-The Graveyard, Chapter Forty Nine-

CECILY POV

The rest of Christmas was a quiet event. Dumbledore had been notified, and he told me he would look for anything fitting my description. Members of the Order where extremely angry that Voldemort had come so close and that I had talked normally with him.

I had tried to explain the overwhelming evil, and the normal beneath, but everyone was skeptical. Only Dumbledore took me seriously. He would send me weekly owls that always had me anxious for more news.

Even when I went back to school, we would meet once a week and discuss it. I was eager to share memories, anything to make someone else believe me. He was incredibly interested, and together, we poured over book after book. I could remember things longer than him, so that helped.

My classes were easy, I spent more time playing Quidditch and researching this thing that had taken over Voldemort than I did on homework. But I was incredibly wary. I was so inclined to help him, but if I ever saved him, I would have to deal with the love thing.

I mean, he really, really loved me. It was kind of creepy, yet I couldn't help but feel good about being loved. I mean, sure, my family loved me. But nobody had ever loved me romantically. I had no idea what to do.

So I would spend most of my time in the restricted section of the library, trying to find and answer. After looking through a particularly large black volume, I was frustrated. Nothing in the restricted section so far had clued me in. Most of it was about evil things to do and create, but not evil things themselves, unless you count creatures.

I went to put the giant volume back, but when I put it in its slot, it didn't fit. Slightly cautious, I removed the book and put my hand in, feeling toward the back, expecting a biting book to get me. Instead, I touched leather.

I pulled out a worse-for wear book about the size of a small novel, and put the giant one back. Then I examined the tiny book curiously. It looked almost like a diary it was so small. Dumbledore had warned me about books in the library, but I was frustrated and curious.

I flipped the cover open, and through the first book notes. The title surprised me. Dark Fables from Dark Times, the book was called. Madam Pince was starting to bug me, so I took the tiny book with me out of the library and back to my dormitory, but not before checking the book registry. According to Madam Pince, this book had disappeared almost 70 years ago.

It was pretty empty, everyone was in the common room, and Quidditch Practice was going on. I sat in a window and took out the book once more. I flipped it open again, and found the table of contents. After a quick scan, none of them really caught my eye, so I flipped open to a random page and started reading. The tale was about a girl who got so jealous, she turned into a hag. Pissed, I threw the book, and it landed on it's face.

I took a deep breath and watched the tiny people in gold fly around out in the Quidditch Pitch. I knew Harry would be angry if he knew what I was doing. But I needed to know. After a minute, I retrieved the and climbed back into the window, and started to read the page it had landed on. I couldn't go back to the library now, it was dark.

The story was about Eliv, a strange little boy who had been raised in a harsh, Dark Magic family. The story goes that his evil spirit, when he died, was cursed into an amulet, called the Amulet of Thilg. Once an amulet for protection, one drop of Eliv's blood turned the diamond red, into a ruby, and sealed the curse. Fueled by his anger and hate, Eliv supposedly still lived on inside the Amulet, killing or controlling anyone who touched it.

My mind was wild after I finished the story. It said the Amulet's whereabouts were unknown, but I was thinking about the side affects of touching such an object. I had touched a cursed object of death, but since there was so much death in me, it only strengthened me. But what about a poor little kid, a baby even?

They wouldn't have a chance, no way. I quickly glanced at the story again. It only said that nobody dared to touch the Amulet of Thilg, and the people actually moved away from the town were Eliv grew up out of fear.

Geez. Looks like I needed to talk to Dumbledore, find Eliv's hometown, and track down this Amulet…

I quickly left the tower and got a few hallways away. Quidditch practice would be over, and I didn't want to explain this to Harry. Plus, getting caught by a teacher at this hour would suck. Fortunately, I was the freak child who could move faster than they could see. But Harry was so against the research; he didn't understand. I had wanted to kill Voldemort for killing me, but I hadn't realized that his soul was divided and taken over. When I tried to tell Harry this, he got incredibly angry. Almost the same as when I woke up in the hospital.

I wasn't quite sure why I was so incredibly interested with this. Maybe I was looking for a reason to prove Voldemort was guilty, or maybe just the opposite. But either way, it was worth looking into, the information had value.

Briskly, I made my way quickly to Dumbledore's office, the book tucked firmly into my robes. I passed Peeves, and he stood up straight and saluted before going back to loosening the chandelier. He had been incredibly friendly to me as all the ghosts had, even though I still didn't know how to send them where they wanted. It had it's perks, being friends with them.

After saying the password (Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans), I ran up the revolving steps and knocked hurriedly. The door opened, so I quickly came in and shut the door. Dumbledore was looking out his big window at the grounds. I quietly came over and sat down at the chair in front of his desk, placing the book on the desk.

Dumbledore sighed, and came over to sit down, and sighed heavily as he sat in front of me. "I have nothing new, Cecily. Absolutely nothing. It seems no records could possibly exist." He said heavily.

"I found something. Something more than just a hunch. It fits perfectly, if I can tie Riddle to it. Here." I opened the tiny book to the correct page and pushed it across the desk. Dumbledore picked it up cautiously with his long knotted fingers and quickly scanned the story.

"It is quite interesting…where did you find this?" Dumbledore said, new excitement radiating in his voice. I loved the fact that he had not yet commented on my breaking of a school rule, out of bed at night.

"Stuffed behind books in the library. I checked the book register, it said it went missing ages ago. But this book could easily tie the evil in Voldemort to a source. I really want to find where Eliv lived, and find this amulet. I've been dealing with souls and curses and death all my life, and this is incredibly interesting and--" I stopped ranting as Dumbledore raised a hand.

"You may continue to hunt for information on this, I may not stop you. However, you have family to consider. This will not be an easy quest." He said gravely, and gently set the book down. I frowned.

"None of them understand. You would think that even though I took the abuse and the pain, they would trust me, but apparently not." I said sourly. "They are my family, but I'm the only person strong enough to do this, you know that, and so do they. But why they continue to…never mind. Goodnight, Professor." I quickly got up and left, to angry to say anything more. Dumbledore didn't stop me.