Penwick

Volunteering at the library was considerably less exciting than June had imagined.

Not because there was anything wrong with shelving books, repairing torn pages, or helping first-years locate texts that were sitting right in front of them. Well, those things were actually still quite dull, but the real nail in the coffin was the realization that the position came with very little reading or appreciating of literature. Which made sense when June thought about it, and made her feel quite silly at the realization. In her defense, the poster requesting volunteers started with "Do you enjoy reading?"

False advertising, it was. But no matter, June had committed to volunteer for the term, and she'd see it through until the end.

The library was empty when June arrived, just before lunch was finished. Which made sense, everyone was likely in class, and if anyone had a free block like June, they likely wouldn't be chomping at the bit to spend it in the library, especially with it being a beautiful day outside.

She set down her satchel, finding it a bit odd that the library seemed entirely empty. Wasn't there meant to be a librarian in here? June spotted a note on a nearly empty display table, and walked toward it to investigate. A large sign was placed atop the case, decorated with a smiling sun, ocean waves, and a plastic pail and shovel filled with sand.

SPLASH INTO A BOOK THIS SUMMER

June kept herself from groaning at the poor attempt to make reading feel "hip". Beside the display case rested several crates of books, a small stack of blank recommendation cards, and the note June spotted earlier. She opened it and read,


Seemed June wouldn't be alone today. She knew who Lachlan was; they were housemates in the same year, after all, and they had ended up in the library together on a few occasions. But they'd always been assigned to separate tasks, so this would be a first. There sure seemed to be a lot of them this year.

June crouched beside the nearest crate, pulling out a thick volume and examining its cover.

"Seventeenth Century Broom Construction," she read aloud. June stared at it for a moment. Who would want to read this over the summer? June was both a reading and broom enthusiast, and even she found the choice a bit dull.

She placed it to the side and began to sort through the rest of the crates, grouping them together. Novels. Travel journals. Collections of fairy tales. A handful of mysteries. Several books that June privately intended to borrow herself before anyone else had the chance.

Was sorting the books like this particularly helpfull? She wasn't sure, but she didn't know where else to start.

She stood up, brushing her hands against her trousers before hearing the library doors squeak open as her fellow volunteer arrived.

"Perfect timing," she said, glancing toward the entrance. June gestured toward the crates, the empty display, and the assortment of books scattered around her. "We've been asked to recommend books for the summer," she briefly explained as she handed her classmate the librarian's note.

She picked up another book and examined the title. Magical Fungi of Northern Scotland.

"Some of these books are... interesting choices for summer reading, though." She sighed. "I might go and pick out things if I can't find anything soon."

Educational lumber' would be a good name for a band," she said, setting Blaze of Emrys into the pile of books she wanted to display.

Her eyes drifted to the title Lachlan was holding. "The problem," she said, leaning over slightly to inspect the cover art, "is that books with titles like that are either delightful little gems," she picked up another book, "or they're the equivalent of someone telling you about their dream in excruciating detail." She glanced at him with a soft chuckle. "Usually not much middle ground there."

June reached for a recommendation card and twirled her quill between her fingers as she considered his question.

"If I were trapped somewhere for the entire summer? Well, when I went to summer camp in second year I had forgotten to pack any books, so I was just stuck reading my friend's shampoo bottle label for a couple of weeks." June smiled and laughed at the memory. "Muggles put some interesting instructions on their things. Seeing 'do not drink' was... interesting." June tapped her chin with the quill, trying to recall the details of the memory. "There was also something about avoiding contact with your eyes, which made me wonder how many people had apparently been washing their hair by pouring shampoo directly onto their face before someone decided a warning label was necessary."

She sighed. "Not a book though. Umm..." June reached into her satchel and rummaged around a bit until her fingers clutched around a hardcover book, pulling it out. "This, I suppose. It's what I'm currently reading. Not the most creative answer, though." She passed the book to Lachlan for him to look at.

The cover depicted a solitary sailing ship navigating a sea of clouds. A pale city floated in the distance, suspended upside down above the horizon, while silver foil lettering spelling out The Cartographer's Daughter across the top.

"It's about a girl who inherits her father's unfinished maps and slowly realizes the places he was charting didn't exist in the known world. I'm only halfway through, and studying for OWLs has put a hold on a lot of my reading for leisure. It also weighs enough to serve as a blunt weapon, which feels useful if I'm trapped somewhere for a summer."

She smirked as she looked up at Lachlan.

"What about you? And if you say Seventeenth Century Broom Construction, I'm revoking your library card," she raised her eyebrows in mock threat as she waited for him to reply.