The Little Giant [Cursebreakers]

[Deleted]

Okay, Egypt was hot.

Even as a half-giant, Carcer was intensely uncomfortable in the shimmering sands. It wasn’t so bad now that they were down in the tomb, where he could revert to his giant form in the larger rooms, but outside in the blazing heat, he had to stay as a flying squirrel and suffer under the sun as an animal simply not meant to survive in such an environment. The sad truth was, there was no other way for him to be around Muggles. And he often had to stay transformed even within the crypts and tombs they explored, because there was too much risk of setting something off if he tried to maneuver around in his normal body. Only in the larger rooms, such as the one they were now in, was it safe for him to transform back.

Of course, his big body and his talent at spotting magical weave came in very useful in both forms, where he could safely explore small area as a squirrel, help the others get to higher places as a giant, and spot out likely places for treasure to be hiding. And it looked like they were going home with a big haul this time. Bill had found what turned out to be an extensive mausoleum, with at least a dozen different families buried. Of course, magical relics they found would go to the Egyptian ministry, but treasures of gold and gems would go back to Gringott’s, some to the branch in Cairo, the rest back to the head office in Diagon Alley. And given the size of this vault, there was likely to be quite a lot of gold to haul around, enough so that Bill had called them all in together to work on the find, rather than having people digging here while others searched for new locations in the sand.

Carcer paused on front of a statue, looking it over. It was a falcon-headed man, the Egyptian god Horus. He couldn’t see any trace of magic on the statue—no lines of energy to weave curses or enchantments—but he couldn’t shake the odd feeling it gave him. He was certain there was magic involved here, but he couldn’t see it. “I think there’s a trap here,” he called out. “But I can’t tell what it does or how it triggers.”


OoC: So since the last Cursebreakers thread is so far gone, I figured we could do one where we're actually doing the job. Magical archaeologists and all that! Also, this leads into something terribly amusing happening to Carcer when we set off the trap :3

@bill
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@odette
@william

[Deleted]

@william @odette @carcerronaldhagrid @bill

Andrew hated sand. And he was pretty sure he had made that clear last time he had come back from Egypt. Of course the last trip hadn't been all the bad, that was where he had met Emily. But Emily wasn't here now and that made the sand significantly less ignorable. Thankfully, they were deep inside a tomb. That meant less sand and the sun wasn't reflecting off of the offending granules and blinding him with every step. Down here there was a dank smell that reminded him of his aunt's moldy old bathroom and non-blinding sand. Still not a good alternative.

All of the cursebreakers had joined in on this escapade, Bill had found something and wanted all hands on deck. That was fine with Andrew, anything to take his mind off of the events of the summer. Hence why he had agreed to come to Egypt without Emily. Currently they were all in a large opening trying to find where the next trap was going to be. It was always tricky with these things, but if there was one thing Andrew loved, it was a good puzzle.

Carcer had changed from his squirrel form into his regular self and was looking at a statue of Horus. He seemed to be spending a long time over there. Andrew hadn't checked that side of the room. His side was clean, well it didn't have any deadly traps. One that made someone lose all of their hair, he was hoping His Royal Highness Prince William Peter Windsor (probably the third) would step into it and then have to wear a wig.

Andrew walked over to Carcer at his call and studied the statue. It looked normal, but there would be something on it that gave away a curse. "What makes you say that?" Andrew asked as his study turned up nothing unusual. He moved around the look behind the statue.

[Deleted]

Yes, Egypt was hot, and Egypt was sandy, but Bill didn’t care. Egypt was Egypt. It was the site of his first real family vacation, which made it special for Bill. He didn’t want to listen to any griping, which was part of the reason why he had allowed the rest of the Cursebreakers to stay away from their main site for so long. They were good kids, sure, but they were just that – kids. Not a single one of them was older than thirty. His kids were at school with the other Cursebreakers’ younger siblings. His elder daughter was older than their newest recruit, for goodness’s sake! The age gap made it really, really strange for Bill. There was no way to connect with his colleagues beyond just work. Still, he recognized that he needed them for certain projects – like the mausoleum. There was no way that Bill, even with all of his expertise, could handle. It was simply too much.

