Cursed Opal Necklace

• Type: Cursed Object, Dark Arts artifact
• Owners: Borgin and Burkes (vendor), Draco Malfoy (temporary possessor)
• Maker: Unknown

The Cursed Opal Necklace is described as a “handsome” piece of jewelry. When first seen by Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it was displayed within a glass case at Borgin and Burkes, a shop in Knockturn Alley specializing in objects related to the Dark Arts. A small, handwritten card accompanied the display, which read: Do not touch! Cursed — Has claimed the lives of nineteen Muggle owners to date. When Katie Bell handled the necklace, it was contained within a brown paper package. The necklace itself is made of opals.

The necklace is imbued with an exceptionally powerful and malevolent curse. Direct skin contact with the necklace is lethal, or at least causes catastrophic harm. The curse is so potent that it claimed the lives of nineteen Muggle owners before it came to be in the possession of Borgin and Burkes. The curse's immediate effects were witnessed when Katie Bell accidentally touched the necklace through a small hole in her gloves. She was lifted several feet into the air, her body contorted unnaturally, and she began to scream in agony before collapsing. Had she made full, bare-skinned contact, she would have died almost instantly. The curse required a long and difficult period of recovery at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Its primary use in the series was as a weapon for assassination, intended to be delivered covertly to a target who would then touch it and succumb to its curse.

The necklace was an item for sale at Borgin and Burkes for many years. Harry Potter first observed it during his second year when he accidentally used the Floo Network and emerged in their fireplace. During Harry's sixth year, Lord Voldemort tasked Draco Malfoy with assassinating Albus Dumbledore. Desperate, Draco acquired the cursed necklace from Borgin and Burkes for this purpose. He traveled to Hogsmeade and placed Madam Rosmerta, the landlady of The Three Broomsticks, under the Imperius Curse. Following Draco's orders, Rosmerta went to the girls' bathroom in her pub and gave the wrapped necklace to Katie Bell, instructing her to deliver it to Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts. However, on the walk back to the castle, Katie's friend Leanne became suspicious of the package and argued with Katie about the wisdom of delivering an unknown object. During their struggle, the package tore. Katie's fingers brushed the necklace through a hole in her glove, instantly activating the curse. The swift intervention of Hagrid, who was nearby, and the subsequent care from Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey prevented her immediate death, but she was sent to St. Mungo's for several months of treatment.

The Cursed Opal Necklace is a key plot device in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It represents the first of Draco Malfoy's two major attempts to murder Albus Dumbledore, the second being the poisoned mead. The failure of this attempt significantly increased the pressure on Draco from Lord Voldemort and his followers, driving him to further desperation. The incident also heightened the sense of danger within Hogwarts, proving that its ancient magical protections could be circumvented. It created suspicion and tension among the students and staff, with Harry Potter correctly but unsuccessfully trying to convince others that Draco was responsible. The event serves as a stark illustration of the brutal methods employed by the Death Eaters and the dark path Draco was being forced down.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the attack on Katie Bell is depicted very dramatically. After touching the necklace, she is lifted high into the snowy air, screaming as the curse convulses her body before she falls back to the ground. This visual provides a memorable and frightening demonstration of the necklace's power (film).