The transition from the Potions class to the library was necessary. After the encounter with Professor Snape—an irrational professor who only prioritized finding problems to deduct house points rather than appreciating work. Arthur required an environment to calm his mind rather than wasting time on past matters.
The "Miscellaneous" section of the library provided exactly that.
It had been his sanctuary for three days straight, a place where he could unwind and clear his mind by diving into the world of magic theory and casting spells.
Arthur operated on the left side of the scarred wooden table, systematically practicing his mana sense and nonverbal repetitions. Hermione Granger operated on the right, providing a steady, white-noise rhythm of quill scratches.
[Focus: Intermediate (92.4%)
Meditation: Intermediate (91.09%)
Then, the peace shattered.
Bang!
The heavy library doors swung open; with it came chaos, loud whispers, and shuffling feet. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had arrived. Arthur didn't physically react, but his mind immediately noticed the disturbance.
As they made their way through the room, the two Gryffindors caught sight of Hermione and quickly made a beeline for her, ignoring the many empty tables in between. They plopped their bulky bags down on the desk right next to hers, causing a loud thud that made Arthur's inkwell shake and rattle.
"I'm serious, it's just not possible," Ron said, flopping down into a chair with a slouch that made Arthur worry about his spine. "Snape is totally unreasonable, and Flitwick thinks we can just magically figure out how to cast spells without him even bothering to teach us. It's rogged."
Hermione stopped writing and her shoulders got all tight. "It's not rigged, Ron," she said. "You just need to understand the theory behind how you wrist movement."
Arthur ignored their conversation, attempting to force his attention back to his study of spells. But he couldn't help analyzing their behavior. He watched them out of his peripheral vision for exactly fourteen minutes. In that time, Ron attempted the wand movement for the Alohomora charm exactly two times. He spent the remaining twelve minutes and forty seconds complaining about the weight of his wand, the temperature of the room, and his hunger levels.
Arthur just couldn't get his head around it - what was going through someone's mind when they found a weakness in their skills, knew exactly how to fix it, but instead of doing something about it, they'd rather talk about it? It seemed like a total lack of common sense to him. I mean, if you know what's wrong and you know how to make it right, then why not just do it? Why bother telling everyone about your mistake if you're not going to take steps to correct it? It was baffling, and to Arthur, it was more than just a little annoying.
"Come on, just show me your notes," Ron said, letting out a frustrated sigh as he dropped his wand and leaned over the aisle to get a look at Hermione's work. "I really need to see the diagram for that unlocking spell, can I just take a peek?"
"Come on Ron, you have to try drawing it yourself if you want to get the hang of the hand movements," Hermione said quietly, but with a lot of intensity, as she pulled her parchment away from him just a bit.
"Oh, come on, I'm just copying the diagram!"
Ron grabbed a blank piece of paper and started scribbling with his pen in a rough, wavy line. Arthur concentrated, taking a closer look at Ron's messy drawing, trying to make sense of it.
Arthur felt a physical itch behind his eyes. It was pure irritation. He did not care about Ron's grades, nor did he care that Ron was bothering Hermione—she was perfectly capable of defending her own resources. But the sight of that incorrect diagram existing in his immediate vicinity was such an irritating case.
Arthur closed his book on Advanced Transfiguration Theory. The sudden, sharp snap of the binding echoed like a gunshot in the quiet corner.
Ron's hand stopped moving, his pen hovering in mid-air over the messy drawing. Harry's eyes snapped up, a look of surprise on his face. Meanwhile, Arthur's head swiveled, his piercing blue eyes zooming in on Ron's paper like a heat-seeking missile, their intensity making Ron feel like he was being scrutinized.
Arthur's voice was flat and cold as he said, "Your diagram is wrong, Weasley, it's off by eighteen degrees." He spoke without any emotion, his tone as surgical as it was unfeeling.
"What?" Ron blinked, intimidated by the sudden, intense focus of the pale Ravenclaw he usually ignored.
"Let me show you where you're going wrong," Arthur said, getting up and walking over to their table. He pointed a long, pale finger at Ron's parchment. "Your 'S' is all wrong - you're treating magic like it's just a matter of drawing letters. But the upper loop of the unlocking charm needs to be drawn at a precise 45-degree angle, or the mana won't flow properly. If you try to cast the spell with this mistake, you won't unlock the door - you'll probably just jam the lock instead. The internal mechanisms will get all fused together."
Harry fidgeted in his seat, looking a bit uneasy. "He was just doing a rough sketch, Pendergast," he said, trying to downplay the situation.
Arthur's eyes suddenly locked onto Harry, his expression stern. "You call that a 'rough sketch' of a volatile energy diagram? That's a recipe for disaster, Potter. I'm shocked you'd approach something as complex as magic with the same carelessness you might use to pick out a pair of socks. Don't you realize that a simple mistake like that could lead to an explosion? It's not just about waving a wand and reciting some words, it's about understanding the underlying principles and taking the time to get it right. Your lack of attention to detail is alarming, to say the least."
Ron's face flushed a deep, angry red. "Listen, mate, nobody asked you for a lecture—"
"Let's take a step back here," Arthur said, his voice calm and even. "I'm not trying to talk down to you or tell you what to do. I just want to help resolve the issue that's been bothering me - and apparently, you too. Your frustration was starting to get to me, and I figured it was time to step in. Now, I've given you the tools you need to move forward, so it's time to put them to use. No more complaining, no more noise. Let's focus on fixing that diagram and making this spell work. It's the logical thing to do, after all. So, what do you say? Are you ready to get started?"
Arthur spun around, walked back to his chair, and flipped open his book to the exact page he'd been reading earlier. From that point on, he didn't give them another glance.
Hermione watched the exchange with her mouth slightly open. Harry and Ron looked at Arthur as if he had just sprouted horns. To them, he was not a peer; he was a human machine who had just dismantled Ron's magical capability without a single shred of human empathy.
"Come on, Harry, let's get out of here," Ron said quietly, crumpling up the parchment and shoving it into his pocket. "That guy's completely lost it, if you ask me."
They quickly gathered their things and made a swift exit from the "Miscellaneous" section, a pace that Harry usually reserved for his Quidditch games. As they left, the large library doors creaked shut behind them, restoring the quiet atmosphere that had been momentarily disrupted.
Arthur focused entirely on the first sentence of his text. The peace had returned. The disturbances were dealt with. His research continued.