Disclaimer: This is based on the J.K. Rowling's World of Harry Potter. Everything you recognize belongs to her.
The two brothers were caked in mud, knee deep in the thick, gooey substance, yet they trudged on. The mosquitoes had been attacking them for days. At the beginning, they tried various spells to get rid of the pests, but by the third day, they had given up, let the blood-suckers feast and trudged on.
Finally, they came to the edge of the swamp, "Aldrich," Amherst hissed grabbing his brother's arm. "I think we are almost there. Look!" He pointed toward some large trees. These trees appeared different, like their natural habitat was more forest than mud. The brothers continued their march with a renewed vigor as their tired muscles sensed an end to the day's trials t Slowly the land changed and the ground solidified under their feet. Their screaming muscles began to relax in anticipation of a rest.
As if by silent consensus, the Urquart brothers found a large tree under which to camp for the night. They stretched out by the fire, warming themselves and scraping away the muck. "How much further do you think it is?" Amherst asked his elder brother.
"Hopefully, not too far," Aldrich answered as he used a water spell to clean the ooze off his ring. "According to legend, she hid it in the hollow of a tree less than a 500 paces from the swamp's edge. I vote for a good night's sleep and then we start searching in the morning."
Amherst agreed and then nodded toward the ring. "You probably should have left that at home. If you lost it out here, momma would probably haunt you from her grave."
Aldrich snorted, "You are right but it can't be helped now. I was more afraid to leave it in the hands of Cousin Frederick. If I had done that, I know momma would come back to haunt me."
The two laughed as the elder finished carefully washing it. Finally, they could see the insignia perfectly: a triangle circumscribed around a circle with a line down the middle. Their mother and her sister had been Peverell's before their marriages. Amherst remember looking at the ring on his mother's finger once and asking if that was the Peverell Coat of Arms for while it did adorn the ring, it was rather unusual looking for a family crest. His mother's musical laugh radiated out. "No, my darling, it isn't. Although many have mistaken it for that because the ring is so ancient and priceless. One day I shall leave it to your brother for he is the oldest, but if it shall ever fall to you, promise me that you will honor and treasure it."
He dropped down to his knees and kissed her fingertips. "I promise, Momma with all my heart." Of course, his young heart said that would never happen. What could possibly happen to his brother.
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The next day, the brothers rose with the sun, breakfasted on a meal of cold meats and cheese then began their search. They, like their father before them and their grandfather before him, had been searching for years. How many times had they begged the Grey Lady to tell them where she hid artifact, but with no luck. She only smiled a vague ghostly smile as she floated away from them. "The legend said she hid it in a hollow tree somewhere in what now is Bulgaria, close to a swamp's edge," Aldrich reminded his brother.
"Was Bulgaria," Amherst corrected. "The Ottoman Empire now, which is another reason to be careful. The Turkish wizards wouldn't take too kindly to our trespassing onto their conquered territory."
For three days, they continued their search, using searching spells and checking for any signs of magic within the trees. At last as the sun cast its longest shadows on the third day, Aldrich sensed something ahead. The tree was huge, easily several hundred years old. It's branches were gnarled and twisted like a serpentine animal. About four feet from the ground, he could see a black hole in the trunk, just large enough for the prize to fit in.
Aldrich cast a charm in the hole to be sure no animals lived there and then reached inside. His hand searched among the dead leaves and bird droppings before it brushed something hard. It was thin but strong Not quite able to grasp it, the ring on his finger made a metallic clink when it hit the object-definitely metal on metal. He stretched out his fingers and felt smooth and oval -the sapphire stone! This was it. They had finally found Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem.
Aldrich yelled for his brother, "Amherst, I've found it. We've found it. Come quickly!" Amherst appeared between two trees but it wasn't a look of victory on the younger brother's face, but rather one of abject horror. Aldrich followed his little brother's gaze upward to see a huge shadow descending quickly from above. Eight furry legs radiated from a body that was as large as a horse. Before Aldrich could even open his mouth to scream, the beast was upon him knocking him to the ground. He could see his brother's spells hitting the armor-like body as the pincers sank into his neck.
"Nooooo!" yelled Amherst as he ran toward the arachnid. His spells seem to bounce off its tough hide, but the spells were distracting the spider from its attempt of having a meal. Amherst hit it with a stunning spell that sent the monstrous arachnid flying backward and into a tree. Fury built up in him like a mighty fire. He aimed carefully, wanting to be sure that he landed that the final blow. "Avada Kedavra!" He yelled with a angry twist to his voice A sudden green light flashed from his wand and struck the wiggling beast and it moved no more.
Amherst threw down his wand and he ran to his brother,. He cradled Aldrich's head in his hands,but he know it was already too late. Multiple puncture wounds covered his brother's neck and face and he was gasping for breath that would not come. With the last ounce of his strength, the elder brother pulled off the Peverell ring and pressed it into his younger brother's hand. Then his arm went slack and Aldrich Urquart left the realm of the living
Amherst wept over his brother's body; the ring clutched in his hand. Finally a noise awakened his sense: clicking sounds, hundreds of them. He didn't know what this huge spider was but he knew he did not want to meet more of them. He tried to pick up his brother's body but saw hundreds of eyes staring at him from above. He would never escape with Aldrich's body encumbering him. "I'm sorry, brother," Amherst whispered. He put the ring on his finger, grabbed his brother's wand as well as his own and prepared to fight his way out.
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It took him almost four months, but Amherst Urquart eventually returned to England, the Peverell ring on his finger and his brother's wand near his heart. He knew that his brother had finally found it. Their family had been searching for over sixty years for the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw and Aldrich had found it in the hollow of that tree, but the younger brother never told anyone where it was and he never returned himself. Somethings are worth sacrificing in the pursuit of treasure and somethings are not. For Amherst, the cost was too high.
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Please note: Either the apparating spell hadn't been invented at this point or Amherst didn't know hot to use it. Otherwise his escape would have been much easier.
