Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence, Melissa Nichols [top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT] 📗

spell, it has to be precise. If you make one wrong move, it could go badly. Sometimes, it’s simply an unintended consequence like maybe the object spouts feathers or starts singing like a canary. But with other spells, people can get hurt or even killed. But with this being such a low-level spell, get it wrong and it's mostly funny."

 

"So don't stress too much, do your best each time, focus on your form and you'll get it. The key is diligence and practice."

 

"Right. Now then, first let's learn the wand motion." Bella flourished her wand, then repeated the motion again so Amy could copy it. "Good. Now we'll add the incantation. Say it strong and clear. You can't waver when you use magic. Flipendo."

 

"Flipendo." Amy echoed, repeating the motion. She took a couple more tries, her voice and waving becoming slightly more confident.

 

"That was very good! Now, Amy, stand here and focus on the barrel." Jane scooted her into position. "Picture someone you want to send flying. Now raise your wand and cast the spell."

 

"Flipendo!" Amy cried, flicking her wand at the barrel. It jolted but didn't fly.

 

"Try it again. All it takes is practice reaching for the magic."

 

"Flipendo!" She yelled again, louder this time and she moved her wand a bit more forcefully. The barrel jerked but did not fly into the air.

 

"Flipendo!" Amy all but roared, unconsciously tapping into the headspace she used when she talked to animals. The barrel flew and came crashing down against the stones, spraying water everywhere.

 

"Whoop! Thattagirl!" Jane bellowed. "Nice power! You'll be quite powerful once you're trained up. "I think you've got that spell done well enough to handle it on your own. Come on, let's get you up to the library."

 

Bella waved her wand and the barrel repaired itself while it flew back to where it had been while Jane led the way out of the dungeons.

 

The trip to the library was brief and mercifully Peeves-less. The corridors were quiet as most of the student body had taken advantage of the clear weather to lay on the grass under the sun.

 

As they neared the main doors to the library, Amy noticed Albus and Mary waiting. Amy waved her hand, drawing their attention.

 

"There you are!" Albus greeted them and ran forward. Bella and Jane quickly said their goodbyes and headed back to the Great Hall. "Did you get into the common room all right? Scorpius and I didn't see you when we turned around after Peeves left."

 

"I got in fine, and I found Bella and Jane." Amy answered before she was interrupted by Jones. "They taught me the Knockback Jinx and made sure I got here safely."

 

"That's great! You've learned your first spell. Ready to learn more? Everyone's waiting inside."

 

"Yes, let's!" Amy agreed eagerly. Now that the time had come to start her studies, she felt excitement flood through her veins. She loved a good study session, but this time she'd be learning magical basics!

 

Albus and Mary rushed ahead to sit with Scorpius and Rose, but Amy took her time. She had never stepped foot into the library and she wanted to get a good look around.

 

The bookcases on either side of her were taller than she was used to, easily sixty feet high and made of a thick wood that was cherry colored. She couldn't see how thick they were yet but they must have been twenty feet long. Amy touched one and noticed the wood was inlaid with barely discernible highlights of gold and honey swirling around and mixing with the red. The segments on the edges and corners were carved with intricate details, the cut grooves of the red forming valleys filled with gold leaf set on a background of honey. Amy had never seen shelves so beautiful, so carefully crafted. She couldn't wait to see their face and take in the full measure of their beauty.

 

The first bookcase on her left also held a directory, which declared the first floor - where Amy currently was - and the floor above held the textbooks students would use in their classes. The subjects - to Amy's amazement - were twelve in number; Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Potions, and Transfiguration.

 

On the third through sixth floors were the books students would use in the school clubs that required books; Accounting, Beautician’s Club, Care of Non-Magical Creatures, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Debate, Dueling, Foreign Magical Languages and Cultures, Foreign Muggle Languages and Cultures, Magical Art, Magical Pioneers of Tomorrow, NeedlePoint Arts, Non-Fiction Writing, Psychology, Quidditch, and Wizard’s Chess.

 

The seventh floor held only one category: the Restricted Section.

 

Three bookcases on each side lined the pathway to the reception desk where she saw a name post for Library Matron Themilda Stone, but no one was seated there.

 

When she came level to the desk, the bookcase-hallway opened to allow Amy to turn and take in the full majesty of the library.

 

Bookcases sixty feet tall, five feet long and three feet deep lined up in aisles. Each aisle was ten bookcases deep on Amy's left side, and broke in the middle of the room to reveal the long tables that ran down the length of the room where the students would sit. The aisle continued on the right side for another ten bookcases. The ceiling was about eighty feet above her and it was alive with books, parchment and paper, quills and ink, and pens and pencils floating in the air following a breeze that had been magically conjured. Some items deposited themselves in front of a student or in their place on a shelf. Amy's eyes followed a fat, circular red volume as it ascended through a gap in the ceiling, presumably to the upper floors. The library was lit by a mixture of sunlight coming in through the windows, candlelit chandeliers dangling above the tables, lanterns hung at the end of each aisle, and each seat at the table had its own lantern. The afternoon sun lit up the wall and floors which was no different from those in the rest of the castle.

