Oh it's shiny

*Sometime in August*

Charlotte looked around warily as she entered Knockturn Alley, trying to avoid the gaze of all the other witches and wizards. She didn't belong here, and she didn't want to stand out. Sighing, she risked a quick glance behind her to confirm that her parents were indeed not following her. She increased her pace slightly and continued along, until coming to stand in front of Borgin and Burkes.

She looked in the window and saw that no one was at the counter, so she stepped inside, being careful to not make too much noise. She just wanted to browse; the store had always interested her. Strolling up to the counter, she looked at all the artifacts that were kept in a glass case behind the counter. There was a glass vial containing a bright blue liquid, a very thin silver bracelet, and a smooth black stone, among many other objects.

She eyed the objects curiously, wondering why they were kept protected behind the glass, when the shopkeeper returned from the back room. He looked at her, lifting an eyebrow.

"Erm, can I help you?" He asked, attempting to sound polite, despite his confusion at the young girl being in such a shop. Charlotte shrugged and looked up at him, pointing at the dark stone in the glass box.

"What is that?" She asked, trying to make her voice sound casual. The man looked over at the object she was pointing at.

"It's a stone, obviously," He said.

Charlotte sneered at him, annoyed that he was treating her like a toddler. "I can see that. But if it's just a stone, then why is it kept behind the counter, in a locked box?" She asked, placing her elbow on the counter and her chin in her hand.

"Because it's not for sale," He said sharply. Charlotte huffed and met his eyes, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Well, what does it do? Surely you can tell me... I'm just a kid, it's not like I can steal it," she said, rolling her eyes. The man eyed her warily and turned around once more to look at the stone.

"It's an always-active portkey. Once anyone touches it, off they go, to their death. But the stone remains behind, unlike most portkeys which follow the person to the new destination. It's more complex though, and an object as dark as that shouldn't be any of your concern," He told her, his voice low.

Charlotte nodded and turned away from the counter, walking away to look at some other objects in the shop.

A stone that transports a person to their death... interesting, she thought to herself. Too bad it's not for sale. It could come in handy. She ran her hand over an dusty book on a shelf and heard another man's voice from the back room. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but she watched as the shopkeeper turned away and entered the backroom, presumably to speak to the other man.

Without a moment's hesitation, Charlotte hurried forward and hopped over the counter, landing as quietly as possible. She scurried over to the glass case and pointed her wand at the lock. "Alohomora," She whispered, surprised when the lock clicked open. Why would they keep such objects under such low security? She shrugged and reached into the case, grabbing the small brown box the stone was in. She shut the lid of the stone's case, then shut the top of the glass case, and hopped back over the counter and fast as she could. Taking one last look behind her, she ran from the shop, determined to get as far away as possible.