Hey everyone! Welcome to the blog for everything related to my retell story of year 6 of Hogwarts Mystery, titled Etched, Engraved, Everlasting.
This story alternates between the views of two sisters, sisters who are both equally as worried about Jacob and Hogwarts’ fate as the race for the final Cursed Vault is on. Clara Xing-Hui Lin, in her 6th year, had now faced more danger, heartbreak, and betrayal than any 16-year-old should have to go through. Emily Wen-Hui Lin, a 1st-year student, is only firm on helping out her siblings as best she could. In the light of a statue curse and a foreboding prophecy, what would their first year together at Hogwarts bring them?
NOTE: I have previously uploaded most of the chapters on Wattpad, and will be slowly transferring them here with hopes that I will be able to write more of the story here. This is so anyone on this platform can interact with it--ask questions along the way, maybe draw fan art if they would like. Please do not rush me to post if I feel something isn’t up to par; please do not accuse me also of potential plagiarism. That said, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did writing it.
This section will be updated consistently to accommodate for new story sections, as this is still a work in progress. Keep an eye out for any updates here! :)
Table of Contents:
Character Directory
Prologue
Year 6, Chapter 1 (Year Six Begins)
1. Clara
2. Em
3. Clara
4. Em
5. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 2 (Curses and Prophecies)
6. Em
7. Clara
8. Em
9. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 3 (Mixed Message)
10. Em
11. Clara
12. Em
Year 6, Chapter 4 (Friends in Low Places)
13. Clara
14. Em
15. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 5 (Wherefore Art Thou, Weasleys?)
16. Em
17. Clara
18. Em
19. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 6 (On Jacob’s Trail)
20. Em
21. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 7 (Niffler Hunting)
22. Em
23. Clara
24. Em
Year 6, Chapter 8 (Owl Prowl)
25. Clara
26. Em
Year 6, Chapter 9 (Artefact Check)
27. Clara
28. Em
Year 6, Chapter 10 (Cloaks and Conflicts)
29. Clara
Year 6, Chapter 11 (Love in a Bottle)
30. Em
31. Clara
32. Em
Year 6, Chapter 12 (Now You See Me)
Year 6, Chapter 13 (On The Run)
Year 6, Chapter 14 (A New Friend of a Friend)
Year 6, Chapter 15 (In the Deep End)
Year 6, Chapter 16 (The Wizard in White)
Year 6, Chapter 17 (Getting the Message)
Year 6, Chapter 18 (Into the Forest)
Year 6, Chapter 19 (Farewell to a Friend)
Year 6, Chapter 20 (A Circle of Friends)
Year 6, Chapter 21 (Moving Forward)
Year 6, Chapter 22 (The Exchange Student)
Year 6, Chapter 23 (A Brilliant Surprise)
Year 6, Chapter 24 (Return to the Forest)
Year 6, Chapter 25 (Written in the Stars)
Year 6, Chapter 26 (Unfinished Business)
Year 6, Chapter 27 (Letting Go)
Year 6, Chapter 28 (Moving On)
Year 6, Chapter 29 (The Whomping Willow Awaits)
Year 6, Chapter 30 (Journey to the Whomping Willow)
Year 6, Chapter 31 (The Polyjuice Plan)
Year 6, Chapter 32 (Quest for Polyjuice Potion)
Year 6, Chapter 33 (Imitation Game)
Year 6, Chapter 34 (Final Preparations)
Year 6, Chapter 35 (Infiltrating ‘R’)
Year 6, Chapter 36 (Search for the Mole)
Year 6, Chapter 37 (Entering the Black Lake!)
Year 6, Chapter 38 (Meeting the Merqueen)
Year 6, Chapter 39 (Gather the Merqueen’s Tribute)
The rarest rush of peace washed through my being as I sat in the Artefact Room now with Penny, a cauldron, and a trunkful of ingredients my sister brought from the Hogsmeade train station earlier. After a long day of classes and the first arts and crafts club meeting, it was nice to be relaxing with a familiar face and a friend I could trust--who at least won’t rat me out for staying up past my bedtime.
“So these are the creations you made today, right? Aww, they look adorable!” Penny gushed as she took some of the creations off my hands and held them to the dim light of the Artefact Room. “I’m sure Badeea and Andre would love them too--the things you created with their beads and buttons.”
“I’m no Style Wizard, but I bet they would complement any outfit well,” I agreed with a nod. “Badeea was there today along with a few of Clara’s other friends–it was reassuring to see the big turnout. Just wish Clara could attend, though. It was really fun.”
The words had barely left my mouth when Clara came rushing in, retying the elastic in her hair and breathing heavily. She gently closed the door behind her after taking a quick glance around the corridor–was she supposed to be on prefect duty right now? I had no idea how being a prefect worked, aside from them patrolling the train on the first day and around the school at nighttime during certain shifts.
“Sorry,” she said, sitting down in front of us with a sheepish smile. “It wasn’t easy getting the ingredients, and then I had to make sure Rowan was fully caught up with everything too before I came down here.”
“No worries, Clara. I know you went through a lot to get these ingredients,” Penny reassured her with a smile.
