Right before I walk into the Magical Notebook, i feel I must say this to Katie, "Remember Miss Bell, we this is a learning experience for you, but we both with be representing Gringott's. The Goblins expect a very professional attitude from thier employees when they are dealing with depositors. I'll try to make this as fun as I can make it."


"Miss Bell, in order to check an artifact for curses, we'd need to test it's dewomer signature. Every artifact radiates a magical signature. If we were to cast, 'ab-deprehendo-veneficium' (to detect magic/sorcery) on the armonica now, we'd also register your, Miss Bones' and my own magical cores and the excess spent magic of Diagon Alley.

"To seperate the armonica from the rest of the room magically, we need to place wards around the armonica to mute everything but the armonica.

I place six granite six by six inch slabs around the armonica. I gesture to Katie and pull his own silver dagger. We cut a small wound in the palms of thier non wand hand and drip a few drops of blood on the granite blocks. "After the last block, please heal your wound."

"Please, Miss Bell, incant with me,'conclusio-exterus-venificium'. (block exterior magic) These wards block the exterior magic of Diagon Alley, by using our blood, our own magical cores won't be detected either. Now if we were to cast 'ab-deprehendo-veneficium' any magic we detect will be directly from the armonica not an outside source.' I say. She nods her understanding and clentches her fist around the cut in her palm.

"Miss Bell, please go to the opposite corner of the armonica and rest on your knees please. Incant 'ab-deprehendo-veneficium' and as I move around the instrument, please mirror my movements."

With a flick of our wands we begin to detect the armonica's dewomer signature. It begins to glow with three seperate colors, an outer circle of red, inner circle of yellow and the center is white. "Oh my stars, I say, What an insidious curse indeed. Miss Bell, let's leave the warded area so I can discuss this with Miss Bones."

"Miss Bones, whom ever cursed this armonica didn't like the instrument's owner. It has three seperate curses on it. One is relatively benign the other two tied into it would drive the player insane to the point of violence or even suicide.

"The benign curse makes the musician want to master the instrument. They could play all they would like and enjoy themselves untill they played before an audience.

"Once they play before an audience, the second curse becomes active. It enthralls the listener and compells them to clap and make comments to encourage the musician to play for them often.

"The more they play before and audience the third curse activates. It slowly drives the musician insane untill all they want to do is play the instrument, not eat, not sleep or take care of themeslves or others." I say.

Susan gulps audibly. "Let me get this straight. There are three curses on this instrument, correct? One is supposedly benign and affects the player only. The other two are detrimental to anyone involved with listening to the armonica, correct?" She breathes deeply, then asks, "Why weren't these found in 1900?"


"My guess would be that it wouldn't be found then. One of my favorite trainers left Hogwarts in 1901 and he made many great advances in cursebreaking, he was a muggleborn and he turned the whole process on it's collective ear. He showed initiative and intuitive magics that no one had seen up untill that time." I say

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"What exactly are you telling me?" Susan asks.

"The pureblood society gets into a mindset that sometimes refuses to change. With his inovations, it made cursebreaking easier and safer. I'm sure he saved many lives in the tombs.'

"I'm sure he did, so the spells couldn't have been detected in 1900 because the detection spells hadn't been invented yet?" Susan asks.

"Yes, Miss Bones. If I remember right, the weren't invented till 1915." Bill adds.

"Then my letter is useless. Very well. Can you break all three spells today or will they have to be broken separately on different days?"

"I should be able to remove all three today. I am not sure if I'd need to remove one at a time or seperately. I'll be able to answer that fully when I examine the instrument closer." I say.

"Katie, please step into the warded area again. Between the two of us we should be able to have it curse-free in less than an hour."

"I incant, 'adeo-venecium-abhinc' (what sorcery is this?) and I can see how the curses are tied into the armonica.

"Miss Bell, I'm going to attempt to break the curse now. There is an element of danger, if I tell you to leave the warded area, do so as soon as you hear the words. I don't wish to place you in danger, just to show you the process." I say.

"Please point your wand at the top of the armonica and incant 'abdo-ab-abrumpo-erinys'. (remove and destroy the curse.)

She repeats the incantation till she pronounces it correctly.

"I'm going to repeat it at the base of the armonica. When I raise my left hand, we both will repeat the incantation at the center of the instrument. We will repeat the incantation till I lower my left hand."

We chanted for ten minutes, then I raised my left hand. Twenty minutes later I lower my hand and incant in a powerful voice, 'depulso-ab-erinys'.(banish the curse) With a bright flash of light the process is over. As a final check, I incant ''ab-deprehendo-veneficium' and the armonica didn't glow at all.

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This is better than I expected. I expected to just watch him work, instead I'm actually helping, or at least partly. I repeat the spell, 'ab-deprehendo-veneficium', in my head as he says it. Right, that makes sense, detects magical signatures, including our own, so they need to be blocked out. Which means wards, from what I've read about them I already hate wards. I have a feeling it's the sort of thing that could give me trouble later on, it's also the sort of thing that will probably save my life, so like it or not I'm damn well going to learn them right.

