Professor Aldric Spellsworth - Retired Hogwarts Headmaster

“Ah, my dear colleagues, magic is rather like a magnificent tapestry - pull the wrong thread at the wrong time, and the entire weaving can come undone in the most spectacular and dangerous fashion.”

Background

Professor Aldric Spellsworth served as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for twenty-three years, following a distinguished career as Professor of Advanced Magical Theory. Known throughout the wizarding world for his groundbreaking research into temporal magic and spell modification, Aldric’s academic legacy includes several revolutionary discoveries that changed how wizards understand the fundamental nature of magical timing and delay mechanisms.

His most significant and dangerous discovery came during his early research years - the Arresto Incantum spell, a complex charm that delays the activation of the next spell cast by exactly fifteen minutes. Originally developed as part of his thesis on “Temporal Manipulation in Practical Spellwork,” Aldric quickly realized the profound dangers this spell posed in the wrong hands. A delayed curse could provide a perfect alibi for any dark wizard, making it nearly impossible to trace magical crimes back to their perpetrators.

Understanding the catastrophic potential for misuse, Aldric made the difficult decision to classify his research and limit knowledge of Arresto Incantum to only his most trusted and morally upright students. Over his decades of teaching, only four students ever earned his complete confidence and demonstrated the ethical foundation necessary to learn such dangerous magic: Lavender Grimwald, who showed unwavering dedication to magical creature welfare; Cornelius Pemberton, who displayed exceptional integrity in his academic work; Penelope Quillfeather, whose care for others suggested the spell would be well used; and Augustus Thornwick, whose uncompromising moral compass and dedication to justice made him seem like the ideal guardian of such dangerous knowledge.

Each of these students was sworn to secrecy and made to understand that Arresto Incantum should never be used except in the most dire circumstances to protect innocent lives. Aldric believed that limiting this knowledge to four trustworthy individuals would ensure the spell’s power could be preserved for genuine emergencies while preventing its spread throughout the wizarding world.

During his tenure as Headmaster, Aldric was particularly proud of mentoring Augustus, whom he personally recommended for Ministry work after recognizing his exceptional investigative instincts. He saw in Augustus the same dedication to justice that had driven his own research into protecting the wizarding world from dangerous magic, making the young man’s recent fears all the more troubling.

Recently, Augustus had been visiting Aldric with troubling concerns about being followed and receiving threatening notes regarding his corruption investigation. The young man’s fear deeply worried Aldric, who had tried to counsel him about the dangers of taking on powerful interests within the Ministry hierarchy.

Gala Objectives

1. Investigate Recent Magical Incidents Learn more about the delayed-action prank spells that have been causing property damage throughout wizarding London. These explosion spells trigger exactly fifteen minutes after casting - a timing that bears an unsettling resemblance to his own Arresto Incantum research. If someone is teaching modified versions of his spell to pranksters, Aldric needs to understand how this dangerous knowledge is spreading and take steps to contain it.

2. Assess Augustus’s Safety Discreetly gather information about Augustus Thornwick’s corruption investigation and the threats he’s been receiving. As Augustus’s former mentor who recommended him for Ministry work, Aldric feels responsible for the young man’s welfare and wants to understand exactly what dangers he might be facing from his anti-corruption efforts.