12 New Possession

Tom raised his eyebrows. "Merlin's gauntlet was a magical instrument that held more than one core?"

Borgin smiled and winked at him. "Five, to be exact."

"Amazing! What loophole did Merlin discover?"

"That is beyond the greatest wizards of our time and me. Otherwise, you'd see such tools in everyone's wand hands. It would revolutionize the wizarding world, Mr. Riddle."

Draco had gotten irritated by where the conversation was heading. "Can we leave now, Tom? We got what we came for. This gauntlet thing is destroyed, anyway."

But his friend wasn't listening. "Can I have it?" Tom asked the shopkeeper.

"Excuse me?"

"I want to own this gauntlet."

Borgin scratched his beard and mulled it over. "Merlin's gauntlet is indeed beyond repair. It still remains an object of historical significance. Therefore-"

"Who used it last?" the boy asked sharply.

The owner looked at Malfoy and back at Tom. "We're not supposed to say his name aloud."

"The Dark Lord?"

Borgin nodded without expression. Draco nudged Tom. They had to get back before McGonagall found them missing.

Tom took a deep breath, ignoring Draco's protest. "How was it destroyed, Mr. Borgin? Isn't this gauntlet to make somebody of the Dark Lord's caliber, invincible?"

The shopkeeper nodded nervously. "One would think so. The ruined object was delivered to us by owl post from your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. So it is right to assume that its demise happened during the Battle of Hogwarts. Grindelwald and Dumbledore had cornered You-Know-Who, and the rest is history."

Tom nodded and returned his gaze to Merlin's creation.

He had learned that Lord Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts at the peak of his power. Dumbledore and Grindelwald had fought him and his army off with the aid of Aurors and school staff.

"Anyway," Borgin concluded. "Because of its historical value, I would price Merlin's Gauntlet at five hundred galleons." He wrung his hands and smiled unabashedly.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "That much for a scrap of metal." His hand went inside his robes, feeling for his wand. The boy did not have that kind of money but was open to cursing Borgin and taking the object by force.

Draco dropped a pouch of coins on the counter. "That's at least five hundred galleons. Pack up that metal scrap as fast as you can."

Borgin smiled greedily and began wrapping the magical object with padding.

Tom turned to Malfoy. "You didn't have to-"

The boy raised a hand to stop him. "We are friends, aren't we?"

Tom nodded and grabbed his newly acquired possession from Borgin.

***

"Quick! Let's get out of here before Malfoy and Tom exit Borgin and Burkes!" Hermione warned Harry, dragging him by the sleeve already.

They burst out of the abandoned shop and went out on the street. A witch shouted from behind. "Hey! Who are you kids?!"

Harry realized then that their charmed hoods were down. Everyone could see them as they really were!

Another bunch of shady people joined the witch, and they chased after the duo. "I'll boil you kids alive and feed my spider!" one of the gnarly pursuers shouted from behind.

Harry and Hermione ran for their lives. They were almost halfway across Knockturn Alley when two powerful hands grabbed them and dragged them into a narrow sub-alley.

"Let me go!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Shhh!" a familiar voice reassured her.

Harry looked up and sighed with relief.

The massive body and kind, bearded face of Rubeus Hagrid loomed over them.