Harry wandered through the cluttered shelves, eyeing the dubious jewelry.
Necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings… Is this real gold? And why does it all look so ancient and… worn? Is this how shops are run here? Utterly bizarre.
Lost in thought, Harry felt a sharp tap on his shoulder.
"Oi! Scarhead! Take a look at this!"
Harry turned to see Malfoy, sporting a battered, ancient-looking Egyptian pharaoh's crown. "Tell me… what do you think?"
"You absolute idiot!"
The old shopkeeper, who had been placidly seated behind the counter, suddenly appeared beside them, snatching the crown from Malfoy's head, his face a mask of fury. "Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?!"
Malfoy, looking momentarily chastened, pursed his lips. He muttered, "I haven't even mentioned that thing got my hair dirty."
Harry, fearing the old man's wrath would escalate, quickly pulled Malfoy behind him, forcing a smile. "Excuse me, sir, we'll put it back immediately."
"What's the point now? The boy's already worn it."
The old man grumbled, then sighed heavily. "Fine, I warned you. Whatever happens next is none of my business… You two, get out of my shop. You're blocking my view."
Harry frowned, but hesitated to leave. "Excuse me, sir, what exactly happens if someone touches that crown…?"
"Heh… it's cursed. A particularly nasty one, at that."
The old man gave a short, humorless laugh, but proceeded to explain to the "idiots" before him.
"Hey, Dumbledore, didn't you touch it too?"
Malfoy stared at him with an air of superiority. I'm far too educated to be fooled by the likes of you.
"Fool, touching it is harmless. Wearing it… heh."
The old man shot Malfoy a look of pure disdain.
"Is it really as mysterious as you say?"
Malfoy remained unconvinced. So it's cursed, is it? Young Master Malfoy doesn't believe in curses. If you won't let me wear it, I'll wear it anyway! Go on, curse me!
Seeing Malfoy's rebellious streak, Harry apologized awkwardly to the old man, then hurriedly dragged Malfoy out of the strange shop.
Bang!
As the door slammed shut, the old man retrieved the crown and walked to the furthest corner of the shop, placing it on the bottom shelf.
"How did that kid manage to find something so dangerous?"
...
Inside the town's only pub, Tom sat in a darkened corner, staring at Malfoy, who was pointedly avoiding eye contact. He could not suppress a twitch of his lips.
"So… Draco willingly placed an object of unknown origin upon his head?"
Hearing Tom's words, Harry seemed to sense the gravity of the situation and swallowed nervously. "That crown is actually… cursed?"
"Now you're scared?"
Cassandra's intense gaze made both Harry and Nagini cower slightly.
Nagini, however, remained relatively unconcerned, confident that Tom, as always, would find a solution, much like he'd lifted the curse upon her earlier.
Tom picked up the wooden goblet on the table and took a measured sip.
Bang!
The goblet slammed back onto the table.
"Yes, and not just any ordinary curse."
Tom's expression remained impassive.
Damn it all. Tom cursed inwardly. I've been far too lenient with these two lately… but I thought the worst they could do would be anger all the dark wizards in town. That's a minor setback that can be smoothed over with a few well-chosen words.
This curse… it's not unbreakable, merely… inconvenient.
He had sensed it upon seeing Malfoy earlier. The curse felt… ethereal, not truly present, yet undeniably there.
This suggested that the curse wasn't anchored to the body or soul, but to something far deeper…
In a sense, the curse the remnant soul placed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was a similar, though lesser, curse.
But that made no sense. Throughout the whole history of magic, only a select few could cast such a curse. How could it surface in this backwater town?
Although puzzled, his immediate priority was to break the curse afflicting his minion.
To break such a curse required the destruction of the person or object associated with it—simple and brutal.
But there was no escaping it; even Tom Riddle had to abide by the rules in certain circumstances.
Judging by the two imbeciles' description, the most challenging part was already resolved; the associated object was likely the crown.
He merely needed to procure it and destroy it.
And if the old man refused to sell?
Well, he was the Dark Lord, after all. What course of action did they expect him to take?
"Take us back to that shop."
...
They re-entered the concealed alley.
"There! This is it!"
Seeing the familiar door, Harry took the lead and pushed it open.
Click.
Hearing the door creak open, the old man, who had been fiercely agitated only moments before, now sat calmly in front of the counter, scrutinizing the small items in his hands, just as he had done when Harry and the others first entered.
"Look around all you like, but don't touch anything."
The old man said absently, without even bothering to look up.
But he quickly noticed something was amiss; a series of hurried footsteps were approaching!
Realizing this, the old man finally looked up, his eyes widening in shock. "It's you…"
Throughout all his years, Tom's was the only face he truly remembered.
"Since you recognize me, it simplifies matters."
Tom said, pulling Malfoy forward. "Where is the object he touched?"
"…"
So, you have powerful connections, do you? No wonder you're so brave!
The old man shot a strange look at the proud Malfoy, then hastily added, "He insisted on wearing it himself; I did warn him."
Although he understood that the man before him was not one for reasonable discourse, there was no harm in trying, was there?
The old man stood and returned to the furthest corner of the shop, retrieving the old crown.
"Here. This is it."
The old man handed the crown to Tom.
The instant Tom received the crown, he sensed that something was wrong.
This is just an ordinary crown, isn't it?
This is not the associated object!
This crown is merely the vessel for the curse.
After consulting the system in his mind, it thoughtfully displayed the crown's information.
[Item: Crown of Akhenaten]
[Quality: Fine]
[Function: Adorn your head, then exchange it for money]
[Description: The crown of Akhenaten, Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. It appears to have been cursed, but the curse seems to have transferred itself... Now, beyond its historical value, this crown is simply an attractive adornment.]
---