Chapter Text
Frida spend a lot of time studying. Aside from general classes like DADA, Potions or Charms, she had other complementary classes that usually let only Ravenclaw students in it. However, Frida still got in there, she was persuasive like that.
When she was not in classes, Frida spent her time in the library. Mostly it was to study, but there was another reason she didn’t like to think about; because admitting that you didn't like your House was only one step away from becoming a blood traitor.
Why couldn't she have been a Ravenclaw? In Ravenclaw, nobody would care about her having Hufflepuff and Gryffindor friends. The way it was now, she had to justify herself all day every day and she was only lucky that nobody bothered to bully her. To be fair, that may have been connected to the fact that she had a ghost in her room that made Pansy Parkinson bald after she had thrown Frida's stuff off the Astronomy tower.
To avoid all the unnecessary drama, Frida spent most of her free time in the library, so she knew the place inside and out. Or so she had thought because when it came to elven laws, she had no idea where to find anything about those. Sure, lots of books about magical creatures, in general, had articles about elves in them, but nothing about their culture or law system. Frida spent two whole days searching the library for any mention of the small creature’s laws while Hilda and her invisible elven friend (Frida was still not absolutely positive he was real, even after hearing his voice) ran around the whole school, doing all sorts of insane things to get the paperwork they needed.
When her frustration reached a top and Frida felt like screaming (preferably at David for being absolutely no help at all) something very peculiar happened.
“You need some help over there kids ?“
Frida dropped the book she was holding, David even yelped as he fell off the stool he was perched on. The person that literally appeared (Frida knew the spot was empty a second ago) only a few meters from them looked like about everything their DADA books said about vampires; a pale young adult with dark eyes, mostly black clothes and half black, half violet hair (which definitely was not natural).
Frida hawked and slowly picked up the book, just to get a bit of her dignity back.
“Who are you?“ she asked.
“I'm the Librarian,“ Stranger answered matter-of-factly.
“I'm pretty sure Madam Pince is the school’s librarian.“ David squeaked, still on the ground, looking more than ready to bolt in the slightest sign of danger.
“She is too.“ The Librarian said. David glanced at Frida almost desperately. She ignored him, it wasn’t as if one pale teen was the strangest thing she had ever seen (these Muggleborns were so dramatic).
“We are looking for-"
“Eleven histories, law and bureaucracy.“
“How did you-"
“Follow me.“ The Librarian finished still in the same tone.
Now David was not the only one feeling extremely creeped out. They followed the Librarian anyway, though Frida had to walk about 5 meters before her friend while he was hesitantly sneaking behind them.
I'm not the only one that got sorted terribly wrong. She thought.
With her extended knowledge of the library, Frida knew where they were being led even before they got there.
“The Restricted Section? But we are banned from going in there.“
The Librarian stood before the locked door, an actual grin on her face: “All the cool books have been banned once.“
…
"You know, this is the moment in films when the main characters look down the cellar stairs and you say ‘Don't go down there, you’re going to die,‘ but they go and die anyway,“ David mumbled a few hours later in front of the very same door, where they sneaked under the guise of night.
“What are films?“ Hilda asked.
“Muggle entertainment.“ Said Frida, with a tone of voice she had reserved for talking to insane people (so mostly her two friends).
“This is that moment! Only it's not an ordinary basement, but a strictly forbidden section of the library in the magic school! I'm telling you this is a very, very bad idea.“ David continued to drone on, “Why would we do anything that strange lady says. She doesn't even have a name, it's most shady thing ever and l don't want to die.“
Frida along with Hilda continued to ignore him. After the year of knowing David, they were well aware that he would always go down his spiral of paranoia and no soothing words would stop it when he got like that. However, in the end, their friend would follow them anywhere, no matter how much he complained about it.
“Did your mysterious Librarian say how we should get in?“ Hilda whispered, studying the locked door.
“She didn't need to,” Frida said, rolling her eyes, “I know the unlocking spell, I'm not a complete savage. We did learn it last year, you should know it too.“
Hilda gave her a sheepish smile. “Why bother. We have you.“
Frida rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand.
Stepping closer to the lock she whispered “Alohomora.“
With a click too loud, the door unlocked.
