isn't it?" She winked.

"But in any case, even among wheelchairs, this one stands out. This is a Hogwarts issued chair. It has special magical properties. For example, it's more comfortable than most standard wheelchairs. For another example, it moves up stairs and across terrains standard wheelchairs can't handle well. There are many kinds of wheelchairs, at least in the Muggle world. There's a standard wheelchair, which is just, well, a seat with wheels. It doesn't do anything special, such as recline or tilt. This is what I was in before, but it no longer would do the job for me. See, since I cannot feel my legs anymore, it also means that I'm in a position where I'm constantly putting pressure on a small area and cannot adjust for myself. Staying in one spot like that, putting pressure on one spot all day, is very bad for you. You can get sores - which ordinarily would be very painful, but I wouldn't feel it at all, so that would mean it could grow and fester. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about that here. The millions of stairs between classes actually save me from that, since they force my position within my chair to adjust as I move throughout this school. There are reclining wheelchairs, for people who need their chairs to recline to be comfortable. The kind I need is called a tilt in space chair, or a tilting wheelchair. This is different from reclining, because the seat tilts with you, so you remain in a sitting position, you're just at a different angle. That relieves pressure, and that is why a tilting wheelchair is the best kind for me personally."

She took a deep breath. She probably rambled long enough, and yet, there was still so much more to cover.

"And then you have electric wheelchairs. These wheelchairs don't require me to use my hands to move the wheels, at least, not manually move the wheels. Instead, an electric wheelchair would allow me to use a control to move the chair. If it's an electric tilting wheelchair, then I would have one control to move the chair, and one to control how far the chair tilts. They're really fancy. But, yeah, is there anything else I can answer for you? If you have any questions regarding wheelchairs or my disability, I'd rather you ask me. I'm okay with answering questions, as you can tell, but not all disabled people are." She smiled in a friendly manner. "You asked very politely. So I commend you for that. Anyway, books. I'm sorry. I was rambling again. Are there any books in particular you're looking for?"

@Harper Jordan @Colin McCoire

OH NO!

Almost the first word out of the girl's mouth was lycanthropy. Colin's eyes widened and his mouth formed a perfect O of horror. He froze in his chair and his fists clenched briefly. How could she know? He knew she was talking to the other girl, Harper, but why open with that particular topic? Everything she said after that kind of washed right around Colin as this new fear swirled around him, threatening to crush his heart.

If she knows, he thought, surely she'll tell someone? If word got out, what would other students say? What would they do? He held on tightly to the wood of the chair. There was nothing for it --- he would have to learn to defend himself. Charms, hexes, curses, martial arts --- whatever it took!

He saw the girl in the chair was drawing on a parchment. The writing was just so --- far exceeding his own attempts at chicken scratches. There was a map, too. If she were on to him, maybe she would use the map to plan his capture? Captured before he could even fight back?

"It's nice to meet you, Colin." He heard words. His name.

He yelped in surprise and just about jumped out of his own chair! The girl only paused, she didn't seem to notice or mind his reaction. Good! Bring it down a notch, lad, he said to himself.

She began talking about her chair with wheels. The one he and Liam his brother had thought was for some kind of racing. He tried to focus on what she was saying. She sure had the gift of gab! And her voice was soothing. He began to take in the history of chairs with wheels in the muggle world.

"...obviously, certain things cannot be cured," she said. The way she cleared her throat caused Colin to tense up again. Surely she knows! Certain things can't be cured --- like, well, lycanthropy. As he listened to more of her story, he began to doubt himself. If she knows about me --- if she can tell --- then she's really hiding it well.

As Shiawase talked about her own struggles, the failed cure at St. Mungos, how the very chair with wheels that gets her around can actually hurt her as well, it dawned on Colin that his own problem really wasn't quite all that bad. He'd have to be careful, of course, but it wouldn't really hamper him in any way. He felt suddenly upset that she'd never be able to walk up the millions of stairs in Hogwarts or balance on a broom!

When she stopped talking at last, the first thing that popped into his mind --- and therefore the first thing flew from his tongue --- was: "Whoa, muggle magic! But what's a lecktry key?" He suddenly blushed. "Um." She'd probably explained it already! "That's a lot to take in! Um. Can you race in that chair? My brother and I saw you charge through the barrier in London, before getting on the train. That was wicked fast!"

Colin felt calmer now. He scratched his head, lost in deep thought. "I just wish there were magic that could undo the magic that put you in that chair. That it could cure --- er --- uncurable things." He gave her a smile. "No one should have to sit in a chair all the time, no matter how spanking." As their talk turned to books, Colin brightened up. "Actually, you seem to know a lot about muggle magic --- these machines and things they come up with --- I was wondering if you could help me find out if there's a section on muggle history and technology? At home, we've got lots of books like that. I was hoping Hogwarts would have some as well!"

