As September faded to October, the leaves in London began to turn, once where the bright greens became dark green, a deep red, yellows and the colors that many associate with the season of fall. And with the changing of the season came the change in the air around London. The city was still suffering from the destruction of Millennium Bridge. In the Wizarding world the sky's where gray more then they where bright. It was like the Wizarding world's climate was bleeding into the Muggle now more then ever. As Clairi passed the many closed down shops in Diagon, she thought of the many times she had visited those shops. Entering the bank, even seemed like the stale climate bleed into the goblins themselves.
They seemed greedier and more foul to those that came into make a with drawl. But as she passed them she nod her head in respect. She knew that they could gain a wizard enough gold in investments to be richer then the muggle Royal family when respected but when disrespected they would cause one to bleed the gold that was stashed in the vaults.
"Good Morning Clairi, how was your weekend?" Bill asked as he came to walk instep with her.
"My weekend was fine, how was yours? You seem very chipper on this cold Monday morning verse how you normally are in the morning." Clairi raised an eyebrow at him as he held open the office door for her to enter first.
It had been a few weeks since she set the man up on a lunch date with Fleur. Since that day he had gone to lunch with the witch every other day. So as she took her cloak off and hung it on the hook near the door, she noticed the same look that Fred, George had on their faces when they landed the chit.
"Eww, don't answer that question, you get the same look they do." Clairi scrunched her nose at him.
"What look?" He asked confused.
"The look the twins get when they got laid." She waved her hand at him as she walked over to the box that she had been working on.
"Wait, we have a look? And I never said how my weekend went."
"Yes you all have the same look, your usual smile is a smirk, there's a light of myth in the corner of those eyes, and the fact that you have a hicky next to your right ear lobe now that your cloak callor isn't hiding it." Clairi explained.
"Well…. Um… Lets get to work." Bill said as his ears turned red and he was slightly speechless at her observation.
As Clairi began to look over the box that she has been working on, she noticed something on the lid of the box. Something that wasn't there the other day, the natural daylight that pored in through the abalos that was in the ceiling of the office hit what looked like a stone. Looking closer at the lid, she grabbed her brush and started to gently remove the thick layer of dust that covered the stone. Before now, she was only uncovering the area she was working on, which was the front side of the box.
As the dust was removed, she began to notice the Moonic Runes, which were the runic alphabet that belonged to ancient werewolves. Over the lid from left to right, showed the phases of the moon written in the runes. Not many documents have been found referring to the Moonic runes. With wide eyes, Clairi began to write them down. She also noticed the Perth rune in the upper right corner from the Norse runic alphabet. And there above the phases of the moon, a moonstone that was flush with the lid, but what was curiuse was the color. Normally a moonstone was white with pale colors flowing though the stone. This one was white with deep red streaks of color flowing through the stone.
"Bill could you look at this?" Clairi asked looking over at him.
"Sure, what did you find?" He asked getting up.
"Well Moonic runes and a unique moonstone." Clairi explained.
Later that day after they discussed the runes and the stone, Fleur came to see if Bill wanted lunch, which Clairi waved him off with her nose in a runic book that they had in the office. They both had the theory that someone placed the runes and the stone there after the box was created, but the Datisse spell couldn't date the runes or the stone. Which was a bit complicated since the spell should be able to. With the other runes changing constantly on the sides, while the lid runes stayed the same meant that there where complicated charms set on the box.
Clairi's theory of the box, it belonged to a wizard that was versed in both the Norse and Moonic rune languages along with possibly being a charms master. If that's the case then this box contained something they wanted to keep hidden from the world. With that theory then what was hidden in the box was most diffidently not a mummified male appendage, but the idea of not knowing what was inside fascinated Clairi.
It was with her nose in a book and translating the runes she had written down was how Zander found her. The man worried about her when she got caught up in a project and now he was worried about his step brother as well. Along with the letter he resived from his step mother's solicitor, which he hasn't opened yet worried him even more.
"Even out of school you have your nose in a book." He chuckled gaining her attention even though his sudden appearance caused her to jump in her chair.
"I'm an apprentice Curse-Breaker, so yes my nose is in a book." She rolled her eyes at him.
"Aw, I figured that Fred would break you of that habit by now." He walked over to her.
