An – I'm gonna move forward a few years as not much will be happening and I don't want to be repeating myself to much. Also I'm going to change the rating as it was originally meant to be "M".
This chapter is safe though.
Anya is 15, which puts her in her 5th year. Tom is in his 4th year aged 14. Zarian is 16 and in his 6th year.
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The Locket
Diagon Alley was setting up for the day, awaiting the rush of school children eagerly purchasing their supplies for there year at school.
Yet this was not the destination for the tall 15 yr old wearing a hooded cape and walking in the direction of the alleys darker twin. Knockturn alley was her destination and it was crucial that she was not seen by anyone from school, enough talk was going around about her being a parseltongue without more rumors being started. She didn't understand what the big deal was, she could speak to snakes big deal, and it didn't mean anything. That was another similarity that she and her brother had, they were both able to communicate with snakes and they both had similar temperaments.
She was in Knockturn Alley for a specific purpose she needed to know about the locket, in the 3 years since she had learned of her mother's death she never had brought herself to go and inquire about it. However, the dream had haunted her again and she knew that she needed answers.
She hoped that no-one had brought the locket yet as she continued down the narrow path ignoring the leering looks off the residents and keeping her head held high. Finally she came across the dusty old shop, but stopped when she couldn't see the locket in the window. "No" she thought, and without another pause entered the shop quickly.
Behind the counter was a ragged looking man who seemed to be made from the shop. She looked around her, the shop was well kept but dark and held all kinds of objects not all particularly legal she was sure. She lowered her hood and turned towards the man behind the counter.
"Can I help you?" ask the man in a leering voice whilst looking at her curiously. Anya walked forward up to the desk and looked directly at him.
"Yes. I wish to enquire about a locket that I saw in the window a while ago."
"We have many lockets miss."
"Well this one seemed to be rather unique; it was green with a serpent on the front, looked quite old."
The man regarded her for a moment obviously questioning what her motive for finding such an item was. He turned away and went into a back room. Anya waited patiently for him to return whilst looking at the various items displayed around the shop, she saw a skeletal hand but she knew not to touch it.
Finally he returned holding a black cushion with the locket sitting on top. He placed it on the counter and looked at her.
"Would this be it, Miss?" he asked
Burke was confused as to why a young girl such as the one before him would enquire into this locket? He wondered if she knew the origin of it or whether she was just interested on the serpent pattern. In the 14 years it had been there no one had really looked at it.
"Yes this is it" the girl replied looking at the locket before her. She tenderly reached out towards it as though afraid it might bite. "Might I ask where you got this sir?"
The question shocked Borgin and he regarded the girl before him once again. Why would she want to know that?
"Might I ask why you wish to know that?"
"Just curious, I believe I had seen it before but that was years ago." Anya paused not wanting to give away to much information.
"Well it was brought to us by a young woman, maybe not so much older than yourself; she was pregnant at the time and looked to be in need of care. She claimed that this was Slytherins actual locket. I confess I wasn't too sure, we hear many stories like that in this trade I assure you." He took a breath whilst Anya absorbed the information he was telling her. "I did a few checks on the locket and sure enough it was legitimate. Well that makes it near enough priceless, yet she seemed to only want 10 galleons for it, I offered her more but she was adamant" Anya was sure he did, this man was disgusting. "The best bargain I've ever made. No doubt she stole it anyway from the look of her."
"No doubt" Anya replied taking a deep breath and looking away from him trying to control the anger that filled her inside. "You said this was Slytherins locket?" Borgin nodded "So wouldn't it have been passed down along the line, like a family heirloom?"
"I would have thought so Miss, but sometimes things are lost and only recovered many years later and people never know what they really are." He cleared his throat and motioned to the locket that was still in her hand. "The locket is worth a small fortune Miss, but I'm sure we can come to an arrangement on it, as you seem to be so interested?"
"How much would you be willing to sell it for?" Anya asked knowing full well she wanted to have it, but knowing she would never be able to afford it not with him selling it.
"Well it is very valuable, unique nothing like it to be sold in the world…"
"How much?" Anya asked quickly not wanting to listen to him drone on and on. She wouldn't care whether it belong to Merlin himself, it was her mothers so therefore hers.
"I would ask normally 500 galleons but I'd be willing to take 450 from you."
Anya swallowed and her hopes faded quickly. "Maybe next time I come in, that it a lot of money for a girl like myself to have with me."
"Oh of course Miss." He replied and put the locket on the cushion again. "Well do come again, its nice to meet some polite teenagers of the day Miss."
Anya wanted to curse him right there and then, the man was repulsive and creepy. Instead she merely inclined her head to him and walked out of the shop.
Her mind was buzzing from her discovery and the annoyance of his words edged into her mind. Questions entered her brain, where would her mother have got Slytherins locket? Certainly not from her father? Could she be descended from him? One thing she knew was she would need to do some research once she returned to Hogwarts. Placing up her hood she left Knocturn Alley and knew she would need to talk to her brother as soon as she could.
