#7 - research

'Historically obsolete?'
But the Talking Hat was not obsolete. The story must have really been misunderstood or new findings had been misinterpreted and now all clues that could have helped her were gone from the library.
That or the Hat was playing her.

She waited for Madam Pince by the front desk as told albeit following the librarian with her eyes as she entered the Restricted Section. Reena was surprised that the iron gate opened just like that but figured that it would not do the same for her- at least not until she was in her sixth year.

"Professor Dumbledore took them?", she repeated.

Reena stared at the desk as she tried to place this information into the mystery the Hat had first unfolded for her in the new headmaster's academic library.

So the old headmaster had checked them all out before his sudden retirement and now the Hat that had been in his office for years was now sending her and presumably other students who had been unfortunate enough to strike up a conversation with it on a quest for answers Dumbledore had taken with him?

She had not put it above the old headmaster to go on this quest himself but the timing seemed rather suspicious to her.
Professor Dumbledore was quite a peculiar old man, perhaps he just wanted to keep the students busy after he was gone, much like she suspected Godric Gryffindor had done as well.

Perhaps Professor Dumbledore had just given the books to Professor Archerose as he had hired him as the new History of Magic professor and she could still get her answers. She would have to ask him now in face of Dumbledore's absense.
Maybe he could even give her a clue himself. Who knew?

"Bummer", she said with a shrug. "Thank you for checking, Ma'am. Have a nice afternoon."

With that she turned around to leave.
Her next destination would be Professor Archerose. Maybe she could talk to him before the feast started.

[Exit]