@Shiawase Mamori @Harper Jordan

Harper listened to the suggestions that Shiawase had told her. She thought for a moment about what Shiawase had suggested because it wasn't exactly something she had thought of reading however, it did seem interesting. She had thought about learning about lycanthropy but she had to admit that the topic did interest her.

'Thank you! I will have to give it a try! I love learning of new things regardless of the topic." She said with a small smile to Shiawase.

Then, after just a moment Harper grabbed the book from the shelf and held it close to her chest. She didn't want to leave because it would feel awkward plus she sort of wanted to learn about wheelchairs too because she didn't know much about them other than the basics. So, she hoped that Shiawase didn't mind that she stuck around to hear it as well. However, based on Shiawase's tone and general happy demeanor Harper guessed that it would be ok. Besides, Harper really liked Shiawase so far and hoped that the two could become good friends after this and if that was the case then Harper would both need and want to know about Shiawase and her wheelchair.

@Colin McCoire
@Shiawase Mamori

Shiawase smiled back at Harper. "Of course! Please let me know what you think when you finished reading!"

Then Harper left briefly to grab the book. Colin's reactions to what she was saying fully escaped Shiawase's notice, even the surprised yelp. She was, after all, very very focused. It didn't escape her notice, though, when she was telling Colin about wheelchairs, that Harper had rejoined them, and she shifted herself so she was addressing both of them. And then the boy asked the dreaded question.

"But what's a lecktry key?"

Oh. Oh, no. Oh no no no no. She had to explain electricity? How . . . HOW was she supposed to do that one? No electrical devices in school, so she couldn't even show them a battery, or a wire, unless she drew it. How could she . . . ? Wait, wait. There was a way. Lightning still existed in the wizarding world. She could use that as a jumping off point.

"Not 'a lectry key.' E-lec-tric-i-ty," she said, being sure to enunciate the word. "So, this is obviously very simplified, but you know lightning? That is the purest form of electricity. Way back, in 1752, a man named Benjamin Franklin went outside during a storm to do an experiment. He went out with a kite, tying a key to it. When lightning struck the kite, it did not disappear. There was still a . . . path it followed, the path being known as an electric current. And it followed that path to the key, and when Benjamin Franklin touched the key, he received a shock. This is why he is credited with discovering electricity, because when he touched the key, what he felt was no longer lightning, but the electricity it left behind. Does that . . . does that make sense? I'm doing my best to explain it but it's a lot, I know. But of course, we don't sit around waiting for lightning to strike to power our objects that require electricity. We do things with . . . hmmmm. Hold on. Give me a second to draw for you."

And so, she pulled out more parchment and made a rough drawing of a battery, wires, and a box with the word "THING" in it. And then she drew little arrows indicating the path. She held it up for both Colin and Harper to see.

"So this object here." She pointed at the battery. "Is a battery. This is what stores the electricity. And keep in mind, this is very simplified, the truth is far more complex than this. So the electricity is in this object, then these -" She pointed at the wires. "Are wires. They attach to the battery. The electricity moves along these, just like how they moved down the string of the kite to the key during his experiment. And this." She pointed at the box with the word "THING" on it. "Is an object that you're trying to power up with electricity. There are many examples of these, but . . . hmmm. You haven't probably seen any of them before. It doesn't matter. The point I'm trying to make is that once you add something, that completes the current. That is how electricity powers up our things. In an electric wheelchair, there would be a battery and wires running through the chair, to the controls on it, the controls would be what completes that circuit. At least, that's how I think it works . . . now that I'm trying to explain it, I'm not actually so sure of myself. Maybe we do need to consult books. I hadn't really thought about it before. I just took it for granted that I knew all I wanted to know . . . ." She frowned slightly in concentration. But then Colin started talking again and she snapped her attention to him.

"Yes, thank you so much for your kind words. Though it is fine for me. Being in a chair isn't a problem so much as being in places that don't accommodate me is," She offered him a smile.

"Oh, yes! Books! Well, I hadn't really thought about where I could find books on the subject of electricity in this library before, because I hadn't looked it up. But I know where those books would be if they exist here. It's a huge rabbit hole to go down, though. I wish I could just . . . show you how it works. Take an object apart, show you what it's made of, and then make my dad put it back together." She shook her head. "A silly notion. There's no way something like that could really happen. A-anyway. Come with me, please. You, too, Harper, if you'd like."

And she began wheeling herself toward what she thought would be the appropriate section of the library to find books on . . . what did Colin call it? "Muggle Magic."

@Harper Jordan @Colin McCoire