My dearest readers! I'm absolutely thrilled that you've returned for another month of spell-casting curiosity. This month turned out to be so exciting, I can hardly wait to tell you all about it. Before I do that, though, I should probably explain the events leading up to my wonderful run of good luck!
You see, it all began at the beginning of last week when our illustrious Editors decided to give us an absolutely splendid theme for this month's issue. As an avid history buff and a devourer of ancient texts, I could not wait to dive into the tomes I had at my disposal to find an epic new spell for you. There was so much scope for "Old" magic in this month's theme that I knew I was going to have trouble picking just one charm or Hex to show you.
Unfortunately, this is where my luck seemed to falter. I spent several days reading and checking back and forth to ensure the validity of the material I read that I wanted to share with you. However, I hit a snag. One of the spells I found was in a language I just could not fathom, and by Friday, I was sitting with my head in my hands at my favourite local coffee shop, trying to drown myself in a rather large and overly creamy hot chocolate with all the trimmings. I could've just picked something else, of course, but there was something about this one that brought out my stubborn streak.
Therefore, imagine my jaw-dropping surprise when Lady Luck decided to open the heavens and shower me with good fortune! Because there, right in front of my wallowing hole of a booth, were two of the finest Gringott's Curse Breakers I knew! I had had the very good fortune to attend Hogwarts at the same time as these two dynamic legends. For those of you who must've lived under a rock for the last 10 years, I am, of course, talking about Edward and Christopher Bones. They are the more adventurous of the three Bones triplets and have earned themselves a great reputation across the world for being smart, fearless and professional. Their other brother Jonathon now works as a Charms Professor at Hogwarts, having decided that he would rather teach than risk life and limb in the search of treasure.
So, with a grin a mile wide, I had beckoned them over to join me, and they had cheerfully nodded and waved before sliding into the booth with me. Christopher was, of course, still the cheeky rake and could not help but flirt as if his life depended on it. Something that I had once fallen for in a heartbeat, but not now; I was older and somewhat wiser. Turning instead to Edward with a roll of my eyes, I had enquired as to what he was up to these days, and that is where the fun began.
It turned out that they had just returned from a trip to Halicarnassu, in the province of Muğla in Turkey. Which is the ancient foundation for the modern city of Bodrum. They had been asked to investigate and make safe the underground caverns beneath the heritage site, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus by the Turkish Ministry. I listened in awe as the two men walked me through their adventures and then excitedly told them just how perfect their timing was. Their story was perfect for this month's issue of SOUP, and after enduring more than enough of Christopher's teasing and Edward's stoic disapproval, they agreed to share one of their discoveries with me.
It was one of great curiosity for me, too, as I had no idea that there were any surviving records of any spells that had been created between the years of 350 and 355 BCE. However, from what the Bones's told me, this spell was found carved into a small stone embedded in the wall at the entrance to what appeared to be a ruined temple deep beneath the current Mausoleum ruins. This is an area that not even the Muggles have discovered yet, so the site was virtually untouched when they arrived. Which is probably why the stone had survived. Given the location, it was obvious that the spell was Turkish in origin, and the men deciphered enough to know that it was called "Opasnosta Se Krie" (Pronounced O-paz-No-star S-ay kreey). Which in today's Turkish, would mean "Danger Hides". Now this is where they show that they are both braver and more skilled casters than I am. After several days of practice, it was found that this spell casts a small ball of shimmering silver light that you can effectively "throw" with your wand tip. You can send it into any dark spot you like as long as it is truly dark, and it will return a few moments later to inform you if there is any danger or not in the unseen place. If the ball returns and the light is pale blue, then it is safe to continue. If the light has turned a dark copper red, then there is most certainly danger ahead.
The Bones brothers still have no idea how this spell happened to be there and why it was left for the likes of them to find, but I, for one, am very glad that it was. It seemed like it saved them on their trip more than once. I did try to see if they would tell me how it was cast, just for my own notes, of course, but they politely declined due to some irritating but necessary red tape at the bank. They also gave me a stern warning that none of you should be tempted to discover the method either. The consequences of such a choice are just not worth the trouble. I promise you.
So there you have it, folks. What could've turned out to be a major headache for yours truly, became something wonderful in the space of a few short hours chatting over the best coffee in London. My original idea for my article simply flitted away as we talked. The brothers are planning another trip back to the temple next month and have promised me that we can meet up again when they return for more exciting stories and spell chat.
So until that happens and I can share it all with you, my lovely readers, Happy Casting! - Nikita