When Carcer mentioned that he found something, Bill sighed. There had been too many false alarms already. He wasn’t going to say who had called many of those false alarms, but suffice to say, it hadn’t been Bill. Nevertheless, he walked over to the statue in question, where Carcer and Andrew already were standing. “Have you actually run any diagnostic spells on it, or are you just going by intuition?” Bill asked with a sigh. “I don’t teach you those spells for my own health, Hagrid.” He was aware that his little brother was fond of Carcer Hagrid’s father, but he didn’t owe the boy anything, especially if he couldn’t do the job correctly. Looking at Andrew, Bill raised an eyebrow. "You too, Lloyd. You ever thought to take out your wand?" Kids these days.

@william
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@carcerronaldhagrid
@odette

[Deleted]

“What makes you say that?”

Andrew Lloyd, second oldest of the Gringott’s Cursebreakers (and given his age, that was not much seniority), was the first to join him, looking over the statue with the same perplexed air that Carcer was giving off. Carcer was about to answer him, but Bill got there first, asking in a professional but bored voice, before turning to ask Lloyd if he’d done anything. As it so happened, Carcer had run the usual tests earlier, but the statue’s vibe had still unsettled him. It had done nothing, so he had chosen to continue to sweep his designated area free of curses before coming back to it.

“Five different diagnostics, sir,” he said by way of reply. The tomb had enough traces of magic to have caused multiple false alarms already, but this one hadn’t given off a false ping—and that was precisely what bothered him. “All came back negative for lingering magic. And...it's not right. Normally I see and feel long-term magic. Now I feel it, but I don’t see it. And two of the diagnostic spells…I’ve never gotten results that fast before, not for an area this big. They shot back negative results like I had just scanned a house cat.”

He paused, trying to find the words he needed to describe the situation. He was never good with this sort of thing. “It’s….it’s like a mokeskin bag. I know something’s there, but I can’t get to it. And I can’t…if it’s this well-hidden, can we risk leaving it without knowing what it is or how it works?”

@bill
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@odette
@william

[Deleted]

Five different diagnostics. Bill didn’t think that was a high enough number – there were an endless number of spells that could be performed to detect trace magic, and for one of the younger Cursebreakers to give up so easily, especially when his gut was telling him that something was wrong, was disappointing for him. He was never going to be able to retire at this rate. He listened to Hagrid’s explanation of the results of his tests – the false negative that returned too quickly despite the feeling that there was magic there…Bill had encountered something like that before, he realized, in an old Russian castle. The owner, a famed Russian wizard, had put a cloak of sorts on the more valuable items – a smaller scale version of the Unplottable Charm, in a manner of speaking. “I know what it is.” Bill said evenly when Carcer was done fretting. He couldn’t believe the kid actually thought he’d be able to untangle every curse that they came across – Cursebreaking was one of those things that you could have a natural aptitude for, but you also had to improve with practice and time. Carcer certainly had the talent, but Bill was the only one of Gringotts Cursebreakers, he believed, that had had enough time and experience to hone his skills.

“Odette!” Bill shouted to one of the other Cursebreakers. She was the only one that Bill couldn’t bring himself to call by her last name. Every time he tried to say the name Greyback while looking at his colleague, he couldn’t get the word past his throat. “Windsor! Come here!” This was a rare piece of magic indeed, and Bill wanted everyone to see how it could be undone, in case they should ever come across something similar again. “Stand back.” He warned the two men that were already at the statue. “The spells require undivided focus, and I don’t want either of you getting in the way.” It was a harsh way of putting it, but Bill didn't want to take any chances with the nature of the magic they were dealing with.

