It was still early, the shop doors had only just creaked open and the stacks were still blissfully empty and peaceful.

Arianna was back in the second hand section, her fingertips lightly tracing the titles printed into the leather hides as she searched for something of interest. She pulled out a random book, two hands needed to support its weight as she lowered it from its hiding place. Flicking though, she took in old world smell from its yellowed paper, imagining the hundreds of wizard hands that had potentially thumbed its pages.

Books fascinated her. The possibility of so much knowledge, bound within two covers, lasting for centuries, infiltrating the minds of hundreds. Books were meant to be read. She always felt there was something tragic about a rare book locked away, gathering dust in some great personal library for occasional perusal perhaps once or twice in its lifetime...knowledge lost.

Most of her childhood had been spent, hiding away in the great library of the family house..it was the one place she had felt any afinity.

Struggling a little, she heaved the book back into the gaping space left by its absence, starting her search again until her fingers fell upon a small leather bound journal. Its title and author appeared to be handwritten onto the outside cover..... A Transfigurator's life - dragon to arm chair and back again, by Robert E Versal

Henry walked quickly through the streets of Diagon Alley. He had some time until he had to report to work and he didn't have long to find the book he wanted. The last time he was in the bookstore, one of the clerks promises they would have the book in soon. So Henry with his experiments completed and was just waiting for the final results decided to take a quick detour.  It was not an easy decision considering how awkward Henry was with most of the wizarding population.

It was'nt as if he chose to be this way. Okay, maybe he did, but being the child of two very serious minded muggles tend to damper things a bit. He didn't quite get Quidditch. There was no mystery or math to the process. He doubted any of the players realized that if they just understood the basic physics of the game, they could improve their stats so much. However, no one really wanted to discuss the merits of his theory so Henry just dropped it and stuck to his experiments.

Henry entered the shop quietly and looked around for a clerk. Not seeing one right off the back, he began to search the aisle for some sign of life. So far the only soul he saw was a young woman. Perhaps he should look again. He didn't dislike women, they just made him stammer like an idiot and feel foolish when around them. It was so sannoying after all, he was a very educated man. It was unrational, and yet it was reality.

After determining no one was there to go to, Henry screwed his courage to the sticking place and walked toward her slowly. A blush crept into his cheeks as he noticed that she was looking at a book. He hated to disturb her but he didn't have long until he had to be at work.

"Um... Excuse me? Miss? Do you, um, work here?" Henry asked softly, surprised he had not stammered too badly. Perhaps because she hadn't turned around yet. He hoped his luck would stay.

Arianna glanced up from her book, a flash of irritation crossing her otherwise pretty features.

"No.I don't." She replied curtly, a frown starting to line her forehead at the interuption.

That was the problem with wearing dark robes and plain shoes, go shopping and everyone thought you were a clerk. 

She looked back to her book and absent-mindedly tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, the style of which, scraped back from her face into a ponytail made her look younger than her twenty six years. Her eyes, however, told a different story, light grey, they gave the impression of one much older.

Her fingers tapped on the flimsy cover as she began to get more irritated. She didnt need to look up to see that her interuption was still there. With a small sigh, she looked back up towards the man. The quickest and surest way to move him on his way was probably to help him find what he wanted, provided he knew what that was of course.

"The clerk's out the back somewhere, probably lost in the depth of the achives. She does that occasionally. Do you know what want? " She asked him, finally looking him in the eyes for the first time, half closing her book, the title evident on top.

 

"No.I don't."

Henry immediately blushed brighter with embarrassment, “I’m..sorry.  I.. don’t.. normally…come..here.”

He blushed even darker at his stuttering. He wasn’t sure how to fix it. It just happened when he was feeling socially awkward.  Plus she looked very upset with him. Henry just couldn’t win some days. It was obvious this was one of those days. All he really wanted was just a simple book. Well, a hard to find book, but just a book.

Henry glanced at the book in her hand. He recognized it as something on his eventually read list, but it wasn’t the prize he wanted.  Instead, he rubbed his neck, trying to think of the fastest escape route possible. As he pondered how to leave without looking too much like an idiot, the girl looked up at him. Henry gave an awkward smile and hoped she wouldn’t be too harsh with him.

"The clerk's out the back somewhere, probably lost in the depth of the archives. She does that occasionally. Do you know what want? "

“Oh, um..It’s a book on Transfiguration. It’s..draws in.. um..some muggle science into it.” Henry blushed and stammered, “Perhaps you have heard of it.  The Physics of Transfiguration by Maria Trenford. I’m sort of an admirer of her work. She was an amazing Unspeakable.”

“Oh, um..It’s a book on Transfiguration. It’s..draws in.. um..some muggle science into it.”

