White Heather for Protection

All that Glitters

The redhead pushed the box away in resignation. "I can't seem to get a good reading on it!"

Heather bit her lip in worry. "Are you sure, Bill? Not even the type of spell it is?" If a Master Cursebreaker didn't know how to handle this, then what were they supposed to do?

"It's not a hex or curse, that's for sure. I don't think a potion was used either. My guess is rituals or alchemy."

Remus overheard the comment as he walked into the room. "Hey, what's going on in here?" He looked confused. Understandable, given that the three people in the room were glowering at a gold locket in a glass case.

Once he had been caught up with the current situation, he offered to take a crack at it. Unfortunately, the resident Defence Master also had little to add.

"It's not just magic in this. There's something else. ...Not sure what, though." He looked apologetic at his meagre input. "I do have to say that it looks vaguely familiar."

"You too?" Heather asked, "I just feel like this isn't the first time I've seen it." She just couldn't pin it down, though. Bill and Sirius just shook their heads, having never seen it before.

"Bill, didn't you say that alchemy might be involved? Why don't we ask the Headmaster? He studied briefly with Nicholas Flamel, didn't he?" Remus suggested.

It was a sound idea, and they all agreed. They would ask Dumbledore when he came here for the Order meeting in three days' time.

~~~

The days continued to be spent cleaning and de-cursing. Heather was slightly put out that she couldn't get her promised time in the library and lab, but it wasn't like she'd be able to get much done with all the gloom hanging thick in the air.

They had realised early on that no matter how hard they cleaned, the house would be in its regular state of disrepair come morning. Bill had concluded that it was the dark miasma around the house that caused it. Hence why every free hand was recruited into the de-cursing crusade. She imagined she could feel the fog lighten ever so slightly with every curse broken.

"Remember, if there's anything you kids can't handle, just pass it over to me and Sirius, okay?" Remus instructed sternly. He always repeated this every time they started.

Everyone groaned at the still-huge and too-gradually depleting pile of things as they got to work.

"Sirius, you've lived here since you were cleared of charges. How come you haven't bothered to do anything about this?" Hadrian moaned piteously.

The man shrugged as he flicked a basic Finite at a walking stick. "The house has always been like this. I guess it just never occurred to me that I could change it. 'Sides, I was preoccupied with my Mind Healer appointments," he said, blasé.

They had been recommended to him by Remus, who worried about his mental state after so many years in Azkaban. He had to say, he'd been reluctant at first, but eventually he found them to be very helpful. He had since become stable enough to stop them, though.

"And you, Remus! You've been living here just as long. I might have expected Sirius to neglect something like this, but you're the sensible one."

"Hey!"

Ignoring Sirius, Remus smiled wryly. "I didn't really think it was my place. I'm just a houseguest, after all."

"Moony!" Sirius gasped. "You're not a guest! You're officially co-owner of this place, y'know? Signed the papers and everything!"

The werewolf shook his head immediately. "Sirius, you really shouldn't-"