Hermione nodded, running a hand over the spines of books and sliding one volume out of the shelves to inspect it. "The oral tradition," she murmurs. "It's ever such a messy way of storing and exchanging information- people exaggerate so much. Of course, that's a danger in print, but I rather think having things set out in black and white on paper makes people think twice about embellishing too much. And it's a safeguard against the failings of memory, of course."

She's musing rather than really complaining; it isn't as if Kate can exactly do anything about it.

"And it's strange. Does no one know the facts? Is no one interested in them? Or is it looking for them frowned upon?"