Arianna waited, with more than a little impatience, for the man to continue to the main point in question, the title, with an uneasy feeling that he might be about to describe the entire contents before he reached that vital piece of information. Luckily, for both of them, he didnt.

“Perhaps you have heard of it.  The Physics of Transfiguration by Maria Trenford. I’m sort of an admirer of her work. She was an amazing Unspeakable.”

"Yes, yes she was. " Arianna replied after a moments pause, her tone much softer than before.

"I know the book, probably her best work. " She continued, again a few extra seconds between her sentences, almost to the point of discomfort.

"But you won't find a copy here, or anywhere in Diagon." She explained, her voice tinged with an edge of sadness.
 
Ill timing had been the main destroyer of that work. It had been released into public circulation only a few weeks before Maria's arrest in 97. After she was charged, most reputable book stores banished her books to their back rooms, leaving damp and decay to do its deadly work, or simply returned the copies to her publisher. A fire at the company warehouse in 99 destroyed many of those returned.

Her work was still sought after by the few fellow researchers: she had been known as one of the best in her field and, now, due to the relative rarity of the book, private book collectors also paid handsomely to get their  greedy hands on a copy, though often holding little interest in its contents. This particular man seemed to belong to the former of the two, which again was lucky for him. She had no time for the latter.

"I believe there are only thirty or so still in a good enough condition to read, and most of those are hidden away in private collections." She added, with a small flicker of disgust.

Arianna had a copy. It was wrapped in a cover in the darkness of a rather ornate looking wooden chest that had once belonged to her mother, at the base of her bed. It was well looked after but also well read, one of her few treasured possessions and so she held on to that partcular piece of information, at least for the moment.

The more she talked, the more his nervousness seemed to creep upon her as she skirted round a subject of which she was never very comfortable although found very difficult to avoid, her mother. She played with a slender silver bracelet, hanging loose on her right wrist, as she spoke, a rare sign of betrayed emotion that she constantly sought to avoid.

Another slightly prolonged silence followed, the few seconds seeming to slow with each one passing.

"Did you know Maria?"

She finally asked, the sense of a held breath not yet fully overcome. She looked directly at him as she asked, her full attention caught.
 

"I know the book, probably her best work.  But you won't find a copy here, or anywhere in Diagon.

Henry realized it was quite possible to feel both elation and defeat at the same time. He was desperately hoping that his contact had secured a copy for him. He knew enough that Flourish and Blott’s or any other shop wouldn’t touch such a request. Despite, Mrs. Tenford’s  acquittal, most still regarded her work with contempt. It was the part that outraged Henry the most. Her work was brilliant and no one seemed to care but him. That was his other passion at work. He was going to continue her work and so everyone how great she was. But he needed that book to get a glimpse into her research.

“I …was …hoping… that…this ..establishment…might …have …found…one.” Henry Sighed in his usual stuttering way.

"I believe there are only thirty or so still in a good enough condition to read, and most of those are hidden away in private collections."

Hearing the disgurt in her voice, Henry gave her a sympathetic look. He could never understand why someone would want a book to pay a lot of money for and then never read it. It was a waste to him. All that knowledge just sitting on a shelf, it’s only job now was to collect dust or be a talking point. It would never reach its full potential. Henry huffed at that.  It was not right. That was the true crime to him, the waste of knowledge.

“It’s... a crime.” Henry sputtered with a tinge of anger, “They’ll…never…read...it..or...understand... her…points. Such…a..waste!”

That was the truth. It was a waste of knowledge. Henry took a deep breathe to calm himself down and glanced at his watch. He had some time until he had to report at the Department of Mystery. Hopefully, he could even slip in a little late while he tries to renew his efforts to find a copy of that book. Perhaps he should venture into Knockturn and try there.

"Did you know Maria?"

Henry looked at the young lady again. She seemed to look at him with great interest. Blushing slightly, Henry rubbed his neck. No he never really met the lady. He was hired just after the Battle of Hogwarts. He wished he did. He often wrote letters to her but never really got the nerve to send them. He was one of the few people who help fight for her release after he gained accesses to her work files and notes. When she died just before she was going to freed, Henry mourned her  death. No, he didn’t know her, but in some ways he felt he did.

“No..I didn’t.” Henry stated slowly relaxing himself and trying to calm his stuttering, “I wish I did. She was an amazing person.  I wish I discovered her work sooner. I was hired by the Ministry just after the Battle of Hogwarts. I was at Oxford before that teaching physics. Did you know her?”

“I wish I did. She was an amazing person.  I wish I discovered her work sooner. I was hired by the Ministry just after the Battle of Hogwarts. I was at Oxford before that teaching physics. Did you know her?”