"Fred can try to break that habit, as much as I can try to break the habit he has of walking around with pranks stuffed in his pockets." She again rolled her eyes at him.
When he sat on the table top he got a good look at his best friend. He knew Fred was a lucky guy because Clairi was one of the few intelligent witches he knew. Most where petty and ditzy in his opinion, but the Black girls where not. Both Clairi and Hermione Black where far more intelligent then the average Ravenclaw or Pureblood.
"So Zand, what brings you here at this moment?" Clairi asked sitting the book down and looked at him.
"I got a letter from Theo earlier and one from my step mothers solicitor." He explained.
"How is you little brother?" She asked.
"Well he has been told that he'll be taking the mark during the holidays after his 17th birthday in early December. He told me he doesn't want to take the mark." Zander said as she read the letter.
"Have you spoken to Dumbledore?" Clairi asked.
"No, I was planning to talk to you first since I was going to offer up your manor as a place he could hide at."
"Zander I wouldn't mind that, but is it a good idea? I mean sure not many know where the manor is, but surely they could find it." Clairi looked at him worried.
"We could put it under the Fidelius Charm." Zander suggested.
"Yes we could, but who would be the secret keeper?" She asked
"Your Uncle?" He whispered.
"Grimwalded Place is under the charm, but we'll come back to that. What about the solicitor?"
Zander knew that Clairi would have to think about it, sure the charm was a great charm. But there where draw backs to it. He knew that she didn't want to use it until she had to. She wanted to find a place that could be a hiding place if they had to go into hiding. Agreeing to talk about it more later, he turned his attention to the other letter.
Dear Mr. Z. Nott,
I was the person that wrote up your step-mother's will, or separate will from your father's will. In her will, it states since she cannot pass her families vault to your brother as he is an heir to your father's family. She made the decision to have it pass onto you. She was the last of her families lineage and thus can pass it on to you. When she spoke of you, it was with the love of a mother. Lyra, loved you like you where her own. There where a few stipulations to her will, one being you had to be finished with school and away from your father. Since I learned you no longer reside in the Nott manor I've contacted you.
I was hoping that you would be available for tea at my office tomorrow afternoon around 3pm. If that does not work for you please owl me another time so that we can go over your vault and properties you now will own.
Your Solicitor;
Marvies Reidid.
After Zander had left Clairi decided to go see if Fred was possibly free for the afternoon, seeing that she needed some fresh air. Not only was the box reveling new runes to her, but she couldn't take her mind off Zanders visit. Yes she believed that Theo would be safe with them but many of the order knew where she lived along with others who visited during the funeral of her father. So her place wasn't that much of a secret. Grim would be the next best place as only those if the order knew of it's location, but if Harry would need it she didn't want them all in the same place. Clairi already knew that Jaspin was planning to move back after the season with the war on the horizon.
Walking into the joke shop, she instantly smiled. All the unique and interesting products that the two had invented. They always seemed to amaze her with how intelligent they where outside the academics. Even though they had scored high on their OWLS, not even their own mother saw how intelligent they where. Chocked it all up to them being hooligans. Clairi looked up and saw the small animatronic of Umbridge wheeling across on a tight rope with a scale across her shoulders with water in each scale sloshing out. The doll kept saying "I WILL HAVE ORDER!" which caused her to laugh. Small firecrackers flying all rover the place, the bright colors a contrast to the gray outside the shop.
"Well, well, well, look what I found here, a Zairi cat." George said as he watched her.
"Really Zairi cat? Is that the best you can do George?" She eyed him as he stood behind the register cashing out a customer.
"No its just one of the few I have for you." He winked at her.
"Oh like the many I have for you?" She asked.
"Hah! I knew I was more loveable then my less handsome twin." He laughed.
"Aww, that's where your wrong Georgie, you maybe lovable, but your twin is deffinently the extremely handsome one of the two." She teased.
"You wound me Black! Here I thought I could steel you away from my twin." He faked hurt that didn't reach his eyes.
"And what would become of Angelina?" Clairi asked as she pretended to listen to his wooing.
"Uh…" George stuttered.
"Oh I see you forgot about your own lady. Well I see that I would be forgotten by you as well." She laughed.
"No just busy here." He admitted.
"George, is Fred around?" She asked getting back to why she came in.
"Sure he's in the back." He pointed to a door.
"Thank you George." She smiled.