Shards

Jade

The carving had been in her family for generations, a small dragon of solid jade that sat in a place of pride in the Chang household. Cho sat before it and studied the intricate details that made up the carving. It looked very similar to the Chinese Fireball she'd seen the previous year during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Cho's brow furrowed as she thought about the tournament. She'd met a slew of fascinating people from the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang academies and had gotten to know several of her fellow Hogwarts students better. She'd also learned of the pain of true heartbreak.

Cho's teeth clenched painfully as she gazed up at the jade dragon on the mantle. A symbol of strength and protection. Fat lot of good either attribute had done for poor Cedric. It had been a week since the end of school and already the Daily Prophet was starting its smear campaign against Dumbledore and Harry. She'd read the first one and refused to read any more of the slander the Prophet was proclaiming against the two. Cedric's death had been listed as the unfortunate reality faced by those chosen to participate in the tournament. Cho knew that it was a lie. Cedric would have survived the tournament if it hadn't been for the Dark Lord's return. She'd said as much to her parents when they asked her about it. The Chang's had believed their daughter and after the last Prophet's front page of slander, had cancelled the family subscription to the paper.

A break in the clouds outside let the sunlight filter into the sitting room and a shaft of light fell on the jade dragon, illuminating it from within. Cho looked up at it just then and made her choice. Regardless of what other's thought, she would believe her headmaster and friend. The jade dragon glowed a little brighter for a moment before the clouds obscured the sunlight again and Cho sensed that it had approved of her choice. Rising, she placed a hand on the carving and thanked it in Chinese.

Ruby

Padma and Parvarti's parents had initially been furious that their daughters had defied them and fought the Dark Lord and his minions at Hogwarts. Then accounts of the battle started coming to light. The Patils hadn't heard a thing from Padma or Parvarti other than the dark forces had lost the battle and the world was free of Voldemort forever. Kabar and Ganesa Patil devoured everything they could find about accounts being told of the final battle and learned that their daughters had played a significant role in the Dark Lord's ultimate defeat. Kabar collected the different accounts in a scrapbook and took it with him one afternoon to his family in India. There were treasures in the Patil family that were reserved for only the bravest and mightiest members of the clan. Kabar felt that his daughters had rightfully earned a share of those treasures.

Neither Ganesa nor her daughters knew of his plans, and had accepted his excuse that he had business to attend to when he'd left. Two weeks passed before Kabar returned with a triumphant look in his eye. Kabar arranged for a celebration at an Indian restaurant popular with England's wizarding community to be held in a week's time. The proprietor was only too glad to close business for the two war hero's celebration. The night of the party, the restaurant was packed with family and friends of the Patils who enjoyed a scrumptious feast of all things Indian. Padma had been reluctant but Parvarti saw it as an excuse to get away from the anguish that had descended among the survivors.

In the middle of the feast, Kabar stood up and gathered everyone's attention. Ganesa cocked an eyebrow at her husband while his twin daughters cringed slightly in their chairs. He announced that he'd been to India recently and had held council with the family elders. To Padma's relief Kabar didn't go into detail when he recounted the heroism of her or her sister. Parvarti's interest was piqued when her father recounted the decisions of the family elders. It was decided that after much consideration, treasures that had remained cared for but unclaimed in the family for generations had now found new owners. The bulk of them were stored safely at the Patil home but Kabar had brought two identical bracelets with him to the party to present to his daughters. Padma and Parvarti both gaped in awe at the ruby encrusted bangles their father presented to them. The rubies were large and flawless, and were the deepest red imaginable. Neither sister took the bracelets off for the rest of their lives.

Sapphire

Potterwatch had been a huge success and Lee Jordan couldn't have been prouder of the fact. What he could have done without, were the accolades that were suddenly dumped into his lap afterwards. Wizarding radio stations fought tooth and nail to acquire him as a broadcaster for their stations and he was running out of room for the awards bestowed upon him by critics and the like. Lee decided that he would disappoint the industry and start his own proper radio station instead. Despite the snub he'd given them, they rarely if ever voiced their true feelings on the matter for fear of going out of business. Lee Waves, as he had named his station had become the most popular station the wizarding community tuned in to.