@william
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@carcerronaldhagrid
@odette

[Deleted]

Will didn't really mind sand. In fact, he enjoyed watching Andrew hate it so much. He was just doing the usual search when he heard Carcer call that something was wrong over there. He sighed, looking over but then going back to studying his own area. He had made a few calls that he thoughts something was wrong before but turned out they weren't a problem. At least not on the surface. Will's heart wasn't in it, and that was probably why his head wasn't in the game either. He hated that, he was taught to give everything his all. He stood up a little straighter, crossing toward Odette when their names were called.

He followed the call and went to the others, lifting an eyebrow as it was explained that there would be undivided focus and whatnot. Will gave Andrew a little grin, gesturing to his hair and shaking the sand out as if to warn Andrew that his own hair was full of sand as well. He clamped his mouth closed in order not to laugh out loud at Andrews reaction.

@people
(there you happy he's here )

[Deleted]

all the cursebreakers

Andrew listened to Bill's chiding, hearing his dissapointment. He hid his own discouragement well. Bill was a legend. He was an amazing curse breaker and to get to work with his was an honor. But so far, Andrew couldn't help but feel that rather than impress this man he was actually doing the opposite. His only consolation was that Bill didn't seem all that interested in Carcer either, so there was that small consolation.

He stepped back when Bill instructed them to, ignoring the jabbing comment so as to not internalize his sudden disillusionment. William and Odette had joined their group around the statue, waiting for Bill to perform this new type of magic. He glanced down at Will who shook his head with a mischevious grin, sand falling on his shoulders. Andrew's eyes narrowed as his hand reached up make sure there wasn't any sand in his own hair. No such luck. His fingers tousled his hair and sand came cascading down, into his eyes, mouth, down his shirt and generally getting everywhere sand wasn't supposed to be.

"Gah!" he said quietly, glaring at Will as if it was his fault. The smirk had widened on his face which infuriated Andrew. He elbowed the younger man with a grunt then turned his attention back to Bill. He wanted to ask what sort of spell he was going to try on the statue, where he had used it before, or where he may have seen something like this before. But he remembered what Bill had said earlier, that he needed complete focus. So he refrained from his questions, but he would ask them later. He wasn't about to look the fool again.

[Deleted]

Odette had been to Egypt plenty of times now that she was pretty well accostumed to the heat. Or rather, as much as someone from England could be. The team was down in some tomb, not terribly different from other expeditions they had all been on. Odette was surveying some corner, wand in hand and keeping to herself until her name was called.

The only female in the group approached the men, a look of seriousness on her face. Odette was one to always take her work very seriously. She looked at Bill, awaiting for him to continue, rolling her eyes at Lloyd and Windsor as she did so.

@carcerronaldhagrid
@bill
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@william

[Deleted]

“I know what it is.”

Carcer grew quiet at that. It was time to watch a professional at work. So he said nothing as Bill called Odette and Will over and told them not to distract him. Undivided attention? So he was right ,there was something here. Something very complex, designed to be hidden. And probably hiding something of great value.

Carcer paid rapt attention as Bill began his work, keeping quiet so as not to disturb the man. Bill had not chosen to elaborate on what might happen if his concentration was broken during spellcasting, only that he needed to focus on it completely. Carcer saw and felt a ripple as Bill peeled away a layer of the defenses…

…and there was an answering ripple behind him.

Carcer turned around. What had he just—oh. A raised stone table had resonated when Bill had started to remove the protections around the statue, and it had thrown off another, similar enchantment, though Carcer felt like this one had been more complete. He could see lines of magical force snaking out, spreading in all direction from the stone, and his eyes widened. It had responded to the beginning of Bill removing a protective layer that he said needed all his attention—it was a trap!

His wand whipped out and he whirled it, but the curse energies swept past his own blocking spell as though it wasn’t there. Carcer began walking toward the stone, casting two more spells designed to gather or dissipate growing magical energy, but nothing seemed to work. The energy was rapidly spreading in every direction, but it hadn’t started layering into the stone yet—

Carcer lunged at the stone table and forced his hand into the center of the spreading magic.

