So, yes. Harry usually works as a librarian at the Senate House Library. As part of a program to spread culture and democracy etc and so on the librarians at the larger libraries go out and help start/run smaller, local libraries. Harry enjoys this kind of “field work” as he calls it.
About a week after he gets to this library wedged in between a supermarket and a pub, a young man comes in with a two year old girl in a stroller. Harry mistakes them for a father and daughter – young parents aren’t that rare in these parts, he’s noticed.
The young man comes in with the girl a lot, they sit in the children’s corner and he read to her, but they never check out any books. So the third week Harry’s there he asks if they don’t want to get a library card, but the young man – who introduces himself as Eggsy, of all things – turns him down, saying his stepdad would go mental if he brought home books.
Harry frowns at this, because who in their right mind gets mad about borrowing books? But he leaves it and tells them they are welcome back whenever they want.
He starts to give them suggestions on things to read. Daisy – as the girl is called – doesn’t seem very interested, but Eggsy appreciates it and when Daisy plays with the other children there, Eggsy and Harry talk. They grow close, but Eggsy always has to have one eye on Daisy and Harry needs to help the other patrons so they are constantly interrupted.
Before Harry leaves to go back to the Senate House Libraryhe makes Eggsy a library card and tells him to check out at least one book for himself. Eggsy promises he will.
About six months later, Eggsy, with Daisy in her stroller, comes into Senate House Library and asks for Harry. Harry out for lunch, but Eggsy goes and sit down with Daisy and reads to her as they wait for Harry. When Harry comes back he can’t really believe his eyes.
Eggsy looks like he’s really been burning his candle on both ends lately, but he smiles when he sees Harry. Harry asks his colleague if he can extend his lunch a little and take Eggsy and Daisy for a coffee and they leave to the café across the street. It’s littered with students and pretty loud, but they have coffee and cake so it’s fine.
When they’ve sat down, Eggsy tells Harry that he did check out a book and that that book inspired him to take Daisy and leave. ((Here is the neat things with just headcanons, because I don’t have to find this book!)) They have been staying with friends and with friends’ parents for months, but last week Eggsy managed to get a small flat. It’s on the other side of London from the Senate House Library, but he wanted to stop by and thank Harry for everything and ask him if maybe, he could take him to dinner as a proper thank you.