My stomach twists as he cuts so calmly into his own hand, I'm not particularly bothered by blood but self-harming, even with a purpose, sends me a little queasy. I ignore the slightly sting in my own hand as my own blood is mixed into the ward. It doesn't hurt so much as I thought it would but the damp, sticky feeling will get annoying before too long and I don't want to be distracted.

With a slight sigh I tug my handkerchief out of my pocket and knot it around my own cut palm. I don't want to make a fuss or look like a complete idiot by pointing out I don't know any healing spells. I'll take care of it when we're finished here.

I carefully begin to incant each spell as he asks, mirroring his movements. The oddest thought, of what muggles would think if they saw us, creeps into my mind. We'd probably look completely mad, but the affects of each spell is obvious as the armonica begins to glow. Only the memory of what he said about profesionalism keeps me from whistling as not one, but three colours appear. Judging by his reaction, he's impressed too...well, as impressed as you can be whilst marveling at potentially lethal magical handiwork.

Stepping outside the wards I listen to his explanation to Miss Bones, keeping the armonica in the corner of my eye. I'm not sure I trust it blindly now, the instrument seems slightly more creepy and menacing than is natural for an inanimate object.

Once Mr Weasley finishes his explanation we step back into the wards, I'm slightly concerned by the 'element of danger'. I trust him that I won't be placed in any danger but he didn't say anything about himself and no matter how experienced he is accidents can happen, especially when your focus is on telling a trainee to get back.

Twenty minutes later I find myself blinking back against the stars in my vision from the flash. Once it clears and I can see completely instead of in patches I see him recast the detection spell. Nothing. Just an armonica. Curse free.

Mr. Weasley says, "Miss Bell, I asked you to heal your hand. Do you know how?"

Shoot, he noticed. I shake my head feeling rather sheepish. "Never learned any healing spells, sorry."

"No worries," Mr. Weasley says, "we will just add healing spells to your lessons. Please unbandage your hand so I can heal it."

I carefully ease the knot open and stuff my handkerchief back into my pocket, inspecting the cut. Small cuts always bleed in rediculous proportions to their larger counterparts.

Suddenly, I realize that Susan is standing next to me holding a bottle. "Would dittany help you faster than a spell, Miss Bell?" she asks.

I smile at her and glance back at my hand. "Probably, it's easier to use than unkown spells. Thank you."

Susan hands me the bottle and I carefully open the top one handed. I let a couple of drops drip onto my palm and lean back as a small cloud of smoke builds above my palm and gradually clears. I reseal the the bottle and hand it back with a grin as inspect my newly healed palm.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Miss Bell. Have you learned anything useful today?" she asks. "I know I have."

I nod, today has certainly been an education, and not the boring type you get at school.

Susan smiles. "I'm glad today has been beneficial to both of us."

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As I take back the bottle something feels different about the room, like I'm not drawn to a certain part of it or something. It's very subtle and I begin to wonder if I could actually feel the magic that was on the antique instrument. I excuse myself and go to my office where I grab the bag of galleons I have set aside for the curse-breaking. The bottle of Dittany will be safe in my desk drawer for now; the children are not allowed down here in my office.

When I come back, I see that Mr Weasley or Miss Bell has put my glass armonica back in its place while I was gone. They have packed up their equipment, too. Now comes the awkward part. I clear my throat self-consciously. "Mr Weasley, er... we er... didn't discuss what your terms were for coming here today and I wish to pay you for your services. You broke three curses for me. Do I pay you by the curse or as an hourly wage?"

"By the curse is customary. Since you allowed me to use this as a teaching situation, seven galleons a curse is a fair rate." Bill says.

I quickly count out the money and hand him the pouch. "Thank you so much. Do you still have time to hear the armonica?"

"Yes please. The information made me very curious about the sound of the instrument. Since it is of Muggle design, I'm sure my father would find this very fascinating if he were here."

I sit down and page through the delicate parchment music sheets I found in one of the boxes. I find something I think I can play and begin pumping the pedal. As the bowls begin to rotate I tell him, "If your father is ever in Diagon Alley have him stop in. I'll be happy to play for him and show him how it works." I press my fingers to the bowl and nothing comes out! Then, I remember I need water and conjure a small bowl of it. After wetting my fingers I try again and this time the etherial sound I've come to associate with the glass armonica fills my studio. I play an easy children's song, "All Through the Night," wishing that I could play better. However, Mr Weasley and Miss Bell don't seem to mind.

When I finish he says, "Thank you, Miss Bones for an entertaining song and a learning experience for both Miss Bell and myself. In the next few days, I will bring in my wife and sons to meet you. My boys are still at least a half-decade from needing your services, but Fleur may enjoy finding out about the services you offer here."

"I look forward to meeting them. Thank you again for looking over my instrument," I say, getting up. I feel confident now that nothing will hurt my students. As they turn to leave, I remember something. "When should I expect to receive your letter of certification that my instrument is curse free?"

"By end of buisness tomorrow. I'll drop it by myself." he says.

"Very good. I appreciate that. If I'm teaching, just leave the envelope on the Armonica. Nothing will happen to it there." He nods and we walk to the door. I remove the spells and light floods into the room. My next group of students is waiting outside and I make them wait until Mr Weasley and Miss Bell have passed before admitting them and their parents. As the children enter I heave a contented sigh, knowing that I have made this a safe place for my students.

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