He felt the heat crawling up his arms, but as he looked around, he could see the spreading energy halting, reversing as it gathered to layer through him instead of the tomb. And suddenly his blood was on fire.

Carcer didn’t remember falling backwards onto the stone floor. He didn’t hear himself roaring in pain, or feel stone shatter under his fists as pure giant instinct took over and he reduced the stone table to dust. And he didn’t see the blast of light that bathed the entire room in brilliance like a bolt of lightning. All he remembered after the surge of pain was being on all fours, coughing after his lunch made a return journey to land on the floor.

Carcer managed to stagger to his feet, body racked by coughs. “That was new. What just…” But his voice trailed off as he looked around. Everything looked…very off. It all looked larger, like he had changed into his flying squirrel form, but he was…still……oh. Ohhh.

He turned to look back at the other cursebreakers, and he saw that his eyes were level with Odette Greyback’s knees.

Ohhhhhh.

Carcer very rarely employed his French around those who didn’t speak it. But if ever there was a time to use some of the words his mother would slap him for using, it was now.

“Putain! C’est des conneries!”

william arthur weasley
sir. william peter windsor
ANDREW PATRICK LLOYD
odette willow greyback
[Explanation here: alohomorax0.proboards.com/thread/3139/early-say-goodnight-carcer?page=1&scrollTo=25256 ]
[And please, I welcome all the terrible jokes. It’s funnier that way :3]

[Deleted]

Will watched the events unfold but, in all honesty, he was too focused on slowly trickling sand into Andrews hair so he didn't pay much attention. Until the loud stuff started. Poor Carcer was standing in the wrong place at the right time and ended up getting caught in the middle of it all. Will scrambled back, wand in hand, but he was completely unsure of what to do. It was over rather quickly and there before them stood a teeny tiny shrunken Carcer.

Will's hand flew to his mouth. In shock, at first, but soon it was clear the purpose was to stifling his laughing. He bent over, taking another few steps back before finally straightening up, lowering hand and nodded once at the little giant, "are you still super strong though? Like Ant-Man? Ah, that's a muggle superhero comic book..." he was still grinning.

@people

[Deleted]

@all the cursebreakers +tiny@carcerronaldhagrid

Andrew could have sworn his felt more sand trickle down behind his ear. He was positive he had got it all out! Even as he lifted his hand to ruffle his hair again a loud rumbling shook the room. He whipped his wand out but was distracted by a huge blast of light shot through the cave, causing Andrew to blink rapidly to try and clear his vision. When his vision cleared he blinked a few more times, sure his eyes were deceiving him. When it became obvious that they weren't... well he joined Will very quickly in his laughing. He noticed Carcer's wand balanced precariously on a large boulder, a piece of what once had been the stone table.

"Want me to--get that for you?" He said as he tried to hold in his laughter, holding out the now over sized wand to his "giant" friend. The laughter didn't stay in long and soon Andrew was doubled over, holding his knees for support.

[Deleted]

This was why Bill didn't like working with newbies. They did stupid, idiotic things, because they still believed that they could be heroes. The owners of Gringotts were going to be getting a scathing owl from him as soon as they were back in England, and Bill would be damned if anyone let Carcer Hagrid so much as look at a tomb until he learned proper safety techniques. If he hadn't been part-giant, the spell that he took probably would have killed him easily, but Carcer couldn't keep falling back on his natural immunity to magic. Someday, there was going to be something more powerful than he was, and the kid wasn't going to know what to do, because his only strategy seemed to be blundering head-first into opposition. To make matters worse, he began cursing in French. People had a tendency to forget that Bill's wife was a Frenchwoman, and while his grasp of the language wasn't anywhere near as good as Fleur's, Bill knew the French swear words by heart - they let him know exactly how long he had to wait before apologizing to his wife. "Language, Hagrid!" Bill barked. "Just because you're a self-sacrificing idiot doesn't mean we're still not on a job." He didn't normally lose his temper like this, but Carcer deserved everything he got for being that stupid.