“Even if you had to wait the whole night there for them,” I added, laughing a little to ease her nerves. “From what I heard, the tracks were nibbled away by some Bundimun when you and Rowan got there. But at least you were able to get them.”
“Who told you that?” Clara asked, an eyebrow raised.
“A little bird,” I simply said with a shrug.
It was partially true. I didn’t really know about what was going on at Hogsmeade station since I got off the Hogwarts Express with my sister on the first day of term. I only heard about it when studying Transfiguration with Talbott and Andre after the arts and crafts club, where I was still having trouble deciphering the Transfiguration alphabet. At this rate, I would never catch up with my sister with her high academic aptitude–or her ability to crack the mysteries.
Penny, in the meanwhile, shifted slightly in her seat, a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. Her smile disappeared, and her fingers wiggled anxiously in the air.
“Penny?” Clara’s smile also dipped into a frown at the sight of her friend. “Are you alright? It’s not about the fact that I need the love potion for something other than its intended use, right?”
“What?” Penny shook her head quickly. “Oh, no no! I’ve come to terms with that. I know you won’t use it for its intended purpose. It’s just…” She trailed off, her eyes looking wistfully at the two of us. “I’ve been thinking a lot about love and how to express it.”
“Love?” I glanced at Clara, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.
“Just…” Penny shook her head again and waved a hand. “I’ve made a decision about what to do with Beatrice.”
“Do you want us to help brew the potion with you?” I asked her then. “I don’t know much about brewing potions yet, but you can tell us anything. I’ve seen a lot from the way you two interact with each other in the common room…if ever, really.”
Penny and Beatrice did not reconcile ever since that fallout in this same room–a fallout that seemed so much like a distant memory now. The tension within the room was almost suffocating to the point where neither of them could look each other in the eye, and they’d walk away to their respective dormitories. Who knew that a year in a portrait would make one turn so distant? Then again, the horrors are being trapped in a canvas were no laughing matter. I would have freaked out myself if I never could feel anything ever again.
In some way, she was almost like Jacob. He too was freed from a portrait in the last Cursed Vault, and instantly after he went for Rakepick without even coming home. The brief meeting we had in Knockturn Alley didn’t do much to ease my worries about him. Pipsqueak would forever hold onto the little Hippogriff toy he got for her and worry about her brother from afar–a normal Hogwarts life just seemed impossible when you’re the direct sibling of an infamous Curse-Breaker.
The air was thick was fumes as I helped measure the ingredients and Clara crushed a few more afterwards, occasionally handing Penny the necessary tools to ensure the solution’s consistency. For a while, Penny remained silent as she worked at the cauldron, her face illuminated by the glow of the potion.
“There. I think that does it,” Penny finally said a few moments later, bottling the potion up where it swirled against the glass. “So…I’ve decided I’m giving Bea some room.”
“You’re–wait, but–”
“Hold on, Clara. Let me finish. The only thing that worrying about Bea has done was push her away even further. If it’s the best way to show her how much I love her, then–” Penny faltered, her grip on the bottle tightening a bit.
“I’ve seen it, Clara. They couldn’t even see eye to eye in the common room whenever they saw each other,” I told her with a sigh. “It’s not even like what we used to be. It was worse than that.”
Clara shook her head. “I mean…yeah. It’s hard to give siblings distance. But Em, you’ve been doing that a lot while I was going through the search of the Cursed Vaults…”
“I don’t think you intended on following your brother’s footsteps, Clara. They just seemed to find you, so I let that be,” I reasoned. “It seems fair that distance is the only way for the tension to ease and for both sisters to get some perspective. Though sometimes you can’t help but wonder if someone would put themself in needless danger.”
“Mhmm.” Clara hummed in agreement, her eyes shifting a bit to the distance. “But it’s stupid because you’re just right there, perfectly capable of helping him–er, I mean, her.”
Penny’s eyebrows furrowed this time at the slip. “We’re not talking about Beatrice anymore, are we.”
I could never really understand what goes on in Clara’s mind, but there must have been a lot weighing her down either way. It pained me to see her go through those intense breakdowns over the summer. And now the strain put on her, what with the last curse and her friends growing apart from her, has broken her so much more–even if she didn’t want to admit it.
“It reminds me of Jacob,” Clara finally told her friend. “This whole situation with your sister, it makes me think about what he’s doing. He wouldn’t let me help him handle Rakepick after we found Sickleworth together.”
“And he insisted I tried to have a normal year at Hogwarts,” I recalled. “Which I think is working with the arts and crafts club, but it’s hard to say for sure how long it would be before something turns the whole school upside down.”
Penny nodded thoughtfully–she’s heard more of Clara’s frustrations with our older brother than anyone else at the school. Maybe aside from Rowan.
“I get he’s trying to protect both of us, but without any more word from him I don’t even know where he is in his search,” Clara mumbled. “I don’t know if he’s alright, I don’t know how close he is to finding Rakepick…”
“Siblings are hard to deal with,” Penny agreed, putting a hand on Clara’s shoulder.
“That’s an understatement,” we both said offhandedly, shaking our heads.
