"The spells for the replacement of books only work if most of the collection is in place."
"And you don't think they would work for the library at Hogwarts?"
"Bon. Your French is better than you claimed in your letter to Nic."
"Yes, well… blame Daphne." Harry couldn't help but blush as he said it. His last two attempts to ask her to Hogsmeade with him hadn't gone any better than the first. He was beginning to think that maybe Daphne was trying to give him a gentle brush-off, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but he intended to try once more, this time being direct so there could be no confusion. If she was trying to brush him off at least he would know.
"Qui est Daphne?"(Who is Daphne?)
"She's-"
"En français, s'il te plaît."(In French, if you please)
"Elle est une fille dans l'école." Harry said somewhat a girl in school)
"Elle est une fille à l'école." Nell corrected. "Est-ce qu'elle est attirante?"(She's a girl at school. Is she attractive?)
Harry took a second then he blushed. "Elle est très belle.""She's very pretty.)
"Bon. Now what things do you want most to learn?"
"Nic said you could tell me the legend of Beltharion. I want to learn about that the most. I want to learn what the significance of my wand is. Ollivander and Thaddeus Marcello both reacted oddly to my wand. I would like to know why. You reacted similarly, so I believe you might be able to tell me why. Other than that I want to learn as much as you are willing teach and I am able to learn."
Alright, I cannot tell you the legend of Beltharion, the legend itself has passed into the mists of time. I can however tell you something about it.
"In the time before the fall of Atlantis those who worked magic lived as if they were gods, those without magic were like ants waiting to be stepped on in the battles between the powerful. Atlanteans ruled the earth, some say in their arrogance they angered the Creator. Beltharion was a wizard, a very powerful one that didn't agree with the rulers of the day. The Creator gave him a special familiar, a beautiful bird whose feathers were white that was a raptor who could vanish and reappear in a swirl of snow. Beltharion lived in a troubled time. He was credited with the destruction of Atlantis. For two centuries after he died he was counted as a dark wizard. Then when the oracle at Delphi was established their greatest seer was given a vision, a vision of what would have happened had Beltharion not acted and destroyed Atlantis. That vision was nothing less than the destruction of the world. After that most references to him refer to him as the Grey Mage." Nell finished. "He's only mentioned in a few ancient Greek texts and he is only rarely mentioned."
"I can see why. Was he dark?"
"In the sense of did he do dark magic? I don't know, that detail has been lost to time. Did he have to do something that was seen as bad, yes. Did he do it for the right reasons? If the Oracle at Delphi is to be believed, then yes he did. Did he have other options available to him? Probably, I don't know.
"One thing to keep in mind, Harry, is that magic- for all many people like to claim this spell or that spell is dark- very little magic truly is dark just as very little magic is truly light. Magic is mostly about intent. You think it, you believe it, you will it and it is thought made manifest. With the exception of most necromancy and some blood magic I hesitate to brand any magic as dark, likewise there are few spells that I consider light, except for ones like the patronus spell and most healing spells. The rest it is your intent that makes them so. Ministries the world over have labelled many spells as light or dark mostly because many spells can be misused and lend themselves to one or the other.
"As for your wand, you will be able to find the books you need. And we can discuss it over dinner this evening. Tomorrow we will be going to Strasbourg so plan on only speaking French. The day after that is Christmas. Today is your only day for the next three to make use of the library, so get to work. Meanwhile I shall make a list of good history texts for you."
It took Harry most of the afternoon to learn the magical dewey system, but by the end he realized that it was sort of similar to the way the Hogwarts library was organized. Hogwarts' wasn't as exact however. He also found three books on wand lore which looked promising and one specifically on an elemental wand and magic that to his dismay was in Sanskrit. When he showed it to Nell she had laughed and then taught him a spell that would translate it for him. As the afternoon came to an end she told him he could leave the books on the worktable rather than re-shelve them.
The next day Nic and Harry visited the Gringotts branch in Paris early and Harry had his first experience with side along apparition. He decided he preferred portkey and floo to side along. Harry converted enough galleons to do the shopping he planned into francs. They apparated back to the manor then they apparated again to a point in Strasbourg. Harry had pocketed his dictionary but found within an hour or two he had mastered enough phrases that he was able to complete the shopping he wanted to. He found a glass blowers that had a spectacular glass star for Aunt Petunia, and a baby's first Christmas ornament for Rose. He also bought an ornament for Cassandra. He bought a bottle of Spatlese and a boxed assortment of cookies and Swiss chocolates for Aunt Marge, and a similar gift for Cassandra and each of his trustees. He found a Swiss knife he knew Dudley would like. He searched for a gift for Uncle Vernon but was at a loss for what the man would like. That was until he saw a painting he thought his uncle might like. Gift shopping complete he started to take in more of his surroundings and converse more with the Flamels about what he was seeing and the history of the historic city. They also visited the building that housed the European parliament. They ate lunch and dinner in the city, and three hours after it got dark after they had had the chance to enjoy the city's many Christmas lights, they apparated home. Harry swiftly wrapped the gifts he'd purchased and sent them with Hedwig to his aunt, to Cassandra and to his trustees.
Christmas Day arrived and Harry opted to surprise the Flamels by making the delicious breakfast of quiche Lorraine, baked apples, and caramel and cinnamon rolls. That he had seen Nell plan for them. Nell had been shocked when she came down to make breakfast and everything was already prepared and just needed to be put in the oven. She and Harry chatted and joked until Nic came down a half an hour later.
Today Harry couldn't resisted commenting on Nic's sleep T-shirt. "Don't you think you have an unfair advantage Oncle Nic?"
"Huh?"