Chapter 97: Cursebreaker!

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Having gone through the larger stuff, I went back and selected a smaller, lighter box that is obviously not a book, so as to save those for last. 

It's a shimmering gray bow tie, a set of rather expensive-looking cufflinks, and fancy white rose boutineer from Astoria, with a note asking me to please wear them to the Ball tonight. 

The silk and apparently platinum cufflinks probably cost quite a bit, but I realize these are probably as much for her date as they are for me. I feel the same twinge of worry about the little thing I made her, but I set that aside again.

I sift through the rest of my book-size packages and find one that is far too heavy to be a book. 

Opening that, I find a heavy wooden box of rune etching tools, a few thin squares of sandstone, and a book on Egyptian runic ward schemes and how to break them. A note inside the book contains a hasty scrawl.

-William,

I told the other William (Bill Weasley) about your interest in Runes, and I asked him to recommend a set of etching tools and a book to go with it. He recommended this set of starter tools and sent this book back, saying Egyptian runes are some of the most interesting because of the variety of runes and potential meanings. Have fun!

- Harry-

Forgetting the deal, I immediately open the book. "This is fantastic, Harry! Thank you!"

"Hey! No reading!" He says, laughing.

"I was just...um...taking my time putting the bookmark in," I say innocently.

Hermione laughs at that. "Hey, that's brilliant! It's important to find a proper place for your bookmark, after all. I suspect I will have quite a bit of trouble with that myself!"

I laugh too. "How do you stand this rule, Hermione? It looks like I've got five more books to go!"

She smiles and her cheeks pink a bit, and I realize one must be from her. So I dig right in, and find the first one is what appears to be a Muggle book on woodcarving from Hagrid. 

Damn it! Another person who got me something but I have nothing to give in return. How could I forget Hagrid? And how did he manage to get a Muggle book, anyway? 

It looks impressive just from the extremely detailed lion figurines on the cover, but I reluctantly put it down in order to stick to the rules and pick up the next one.

This one is not a book, but what appears to be a diary, a set of charcoal pencils of varying thickness, a Muggle pen, a roll of thick parchment, an inky black rectangular prism, and...some kind of elongated glass globe thing with bands of different material wrapped around it. Perplexed, I find the note from Hermione.

-William,

This is a cursebreakers' notebook, rubbing charcoal and parchment, and magical resonance detector. Apparently these are the most important tools for a cursebreaker outside the Bubblehead Charm, according to Bill Weasley.

He also contributed the first rune scheme for your notebook, which details his personal modification to a common intruder alarm rune scheme.

The notebook, he says, is absolutely any cursebreaker's most-treasured possession. It contains rune schemes he has invented and defeated, and as such it must be kept as well-protected as his own life.

On the first page he wrote about one way to lock it that will keep most people out, but he warns that this will not be sufficient if you get serious about it.

The muggle pen and ink reservoir is my addition. I worked with Professor Flitwick to charm the pen to pull ink from the reservoir, so it will last a long time. You said you preferred practical things, so I hope you like it!

Love,

Hermione-

I start to look back at the gifts, but I do a double take at a part of the note. I get a good solid laugh out of this.

"What?" She asks, her cheeks still pink and her tone defensive.

"Oh Hermione, this is great! Thank you for the gifts, I love this stuff! But you have to read your note again."

She does and looks at me perplexed and slightly angry. "I don't get it."

"What are the most important things for a cursebreaker again?" I say, grinning.

She frowns at me, then looks back at the note. "Well, he did mention these things. Did I get something wrong?"

"What's the one thing you couldn't buy me?"

She quickly re-reads the note again. "The Bubblehead Charm?"

I look at her pointedly.

She stares back.

"Come on, Hermione, work with me here! What does it do?"

Her head cocks back and she furrows her brows. "Well it lets you—" she begins, then her eyes widen and her mouth drops open.

I laugh again. "I see you had forgotten about that."

She smacks her forehead. "I'm such an idiot!"

"I thought we had determined that you are categorically exempt from that term," I say.

She scowls, unconvinced. "Shows what you know. I can't believe that didn't occur to me until you clubbed me over the head with it."

"You would have gotten it next time we spoke about it, I'm sure," I say reassuringly.

"Well, we should talk about it during breakfast, or after," she says, glancing around. "I still think that your other idea...well, we'll talk about it later."

"Fair enough," I say, turning back to my pile. I'm anxious to finish up and start digging into this warding and cursebreaking stuff. 

But then I remember why I'm here, and I wonder what, if anything, I'll be able to use from these resources for thwarting the resurrection after the Third Task. That thought sobers my mood rather quick.

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