Librarian Aides? Aurelia doesn't need help; especially when the aides are actual house-elves. Quite unfamiliar with the legislation approved by the British Ministry of Magic, she doesn't have any idea if the house-elves are being paid by the institution; at least they show no signs of maltreatment or a slight bit of unsatisfied expression on their faces. They seemed happy with their job. But still, if one is not sure, one should consult books and study whatever one is concerned about. In Aurelia’s case, she intends to study them anyway and write articles about them—in another time, of course. She is quite busy with her tasks, and in order to document everything thoroughly, Aurelia should do it one-by-one with no rush whatsoever.
“Found you, my love,” Aurelia muttered to herself before sighing heavily, putting her hands on her hips as she looked up at the towering bookshelves of the Magical Creatures and Beasts sections. Honestly, how come the Dragon Section is separated? Is there really a lot of types and forms of dragons, as well as how to care for and tame them? Merlin, what a dangerous world everyone is living in. Aurelia is no expert, but she knows that dragons can't be domesticated. Tame, and that's it. Is that actually a job? Another dilemma she had to face was how she was utterly clueless about the world she was supposed to be living in. Perhaps it is time to befriend some pure-bloods. For another time!
Dropping her leather satchel and winter cloak on the nearby table, Aurelia started to scour and gather books. Again, with how enormous the Hogwarts Library is, no one actually thought of conjuring index and book catalogues to help with this type of search. Yes, she could ask in the Librarian’s desk or even the Librarian Aides but how about introverted students, like her, who refuse to participate in an actual human interaction or any type of socialisation? Huh? Huh? The young Hufflepuff witch settled by grabbing a shelf ladder; her eyes squinted as she read the spines. She grabbed whatever book she deemed necessary for her study about Giant Squids and Merpeople.
“Comprehensive Guide about Magical Creatures... Sounds nice... Curiousity Within Aquatic Creatures... You're in too... Ways to Domesticate Unusual Creatures That Are Not Found Near Your Home... Is there a way to summarise that title? Merlin... Myths Surrounding Magical Creatures and Beasts... Is there?” Aurelia was practically monologuing as she stack books and tomes in her arm. Sweat is already beading on her forehead from the constant movement she does around the section. That's saying something too, as it was December and winter is outright unforgivable. She laid down the books she collected on her table and went back again to scour some more. “Classification and Conservation of Magical Creatures... Furry Friends and Fiery Foes: Guides... I have no idea what does that mean in all actuality... How to Tame Your Beasts (Sort Of): Clumsy Wizard Edition... Um, what? That's silly... Magical Beasts: Because Normal Pets Are So Last Season... Hello? This is not some trendy pets you just acquire from the Magical Menagerie shop. Although half-crups are in-season nowadays...The Wizard’s Guide To Not Getting Eaten... Okay, what? Libellus Magicorum and Arcana Bestiarum, you're clearly going with me... The Enchanted Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts... Wow, gold! Monster Book of Monsters— MERLIN, IT'S HEAVING!” Aurelia said aloud before slamming the Monster Book of Monsters inside its respective shelf, the shelf ladder wobbled from the move, making her squeak softly before looking around if someone witnessed or overheard that.
Thankfully, the coast is clear, so she climbed down and put all the books on the table. Merlin’s soggy trousers—there is a heaving book in one of those selections! Convinced that she was merely hallucinating, Aurelia settled in one of the chairs, looking out from the large, frost-etched window beside her. She expected winter hail but was utterly amazed when she saw the tranquil wintry landscape instead; soft, tender golden shadows decorating the snowy grounds as the sun began its descent in the horizon. Sometimes she wonders if she is appreciating nature enough. If Aurelia could make it, she could assess the Great Lake again after studying about Giant Squids and Merpeople.