@william
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@carcerronaldhagrid
@odette

[Deleted]

Odette stayed still as all of the magic and such played out in front of her. Odette much preferred missions which she got to go off on alone rather than in groups, so she normally didn't participate much in group discussion. Even now, she stood slightly off to the sidelines of everyone else when Carcer lunged forward to the stone table. As the magic unraveled in front of their eyes, Odette had her wand at the ready; ready for anything else that would happen. Whatever this was, wasn't something she'd seen before. Then again, they had never had a half-giant on the team before.

When the excitement finally calmed down, Odette's wand arm lowered just as she heard Carcer's voice trail off. Before them, where the half-giant once stood, was a human the size of a house elf. Just as tiny Carcer began to spew off words in French, Odette was laughing along with William and Andrew. Bill seemed angry but, come on, Carcer had seemed to pretty much save their lives. If he hadn't done that, they would all probably have been crushed or something. "So, can I get a picture with you as a 'thanks' or...?" She smirked at the "giant."

@carcerronaldhagrid
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@william
@bill

[Deleted]

Oh this was a bad day.

Carcer, still breathing heavily from raw anger, was starting to see red. His vision was tinging, the giant’s blood in his body singing with violence and fury and power. He couldn’t…he needed to…thinking was so hard right now…

Pure confusion snapped him out of his rage. What in Merlin’s name is an ‘Ant Man’?

Oh, a Muggle comic book? So…literature involving a Muggle calling himself Ant Man. Well, someone transforming into an ant without magic WOULD be a noteworthy person. Carcer could think straight again, but he was still simmering with anger. He walked over to a small boulder, one several times his own size, wound up and kicked it. The rock sailed across the room and smashed into the wall on the other side, cracking the face of hieroglyphs (which immediately began repairing themselves). He turned to narrow his eyes at William. “Looks like it.”

Oh thank everything his voice had stayed the same too. If he’d squeaked even once, he’d have just given up on life right there.

“Want me to—get that for you?” Andrew was the next one to chime in, grabbing Carcer’s wand off another stone slab that he had missed when reducing most of it to dust and handing it to him. Now this was even worse. Carcer’s wand was huge, just short of a foot and a half long, and so now it was basically half the height that he was. Granted, his extreme strength had not diminished, so it wasn’t heavy, but it was unwieldy like this. He'd probably look like a swordsman if he tried to swish-and-flick right now. “Thanks,” he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He wasn’t really angry at any of them, so much as just angry, but their amusement at the situation was not helping things.

Odette was next to pipe up, naturally. “So, can I get a picture with you as a ‘thanks’ or…?” Of course she did. He ought to refuse. He really should. But even angry, Carcer wasn’t stupid. In the future, he might look back on this differently. And a visual to display the effects of the curse would corroborate their story back at Gringott’s, in addition to possibly being useful to studying the curse itself. “Fine. If it ever shows up in the Prophet though, I will turn you into a penguin and strand you on an iceberg somewhere.”

---

Two minutes later, Carcer was sitting on Odette’s shoulder, thinking about how he’d cheerfully let this tomb crush the lot of them next time.

@william
andrew ethan astor-shaw
@odette

[Deleted]

Will grinned as Carcer proved that he still had his regular strength. "That is awesome," he said, trying not to laugh at Carcer with those little narrowing eyes. Nope, he failed. He laughed anyway. He started to worry about getting him back to normal, though, so his brain was distracted for a moment until this picture idea came up.

Will jumped at the plan grinning, "oh, oh, I brought a camera!" he swung his bag in front of him in order to pull out said camera, "can we at least put it in the Cursebreakers Hall of Fame or something? We could start one in the offices," he asked, preparing the camera and lifting it up. "Anyone else want to get in the picture?" he asked as he lifted the camera.

@peoples