“At least the potion is done now,” I said, tilting my head slightly at the bottle. “That’s not Amortentia, is it?”
“It is,” Penny confirmed. “You can tell with the mother-of-pearl sheen. Very dangerous once consumed. Though why a dark wizard like Alistair Fidgen would want this, I wish I knew.”
“I’ll give it to him tomorrow after class,” Clara told her, taking the potion bottle and tucking it into her robes. “Thank you again for your help, Penny.”
Seeing the two of them so close, it made me really appreciate their friendship a lot. I just hope that one day I would be able to find a friend who understood me as much as they did each other--and I do hope that we'd be just as close as I wish I was with my older siblings.
The sun’s warm orange light bathed the Hogsmeade train station in its late afternoon glow, a glow that would have warmed my heart had it not been for the reason I took this trip. As Rowan and I stepped onto the platform, watching all the other students and Hogsmeade patrons walking by, I felt fear grip at my chest once more, clawing at my innards with a touch of ice. This was where I told Tonks earlier of the threat carried by R, where she proclaimed I must have become a hit witch in such a short span of time. The mere reminder of it made me clench my fists in the pockets of my jacket--this should be the point where my friends should stop caring so much about me. I couldn’t blame them if they couldn’t stay committed to helping me up till the last step.
I figured Rowan had all the more reason to be suspicious of what I was up to, especially with all that was happening recently. When I arrived at the greenhouses earlier that afternoon to pick rose thorns and rose petals, I found her tutoring Barnaby in Herbology despite it being her weakest subject. Her confusion over my request did not go unnoticed, and especially when we were in the kitchens to get peppermint with Jae she had raised so many questions about what I was doing to the point where she ended up wanting to come with me to the train station to see the trade of pearl dust and powdered moonstone through. Despite Jae’s warnings that her curiosity could put her into danger, I allowed her to come with me, given that we have had so little time to spend together recently.
“Where’s the train?” I asked her upon seeing the empty station, no trains in sight at the platform. “Jae said it was scheduled to arrive now.”
Rowan didn’t answer me immediately. Her eyes were fixed on the large clock hanging above the door of the station master’s office, where the hour hand and the minute hand were frozen at ten past ten.
“Have you ever noticed that the clock here is always stuck at ten past ten?” Rowan remarked softly, tilting her head in intrigue.
“I know! It’s as if Hogsmeade Station is frozen in time,” I responded thoughtfully, following her sight up to the clock as well.
“Yeah. Not ideal for a train station where time is of the essence,” Rowan agreed.
“Exactly! I need to get Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust from a witch on that train right away,” I told her with a shake of my head. “Penny and I can’t start brewing a Love Potion without it. And then I’ve got to trade that potion for the Invisibility Cloak I need to sneak into the Ministry of Magic--”
At this plan, Rowan’s eyes widened, her jaw dropped in surprise. “So that’s what you want an Invisibility Cloak for? What kind of dodgy business have you got yourself into now?”
Was this concern or suspicion? I immediately jumped onto the defensive, stepping back a little and resisting every urge to fold my arms.
“Why do you want to know?” I inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Are you planning on telling on me to the professors?”
“What--no. Of course not.” Rowan’s eyes softened at my movements, and she tilted her head, almost in a matter like anyone would look at a homeless kitten ducked under the bench. “I’ve always done my best to keep your secrets. I just worry about you.”
It was hard to hear that she still cared so much--especially considering how much I had abandoned her in my haste to slow R down in their search for the final Cursed Vault. My mind flew back to all the times she accompanied me on several adventures, from the Cursed Ice Corridor and the hall behind the Vanished Stairs to the Cursed Vault in the Forbidden Forest, guarded by an Acromantula who was all too eager to feast on our flesh. Had it not been for Rowan’s quick thinking of a Basilisk looming behind the spiders, we wouldn’t have been standing here today. Despite all the letters I sent her over the summer, I figured that words etched on parchment didn’t compare in the slightest to the person who actually wrote them. Memories were meant to be made together. Nothing would come out of something you couldn’t see right in front of you--especially a best friend one hasn’t seen in so long.
“I’m sorry, Rowan,” I eventually apologized. “I know how badly you want to be Head Girl so I assumed you’d insist on following rules.”
Rowan smiled a little and put a hand on my shoulder. “I do like to do the right thing. But right now the right thing is supporting you. You’ve been through a lot.”
“That’s putting it lightly, Rowan. Perhaps all that’s happened with Rakepick and my brother has put my guard up,” I remarked in a low voice.
“Do you think what happened in the last Cursed Vault changed you?” Rowan finally asked.
Changed was definitely an understatement. From the experiences in the last Cursed Vault, I felt like I had been forced through a transformation--though maybe not as drastically as some others who were with me.
“Yes, of course, I’ve been changed by what happened,” I eventually responded slowly. “For better or worse…”
“Or perhaps it’s for better and worse?” Rowan clarified.
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, perhaps what happened has made you suspicious for the worst, but braver for the better.” Rowan shrugged offhandedly, her gaze growing distant. “I think sometimes the worst moments can bring out the best in ourselves.”
