14 Chapter 14: Cleaned!
Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands
November 22nd, 1992, 11:05 PM
Erik shakes his head with a smile while he enters Ravenclaw's Common Room. The group quickly follows him in. The room is comfortably decorated with furniture of blue and bronze colors. At least comfortable for a library setup. Round desks for group studies are everywhere, with some sofas and a lot of armchairs in circular configurations. The main aspect of the Common Room could be pointed to the house's Common Library. The walls of Ravenclaw's Common Room were embedded with 2 meters bookshelves.
"This room brings back memories.."
Selena says ith a small smile on her face. Erik nods at that.
"Indeed… I remember the verbal lash that your mother gave us when she found us making out in one of the armchairs late at night during our final year."
Erik says with a grin-like smile. Joan and Leona snicker at the comment. Selena looked a little ashamed, taking her to give Erik a playful slap on the arm, and making him laugh in response.
"But the shelves seem empty… It is missing more than half of the books that it used to have."
Erik nods at that, and asks the Head of House.
"Professor Flitwick, what happened to the rest of the books of Ravenclaw's Common Library?"
"I assure you that the Library only grew in size since I assumed the post, Lord Ravenclaw. Some old students donated books to the Common Library, and I even searched some sebos for good books and added them. But it is indeed reduced compared to when I was a student."
Erik nodded at the Professor's answer.
"Selena, look around and see if you can take note of what books were removed. We will have to summon them back another day, when all wards are up and running."
Selena nodded and went to check the shelves, Leona went with her.
"Aurors, please, evidence bag."
Erik said while donning his pair of blue leather gloves. A blue aura encompassed his body for a second and he started floating, quickly reaching the height of the bronze chandelier with raven motifs. Maneuvering, Erik approached the chains that held the chandelier to the roof and removed a big metallic hook that was hidden between the links in a way that the people below could not notice.
Floating back, Erik cautiously dropped the big metallic hook inside a plastic like zip lock bag that Auror Hammer was holding.
"Identical to the one in Gryffindor's Common Room."
Erik said after depositing the item, while taking off the gloves.
Director Bones looked at Croaker after hearing what Erik said.
"Croaker, can one of your boys check it again?"
Croaker gave one of the Unspeakables a signal and he went to Auror Hammer and started to cast diagnoses. After some 30 seconds, he stopped and went back while saying.
"Same general use as the other, but with a more abrangent target."
Director Bones nodded at it, while Auror Robards was noting down the finds in a parchment. It was soon stuck in the 'evidence' bag and tucked away with the other.
Noting that they had finished, Erik invited them to the next target.
"Aurors, Professor Flitwick, female dormitory, please."
Erik walked off to the stairs and climbed them, followed by a group of the called individuals. Arriving at a corridor with the rooms' doors, the group walked and stopped at a door adorned with a plaque that read '7th Year' on it. The group quickly entered the room, which had three beds on it. The atmosphere was more sophisticated than the one of the female first years dormitory in Gryffindor, but it was equally tidy.
Erik took his gloves and offered to the female Auror, Hammer, again. She picked them up and Erik pointed to the bed while she wore the gloves.
"That bed, by the study desk."
Auror Hammer nodded at him and went to the desk beside the pointed bed. Auror Robards went with her, and started casting detection spells with his wand. He soon got a positive for a small wooden box that was sitting in the well organized desk. Auror Hammer picked the box to show to Director Bones. Professor Flitwick recognized it, and spoke.
"Ah, that should be Ms. Elliot artifact. She sent me a letter during summer asking if she could bring an artifact to study it in her NEWT Runes classes. She describes it as a necklace that could give you the effect like drinking a pepper up potion. For academic purposes, I allowed her to bring the necklace to school."
"Well done, Professor Flitwick. She even had the mind to secure it inside a protection box."
Erik said to the little Professor with an approving nod.
"Director Bones, I ask you to take note of the student's name and how it was found, please."
Directo Bones noded, and signaled to Auror Shacklebolt, who was taking the notes. She then said to Auror Hammer.
"Hammer, open the box to confirm its contents. Robards, identify the enchantment."
Both Aurors nodded and Hammer opened the box to find a silver necklace with a crystal in drop-like shape tied in. Auror Robards soon started to cast diagnose spells on it. After 30 seconds or so, he gave the result.