And the torture began. Multiple books and tomes are opened before her, as well as scattered parchments an hour later. She was scribbling furiously, her muggle ballpoint pen almost flying off the scrolls. Her messy and thick, wavy hair is popping bobby pins off, making her hair look dishevelled, indicating her stress from her constant hair-pulling when she was bumping against dead-end after dead-end. Her research was productive actually; it's just that her desired results never came up from these stupid books. Aurelia started on Giant Squids, of course. And when she was stressed out, she loved monologuing furiously to turn ideas inside her head more efficiently. Like barbecue. Oh, how she missed barbecue.
“The Giant Squid was a gigantic cephalopod, with eight arms and two long tentacles. They ate crustaceans and... toast. Their favourite food is toast too. What does that even mean? Why toast? Am I missing out on something? This is the weirdest characteristic I've ever seen. Does that mean Giant Squids only eat toast and avoid the rest? Guilty pleasure? Are they energised by that, or does toast symbolise something? What does toast even mean?” Laughing at the last bit, Aurelia scribbled idly her thoughts, hoping to see some pattern. None at the moment. “Giant Squids required a nest for safety, or they could become aggressive. As stated in Ways To Domesticate Unusual Creatures That Are Not Found Near Your Home, Giant Squids can also be domesticated, mentioning briefly that the Giant Squid living in solitude in the Great Lake is semi-domesticated itself. I think I can actually agree on that statement; there are multiple accounts that mentioned having to tickle one of the tentacles of the Giant Squid. In Magical Beasts: Because Normal Pets Are So Last Season, it affirmed that several wizards have successfully tamed and domesticated some of the Giant Squids they come to have; they are highly territorial and most likely behave aggressively if one invades its deemed property. Merlin, they become trendy domesticated beasts too for years on end. Like normal squids, they spray ink everywhere when provoked and frightened.”
Aurelia Valentine is clearly misled. She shouldn't be recording about the Giant Squid's migration patterns, as they clearly wouldn't be able to migrate if they inhabited the Great Lake itself. But who wouldn't be curious? Giant Squids are magical subspecies that clearly contrasted the certain characteristics of a normal squid. Unlike the normal squids, which preferred the cold underwater and wouldn't be able to inhabit freshwater lakes, Giant Squids bear this capability and even prefer to bask in the sunlight for whatever reason, perhaps tanning—she chuckled from this thought—and also can be fed with toast. They prefer toast, unlike normal squids, which wouldn't be able to digest food meant for humans. A normal squid also bears tender skin like a baby, and it would break if tickled. These are the reasons that fuelled the theories that Giant Squids also had magical powers themselves. Well, one would expect that since they also highly favoured toasts. Yes, Aurelia Valentine will not live that down.
The young Hufflepuff witch also borrowed some books in the Legal Section that contain trials where magical beasts and creatures are the defendants and condemned for various crimes. Giant Squids have this ability to grab their prey 33 meters away, shooting out their two feeding tentacles, which are tipped with hundreds of powerful, sharp-toothed suckers. With its sharp beak, it can slice its prey into literal bite pieces. There are several cases where a Giant Squid attacked some wizarding folks while on a boat, leaving no trace of its prey. Some are executed, some are released. But of course, the British Ministry of Magic sometimes operates questionably, as some of these trials stated that they only released some of these creatures because they were too frightened to deal with it themselves. Merlin.
From an outside perspective, Aurelia Valentine looked like a mental ward escapee from her messy, raven-coloured hair, which is almost sticking in all directions. She was scribbling idly on her parchment, writing down all her thoughts as she contemplated the information she gathered from this research. Her Hufflepuff scarf was wrapped around her neck securely from the cold, her green turtleneck sweater warming her in the Hogwarts Library. Bobby pins are under the large frosted window; as if one popped off her hair, she automatically placed it there for safekeeping. She was nose-deep in the tomes opened and cluttered before her, as she edited her W.H.I.P. to-do list this time to remove the Giant Squid’s migration patterns task and wrote it simply as the Giant Squid’s characteristics that are important to mention: especially that highly favoured occasional meal of toast.