“And I think...we’re the only ones who haven’t given up on this train arriving,” I added, eyes flitting to the tracks where I had anticipated the train to come roaring in. Alas, the tracks were still empty.
Rowan nodded, her glance flitting for a moment again to the clock above our heads. “The train station is rather empty for ten past ten,” she remarked.
“Except that it’s not still ten past ten. Not really.”
Anyone who was anyone would know of the phrase, time was of the essence. I just wanted nothing more than to grab the ingredients off the tracks if I had to and hightail back to the castle to procure my end of the Invisibility Cloak deal. It seemed Rowan knew better than to question me again, because then she said, “At least the train delay gives us some time to catch up.”
“Yeah.” I nodded and turned to her. “What would you like to talk about?”
“How have you been? What’s new with you?”
“Rowan, I feel like the whole school knows what’s new with me.”
“Heh.” Rowan shook her head and shrugged again. “I was being polite.”
“So then what’s new with you?” I asked her in turn, tilting my own head in intrigue.
“Studying, of course,” Rowan replied automatically, a proud smile on her face. “Tutoring. But you knew that…”
“But what friends do you spend time with? I’ve been so busy with finding Rakepick, Jacob, and the final Cursed Vault.” I stared down at my hands, a shaky exhale rattling through my body. “And I had to find time for my sister, too.”
“Well, my only friends were really your friends, so…”
“That’s not true, is it?”
Rowan fell silent, her grin faltering. She cast a glance at her shoes and shuffled them over the ground, a clear sign of embarrassment.
“It can’t be that we have nothing to talk about anymore,” I interjected in the awkward silence.
“It’s not unusual to grow out of old friendships when you find new ones. And you’re always making new friends,” Rowan pointed out.
It couldn’t be true, could it? My friends were her friends and being friends with everyone was what brought us all together. It wasn’t like I had anyone exclusive that she didn’t know about, and I thought she was okay with it.
“Well, you are too. You have…”
“I have a lot of wonderful books.”
I recalled every time I entered the dormitory to see Rowan snoring loudly with a large pile of books surrounding her, stacked over the mattress and spilling over the floor. Her glasses were askew over her face as well, the lens slightly smudged. At least I knew she was being honest--the many books she read every night, from school textbooks to miscellaneous ones on trees and wands and cats, never failed to amaze me. But something else nagged at me--did that mean she too had outgrown our friendship? I never forgot the day we coined the term “tree twins” because of her love of trees and the literal translation of my last name--and we bonded over it, too. She couldn’t have forgotten it, could she?
“But I haven’t outgrown our friendship, Rowan,” I told her cautiously. “Unless you’ve outgrown me?”
“Never!” Rowan claimed, a huge grin on her face. “You’re still the only one I can be my weird self around with. And you can always be your weird self with me, too.”
“Thank goodness. Wait, who are you calling weird, Rowan?” I quipped, a small smirk over my face as a wash of relief doused me from head to toe.
“Now we’re talking more like the ‘us’ I remember…”
Us. Of course we would never drift away from each other the further along we went in life. And for one brilliant moment, it seemed to just be us, two best friends talking at the train station like there was no tomorrow, two best friends bound together by the trees that grew around us. All my worries about the Dark Artefacts and Rakepick and protecting my siblings seemed to be at bay as we chatted over everything that happened since our first year, reminisced over the adventures we once had and all the changes that came our way.
“Did you ever cast the Tickling Charm I taught you in that very first duel you had with Merula?” Rowan finally asked me.
It felt like so long ago, the very first duel I had with Merula back in first year. Merula had been picking on Ben in front of other students in the courtyard, and I had to interfere to stop her bullying. Her proclaimed superiority over her peers was what started this never-ending rivalry between us. I shook my head at Rowan’s question--though she taught me the Tickling Charm in preparation for the duel, I never ended up using it.
“No, but perhaps someone needs to cast it on Merula now to make sure she’s still able to laugh,” I responded. “These days, I can’t even think of the last time I saw Merula have a laugh...”
“You haven’t been laughing much either, Clara. I miss your laugh,” Rowan murmured, noticing the frown that was settling over my face.
“Perhaps I’ll crack a smile...if that train with my Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust ever arrives.” I turned around to check the clock on the platform. “What time is it now, anyway?”
“Rictusempra!”
In the split second my back was turned, Rowan had cast the Tickling Charm over me. I saw the silver light swirling around me, sparkling and shimmering in the late afternoon light, but that was all my eyes could register as I suddenly doubled over in laughter, wheezing every time I needed more air.
“Rowan--HA HA--Khanna!” I squealed. “This isn’t funny! HAHA!”
Rowan just grinned at the sight of me laughing, a chuckle of her own slipping out. “I needed to make sure you were still able to have a laugh, Clara.”
“Is that...HA-HA...right?” I cried, withdrawing my wand. “Rictusempra! Hahaha!”
And now it was Rowan’s turn to clutch at her stomach, collapsing to the ground in a fit of endless giggles. Anyone at this point could be staring at us like we have become maniacs, but in that moment we couldn’t care less. We were children again, eleven years old and as carefree as could be. I reached over and grasped her hand, pulling her up as we continued to laugh without a care in the world.
