Order Only: Private message to Mr and Mrs Longbottom

[alt_terry]

Hi, I have a question for you from Neville:

He says that one of his friends has borrowed some books about Occlumency from Professor Dolohov. He says he wants to borrow them from her, but he's afraid to do so. Do you have any idea whether Professor Dolohov might put a trace on them, to see if his friend has lent them out to anyone else? (Of course he doesn't want it to get out that he's studying Occlumency, because he doesn't want to let on that he has anything to hide.)

So he asked me to ask you. He doesn't know the titles. Yet. But are there any books on the subject that you know if that would make worth taking the risk?

Comments

[alt_terry]

Oh, and he also says to tell you that Evelyn had her boggart lesson this week, and it went just like when she practised this summer. It showed itself as Neville getting his wand snapped, and she turned it into one of Fred and George's joke wands. And no one looked at her weird about it or anything. So Neville says it went well.

[alt_frank]

good.

good to know.

thanks, terry.

[alt_frank]

could you tell her that I said nicely done?

[alt_terry]

Sure.

[alt_frank]

thanks.

[alt_alice]

Thank you for passing that along, Terry, love.

If he wants to test the books for tracking spells, you can tell him that he ought to be careful not to touch the book with bare skin, but ought to use a clean cloth or freshly laundered handkerchief to handle it with.

He can take his wand and run it in a cross pattern over the book, both while closed and while open, and each time say 'Periculum Revelio'. This will let him know if there are any sorts of charms or hexes placed on the book. It'll glow white if there's non-harmful spells, red if there are spells that could be dangerous or provide trouble to the caster, and if it glows black, well, let's say Professor Dolohov would be quite foolish to loan out materials to his students if they are that dangerous. I believe that's the most straightforward way to test for tracking spells and the like. So he ought to not use the books if they glow red or slightly reddish.

[alt_terry]

Great. Thanks! I'll tell him.

[alt_terry]

He says thanks for passing that along.

[alt_alice]

And thanks to you as well, Terry. You've no idea how comforting it is to know that Neville can talk to you about us, and that he can ask us questions that have to be answered right away if need be.

[alt_frank]

hear hear

[alt_alice]

And in terms of the books...

Well, there was a two-volume series that were fairly well known to our mentor, Auror Kilwale. When we were training, he had us read The Pane of Water and The Lake And The Mirror, by... oh, Frank, what was his name? Isoroku Sato.

I wish we still had copies to pass along to him. But those books were definitely standards that would be good to pick up, if he can get his hands on them discreetly.

[alt_frank]

sato's the one, yes.

[alt_terry]

Are they banned titles, then, so reading them could get him into trouble? Or is it just that you don't want anyone to know he's studying it?

[alt_alice]

I'm not entirely sure what's banned and what isn't, as goodness knows I haven't had much of a chance to visit bookstores recently. But you mentioned he wanted to keep quiet about it, so discretion would probably be best in any case, even if the books are easily available.

[alt_terry]

Right. Thanks.