So Much for No Strings Attached

Chapter 84 A Change of Staff

Tom made his way into Hogwarts where the Board of Governors were convening. He was the third to arrive – Marcus Flint and Haran Nott already there; the latter of whom was there to officially remove the curse although Tom already had to last time he was here. The rest of the Board arrived within the next few minutes.

 

‘Ah, Cursebreaker Nott, you are here to look at the Wards?’ asked Lord Smith.

 

‘Yes,’ Nott agreed. ‘If you would lead me to where the ward-stone is located.’

 

‘Of course,’ Smith agreed readily.

 

Nott and the Board of the Governors made their way down to the lowest and centralist point in dungeons. Tom had, of course, found the place when he was in his final year of Hogwarts and like then he was blown away by the sheer power of the place. Meanwhile Nott began muttering under his breath and waving his wand around. He did this for a couple minutes. Then he smiled and stood back.

 

‘Well?’ asked Smith impatiently.

 

‘It’s quite an impressive piece of magic,’ Nott admitted. ‘You see these golden threads tying together these newer stones, they make part of a Fate Ward, which is a ward based on Divination which basically ensures that a certain outcome will happen – in this case make sure they cannot return for another year. It is sealed with blood, the blood of a Hogwarts Heir which has tricked the castle into accepting it.’

 

‘Can you undo it?’ asked Smith impatiently.

 

‘Ordinarily no,’ admitted Nott. ‘As the wards are full of blood wards, we cannot remove those newer blood wards without deactivating all of them. Normally, I would recommend removing the ward and installing a full new set. Fortunately, for you there are two Heirs of the Hogwarts present whose blood can be used to alter the wards.’

 

‘I have no knowledge of Warding,’ Smith said.

 

‘That is no trouble,’ Haran said. ‘I just need your blood and then I can remove the wards, myself.’

 

Both Tom and Lord Smith used a ritual knife to drop their blood over the already deactivated Fate Ward. Haran muttered some deactivation words then smiled and turned around looking satisfied that he had removed the wards. Of course, Tom had done that weeks ago when Dumbledore was first suspended but the other governors weren’t to know that.

 

‘That’s it, you should be able to keep your Defence teachers for more than one year,’ Haran said. ‘If not let me know and I will see if there are additional curses or malignant wards.’