“Clara! HA-HA!” Rowan chuckled, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. “Now we’ll..HA-HA...both be...HA-HA...laughing until...HA-HA...it literally hurts!”
If there was any more capacity for me to wheeze even harder, I would have done so at Rowan’s statement. “All...your...HA-HA...fault!”
After some time, when the pain started to register in my stomach from all the laughing and my throat felt dry, we cast the counter-spell on each other, slowly regaining our breath though still breathless from the enchanted laughter.
“It’s ten past ten,” Rowan managed to respond, a big smile on her face.
“What?”
“You’d asked me, ‘what time is it anyway?’ Here, it’s always ten past ten.”
That took me a while to register, but it slowly came back to me, and I nodded just as I heard a distant whistle sound in the distance.
“Please let that be the train whistle I hear…” I murmured, squinting into the distance. Indeed, a train seemed to be coming along like a bullet from afar.
“Can’t we stay frozen in time a little longer?” Rowan asked, another laugh escaping into the sunset.
The train eventually arrived at the station, quelling any thought of staying behind any longer in a different time, a different era. As it rolled to a stop, I saw all the passengers disembark from the doors that slid open, some of them holding heavy crates in their arms and others carrying bulky packages wrapped tightly with brown paper and tied haphazardly with string.
“Lin?” one of the passengers asked, turning to me.
“Yes. I take it Jae Kim has informed you about me?” I asked as I approached the trader who held a case full of rare ingredients, Rowan hot on my heels.
The passenger nodded and opened the case. “Yes, ma’am. Said yeh needed a pinch o’ this, a dash o’ that--so here we are. Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust, just enough to make few doses of whatever potion yeh need.”
I quickly fished out the gold and paid up for the trade, taking the case and closing it carefully--one of the clasps was broken from wear--and waved as he took off. Then I turned to Rowan. “Want to help me take this back to the castle?”
“Sure. And after that, I’ll head back to the dorm and rest a bit,” Rowan said. “My sides still hurt from all the laughing.”
I couldn’t blame her for that--my sides also hurt from wheezing and laughing non-stop. Together, we took the case and carried it back to the castle, hearts still as light as a feather floating in the breeze.
The wait may have felt like forever, but forever didn’t feel as long with a true friend close by. And I was more than willing now to protect her with everything I had.
DISCLAIMER: The jokes mentioned in this chapter are from Undertale--all rights for them go to Toby Fox, the creator.
MCs/OCs mentioned:
Cato Reese ( @catohphm)
Katriona Cassiopeia ( @kc-needs-coffee)
Tu Liang, Sen, Sakura ( @wangxianforever000)
Aishwarya, Arjun ( @hogwarts9)
Carson Ivey, Veruca McQuaid ( @ariparri-hphm)
The Halloween Feast was definitely one for the ages. Gallons of pumpkin juice served in chilled glass jugs, pot roast sprinkled with dried herbs, the scent of buttered baked potatoes wafting through the air as a large group of bats flapped around the Great Hall, close to the house tables--it was almost just like the Welcome Feast, but with a few spooky surprises. Ghosts of all kinds soared high above in duos and trios as well, the whipping of their dresses and jackets making the flames of the floating candles bend and whoosh. Skeletons also danced at the front of the Great Hall by the staff table, enchanted under Dumbledore’s spell, and I almost laughed at the top hats they all wore--I helped a few of the students put those together, and they all looked quite dashing.
“Oh, I got a great joke,” Dawn piped up now, gobbling up her last piece of steak. “Why did the skeleton want a friend?”
“Uh…” Cedric’s face screwed up in thought as he pondered on this. “No idea. Why?”
“Because he was feeling bonely!”
“Bone--ohhhh.” I nodded thoughtfully at the joke, a small smile on my face while Dawn burst into laughter. Meanwhile, Remy Amherst looked apprehensively at the few of us--I figured he was one of the quieter types after attending classes with him, but he wasn’t very shabby for someone who doesn’t talk much.
“Oh, here’s another one. What do skeletons tile their roofs with?” Dawn asked.
I took a swig of pumpkin juice and glanced over at the Gryffindor Table, where Clara was having an animated conversation with Charlie, Jae, and Rowan. Ben was not present, which wasn’t too much of a surprise--if the Welcome Feast was, in his terms, ‘for babies’, then it’s expected that he wouldn’t show up to this one. I saw Clara chuckle at one of Jae’s anecdotes about his new detention buddy, and turned back around just in time to hear Dawn say “Shin-gles!”
“Ah, Dawn.” Cedric laughed as well and wiped his mouth delicately with his napkin. “When did you start learning to tell jokes?”
“I may have picked up a few from Hillary,” Dawn told us then. “When Travis isn’t such a jerk, he could be a good jokester--though she actually hates most of his jokes.”
“Figures,” I chipped in, nibbling on some chips. “Not all jokes strike everyone’s funny bones.”
“And did you make all these hats for the skeletons?” Cedric asked me then. “They looked incredible! Dawn told me about your knack for arts and crafts.”
