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"Uh, no, I didn't touch it directly. I found this in the Stark family estate's vault—just opened it for a quick look. What's wrong? Is there some kind of problem?" Tony immediately straightened in his chair, studying the necklace with newfound wariness.
Gemini examined the remarkably lifelike serpent with professional scrutiny. "Fortunate you avoided contact, or I'd be visiting Mr. Richest Man in St. Mungo's psychiatric ward right about now."
"Where's that? What exactly is this thing hiding?" Tony looked genuinely bewildered.
"The wizards' hospital. I can't determine its specific enchantments yet, but that Slytherin emblem suggests it wouldn't regard you favorably." Gemini turned toward the empty air. "Coby, retrieve the box labeled 'Uncle Ron' from my bedroom—third drawer beneath the nightstand."
Within sixty seconds, an exquisitely crafted wooden container materialized on the table before Gemini. She opened it to reveal an organized collection of labeled crystals, each glowing with subtle magical energy.
"Not this one—'Instant Death.' Definitely not this one either. What is all this chaotic inventory?! Ah, here we are—'Activation'!" Gemini muttered while sorting through her collection, making Tony's eyes widen with each casual mention of lethal artifacts.
Selecting the crystal marked "Activation," Gemini channeled a thread of magic into its core. The room immediately filled with otherworldly hissing sounds that raised every hair on Tony's arms and sent primitive warnings racing through his nervous system.
Tony rubbed his forearms reflexively. "What in God's name is that sound?"
"Uncle Ron's Christmas gift—a collection of Parseltongue vocabulary recordings for school use. Slytherin House has the highest snake population, so he thought I might discover hidden treasures or ancient secrets." Gemini spoke casually while maintaining intense focus on the necklace.
"You people have schools?! What exactly are you?! Why don't I know about any of this?! How is it possible that—"
"Silence!" Gemini watched the necklace spring to supernatural life and immediately cut off Tony's increasingly frantic questions.
Both observers watched in fascination as the silver serpent adorning the pendant flicked its metallic tongue with reptilian precision, then began gliding across the dark emerald surface with fluid grace. The creature eventually coiled into a perfect S-shaped sigil at the gemstone's center before freezing in position.
The entire necklace pulsed once with brilliant light, then settled into a steady, lustrous glow that seemed to emanate from within the stone itself. Gemini drew her wand with practiced efficiency, casting several diagnostic charms at the artifact before carefully lifting it from its protective box.
She peered into the gemstone's depths with the intensity of a master jeweler examining a rare diamond.
"There's a preserved memory inside. Do you want to witness it?" Gemini returned the necklace to its container and regarded Tony with serious attention.
"A memory? How is that even possible? Is there some kind of recording device inside—a microchip or digital storage?" Tony's engineering mind struggled to process magical concepts through technological frameworks.
Gemini released a long-suffering sigh. "Communicating with Muggles presents unique challenges. Remember my previous explanation about memory modification techniques?"
She raised her wand to her right temple with surgical precision, then gently extracted a silvery thread that coiled around the magical implement like luminescent mist. From beneath the table, she produced a crystal vial and carefully transferred the memory strand inside before sealing and presenting it to Tony.
"Observe this demonstration—our standard method for memory preservation and storage."
"How do you actually view the contents?" Tony accepted the vial and shook it experimentally, watching the ethereal substance drift and swirl within its crystalline prison.
"Coby! Did we bring the Pensieve?"
"Yes, Miss Gemini. I shall retrieve it immediately." Coby's response preceded the materialization of a shallow stone basin carved with intricate runic patterns that seemed to pulse with ancient power.
Gemini reclaimed the vial from Tony's hands, removed its stopper, and poured the memory into the basin with ceremonial care. The previously empty vessel filled completely with the silvery substance—something that existed between mist and liquid, defying conventional physics.
She stirred the contents gently with her wand tip, and the basin immediately projected three-dimensional images: her first encounter with Tony in all his disheveled, shocked glory. Present-day Tony's expression darkened with profound embarrassment.
"Delete that immediately! That memory is absolutely terrible! Can't you preserve how I look now instead?"
Gemini rolled her eyes with theatrical exasperation. "Are you going to examine the necklace's memory or continue this vanity tantrum?"
"Show me the memory!" Tony responded with immediate capitulation.
Gemini used her wand to extract her own memory from the Pensieve and returned it to her temple with practiced efficiency. She positioned the emerald necklace above the basin and reactivated the Parseltongue echo crystal. Serpentine hissing filled the air as a silver memory stream seeped from the gemstone, settling into the Pensieve like liquid starlight.
She rotated the basin as images began forming within its depths. "Immerse your head completely."
Tony looked genuinely confused. "Immerse it where exactly?"
Gemini flicked her wand with casual precision, and Tony's head was suddenly pressed downward as if by invisible hands, plunging face-first into the Pensieve. She immediately followed him into the memory.
"AHHHHHHH!" Tony screamed as he experienced the sensation of falling through space, watching the ground rush toward him with terrifying velocity. His only coherent thought was accusations of attempted murder.
"Stop that infernal screaming—you're deafening!" Gemini's voice echoed around him as his descent suddenly slowed, allowing him to land gently on solid ground. He scrambled to his feet and whirled to face her with accusatory fury.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
Gemini took three deep breaths, repeating her internal mantra: Don't stoop to Muggle intellectual levels! Don't stoop to Muggle intellectual levels! Don't stoop to Muggle intellectual levels!
Finally achieving emotional equilibrium, she explained with forced patience: "This is memory immersion—the most comprehensive viewing method available. You experience everything without physical danger. How could we observe properly if you refused to cooperate?"
Tony grumbled with wounded dignity, preparing counterarguments, but found himself immediately captivated by their surroundings. They stood in a study identical to his family estate's library, except every book appeared pristine rather than aged, and no modern computer occupied the desk. The calendar displayed a date from shortly after his birth.
The study door opened suddenly, admitting a elegant blonde woman. Tony recognized her instantly and moved forward instinctively for an embrace, only to pass through her form like incorporeal mist.
"This is preserved memory—everything occurred in the past. You can only observe, not interact." Gemini provided gentle guidance.
Tony stared at his translucent hands with profound loss. "That's my mother."
Gemini nodded with understanding sympathy. From her knowledge, Tony's mother had died years ago. "This must be a message she preserved for you—perhaps something important she wanted you to discover. Watch carefully."
Tony steadied his emotions and began following Maria Stark's movements with intense focus.
Maria approached the desk with purposeful determination, stroking its edge as if making a momentous decision. She opened a concealed compartment beneath the surface and withdrew... a wand?!
Gemini's eyes widened to their absolute limits as she moved closer for detailed examination. This was unquestionably a genuine magical wand, not some decorative branch—the material appeared to be silver lime wood, its characteristic luminescent grain unmistakable to trained eyes.
"Your mother was actually a witch?!" Gemini stared in complete shock, her voice carrying profound amazement as she processed this revelation that changed everything she thought she knew about Tony's heritage.
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