Since the new wing of the National Library of France was completed, most of the manuscripts and collections had been transferred there. The Richelieu branch now housed prints, photographs, maps, sheet music, coins, and more.
After five hundred years, this former national library had become somewhat dilapidated and faded. It had nearly been demolished at one point, but many University of Paris professors had jointly insisted that the old building be preserved, so France could keep pace with its rival, Germany.
The Richelieu Library underwent renovations every thirty to fifty years; it had become a tradition, and it was now almost completely different from when it was first built. Following the signs toward the Oval Room, Severus "encountered" Marie Antoinette again. Her final portrait, painted by David, hung on a wall at the corner.
Prints were not merely for individual appreciation; they could also be reproduced. But Severus could not tell whether this painting was the original or a copy. Just like the Mona Lisa, it had originally been stolen in order to sell reproductions.
In this painting, she was not free. Her hands were bound behind her back, and more than two hundred years had passed since that day.
"I can't save you," Severus said to Marie Antoinette's portrait, then walked past her.
Likewise, at the guillotine, a wizard had narrowly escaped by casting a Concealment Charm on his own neck. His hair must have been cut very short at the time as well.
Severus arrived at the Richelieu Oval Room designed by Jean-Louis Pascal. The hall had actually been built in 1864 and had no real connection to the cardinal from Louis XIV's era.
The queen was like a mother goose gleaming with gold. When people thought there was profit to be made from her, they swarmed around