All the chips dropped to the floor at Cedric’s question, and I nodded in shock. “Yeah, I did. I didn’t think anyone would notice--Badeea’s equally good with painting and art.”
“Come on, little Em, don’t sell yourself short,” Dawn encouraged me. “You have a knack of turning something into something new! You have considered what I proposed about the arts and crafts club, right?”
“Sort of. I’m not sure who would want to join, though.”
“We’ll start simple, then. We can ask some of the older students to help us get supplies from Hogsmeade, and then we can plan different crafts every session,” Dawn suggested.
“It’s a thought. I mean, Andre can get some buttons from Gladrags Wizardwear,” I piped up. “And maybe sweets from Honeydukes would make great supplies too. If we need flowers, we can make some with a Herbivicus Charm--my dad taught it to me before I left for Hogwarts, so it could be useful.”
“With a great skillset like yours and a little bit of patience, this club will definitely go far!” Dawn promised. “I think all we need to do is take this idea to a professor--I think Flitwick or Sprout would definitely be willing to supervise.”
“We’ll talk this through after the feast,” I said then, just as the desserts popped up replacing the meal we just finished. “Ah, I’ve yet to try the treacle tart. It looks tasty.”
---
Not to anyone’s surprise but mine, the Arts and Crafts Club was established the very next day. At Dawn’s behest I went to talk with Professor Sprout about forming the club, and she was more than happy to approve--although she told us that staff supervision wasn’t an absolute must. Still, though, the fact that this club was actually coming to fruition before our eyes was encouraging to hear. Next thing I knew, Dawn was already rattling off ideas for our first meeting, though she always came back to one particular item that she thought everyone should learn how to make--flower crowns.
“Not to shoot you down, Dawn, but Em might already have her own plans,” Hillary interrupted her gently as we walked through the corridors, emerging onto the training grounds for Flying Class. “I know you want her to create it and see it grow, but ultimately what Em wants to do is up to her.”
“Well, I do have an idea for the first meeting,” I said with a shrug, putting my bag down and joining the others at the back of the class. “We’ll start simple and go with beaded button accessories--you know, use buttons as charms, and then string a few beads through the string for whatever they want to wear them as. Necklaces, bracelets, even pins for their bags, the like.”
“And where are we going to get buttons?” Hillary asked me then. “The most we have are buttons on our cardigans, and those aren’t easy to replace.”
“Hey, remember I know most of the older kids,” I reminded her with a cheeky grin. “I’m sure Andre won’t mind lending me a few he Transfigured from beetles scuttling around the Ravenclaw Common Room. At least, that’s where he said he found them. As for beads, Badeea has a few she can lend as well--beads of a wide variety, too. We got crystal ones, round glossy ones, small glass beads--”
“Ahem!”
I suddenly jumped as Madam Hooch glared at the three of us with her piercing yellow eyes. The rest of the class turned as well to look back at us, Eunice and Travis especially looking disgusted.
“Miss Lin, Miss Redstone, and Miss Everett, if you three would be so kind as to save your conversation for after the lesson, that would be greatly appreciated,” Madam Hooch said, shaking her head. “Now, everyone, let us review how to summon our brooms, mount them, and dismount them. Let us begin!”
---
Despite the few bruises that blossomed over my kneecaps at the end of the lesson, my high spirits remained unshot. That night, we posted the signup sheets in all the common rooms with Nora, Hillary, and Roger’s help for the other houses, and the next morning we discovered that there was quite the high demand for this club to run. A lot of older students signed up, to my greatest surprise; perhaps the thought of another Emily at Hogwarts doesn’t seem to disturb them as much as it did before.
Luckily, I managed to secure the buttons we needed for the club session earlier than expected--Andre delivered a huge parcel of them to me at breakfast the next day, and the variety of buttons in there did not disappoint at all. Penny gave us a huge spool of stretchy string, and Badeea gave us her box of beads as well--the deliveries were hard to conceal, though, and soon enough Peeves knocked over the entire box of buttons right before Defence Against the Dark Arts, causing major slipping chaos through the corridors before Professor Flitwick came around and helped with the clean-up.
Still, I knew that this was going to be a good session--at least, with so many people interested, there wasn’t any sign of it going away any time soon.
Entering the Charms classroom later in the day, I saw about a dozen students sitting in their seats awaiting our arrival. I noticed Barnaby sitting beside a Ravenclaw girl with auburn hair, and he gave me a cheery wave as he noticed me. There was also a trio of students sitting in another corner, one Slytherin girl and two Ravenclaw boys in deep discussion about their recent Potions homework. A pair of cousins from Gryffindor--or I think they are cousins, judging from how similar they looked--eyed me with curiosity as I set the heavy boxes on Professor Flitwick’s desk, moving them around with Dawn’s help. I also recognized Yvonne from Ravenclaw sitting with Badeea, the Gryffindor boy sporting red and yellow face paint on his face, and another Gryffindor girl I have never seen before--one with dark skin and dark brown hair--not too far off from another trio of students with pale skin and black hair whispering among themselves.
“Ahem,” I cleared my throat nervously. Instantly, everyone’s heads snapped towards me, and I swallowed--oh, where was Clara when I needed her backup?
