Disclaimer: As usual I only own Eric and I co-own 'The Knights Curios' with The Jester of Fools.

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Old Magic

Chapter Two

The Statue

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Last Time:

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Eric looked to the side, his eyes unfocused. "Hmm… I wonder."

"What's up Eric?" Harry asked curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Harry, what's the name of this new shop?" Eric turned toward Harry his
face set in a serious mask.

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Now:

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"It's name?" Harry asked looking thoughtful, "It's called 'The Crimson Library'"

"It can not be." Eric gasped and walked towards the back of the shop, "Follow me Harry."

"What's wrong Eric?" Harry asked following him skillfully around piles of boxes.

"It is that shop, I have been there before." Eric said as they came to a stop in front of a door that Eric had told Harry never to enter without his orders.

"What's going on Eric?" Harry asked, his voice becoming nervous.

"Nothing bad for you lad, it's just I want to show you what I had gotten there when it had found me." Eric said unlocking and opening the door.

As the two walked into the room Harry noted that there were many Books in shelves there, but only one thing truly caught his attention. It was nothing more than a statue, when he looked at it trying to judge what it was about it that was strange he noted that it stood about 5 feet tall and was a near mirror image of Eric.

"Eric why is there a statue of you in here?" Harry asked turning to him.

"That Harry, is what I bought there," Eric replied his voice sounding like he had aged many years in an instant, as though he had gone to hell and back, "It didn't look like this when I bought it, no it looked like a ordinary mannequin, but over time it started to look more and more like myself. It is a cursed object Harry, and it can never be destroyed, no matter how much I want to."

"What do you mean a cursed object?" Harry exclaimed raising his voice, in a lower voice he asked, "What do you mean; "It can never be destroyed"?"

"I mean what I said" Eric said walking out of the room with Harry following him, "and what I mean is that I can not destroy it I have tried many times and in many different ways, and even hired many people to destroy the bloody thing but it will not be destroyed."

"What does it do?" Harry asked starting to get scared, but was trying not to show it.

"It makes me Immortal" Eric said his eyes cold as ice.

"Why do you call that a curse?" Harry asked wearily never having seen Eric like this before.

"I hope you never find out the reason." Eric said while sitting down in a chair in the front room. "I hope you never find out what it is like to outlive your loved ones, living on and on never being given the blessing of eternal slumber."

"Eric-," Harry started only to be cut off.

"No Harry, there is much you have to learn about the many things I have to teach, just please be careful." Eric said as he looked into Harry's eyes.

"I will Boss," Harry said with a small chuckle. "I will."

"Good lad, you be sure you are." Eric then turned and walked into the back "I have something for you just sit tight."

"Yeah, yeah just make that joke when I am sitting down for once." Harry called back.

"Where's the fun in that?" Eric said as he walked back around the corner, as Harry grumbled out,"You and your 'fun'."

Eric held out his hand and in it was a bracelet; it looked like it was made from some sort of white metal with a gold trim and it had a ruby shaped like a diamond imbedded in the side. "This is a very special bracelet, it can let the wearer understand and speak other languages, spoken or text. It was a gift from my father and now I pass it onto you."

"I can't just take this from you, you said it was from your father… wait did you say it let's the wearer understand other languages? Like the magic you showed me?" Harry asked startled.

"Yup, yup just like that. And when you put it on you will be the only one who can see it so your 'relatives' won't be able to take it from you." Eric replied with a smirk.

"But wait, you said it was from your father" Harry started weakly.

"Yes it was a gift from him, a family heirloom if you will." Eric looked on, his eyes softening, "Know this Harry though you may not be related to me by blood I shall always think of you as my son."

Harry then proceeded to glomp Eric while shouting, "Thank you, thank you!"

"So what are you going to do today?" Eric asked, as Harry let go.

"Maybe just do some more odd jobs around town, once I'm done here." Harry said.

"You are done here for today." Eric stated as Harry looked at him with a curious glint in his eyes.

"Why are you sending me away without work?" Harry asked his voice taking on a sharp quality.

"Don't get me wrong Harry but you need to take a break sometimes, you're only nine." Eric said holding his hands up in an 'I give up' gesture.

"Okay Eric, you sure you can handle the rush this afternoon?" Harry asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine, now go and enjoy yourself."

"Fine, fine I'm going" Harry said as he held his head low in defeat.

"Cheer up Harry you can still hang around here if you want" Eric said grabbing Harry and ruffling his hair.

Harry looked up and grinned, "Great I'll be around the shop for a little while then." He then proceeded to walk around looking at the different books and crystals.

"Fine by me but you know the policy," Eric then walked over to the front counter and read a book entitled 'How to Create Wards and Set Them Up'.

Looking at the different books that were scattered around the shop he came across a few he would like to get. The titles on a few of the books were rather strange even by his standards, even though he helped set them up, for example; 'A Statement on the Empire's Major Criminals', 'Digestive System of the Ogre and the Chimera: Similarities', and 'The Eight Changes of Comprehension' to name a few.

He continued to look around for a little while before he walked out calling out a goodbye to Eric and slipping on the bracelet on as he left.

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The next day was rather boring to Harry as he had finished working on his chores early and testing out the bracelet in the library, not daring to go to the other 'library' for fear of what might happen if he did.

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'The Day of Pawn Shop' Harry decided to call that day, as that was when they were to enter the new (and in his mind cursed) shop.

As he sat in the cupboard under the stairs he thought about what Eric had told him.

'I wonder what I will find there, hopefully nothing too bad or cursed.'

Harry looked at the ceiling and sighed. 'I just wish I could help Eric'

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End of Chapter Two

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Chapter Two is finally up.

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