 

Amy got her desired close look at a bookcase's face. Every piece of wood the students could see was carved in the same pattern and color scheme as the back had been. The bookcase itself held twenty shelves, each three feet tall, and the lowest one started two inches off the floor. On each side of the bookcase and in the middle were stationary ladders that extended the full height up the bookcase, providing the student with a safe center of gravity while also allowing them to reach every book without undue stretching of arms. These ladders were probably made of a highly durable metal and then either painted gold or perhaps covered in gold leaf. Regardless, the ladder itself would be nearly unbreakable, and the gold was polished so thoroughly it gleamed without any signs of the abuse it has endured. There was no patterning, but Amy did notice the rungs were made of the same wood as the bookcases and were mounted on a bed of the ladder metal. As a result, the two pieces were a matched set, perfectly designed for heavy use as well as a long life.

 

As she moved up the table, Amy noticed the tables themselves matched the bookcases, cherry-red wood with gold-inlaid carvings on a bed of honey. Additionally, each seat had a three-sided-square shape in the wood - she looked farther down the table and quickly realized the shape represented a barrier that could be pulled out of the desk and locked in place to shield the student from distractions.

 

The individual desks were much larger than those Amy had known. The tabletop was almost double the size, giving the student plenty of workspace for textbooks and notebooks. It also wouldn't feel cramped when the barrier was up, and the lantern was in place. Amy also saw a divided cubbyhole underneath where the student would be able to put extra textbooks, notebooks, and other small things when they weren't in use. The legroom under the desk was spacious to say the least; tall, spired legs and open spaces made the desk able to accommodate long legs. The chairs, Amy could see from an unoccupied desk, had a high, wooden back that matched the bookcases, dark cherry fabric stretched from one post to the other. The seat was padded with the same fabric and held with gold rivets.

 

"Amy, hurry up!" Rose shouted, drawing Amy's attention farther up the table. She saw Rose standing and waving her arm.

 

"Holy hell, this library is massive! Have you seen the bookcases? They're so beautiful." Amy exclaimed as she hurried to her friends, quickly tucking into a seat, and emptying her backpack. "I've never seen anything so intricately crafted. The bookcases, the ladders, the desks, and chairs. And don't even get me started on the magic! I love this library!"

 

"I think I heard Mum mention these pieces are practically new. They've only been here for three years or so. The old furniture pieces were basically rotting away and the books themselves were in bad shape. But with some clever accounting, Headmistress McGonagall was able to set aside enough money over the years to get everything done over the course of one summer. The pieces were replaced with custom furniture, the space was opened and scrubbed clean, the books repaired or replaced, and new ones purchased. And according to Aunt Hermione, everything's going to be deep-cleaned and repaired during each school break to keep it from getting in bad condition again. They also revamped the organization and check-out and check-in systems. For an old school where Muggle technology largely can't be used, the card system from the nineties is the best way to go but certain areas did need to be adjusted to fit a school of magic. The cards don't need to be replaced - it’s just one scrap of parchment that wipes itself clean when all of the slots get filled, which cuts down on the supplies the desks need to be stocked with so they can expand on the things we can buy. We can buy nearly everything we need right at the desk for just a few Knuts."

 

"Nearly everything? What don't they have? Do you think they have my paper?" Amy asked, holding up her binder to showcase her lined paper with reinforced holes. "I go through a lot and the reinforced holes are a huge help."

 

"I think they do. Pens, pencils, quills and ink, a variety of paper, even calculators. And they have catalogs for every shop in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, so you can place an order and get it delivered here. You don't need to wait for a school break to visit Diagon Alley and get more paper. They probably don't have the special quills or other expensive things, though."

 

"Brilliant! I'll have to keep that in mind. Good thing I kept a couple of Galleons with me, just in case."

 

Now ready for the next four hours, the group settled into studying. They had previously agreed on fifty-minute intervals with ten-minute breaks, switching subjects with each break so they were exposed to four new subjects.

 

Amy decided to begin with Third Period, Charms. She grabbed her copy of the appropriate book, opened the binder to the first page of paper, and selected a favored mechanical pencil. She flipped open the book to the first chapter - which, according to the Charms syllabus, would be the chapter covered on Monday - and began to read. Beside her, Mary pulled out a battery-powered cooking timer, which she set to fifty minutes.

 

It didn't take long before Amy is thoroughly engrossed in her studying. She's simply fascinated by the chapter, which teaches about the various wand movements she'll use this year, and how her movements affect the spell she is casting. It also teaches her the first spell, Flipendo. She smiles as she adds her