“This is the arts and crafts club, correct?” one of the Ravenclaw boys asked skeptically, titling his head at the many boxes that surrounded the desk.
“Yes it is!” Dawn responded for me with a cheery grin. “Welcome!”
“And...you’re the head of it?” one of the Gryffindor students asked.
“I am,” I spoke up. “Well, this club wouldn’t be here without Dawn’s help, but I will be leading the sessions. I’m sure some of you have noticed the decorations for the Halloween feast a few days before--”
“Someone said you created the giant Hogwarts castle Jack-O-Lantern!” Barnaby piped up then. “Wait, that was you, is it?”
I nodded. “Yes--I made the design, and--”
“I helped carve it!” the boy with face paint interjected excitedly. “Well, me and Liz.”
“And the hats look incredible this year, too!” the Slytherin girl chipped in with awe in her voice. “Not to say that they were absolutely ugly the years before, but the designs really complemented the skeletons this year. Was that you too?”
I nodded again at the compliment. “I didn’t know so many people would notice, but I’m glad you liked them. Now--”
“Looks like you brought the beads I lent you!” Badeea noted with a nod. “What are we going to do with them?”
“Glad you asked, Badeea.” I smiled as I opened the boxes for the group to see. “Today we’ll learn how to make beaded button accessories. You can use these buttons as charms--” I held up a couple of them for the group to see. “And you can make anything you like to accessorize your wardrobe! You can make necklaces, bracelets, pins for your school bag, key chains, rings…”
“Hair accessories?” the Gryffindor student with brown hair asked, her hand raised.
“Yes! Creativity is always welcome.” I nodded at her, my heart leaping at the sight of everyone’s eager faces. “So, if we can all come up to the front in groups of--”
BANG!
The door suddenly flew open again, and everyone turned to see a somewhat chubby Gryffindor boy rush into the room, his ginger hair sticking wildly all over the place. He set his books beside Badeea and sighed. “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?”
“No, you’re just in time!” Dawn reassured him with a smile.
“We were just announcing our first project--beaded button accessories,” I told him. “So, if we can all come up in groups of two or three and pick out your beads and buttons with these baskets here--” (I then gestured to a few plastic baskets Professor Flitwick lent me) “--then we can grab some string and get to work.”
Surely enough, as everyone picked out their beads and buttons, I helped everyone gather what they needed while Dawn handed them the string at their preferred lengths. At the same time, I got to know everyone else who joined the club--Pippa Macmillan, the brown-haired Gryffindor who kept jumping at slight noises; Veruca McQuaid and Carson Ivey, two best friends in different houses who almost knocked over the jar of giant buttons; Cato Reese, Tu Liang, Katriona Cassiopeia, Aishwarya and Arjun. They were all so kind and I couldn’t help but smile as they selected their beads and buttons for their personal projects.
“These buttons look so cute!” Katriona said, her eyes wide as she took a few and put them in her basket. “Where did you get these from? No, don’t tell me. Andre gave them to you, didn’t he?”
“That, he did,” Badeea nodded as she came up and picked up some aqua crystal beads for herself. “And I provided the beads.”
“They’re really lovely, Badeea,” the other Gryffindor boy who just arrived complimented her, wiping the sweat off his brow. Then he turned to me with a tired smile. “Sorry--I only just realized the first meeting was today.”
“That’s quite alright. Don’t worry about it.” I handed him a basket and helped him pick out his favourite buttons.
“It’s just, I saw the sign up sheets, and I was going to put my name down but at the same time I was so preoccupied with reading about Elfric the Eager, I completely forgot,” he admitted sheepishly. “I’m Corey Hayden, by the way--hold on. Aren’t you the Curse-Breaker’s youngest sister?”
I nodded again. “Yeah. I figured that’s how everyone knows me--as the youngest sister of Jacob Lin.”
“No, not just that. You’re Clara’s little sister, too--and I’ve heard many stories about her,” Corey said with a shake of his head. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Of course. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Hey! I wanted that cherry blossom button!” I heard someone shout--Sen, I think her name was--and she swiped the pink button away from the boy with face paint, who looked a little bit peeved at that sudden move.
“Oi, I got it first!”
“So? Why can’t I have it?”
“You have your own buttons! Stop swiping at mine!”
“Guys, please!” Dawn waved her hands and approached the group bickering over their beads. “There are plenty of buttons to go around! I think we have another cherry blossom button somewhere, I think…?”
“I got it.” Faster than I could blink, Corey pointed his wand at a beetle scuttling in the corner of the Charms room, which instantly turned into a replica of the cherry blossom button that Face Paint Kid had.
“Thanks.” Dawn picked up the button and handed it to Sen, who nodded apologetically. I figured this was going to be a danger, but so long as everyone else was doing just fine then there shouldn’t be much to worry about.
The few who worked on necklaces and bracelets got to stringing their patterns on their own, while I taught the others making patches and badges how to weave their beads in with their string to form simple shapes and attach them to fasteners at the back. Sure enough, piece after piece formed in their hands, set on the table, and I grinned as I looked at everyone’s creations at the end of the hour.