He always landed the exclusive interviews and first plays of new albums from groups like the Weird Sisters or any number of popular bands. It was in one of these interviews that he received the one 'award' he actually liked. A new up and coming band Tarot had just released their full length debut and Lee had scored the first interview and playing rights with them. The lead singer had been a fan of Lee's since his Potterwatch days and had always wanted to show his thanks for Lee's heroism in the face of certain death. After the interview had concluded and Lee was talking with the band in the station's lounge, the lead singer reached back to the clip that held his unruly long hair in check.

Lee had let his dreads grow long and he usually kept them tied back with a strip of leather. He ripped the leather cord away and stared in awe at the silver and sapphire clip that Tarot's singer had presented to him. He at first politely declined, but the singer had insisted. The singer's whole family had wanted to thank Lee and decided that the clip would be the perfect thing. A little transfiguration had reshaped it so that it could hold Lee's dreads, and the singer helped Lee with the placement in his hair. Afterwards Lee joked that being a Gryffindor, blue wasn't exactly his colour, but he was willing to make an exception as he glanced in the mirror and marvelled at the sapphires shining there.

FIN

Emerald

Seamus Finnegan stood on the windswept hill and watched as the sea rolled in far below. He'd come looking for herbs with his mother and was taking a breather to take in the view. He heard her call out to him and went over to her as she stooped down to pick a large clump of sea sage for her apothecary at home. Finished, they sat down and watched the sea roll in together.

"Mam, can I ask ye a question?" he piped up after a moment. She nodded and he continued. "How come I've never seen this before?" he asked, holding up his hand to show off the large emerald signet ring she'd presented to him for his birthday.

She chuckled. "Because it's always been too big for my tastes, and it usually goes to the men in the family." Seamus just nodded and his mother smiled. "The emerald in it is charmed," she added.

"Charmed?"

"To protect the wearer from dark magic." Seamus considered this and the lessons he'd learned in Dumbledore's Army. He'd confided in her that he'd joined up and she had been pleased.

"Y'know that this mess is only gonna come to a head aye?" he said after a moment.

"I know," she replied softly. "That's why I gave it t' ye now instead of for your seventeenth," she added.

"Thanks Mam," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

FIN

Pearl

Xenophilius Lovegood was seated on a soft sofa watching as his only daughter got ready to be married. Luna as always was the picture of indifferent calm, while Ginny Potter and Hermione Weasley fussed with her dress or some other trivial detail. Xenophilius had found the muggle tradition Hermione had roped Luna into quaint, as the witch fiddled with the clasp of a borrowed pearl bracelet.

"Something old…something old…" Hermione muttered as she perused the jewellery box before her.

"I think I can help there," Xenophilius offered as he rose from the sofa. Luna didn't miss the look Ginny and Hermione shared and laughed at the two. Her father returned and held out his hand. "They have been my late wife's family for generations," he said as Hermione and Ginny gaped at the pearl earrings.

"Oh they're lovely Daddy," Luna exclaimed, taking the earrings and putting them on.

"I wanted to give them to you earlier, but I admit that I'd forgotten about them," he shrugged taking his seat again on the sofa.

"They look Indian in design," Hermione commented and Xenophilius nodded.

"A gift from a raja centuries ago, apparently," he stated.

"Generous gift," Ginny murmured as studied them.

"In thanks apparently for aiding the raja with a cursed tiger prowling around," Xenophilius added. "At least that was the story Luna's mother told me. Personally I think it may have been something else."

"There are stories of beasts that resemble tigers…at least according to Rolf," Luna piped up. "That's why we picked India for our honeymoon. We're going to see if we can find any."

Ginny and Hermione just shook their heads as father and daughter went off into speculation about mystical tigers and what they could really be. Eventually Luna and Rolf did find the beast and discovered that it was unknown to the wizarding world. Luna had been wearing the pearl earrings when they'd found it, and fiddled with them while Rolf scribbled furiously the new creatures scientific description on a piece of parchment. Xenophilius enjoyed the prestige of being the first to publish the news in the Quibbler.

FIN