Bonded

Lapis Partum

Wendy, Fred and George the very next day headed for the library to search something regarding the curse Dumbledore had mentioned, to see if they could find anything, they consulted each book they thought it could help: Olde & Forgotten - Bewitchments and Charms, Secrets of the Darkest Art, The Dark Forces a Guide to Protection, Defence Against the Dark Arts of Arsenius Jigger, without finding anything worthy at all.

At the end of the first week the moral was below feet, and at the end of the second week they all thought everything was lost. Fred suddenly closed a gigantic volume lifting a cloud of dust.

-Okay, that's it.. this is the literally third time I go through The Dark Forces a Guide to Protection, and I've found nothing. We need to go and see Dumbledore, we must tell him what we know about Stella. -

-Don't you see?? She's not the problem!! I already told you she doesn't have the abilities to think and put this in action.. -

Fred abandoned himself on chair resigned.

-Then we have to go in the Restricted Section.. -

Everyone looked at Fred as to understand better what he had just said, but they had heard way too well.

-How do we do that? We need a Professor's signed permission.. - Pointed out Wendy.

-We can't ask McGonagall she would never.. but maybe Flitwick? -

Wendy shook her head, George brought his hand to his chin as that position would have helped him think better.

-We can ask Professor Binns! I'm sure he won't take questions.. -

-Does he even count as professor? - Asked Fred grinning.

-Of course he does!! - Said Wendy already on her feet ready to go. -But what do we say? He will never let us search about a curse.. -

-Leave that to us.. - Winked George.

They found Professor Binns sleepy as usual in his classroom, moaning something in his sleep.

-Professor? - Cleared his throat Fred. - Professor Binns? - He didn't answer.

-What do we do? We can't just.. scroll him can we?? - Said George.

Fred raised his wand in the air and a crackling firework escaped from the tip, making Professor Binns jumping on the lounge chair where he was resting.

-Wh-what what the heck? Students! In my classroom.. - Said Professor Binns with a slurred voice.

-Yeah we are as surprised as you are.. - Said Fred, Wendy nudged him in the ribs.

-We need your help Professor.. - She went on. - We need you to sign this release, to let us search in the Restricted Section in the library. -

-The Restricted Section? And why is that? - Asked Professor Binns looking at them from its glasses.

-Well.. - Wendy began but then turned her eyes on the twins.

-We need to make some researches about the Goblin Revolution.. for your essay! - Said George.

-I didn't assign you an essay.. - Said a confused Professor Binns.

-Well.. the truth is Professor.. we truly have a pure at heart interest in your subject.. - Said Wendy.

-Do we? - Asked a more confused Fred.

-Yes. We do! And we just wanted to... dip in even more in your.. knowledge! -

Professor Binns looked at three of them, as to decide if to believe them or not.

-Well this is wonderful!! Finally someone who's interested in my subjected!!! - He pulled out the library request from Wendy's hand, dipped his quill inside the ink and started to sign.

-These really are the students that make me wanna live and never die! -

George breathed heavily as to answer to that, but Wendy stepped on his foot and his face changed into a pain grimace.

-We do not have time for this..- Murmured her.

With the authorization signed they flew back to the Library, in the restricted section where they started to take out as many books as they could. They placed them all on the table and started to go through them, page after page searching for a curse that resembled what was happening in Hogwarts. Fred was reading Secrets of the Darkest Arts when he stopped on a page an d pointed at the title.

-Look at this guys! - George and Wendy got closer to read. - Lapis Partum Curse -

-Used to bewitched a statue, with a peculiar filter, every unfortunate soul that will walk and look at the said statue will become stone-dead. Particular of the Lapis Partum Curse is that it can be used to get unnoticed as the Curse isn't immediate, but will activate itself only when the bewitched is exposed to a heat source. - Wendy read.

-But that explains everything! - Screamed George.

-Shhhhhhhh!! - Quieted them Madam Pince.

-That explains everything - George repeated almost inaudible. - Verity was on the sofa remember? In the common room, before the fireplace. -

-And Powell had just reached the Tower Countryard! He was standing in the sun! - Concluded Wendy.

-This Curse is genius, you can't tell which statue has been bewitched because until you face a heat source, is like nothing happened... - Said Fred.

-Let's read how to break it.. oh crap. -

-The Curse can only be broken by the Wand that cursed in the first place the statue by saying the words "Nolite esse Lapis", if the curse isn't broken in time, the bewitched will slowly become a Statue. -

-Genius.. but lethal. - Remarked Fred.

-Will you stop saying it's genius? - Said Wendy looking weird at him.

-I'm just saying whoever invented this knew his point.. -

-There's no point here Fred! Just killing people.. -

-That's a point in a peculiar and sick way.. -

-Do I need to come and see what the three of you are doing?? - Shouted Madam Pince from her desk, without taking off her eyes from the book she was reading.

-Come on.. let's put these back. - Wendy tapped the books with the tip of her wand, and every book magically flew back from where it came.

They waited to be outside the library to speak again, out of ear range.

-We need to tell someone.. - Said Wendy. - We need the Professors help. -

-Yeah but who we might get involved? If we ask Professor Mc Gonagall she will have a heart attack knowing that three year students managed to reach the prohibited section... - Said George.

-He's right. And I think Dumbledore won't even listen to us right now.. he's too concerned about the situation.. - Went on Fred.

-What about Professor Rackepick? - Asked George.

-The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher? - Asked Wendy weighting the idea.

-Yeah. How many Rackepick do you know? - Asked Fred teasing her. But Wendy didn't reply, too concentrate on her thoughts.

-Yeah I think she might be of some help.. -

And without saying nothing more Wendy headed off for Rackepick's office, followed by the twins.