"Yes....though not as well as I would have liked. " She answered her voice growing a little softer, not actually intending to be cryptic in her reply, though she gave him little detail straight away. 

A flicker of disappointment at his answer passed quickly. He still held her interest, his opinions and obvious passion for his work intriguing her.   

"I'm glad to meet someone who fully appreciates her work. Her theory on transition, was...well, still is...quite illuminating, and yet is still often ignored or, worse, not even known. " She added, a sense of passion and frustration creeping back into her own voice.

"Its not right that her work, that her knowledge could be lost. It deserves to be used not ignored or overlooked."   

Ironically, in the past five or ten minutes, this quiet unspeakable with his stumbling speech had drawn more conversation from Arianna than she had shared with anyone for months. She had few friends. Since Nicholas' arrest, she had, out of necessity, lent herself to more solitary pursuits. She had, in fact, almost forgotten what it was like to have a normal interaction with someone as herself, rather than whatever cover she was pretending to be. Though it made her feel a little vulnerable, and she would likely not have admitted it, she was enjoying having someone who seemed rather like minded to converse with.     

"But then, I am perhaps a little biased. " She admitted with a small wry smile.

"I'm Arianna Trenford." She explained, a sparkle in her expression sending life into her light blue/grey eyes.   

"Maria was my mother. "

"Yes....though not as well as I would have liked. "

Henry nodded. He could understand the sentiment. He felt that way at times about Dumbledore. When he was younger, the Headmaster seemed larger than life. He understood when Henry began to wonder if he could go to a muggle school after Hogwarts. Dumbledore helped make it possible. Henry had always wanted to return to Hogwarts to thank him. But it never happened. It reinforced to Henry that Life was too short for regrets. While he might be extremely shy around others, Henry did talk when he deemed it important.

“I understand. Yet through her notes that I discovered at the Ministry, I wish I did.” Henry nodded, “I’m currently continuing some of her research right now. I felt it was the least I could do after everything.”

"I'm glad to meet someone who fully appreciates her work. Her theory on transition, was...well, still is...quite illuminating, and yet is still often ignored or, worse, not even known. Its not right that her work, that her knowledge could be lost. It deserves to be used not ignored or overlooked."   

Henry brightened up immediately, “That’s my current project. We are currently exploring all the aspect of transition on how it manipulates the laws conservation of mass and energy. Her ideas were so enlightening that it helped us make several huge strides in the results. I’m giving her full credit for our findings.”

"But then, I am perhaps a little biased I'm Arianna Trenford. Maria was my mother. "

Henry blinked in shock. This young woman in front of her was Maria’s daughter?! Henry knew Trenford was married but he did’nt even think about her having children. Suddenly he felt like having Maria’s notes was like keeping from the person who deserved them. Blushing and stammering, Henry extended a hand.

“Dr. Henry Spindler.” Henry stammered quickly as he rubbed his neck, “You must have been missing her notes. I should return them. I’m very sorry for not giving them to your family, Ms. Trenford. I hope you don’t mind I was using them. I plan on giving her full credit. I just wish I could have done more for her. I guess my testimony at her hearing didn’t get her out in time.”

"Its a pleasure to meet you. " She said politely, shaking his outstretched hand.

"And Arianna's fine. " She added. A small smile crept in at the corner of her mouth.  She had decided that she quite liked this man, against her initial opinion. She liked his passion for his work. His obvious dedication impressed her. Even his stutter and awkwardness seemed to make his words more honest and genuine and she found that quite refreshing.   

"You must have been missing her notes. I should return them. I’m very sorry for not giving them to your family, Ms. Trenford. I hope you don’t mind I was using them. I plan on giving her full credit. I just wish I could have done more for her. I guess my testimony at her hearing didn’t get her out in time.”

"No, don't return them until you have finished with them. She would have wanted them to be used. " She stated firmly.

"They are no good sitting on.....did you say you were at the hearing?" She asked him, the conversation tracking her thoughts.  His name tripped a switch in her mind and the metaphoric light bulb switched on. She looked a little embarrassed. Forgetting names or faces was not something she was accustomed to, a little niggling pinprick again that she was losing skills with lack of practice. 

"I'm so sorry. I do remember you. "

She bit her bottom lip, something she had inherited off her mother when she felt a little awkward or out of place.

" Thank you...for speaking out I mean. " She added, her expression appearing sincere and actually sincere for once.

" Even some of her, supposedly, close friends said nothing and yet you.....well, just thanks. " She added a little clumsily, glancing back down at the book in her hands, before slotting it back into its rightful place.

" I should really be going. I hope the rest of your research goes well.  " She said, and then added.

"I do have some of  my mothers more recent papers. If you wanted to take a look sometime or.....well, its up to you. "

She shrugged, as though it was of no real importance to her and gave him a faint smile.