Le Chat Qui Peche

Sun shone on the alleys of the Luxembourg Garden. Under a great chestnut, on a gently curving wooden bench, settled a company. A young man, short, slender, with olive skin, black curly hair and black eyes, in red robes, was reading a newspaper. A beautiful girl with long red hair and blue eyes, in lilac robes, was petting a red, overgrown ferret sitting in her lap. An older man, with dark complexion, long hair and beard and a hooked nose, all transparent, hovered against the bench. A small, gold-red, slender cat with leopard spots, large ears, large emerald eyes, long whiskers and tasseled tail, sat on the back of the bench and looked at the newspaper over the young man's shoulder.

'Tiens!' the young man said, showing his companions L'Oracle Parisienne. 'Look! 'A Bold Theft In The Wizard National Library of France. Today about noon, a precious 15th-century manuscript of 'Treatise On Poisons' by Arnold of Villanova was stolen from the Wizard National Library of France. Aurors found no trace of the offender. The manuscript was closely guarded, so it is unclear how anyone could purloin it. The librarians are most distressed.'

A photo showed a bevy of ruffled female librarians in a high Gothic aisle lined with bookshelves to the ceiling.

The young man said, his eyes sparkling:

'I think this matter shouldn't be left alone, should it?'

'Why, I believe it shouldn't,' the older man said with a twinkle in his eyes.

'Indeed.' the young man smiled. 'Nicolas, I believe we three potion-makers should seek this precious manuscript out.'

'I think so, Blaise.' Nicolas nodded. The girl said excitedly:

'Oh, how interesting! I'll try to be up to it!'

'And I think you will, my dear Myrrhis.' Blaise smiled.

'Zounds!' the ferret said.

'Jarveys,' Blaise smiled. 'A Jarvey that doesn't swear would be like a cat that doesn't put its nose everywhere.'

'Rufus.' Myrrhis smiled.

'Now, I have to Apparate to my inn,' Blaise said. 'I do not have the right to access the National Library, and my documents are all at my inn. Wait for me here, will you?'

'Certainly.' Nicolas smiled.

'Of course,' Myrrhis said.

'Gadzooks!' Rufus said.

'Yaow,' the cat said in a high, melodious voice.

Blaise smiled, rose and disappeared with a light pop. His friends stayed on the bench and talked. Sometime later there was another light pop, and Blaise appeared again.

'Now, let's go.' he smiled.

Myrrhis took Rufus in her hands and rose; Nicolas glided smoothly to Blaise. The cat in one smart leap came near Blaise. The five of them, Blaise leading, moved along the alley. By the Luxembourg Garden and the winding little streets of the Latin Quarter, they went, till they came to a nondescript old wall between two old houses. Blaise went to the wall and tapped a stone. A doorway appeared in the wall, and Blaise with his friends went through. The wall closed behind them. They were now in a busy, long and narrow street full of people in bright robes, and quaint shops with names like Lilaurier's Wands, Chouette's Magical Menagerie and Comete's Quidditch Supplies. Far down the street towered a classical building - the Gringotts Bank, its French branch, and in distance was seen a majestic Baroque building - the Library. The friends headed for it. At the massive carved oak doors of the Library, Blaise said:

'Well, here we are. Wait for me, please, because it would be too suspicious if we go there in posse.'

Myrrhis and Nicolas nodded. The cat blinked. Rufus said:

'Oddsbodikins!

'But you, Nicolas, can slip inside unnoticed, as you can pass through any wall,' Blaise said. 'Look there, if you please.'

'Sure.' Nicolas nodded.

'Sorry, Macavity, my friend, you've got to stay outside too,' Blaise said. 'They don't let people to bring animals into the library.'

Macavity blinked...and disappeared.

'See!? He's a genius!' Blaise said. 'I'm not allowed to bring him there, so he got there by himself!'

Nicolas and Myrrhis smiled.

'Now, see you,' Blaise said and went to the door resolutely.

'See you!' Nicolas and Myrrhis said, and Rufus exclaimed, 'Cor!'

Blaise opened the door and entered the wood-paneled hall, ascended majestic wood stairs and faced a librarian who sat behind a wooden counter and rather reminded Blaise of a colleague, Professor Minerva McGonagall. Blaise presented his papers to her. She glanced over them and asked him austerely:

'What is your purpose here?'

'Well, madam, I'm writing a book on alchemy, and I need some books that are found only in this celebrated Library.'

'Very good.' She smiled.

She handed him a card.

'Thank you very much,' Blaise said and headed for a tall door on the left. He opened it and entered a large hall with high vaults, wood paneling and a lot of long tables all tightly occupied with people surrounded by piles of books and notes. Blaise went to a counter in one corner of the hall and asked the old lady at the counter for a couple of titles. She said she'll send for them, and Blaise went to one of the tables, scrutinizing the hall closely on his way there. He found a place at a table near a tall arched window and settled there. He took a pencil out of his pocket - he was accustomed to libraries, though not to this one. He continued looking around alertly as he sat. Most of the people seemed to be scholars and like.

Some time later, the old lady called his name. He went to the counter, took the books and went back to his table. There he looked at the library cards and wrote some names and dates on a piece of parchment. Then he began to study the books, writing notes on the same piece of parchment. A great deal of time later he rose, put his notes and pencil back into his pocket, took the books back to the counter and returned them to the old lady. Then he walked out of the library.

Myrrhis, Nicolas, Rufus and Macavity looked eagerly as they saw him.

'Well?'

'Well, I've got a couple of names here,' Blaise said. 'It's a start. Now we have to get a Floo directory. Let's go to the local Flourish and Blotts.'