The Last Horcrux

It was somewhere into the second hour that Rachael decided to take her cloak off. It wasn't making the search any easier in the way that her sleeve kept getting caught on the end caps or the shelves as she scrambled frantically for the next clue. She was dressed as Hermione, and though her costume far outdid the other kids in the bookstore, she was beginning to wish she just wore a t-shirt like some of the other less dedicated children who were on the hunt. Most of the kids were tearing around the store, frantically pulling books off the shelves. Rachael, after digging around in the 'world religion' section, decided to make her way back to the obvious places in an attempt to calibrate her next move- the Harry Potter section.



She pulled her second layer of robe off as she frowned stoically and slowly trudged past all the scurrying kids. She never jarred from thought, even when others elbowed past her or a book flew over her head. All the other horcruxes had been found at this point, and there were only twenty more minutes until the seventh, and final book was released. The first few horcruxes stayed true to the book, but since the last few were yet to be discovered in the final book, they were vague and harder to find clues for. One was a chocolate heart that was under a table in the cafe, and another was a brass bookmark on the top shelf of the world history section. Rachael had narrowly missed getting the that one when, after discovering a clue within a book of Scottish ghost stories, she dashed to the Scottish section of world history to find a chubby boy in a malfoy t-shirt holding the bookmark over his head and declaring his victory. It didn't matter to her though, it was the final horcrux that really mattered since it was hand-picked by J.K. Rowling her self.

The whole scavenger hunt was done as a promotional event between Rowling's publisher and the Barnes and Nobel bookstores. Unlike the other events being held at other bookstores, this one had a real impact on finding out the outcome of the final book. Rumor had it that Rowling deliberated on what the final horcrux should be so that the owner of it would know the books ending, while not allowing it's existence to leak on the Internet. Rachael had to have it. She felt that she was destined to. She had an emotional bond to the books, and especially Hermione, that she knew few others had. She was certain that Rowling had intended that this final item on the hunt was only meant for bright little girls like herself,  not something to be stumbled upon by just anyone. So she had spent the majority of the evening focusing on that alone.

When she reached the Harry Potter section of the store, it was as if a tornado had blown through. The store clerks, like rescue workers, crouched over the pile of books and muttered to themselves. "Leave them," One clerk said, "There'll just be more kids back to pick through them again." The others stood up exhausted and wandered, eyes glazed, to different areas of the store. Rachael, now alone with the books, sat on the floor with her legs spread out like a V before her. There was a deep feeling of despair that sank in her stomach as the realization hit her that she wouldn't find the horcrux in the time remaining. Then, under her right foot, she saw the open page of a book with the words, "When you need help, just ask for it." She leaned in closer. It was a quote from Dumbledore when he was telling Harry that he shouldn't be too proud to ask for help. 'That's it!' She thought to herself, rising up from the mound of paper. 'Sometimes the only answer is to just ask for help!'

She walked steadily toward the help desk. Children of all shapes and sizes flew past her, including one child who was pulling his mother by the arm while crying. Stepping firmly up toward the desk, she laid both hands steadily on the counter and said calmly, "Excuse me". The lady at the desk was busy filing some things by her feet. "Excuse me." She said a little louder, the excitement rising to her throat.
"Yes?" The woman said, her head popping up from below the counter. She had a lightening scar on her cheek- fool. "Can you tell me how to find the last horcrux?" Rachael said quietly, her eyes staring intently into the woman's.
"What?" The woman said, almost offended.
"I'd like to know where the last Horcrux is please..." Rachael repeated, steadily.
"You can't just ask..." The woman bleated, her eyes narrowing as if ready to scold Rachael. But another woman popped up from below the table and said, "No, that counts. It was in the memo Stacy."
"Stacy," Rachael interrupted, her eyes never leaving the woman's, "I'd like to know where the last horcrux is please." She said slowly.
"I'm sorry, Stacy was a fill in for another who was sick. It's busy here as you'd expect... Look in the gift certificate end cap." She whispered, then she winked.

Stacy ran to the display. 'Of course!' she thought as she tore through all the green, plastic cards in their little slots.
"What the fuck!" A clerk pleaded from a few feet away. He was hushed by another, older clerk who muttered something to him about watching. Then, she saw it. A little, gold box at the back of one of the slots. She pulled it out timidly, almost expecting J.K. Rowling to emerge from behind a curtain to congratulate Rachael in person. Carefully she opened up the box an reached in to pull out it's contents. Other children, sensing something was up, began to gather around her. She let her fingers feel it's contents. Something hard and smooth. She pulled it out, and her eyes crossed from the confusion of what she saw. It was a Barnes and Nobel gift card with an print of Lord Byron on it's surface. The older clerk dashed up to her and held her arm up to show the others the card, "She found the last horcrux! It's a Barnes and Nobel gift card redeemable for forty dollars or less on any purchase between now and December 24th of 2008!" Even before he could finish what he was saying, a deafening cheer grew from the crowd.
"A what?" Rachael muttered, confused and on the verge of crying.
"It's a Barnes and Nobel gift card redeemable for forty dollars or less on any purchase between now and December 24th of 2008!" The clerk whispered excitedly to her as he knelt down next to her.
"But... but how does this tell me about how the last book ends?"
"Isn't it obvious to a smart little girl like you? You can use it to buy a copy of the book!" He said, teeth and eyes shining with glee.
"But..." Rachael trailed off.
"J.K. Rowling would of wanted you to have this." The clerk said, looking very serious as he handed the card back to her.

It was on the ride home, clutching her copy of "The Deathly Hollows" that she resolved to spend the rest of her life extracting her revenge on J.K. Rowling. Nineteen years later, she would make the same resolution while in jail for lighting Rowling's trash can on fire in the driveway of her mansion. She was suspected in a string of vandalism cases that had emerged since the writing of the final book. Her time in court was going to be long and drawn out, and it only strengthened her hatred of the author.