"It feeds off the user's magic to replenish a little stamina."
"Catalog it and leave it back."
Director Bones said. Auror Hamme closed the box and put it back on the student's desk. When she finished and started to take off the gloves, Auror Shacklebolt had already finished the report with the necklace description, owner, motive, protection taken, and effect description. Erik took the gloves back from Auror Hammer and said to the group.
"That's it here in Ravenclaw's dormitories. Let's go to the next one."
Erik then exits the room, followed by Professor Flitwick and the Aurors, and walks back to the Common Room. Arriving on it, he calls for Selena.
"Selena, did you find any pattern?"
"Of course I did, Erik. The books missing are the ones on Rituals, the introductory volumes to healing, enchantment, alchemy and magecraft, and all the books on human behavior and non-magical literature."
*sigh*
Erik sighed listening to her report. Professor Flitwick was alarmed at that.
"So many books missing? I don't remember seeing the ones on human behavior and muggle literature during my time as a student…"
"If they removed these volumes from here, Ravenclaw's Common Library, the castle's main library must have had a bigger impact."
Selena nodded at what Erick said. The other Professors had uggly faces hearing that. It seems that at some point in the past 240 years someone robbed Hogwarts of a good part of the knowledge available to the students.
"Doesn't matter right now, all books that belong to Hogwarts are branded, and can be recalled. We will have the entire collection back by the middle of the week."
Erik said with resolution. Professor Flitwick brimmed with happiness, and a trace of hunger imagining all the new books that he would have available to read.
"Let's go to the Badger's Cete now!"
Eril said animatedly, and walked to the fireplace in Ravenclaw's Common Room.
"I will open the floo between the two common rooms."
And with little concentration the flames in the fireplace turned green and grew tall. Without hesitation, Erik walked into the flames and disappeared, followed by his three girls. The Professors, Aurors and Unspeakables looked between them.
"Benefits of being the castle's Lord, I imagine."
Professor Flitwick said and walked after them. The rest of the group soon followed.
Erik was waiting for the group while looking around, savoring the good memories that he had of the place.
"It still has the same homely feeling of comfort that Aunt Helga loved so much."
Selena said, hugging her husband's arm. The room around them passed the feeling of being very comfortable with it's numerous sofas and armchairs decorated in a predominant soft yellow color. Erik quickly looked to the chandelier, sighed, and said.
*sigh*
"Auror Hammer, please, evidence bag."
Erik said while donning his pair of blue leather gloves again. A blue aura soon encompassed his body for a second and he started floating, quickly reaching the chandelier height. Maneuvering, Erik approached the chains that held the chandelier to the roof and removed a big metallic hook that was hidden between the links in a way that the people below could not notice.
While he was floating, Professor Sprout commented to the group.
"Lord Ravenclaw seems to be very fond of the Cete."
"Oh, you and Minerva were not in the Great Hall at the time, Pomona. But one of the questions that was asked to Lord Ravenclaw, by Mr. Diggory, by the way, was what house did he belong to while studying in Hogwarts, and he answered that he was one of Helga's badgers."
Professor Flitwick happily said to Professor Sprout. The Professor smiled at that.
Floating back, Erik cautiously dropped the big metallic hook inside a plastic like zip lock bag that Auror Hammer was holding.
"The Cete is clean! Slytheryn's Common Room now."
Erik said while walking to the fireplace and opening the connection again while the Aurors finalized the procedures with the found hook, with one of the unspeakables identifying the curse as the same type as the ones on the other two hooks. Director Bones then commented.
"Three metallic hooks in three Common Rooms. What are the chances that we find one of those in the fourth common room too?"
It was a question that didn't need an answer, they all knew that the chances were high.
With tall green flames in the fireplace again, Erik disappeared through it, soon followed by the rest of the group.
They all soon appear through the fireplace in an elegantly decorated room in green and silver colors. In terms of opulence you could say that it was on par with Gryffindor Common Room. Erik looks up and says while donning his pair of blue leather gloves again.
"Good thing that nobody made a bet on the chances, Director Bones. We will need another bag."
