Disclaimer: Don't Own them.
Author's Note: Words in bold are Written communication.
The holidays over the students arrived back at Hogwarts. Harry presented his research to Hermione on alternative transportation methods. She took it and further pared it down to three different forms. Harry per his agreement with Snape took the three down to him for final approval.
By the first of February Snape had returned the three with a few notes on precautions to take when they began further research into actually using the spells. With the second of the Gryffindor Quidditch games coming up the team began practicing every other day. Snape to allow for it changed the mage sight class he taught Harry to Sunday afternoons. Since no team was alowed to use the Pitch on Sundays.
Hermione roped in Harry for a bit of private research concerning how the figures in the paintings could move between paintings. That didn't take long as Harry was only able to tell her that there was a connection between the portraits but not how they where connected. Exploration of the castle continued with Harry finding a Dueling studio one of several in the school. It was Prof. Flitwick who found Harry in the one dedictated to the students in Ravenclaw. He gave Harry a short demonstration of the formal art of dueling explaining how the competion worked. He asked Harry if he was interested in learning the skill.
Harry turned him down the sport to him sounded much like muggle boxing his male relatives enjoyed watching on the Telly. Only with Wizards they used spells and it was illegal to physically touch your oppenent. As with all magical sports witches competed on an equal footing with wizards. An atitude that some muggle borns seemed to have trouble with.
During Quidditch practice Katie Bell was hit by a bludger breaking her arm. The captain detailed Harry to escort her to the infirmary. There Harry found Hermione lying on one of the beds clearly cursed. Two seventh years where there as well giving a brief report on how and were they found her.
Madam Pomfrey called Harry over to study the lines of magic of the three intermingled curses. He was instructed to find were each curse began and were they ended. It took him some time to trace as where the actually started was under the tangled mess of the lines of the curses. One was a color he had never seen before and it kept growing stronger enlarging the entanglement with each moment.
When he reported it to Madam Pomfrey, Katie Bell swore. "Miss Bell language please." warned Madam Pomfrey.
"It's the weakening curse." Katie explained. "It eats at the victims magic until they are rendered a squib."
"Not quite Miss Bell the weakening curse is reversible and has been for several centuries. However myth keeps people from seeking help." Madam Pomfrey told them. "Mr. Potter do you see any other curses or spells at all?"
"Just the one for the monhly thing girls do." Harry replied.
"That will be all Mr. Potter you may go unless you are injured?" Pomfrey asked.
"No injuries," Harry replied.
"Tell your Head of House that Miss Granger will be in the infirmary for several days as I unwind the curses. Miss Bell what is wrong with your arm?" Pomfrey asked.
"Bludger hit it. Broken I think." Katie replied.
"Miss Campell, Mr Stewart you may go."
Harry returned to the pitch after informing McGonagall of the incident with Hermione. By that time practice was over. So after showers he and Ron made a stop in the infirmary to see Hermione. By this time she was bald.
"How are you doing Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Pixies are pink." Hermione responded. She held up a small slate. Curse makes me say weird things. She had written on it. Wiping it off she used a piece of chalk to write. It's going to take a few days to wear off. No counter to it.
"So you can't do magic." Ron said.
"Hermione shook her head then wrote. It will be weeks before I can use magic. Weakening curse.
"That's a dark curse!" protested Ron.
"Madam Pomfrey said it was reversible." Harry told him.
"I know it is but still." protested Ron.
"What about your hair is that going to be regrown magically?" Harry asked trying to change the subject.
That will be regrown tomorrow or the day after. Hermione wrote.
"Who did this?" Harry asked.
Don't know. She wrote. BBC English
"Hermione you aren't making any sense." Ron said.
"It's a muggle thing Ron. Wireless and Television announcers use it to cover up accents so they are easily understood. Actors do the same thing. It means we can't track the guy by his accent. Like Seamus and you having different accents." Harry explained.
"Of course we have different accents we where raised on different islands." Ron stated the obvious.
"I see you have visitors Miss Granger. I have informed your teachers of your absence for the next few days. Mr. Philips will bring you your Runes Home work and Miss Tate will bring you your Theory of magic Home work. Miss Patil will bring you your Arthimancy homework. For the rest Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will bring you the rest."
Thank you Professor. Hermione wrote.
The Professor went into Madam Pomfrey's office to get the report of the cursing. Harry excused himself and headed to the Library. Most of the seventh years where there at this time of night. He was looking for a particular pair. He found them in a group of other Slytherins including the boy who had found Hermione.
"What do you want Potter?" snapped John Thomas.
"Samuel Brown. I think he just got Hermione. 3 curses a weakening curse that Ron claims is dark arts, a balding curse, and one that messes up how you talk. The signatures the same in all of them." Harry said.
"Brown is a menace to every thing he attacks were he pleases and who he pleases." Andrea pointed out. "He attacks pure blood and muggle born alike. The thing is we can't catch him in the act."
"True. Do you have an idea Potter?"
"Bait me under polyjuice." Harry said. "What I need from you is to talk to the ones in slytherin who got hit. See if he has a pattern."
"Since Brown's victims end up in the hospital wing I'm in on this my little brother will start Hogwarts next year. He has an affinity for metals." Thomas said.
"Do you have access to polyjuice?" asked one of the 7th years in the group.
"Hermione can brew it again."
"That witch has to be from an Oddish family there is no way she is muggle born." muttered another.
Harry filed that thought away for now and got the agreement of the 7th year Slytherins to help in his hunt for Samuel Brown.