Chapter 22

"What do we do now?" Ginny asked. "If that jewel's a fake, then where's the real one?"

"What did that woman say to you?" Alex asked.

"You weren't listening?" Hermione asked.

"Just tell me."

"Well, she was saying stuff about the massacre and how the circlet was stolen by followers of that pharaoh guy while it was being transported to France," Ginny said.

"Was the circlet successfully stolen?" Alex asked.

"No," Hermione said. "The curator said the circlet was destroyed and a follower got away with the jewel. It was found in a border city between France and Belgium."

"Border cities...we'll have to search them one by one," Alex said.

"But there's a lot of them," Ginny exclaimed. "What about Harry?"

"He's not here," Alex said. "If he were nearby, I would be able to sense him...much easier than usual. Something isn't right about him."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Did something happen to Harry? Is he sick?"

Alex sighed.

"Not exactly," he said. "I didn't notice it until he had robbed the American Gringotts bank, but his magic is behaving strangely. It's fluctuating for some reason, but it makes easy to track if you know what you're looking for."

"How is that happening? I know Harry; his magic wouldn't just fluctuate," Hermione said.

"I became a Curse Breaker for several reasons, but the main reason was because it allowed me direct access to objects cursed with dark magic. Instead of breaking the curses, I used another artifact I found to absorb the dark magic. It's been helping Harry gain enough magic as well as to help keep Hedwig alive and healthy."

"He's been doing that for a year?" Ginny asked, frowning in concern. "Isn't that bad though?"

"Yes," Alex said. "Absorbing lots of dark magic for a long period of time will always have negative side effects on the person. Harry has practiced dark magic his whole life, but there will still be consequences for him. Even I have to be careful of the side effects. The large amount of dark magic Harry's been absorbing this past year is causing his magic to fluctuate greatly, which will affect his ability to do anything."

"Why does he need so much dark magic in the first place?" Hermione asked.

"Hedwig," Alex said. "She is a Horcrux, but she is also a living being. Living Horcruxes do not last long and once they die, the soul fragment dies with it. Harry has been keeping Hedwig alive long past her time. However, his magic alone isn't powerful enough to continuously keep Hedwig alive, which is why he had me gather dark magic from cursed objects for him to absorb and use."

"I see," Hermione said, sighing.

Alex clenched his fists, icy blue eyes glinting in anger.

"He promised he would tell me if he felt any side effects. That liar; when I get my hands on him, I am definitely cursing him," he hissed.

"Calm down, Alex," Hermione said. "We need to figure out where that jewel is right now."

Alex took a deep breath and nodded.

"Did the curator say any specific border cities?" he asked.

"No, she just said a small city on the border," Ginny said.

"There's a lot of small cities, but not enough time." Alex said. "But if we can figure out the general area the jewel was found in, we can narrow it down to a few cities."

"I'll find a map," Hermione said.

Harry almost crashed in the room he had hidden Hedwig away in. The books on the desk were still there, some still open. Harry winced as a slash of pain went through him. Although the bracelet was helping to stabilize his magic, it was only temporary.

His heart sank when he saw Hedwig's still body. She hadn't even woken up when he came in. He rushed over and crumbled to the floor. He shook Hedwig gently but firmly.

"Hedwig. Hedwig!" he exclaimed.

He laid a hand on her pelt; he could a faint heartbeat and breathed in relief. She was still alive...for now at least. He poured more magic into Hedwig. Hedwig's ear twitched before her golden eyes blinked open. She meowed weakly, but she was steadily getting stronger as the magic continued to enter and heal her frail body.

"Damn, I left you for too long. You almost gave me a heart attack." Harry muttered. "You're coming with me from now on, Hedwig."

Hedwig meowed again in response. Harry gently stroked her head. A second later, Hedwig hissed in pain and bit him. Harry jerked back and looked at the cat. Her ear was torn and bloodied. He looked down at his hand. There was a bitemark as well as two teeth stuck in his hand. He pulled the two teeth out and healed the bite wound.

"The magic isn't working anymore," Harry said, frowning in concern. "I wonder, can you even move right now? Should I even risk picking you up?"

Harry gently slid a hand underneath Hedwig. She hissed and Harry poured more magic into her. Hedwig calmed down a little and Harry picked up, cradling her gently in his arms. He carried her over to the desk and glanced down at the scroll and then at the bracelet on his left wrist. He shifted his grip and touched the bracelet. He slid it off his wrist and hummed before putting it back on. Hedwig meowed, shifting in his arms. Harry whispered soothing things into her ear while lightly stroking her fur. Hedwig purred and settled down, her eyes fluttering shut.

Suddenly, Harry heard a commotion outside. He walked over to the window and cautiously peered outside. There were Aurors patrolling the area.

"Damn it," Harry muttered. "The Aurors are here already?"

Harry flicked his hand at the desk and all the books closed. With another flick, the books disappeared, having been tucked away into his pocket. He grabbed the scroll and put it in his pocket as well. He checked to make sure the circlet was still safely in his pocket and that the pendant was around his neck.

He then glanced at the bracelet. He could feel a faint tugging.

"Where will you take me, I wonder..." Harry muttered quietly.

He grabbed the portkey from his pocket.

"Here we go, Hedwig," he said, glancing down at the cat in his arms. "This won't be very comfortable for you, but you'll have to deal with it until we land."

Harry looked at the bracelet again and closed his eyes. He activated the portkey, using his magic to change the course of the portkey's magic as the bracelet led him to the other bracelet.