“Oh dang it.“ David squeaked “We are so dead.“
Frida gently pulled the handle and slowly opened it. The process felt almost ceremonial.
The restricted section was like a whole different world. It was a lot darker, but not because of the night hours. Shadows themselves seemed longer and deeper. Shelves were higher, and the room felt too wide and too tall to fit in this part of the castle.
Frida ignored the fear crawling in her stomach and used Lumos to light her way. Both her friends stared at her in awe.
“Hilda, David, both of you should at least know this one. Merlin's beard, it’s the first spell Flitwick taught us.“ Frida sighed.
Hilda shrugged: “I am more animal orientated.“
Frida chose not to talk to David for he might panic and run or scream or anything irrational like that, rather than respond. Instead, she turned and went to follow the directions the Librarian have given them. Both followed her lead wordlessly.
“It's not ominous at all that scary looking lady tells us to go to forbidden part of the library and even tells us where to look, but doesn't let us in, like legally, even when she says she is a librarian,“ David mutters, while eyeing one of the books as if it was going to jump off the shelf and bite him.
Walking among the dark shelves looming over her like angry Trolls, Frida silently admitted that for once David kind of had a point. This whole thing was kind of suspicious.
“This is a trap and we will get murdered.“ David continued muttering.
Suddenly a voice came from behind them, “Come on kid, give me some credit; if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead.“
They all swiftly turned around and even Frida couldn't help it and screamed.
The Librarian looked most unimpressed, only slowly weaving her wand to cast a wordless spell Frida didn’t know.
”She is going to curse us.“ David cried.
The Librarian just sighed. “Don't be a fool boy, I'm just making sure nobody heard your yelling.“
“While you kill us?”
Frida couldn’t even hold it against her when the Librarian chose not to respond and instead lead them deeper through dark aisles.
After a while, she stopped by a very messily sorted shelf. Frida could hear her muttering something about what Irma Pince does if not her job before the Librarian spoke to them again.
“So there you got it. Everything we have on the elves, people don’t want in full access part of the library. Enjoy, but remember: this is for references only, no taking the books outside.” With that, she left them. Only stopping by the opening of the aisle to say, “And of course, don’t get caught.”
“That was …” Frida began.
“…cool.” Hilda finished.
“That is really not what I had in mind.”
Hilda only grinned in response.
....
Hilda liked libraries. Of course, it would be so much more fun to spend her night looking for the forest giants in the forbidden forest or visiting Hagrid or even sneaking in the Astronomy tower to watch Woff migration (it was just the season for that) but libraries were fun too. If she couldn't see all the magical creatures herself at least she could enjoy learning about them with her friends.
However, no matter how much she liked this, her interest was nothing compared to Alfur's. The little man (elf) has been beaming with an enthusiasm ever since they had entered the library, gaining himself a few amused looks from the Librarian (Hilda was not even surprised that the woman could see him). When they got to the elven section, Alfur quickly climbed off Hilda's head, starting to explore the shelves.
About a quarter an hour later, Alfur’s squeaky little voice called Hilda to a very top shelf and probably the largest book she had ever seen. With the elf sitting on a top of it, Hilda took the book, setting it on the ground.
“That is one giant book,” Frida commented.
“It's actually bigger on the inside,” Alfur stated. Before Hilda got a chance to ask what he meant, elf hardly turned a front page, revealing a page filled with letters so small Hilda could hardly see them, let alone read.
“It's an official list of several most basic elven laws. If you want to be more thorough, there are forty-two more volumes.”
“This is most basic?” Frida raised her eyebrows.
“Forty-two more volumes?” David added, for a moment choosing to put down the wand he was until then holding protectively in front of himself as if it was a sword.
“Elves are really into making paperwork.” Hilda shrugged.
“Indeed we are.” Alfur nodded “But don’t worry, even a common house elf like me is able to read faster than most humans.”
Hilda liked libraries, but she couldn’t say that she liked spending half of the night just quickly turning pages on two-thousand pages long book, followed by another set of titles, as giant as the first one. Frida, on the other hand, was reading a human written book on elven history, and David was actually able to stand for three full hours just staring at the dark aisles of the library and babbling.
By the morning they were all completely drained but at least they knew what they needed to.
...
