Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic
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This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)
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This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix
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Chapter Seven: Of Secrets and Truths
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Hermione had left a while ago to do something with Ginny, and since she'd be gone, Harry began to dwell on the broken artifact. He had searched through a few of the books Mrs. Weasely had brought him, but he could find nothing that could help him.
After looking through another book, Magical Artifacts and Their Uses, Harry tossed it disgustedly into the corner, sighing and rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"I'm never going to figure out what this thing is for!" he shouted to no one in particular as he pushed the box away, the glass pieces inside clinking together.
Tiredly, Harry picked up another book and was thumbing through the table of contents as someone knocked on his door, giving him the excuse to stop searching and talk to someone, "Come in!"
Ron poked his head, then looked around like he was searching for something, before stepping in and shutting the door behind him, "Any luck yet?"
Harry sighed and shook his head, gesturing to the piles of books scattered across the room, "You would think that from all of these books, there'd be one, just one, reference to that thing."
Ron looked nervously around before speaking, "You know.. it could be in there and you're just not seeing it. I mean, think about it. You didn't get to see it before it was broke, so you don't know what shape it was, and you don't know if there was anything else on it. You could be overlooking it.."
Harry's anger started to rise, and then it occurred to him that Ron was right. He didn't know what it looked like before it was shattered, and he didn't know what it was, or what it did, so how did he expect to find it in a book? Sure, there weren't many items that negated magic, but that didn't matter. If he only had 10 to pick from, he still wouldn't know which it would be.
Seeing Harry's crestfallen look, Ron jumped in to try and cheer him up, "Mum said we're going out tomorrow, but she won't tell us where. It'll help take your mind off that," he pointed to the box at the foot of Harry's bed, "and besides, you'll get to be with Hermione!"
Harry couldn't help but grin at his friends jest, and nodded and said that he'd go. Ron smirked and laughed, then left to go tell his Mum the good news.
As soon as the door closed, Harry's humor started to evaporate as he mulled over what Ron said. He was right, of course, but there had to be some way to figure out what the thing looked like before it was broken.
Magic fizzled out around it, and even though it was broken, it still retained its powers. They should've lost their power when it was shattered. It should have, but it didn't. That's what didn't make sense. There was nothing in the book about things retaining their power after they were broke. Unless.. unless..
Harry swept everything off the bed except the box, then tipped it on it's side and slowly spread the glass around so he could see it all.
He picked up one piece and looked at it, twirling it around, looking at the corners before searching among the ones on the bed that might fit with the corner of the piece in his hand.
After searching for almost an hour, he found a piece that would match the one in his hand. He picked it up and placed the two halves together, holding his breath as he pressed them into each other.
For a long moment, nothing happened, then a green glow flashed where the two pieces met, and when the light died down, it was a whole piece.
"I knew it! I knew it!" he whispered excitedly, examining the edges of the glass before looking among the rest to find the one that went with it.
It took him several hours, and when he finally came down to the last couple of pieces, he couldn't find them.
He searched all around on the floor, then combed the entire room over, looking for them, but they were nowhere to be found.
Harry sat down on the edge of the bed, examining the object in his hands. He knew what it looked like now, and he knew that he saw a picture like it somewhere in one of the books. If he couldn't finish it, at least he could know what it was for.
He sat it back down on the bed to examine it. It was a circle, with an inscription on it, but it didn't look like it was finished. There was a some kind of bird in the middle of it, but from the angle it was facing, you couldn't really tell what kind, although it resembled a phoenix.
Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes once again before getting up to thumb through the last few books he'd read, because he knew it was somewhere in there.
He picked up "Magical Items and Objects" and began to flip through it, then stopped as it saw the picture of it. There it was. Exactly the same thing as he put together, missing pieces and all.
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The Crystal of Black
A magical artifact of ancient times, it's true use and origin lost in the sands of time. It has been passed along to various hands through its existence, and the last recorded holder of it was the Black family, and it is still assumed it resides with them.
They're six pieces missing from this artifact, and the location of their existence have been lost in time. The creator of the crystal, Darke Nimbleweed, removed the six pieces and gave them to each of his students, so that when the time came, they could finish his creation and unleash its power.
What the Crystal of Black is supposed to be for is unknown, because Nimbleweed took its secrets to the grave with him, and his unknown students never told of its use, if they even know.
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Harry shut the book and sighed. That was it then. The six remaining pieces were lost to time, and without, he couldn't figure out what the crystal was used for. Sirius had said that if he could figure it out, all his questions would be answered. This crystal had done nothing but raise more questions for him.
Sighing one more time, Harry slammed the book shut and stormed out of the room, turning off the lights as he went to dinner.
In the darkness, a soft glow emanated from the crystal, and the bird let out a quiet, fearful cry. The time would soon come when it would be needed.