Then Mr. Franklin solemnly informed the library of the summer reading regulations. "The library will be open until 5 PM during the summer vacation. Your remaining reading time is two hours and forty-five minutes."
He then pointed to the spacious book collection area inside the library and continued to instruct in detail, "You two may only consult and copy books from the general book collection area. The Restricted Section of this school is protected by the principal's exclusive barrier and identity verification magic. Without the principal's personal authorization, no one may approach, touch, or trespass. Violation will result in immediate revocation of access and will be reported to MACUSA for record-keeping."
"The library's collection of books is prohibited from being borrowed or taken out of the library without permission. All books must be returned to their original positions and neatly arranged before closing time. Do not keep any books for yourself, and do not alter or tear pages. Please plan your time accordingly."
Draco and Hermione nodded in agreement.
After explaining the rules, the administrator stopped disturbing them and returned to his post behind the registration desk, leaving the two to explore on their own.
Hermione wasted no time; she strode to the nearest bookshelf, her eyes scanning the spines of the books like a scanner.
The goal is very clear.
She first targeted books on the general history of magic in North America. She stopped in front of a bookshelf labeled "History of Magic in North America," ran her fingers along the spines of the books, and finally pulled out " Ilvermorny: A Millennium of History of the Fourth House and Mount Greylock."
The book cover is thick.
The dark blue cover is embossed with the logos of the Four Houses, and the edges of the pages are slightly yellowed, indicating that it has been read many times.
Hermione tucked the book under her arm.
Then he quickly turned to the bookshelf next to him.
I pulled out five books: Compendium of MACUSA Acts Through the Ages , * the Complete Book of Charms and Runes North America Spells and Runes, *An Illustrated Guide to the Native Magical Creatures of Mount Greylock *, and A Comparative Study of Magical Education in the Old and New Worlds. They were stacked up into a thick pile.
He held her in his arms, almost blocking her view.
Hermione strode to a long table by the window, placed the books on it, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She then laid out three of the books side-by-side in front of her for cross-referencing.
She then took a roll of parchment and a quill pen from her otter bag, dipped it in ink, and began to copy quickly.
With limited time, Hermione could only increase her reading speed, her eyes leaping back and forth between the pages, and when she encountered key information, she would scribble it down on the parchment with her quill.
When she encountered North America -specific runes or historical event abbreviations that she didn't understand, she didn't waste time racking her brains. Instead, she went to the workbench and asked, " Mr. Franklin..."
Mr. Franklin looked up from behind the counter.
Hermione asked, "Is there an earlier, original version of the ' Snakewood Banishing Charm '? I couldn't find the corresponding reference number in the index."
Mr. Franklin replied:
"An early version is included in the ' Original Manuscripts of Colonial-Era Spells ' in the Restricted Section; there is no copy in the regular library. If you need it, submit a written application to the principal tomorrow."
Hermione nodded, noted the question on the edge of the parchment, marked it with an asterisk, and prepared to deal with it later.
While Hermione was engrossed in copying, Draco was also doing his own work; he activated the system scan function.
My gaze swept over the rows of books on the bookshelves, and the titles, authors, publication years, and even the core content of the pages were quickly entered into the system.
The system processes data extremely quickly, automatically categorizing and archiving scanned books— History of Magic, Charms, Herbology, and more—with indexes rapidly generated in the system's background.
The magic system in North America does indeed have subtle differences from that in Europe, with many spells designed for rapid responses to extreme environments, such as the Moisture Condensation Charm for the desert...
Draco memorized the basic principles and key points of these spells, intending to study them in more depth later when he had time.
However, he didn't linger on these details for long. The library was too big, and there were many books in the general collection area. He had to hurry and complete the scanning and cataloging of the general collection area as soon as possible.
The system progress bar steadily advanced at the edge of the field of view. Thirty percent... Sixty percent... Ninety percent...
As five o'clock approached, a system notification sounded in Draco's mind, "The scan of the general library area is complete. A total of over 3,700 books have been collected and categorized for archiving."
At that moment, Draco's gaze involuntarily drifted to the area deep within the library, separated by ropes— the Restricted Section.
The lighting there was dimmer than in the regular book storage area.
The books on the shelf also looked older, and some of the text on the spines was already blurred.
He wanted to try to get closer, but the system quickly sent Draco a message that forced him to abandon the idea—
"A special barrier has been detected at the entrance to the Restricted Section. Barrier type: Identity verification spell combined with a trigger-based alarm spell. Unauthorized individuals touching the barrier will trigger a bright light warning and Binding Charm, immobilizing the intruder in place."
Just as Mr. Franklin had predicted, Draco withdrew his gaze; this was much stricter than Hogwarts.
At Hogwarts, first-year students can sneak into the Restricted Section when no one is looking, as long as they don't get caught.
Meanwhile, Ilvermorny has set up such a tight security system at the entrance to the Restricted Section —it seems that the control of knowledge in the North America Wizarding World is much stricter than in Britain.
It seems I'll have to wait for another opportunity to ask the headmaster for special permission. Draco withdrew his gaze, abandoned the idea of probing the Restricted Section, closed the system panel, and turned to walk towards Hermione.
"We are preparing to close. Please prepare to return your books." Mr. Franklin's voice came from the work desk.
He looked up politely and asked, " Professor Lin, we have gained a lot today, but there are still some materials that we have not been able to examine completely. I wonder if we can come back to the school tomorrow to continue studying the historical materials in the library?"
Hermione closed the book, tidied her notes, stacked the five books, stood up, walked to the workbench, gently placed the books on the counter, and politely inquired:
" Mr. Franklin, may we come back tomorrow to continue our reading? There are still a few chapters we haven't finished."
Mr. Franklin took the book, checked each page for damage, and nodded after confirming there were no problems.
"Yes, the museum opens at 9:00 AM tomorrow. You can continue to browse there, but you still need to return the items before 5:00 PM."
Hermione smiled contentedly. "Thank you, Professor Franklin. We'll come again later."
Hermione packed up the parchment and quill, rolled them up, and put them in her bag. Then she left the library with Draco.
The two left the Ilvermorny Library and went outside the school, slowly descending the mountain along the winding stone path they had come from.
The setting sun bathed the outline of Mount Greylock in a golden-red hue, and the distant forest appeared exceptionally tranquil in the twilight.
Draco, seeing the undisguised satisfaction and excitement in Hermione's eyes, asked, "Honey, how was the haul?"