A blue aura soon encompassed his body for a second and he started floating, quickly reaching the height of the silver chandelier with snake motifs. Maneuvering, Erik approached the chains that held the chandelier to the roof and removed a big metallic hook that was hidden between the links in a way that the people below could not notice. He quickly floats back and deposits the hook inside the 'evidence' bag that was being held by Auror Hammer. Without prompting, one of the Unspeakables approaches and casts his diagnosis spell while waving his wand.
"Same."
With a very short answer, the unspeakable went back to his group.
"It seems that someone wanted to sow distrust between the houses. How is the interaction between houses?"
Erik asks while looking at the Head of Houses. But it was Director Bones that answered that.
"In short words? Slytheryn and Gryffindor are always at each other's necks, Ravenclaw is 'too smart' to mix, Hufflepuff sticks to themselves. At least it was like that 20 year ago."
The other Aurors agree with the Director.
*sigh*
"I think we will see an increase in inter-houses interactions from now on."
Erik said after a sigh. He walks to the male dormitory's stairs and calls back.
"Let's get going. We have multiple results here, Professor Snape, Aurors. Unspeakables, if you guys can lend us a hand to speed up the process."
Erik climbs the stairs with the group, walks through the corridor and stops by a door with a plaque that reads '2nd Year' on it, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Everyone there, he opens the door and says.
"Only one in this room."
He then takes his gloves and offers them to the Aurors.
"Third bed, the study desk."
Auror Hammer quickly wears the gloves while Auror Robards start to cast detection spells with his wand.
"The dagger, inside the drawer."
Robards says to Hammer, that opens the drawer and takes out a seemingly common dagger. It is soon deposited in the center of a conjured desk in the center of the room, where Robards starts to cast his diagnosis spells. After no more than 30 seconds, he had the results.
"Excruciating pain, and fast healing enchantment. What the bloody hell is a second year student doing with something like this?"
Robards commented. Director Bones asks too.
"Student name?"
"On it."
Auror Shacklebolt says and starts to look at the material on the desk for a name. On the front cover of the books, he found it.
"Draco Malfoy."
Auror Shacklebolt says.
"He is too young to claim to be studying it for classes. Professor Snape?"
Director Bones asks the Head of House. Snape's face is a little pale, and he takes a little to answer, but he does answer.
"The only student in the house that has asked for my permit is a seventh year male one, and it is for NEWT Runes classes too."
Suffice to say that the said student brought the artifact on his own to the castle.
"Bag it with all the necessary notes, don't let anything out."
Director Bones ordered. Her Aurors started the process with double caution, they could swear that they heard a happy skip on the tone of their Director's order.
With all catalogued and bagged, they exited the room to the next one, and they really saw what Lord Ravenclaw had said about 'multiple results'. Their next stop was the 4th year room, where they found another two malicious artifacts. One more in the 5th year room, three more in the 6th year room, and six malicious artifacts in the 7th year room. One of the items found in the 7th year room was the authorized artifact, ofcourse, but it was not very well contained, and they took note to warn the student. The effects of the artifacts were diverses, but not as dangerous as the one found with the second year student.
The group walks back to the Common Room, passing by the other three Professors and the three of Erik's wives that were seated and talking between them, and goes to the female part of the dormitories. The group climb the stairs and soon start the cleaning.
Their finds in the female side were in less quantity than the male's one. They got one item in the 4th year room, another one item in the 6th year room, and four items in the 7th year room. With all of the items 'bagged' and catalogued, the group walks back to the Common Room.
"Eighteen unauthorized malicious artifacts."
Erik announces to the group that was waiting for them.
"That's… a lot. How could they bring such items to school?"
Professor McGonagall says.
"They probably had examples of elder relatives that brought them in and nothing happened because the wards were down."
Professor Flitwick answers.
"Indeed."
Professor Snape cryptically says, but does not continue. Erik then calls for their attention, and invites them back to the Great Lounge.
"Well, with this we can say that the dormitories are clean. Let's go back and let the students rest in their beds."
The Professors agreed with him, it was getting late for the student to be out of bed, even if it was necessary. The seated ones are quickly up and following the others out of the common room through an arch on the wall.
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a/n: I ended publishing this chapter out of the 'normal' schedule. The next one is tomorrow.