“... and some people seem to have many things much more important to do than to pay attention.” Snape's monotone yet threatening voice sounded so out of this world to Hilda's tired mind, that she needed a nudge from Frida to realize what he was saying while standing right in front of their desk.
“Yes, sir.” Hilda muttered, “I mean, no sir I don't have anything to do.”
Snape looked down on her, his hooked nose making him look even more menacing, “What would have you so tired for my class Miss Berg? It sure was not you, wandering these halls in the dark of the night. Because that wouldn't fit your... reputation.”
“I had to eh... I had...” Hilda was stammering over her tongue.
“She was helping me, sir.” Frida interrupted her friend, her best professional tone and Slytherin wit intact “I took on preliminary classes on Care of Magical Creatures and it got too hard for me so she was helping me study.”
Hilda had to admire her friend very much at that moment. Some people said Hilda should have been sorted into Gryffindor, because of her nature of jumping into danger without caring for consequences. However, if there was something Hilda would be too scared to do, it would be to straight up lie to Professor Snape.
“Alright, I appreciate your honesty, Miss Ranstrom.” Snape said, although he didn't seem to be believing their story one bit, “However this does not justify slacking off in my classes. So that is 10 points from Hufflepuff.”
United groaning could be heard from the half of the class filled with Hilda's housemates.
“Stay after class Miss Berg, I still have something to discuss with you.”
Now Hilda got really scared.
...
Frida's fast reflexes were the only thing that stopped Hilda’s jittery unsteady hands from dropping too many frog eyes in the cauldron and accidentally turning their Polyjuice Potion into some sort of explosive (and frog eyes don’t even belong into a Polyjuice Potion).
“It can't be that bad.” Frida tried calming her friend, rather lamely, while cleaning their workspace.
“I'd rather face a Troll.” Hilda murmured, “Wait I actually don't mind Trolls. I'd rather face the You-know-who and a Troll.”
“Hilda!” Frida shrieked.
“Sorry, grammar. He whose name must not be spoken."
“Grammar is not what I was concerned about.”
While the girls were bantering, the class emptied out, leaving only them and the professor, who was cleaning something in the supply closet. Frida told her friend that she would wait outside in the hallway, leaving Hilda no other choice but to muster her courage and walk up to Snape's desk.
“Sir.” She addressed him.
“Miss Berg. I'm sure you know why I ask to speak with you.”
“No, not really sir,” Hilda answered truthfully.
“The headmaster may have chosen to let your arrogance go unpunished, but most of the staff disagrees with his decision, myself included. So, I give you one last warning. One step out of the way Miss Berg. One, and there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir."
...
A few hours later, in the middle of a chilly October afternoon, Hilda and her friends all sat by the Great Lake.
“From what I read in ‘The Abbreviated History of Elven Kind vol. 52: The Modern Times (part 1/8)’ it seems that in 1892 the elven king Viisas made a contract with Hogwarts headmaster at the time, Phineas Nigellus Black, about the elven clan of Aldric,” Alfur lectured what he learned from one of the history and law books they found, while marching on top of one of bigger stones, scattered on the shore. All three friends were watching him, Frida and David with a great deal of interest, since it has been only a few minutes since they signed their paperwork and now were able to see the elf.
“By agreeing to this treaty, elven royalty repaid their long debt to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, precisely to the great Godric Gryffindor who saved the early elven kingdom of Elvares from being tread on by a Giant.”
“What were the terms of the treaty?” Hilda asked the question he was so obviously avoiding. Alfur gulped few times before answering.
“The most significant part of the treaty was that members of the said clan would become unpaid servants of the Hogwarts for the next five hundred years.”
Hilda didn't even pretend to be shocked, though she heard her friends softly gasp “Five hundred years?”
“Is there any way around it?” Frida asked.
“Why would I need a-"
“Is there any way around it, Alfur?” Hilda repeated sternly.
“No, not really. There is only this one loophole, but we can’t use that one. It’s a clause we elves put in every contract, and it is mostly just an internal joke among elven scribes.”
“I'm so going to hate this" David murmured.
“What is the loophole?” Hilda encouraged.
“Any elven contract is null and void if destroyed by the fire of a lindworm.”
“I hate this.” David nodded to himself.