Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Written for the N.E.W.T.s Challenge - Ancient Runes
Runes
Ancient Runes, had always been one of Frank's favourite subjects. It probably had something to do with the amount of potential each of those innocent looking signs held. They were close to useless on their own without the right amount of power or intent but together they were powerful, something not many people took the time to notice.
The wards that covered most people's houses, those very wards on which the purebloods relied on so greatly as a source of protection was often coated with runes. Each line flowing into the next, no gaps, no spaces, no mistakes.
Frank always admired the intricate network of runes that covered each of the pureblood's manors or homes. They were always different, each unique and crafted especially for that particular family's tastes.
Alice had always found his fascination with runes amusing, mainly because he could not figure out how each rune worked with the next so save his life.
Frank usually experimented in one of the warded rooms he had set aside just for playing around with magic. Well, he only ever used it to try and string runes together and see their effect on each other and whatever he had drawn the runes onto. That often led to rather disastrous situations which was why he had put in a system so that if he ever needed help again, a message would be sent to Alice to help him get out of it.
Alice, of course, was the only one with the ability to override the wards in the Longbottom Manor other than himself because whether Frank liked to admit it or not, he was not the most responsible person when it came to thinking before acting.
That was the situation Frank had unfortunately found himself in now. Frank seemed to be stuck to the ceiling of his experiment room and was changing colours at an extremely rapid rate.
Frank could only sigh as the red light came on telling him that a message had been sent to his wife for some assistance. Alice had not taken too long before she was in the room, knowing from experience that sometimes Frank's concoctions ended up being dangerous, her wand was drawn and ready to cast a couple of rapid spells at the blink of an eye.
Alice stopped, her stance abruptly changing upon catching sight of Frank as his skin changed into an obscene shade of yellow. Frank could see that her lips were tightly pressed together.
Alice flicked her wand a couple of times while drawing runes in the air and not long afterwards he was back on solid ground with his skin slowly turning back into it's original colour. That was the ironic bit, Alice was brilliant with runes but she was not as fascinated with them as he was.
"Well, how did you manage that?" Alice asked, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Frank just waved her towards the table where the runes were still written innocently. Alice took one look at the combination and her shoulders began to shake in laughter while Frank looked at her in confusion.
"You used the rune for colour instead of solid with the rune for sticking," Alice said in explanation through her laughter.
Frank remembered the trail of ink his quill had made on the parchment while he had been trying to remember that specific rune. He had not thought much of it then, obviously he should have. Frank frowned, and Alice laughed even harder at his pensive expression.
"Come on, cheer up. At least it's not as bad as that one time you managed to shrink yourself," Alice reminded him with a Cheshire grin.
Frank could not help but laugh at the memory of that experiment.