“Okay, so we’ve got quite a variety of things here--which is fantastic! I’m really impressed at what everyone can make,” I praised everyone with a clap of my hands. “Now, I’m afraid that’s really all the time we have today before some of you need to hurry to your next class--”
“This was really fun!” Barnaby cheered, and everyone else nodded in agreement.
“When will the next meeting be?” Yvonne asked, her hand raised.
“I haven’t really gotten around to thinking about that yet, but if everyone’s really enjoying it then I guess we can have them regularly, once a week.” I glanced over at Dawn, who nodded. “How about same time next week?”
With a nod of assent, everyone departed in groups of twos and threes, a few of them giving me kind waves and smiles. Yvonne and Hillary stayed behind to help me and Dawn clear up after everyone had left.
“I’m really sorry for judging you so quickly, Em,” she apologized, adjusting the small flower pin she made over her robes. “I thought you’d be as bad as, you know, some people believed your brother might have been, but...I guess you’re not as bad as I was lead to think. You’re really nice, Em.”
I straightened up from winding the string back over the spool and simply gave Yvonne a smile. “You’re fine, Yvonne. I guess it’s not everyday you see someone related to the crazy curse-breaker boy who made the headlines in the Daily Prophet all these years ago.”
“But he’s not really missing anymore, is he? At least, that’s what I’m hearing,” Yvonne said.
“No. I’m just...I just hope he still knows what he’s doing. The last thing I want is for him to get in trouble.”
“Hey! You guys! Last one to the Great Hall for dinner is a rotten Chocolate Frog!” Dawn called from the entrance of the Charms classroom.
I just shook my head and ran after Dawn and Hillary, Yvonne close by my heels as we sprinted through the corridors. I suppose that there are quite a few better ways to spend the year at Hogwarts--yet I knew, as hard as I tried, I could never really be the normal student Jacob wanted me to be.
It took a while to get a hold of Chester, and from a working standpoint it was understandable; I figured that it was a busy time for all employees at the Ministry. All hands on deck, so the saying went. But on Halloween, he was able to meet with me at Flourish and Blotts. Admittedly, Chester did not leave a very big impression on me--after all, he was Ravenclaw's Prefect in my younger years, and the only time we actually interacted was after he graduated when Tulip introduced me to him so we could talk about the Frog Choir. Somehow, though, he still remembered me. I suppose it came with being a prefect at all--you kind of have to commit everyone's faces and trouble-making streak to memory.
Initially, he was hesitant to help with my cause, and I probably should have been a bit more considerate with my response given that it was a huge risk to have a student sneak into the Ministry, but he eventually hinted at a lead that could potentially help--an Invisibility Cloak, perhaps not the fabled one, but a working one nonetheless.
Even if it was a knock-off, I knew it was better than nothing, and I knew Jae would help with getting one for me.
As I reached out to my good old detention buddy again later that day, I was a little downhearted to hear that the person who dealt with these items was not in the best mood with him. Just to make up for a small business flop, he proposed to gift him a few items. A Remembrall he already secured, but the other item he said he needed help from a "fashionable wizard".
There was only one friend I knew who fit that bill.
The Great Hall was packed with students preparing for the Halloween feast by the time we had arrived, some of them trying to finish their homework with their friends at the last minute before the feast began while others were just conversing with friends and passing sweets around. I glanced over at Jae tucking the Remembrall in his pocket with a pained expression over his face, and felt a wave of unease ripple through my nerves. Even if Jae and I did bond in detention last year, I wasn't always sure about his dabbling in mostly illegal trades. Perhaps it wasn't deemed to be as dangerous as dealing with the Cursed Vaults, but it was still dangerous nonetheless.
The frayed nerves eventually steeled as my eyes honed in on Andre, sitting at the Ravenclaw table now looking through a fashion catalogue. I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the sight.
"Andre Egwu, style wizard," I called out dramatically as I approached. "Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Cheers, Curse-Breaker!” Andre greeted me with a huge grin, though that faltered instantly when he saw Jae. “Huh, looks like you came to see me in time. Looks like your fashion crisis is much worse than I thought.”
“What? You mean me?” Jae’s face morphed into one of pure horrification, eyes widened at Andre. “What’s wrong with my look?”
“Noting, if you just got out of bed,” Andre quipped shortly.
“Hold up, Andre--I didn’t come to see you because Jae needs a makeover,” I tried to reason. “I came to see you because...well…”
My eyes shifted sideways towards Jae, who quickly caught on with my glance. “We need your help getting fashionable socks,” he explained to Andre. “Preferably clean, no holes would be nice…”
Now Andre’s interest seemed to pique with his raised eyebrows. “Fashionable socks, you say. Well, those are given, but do you want ankle or crew cut? Argyle or striped? Cashmere or lambswool?”
“Uh…” Jae glanced over at me with a puzzled expression. “Yes…?”
“What kind of shoes will they be worn with?” Andre pressed on.
“Uh...regular ones, I suppose?” Jae responded.
Andre shook his head, his piqued expression melted away. “You don’t shop much, do you,” he finally noted.
“Hey, if I could wear this hoodie forever, I would,” Jae remarked with a laugh.
“Seems like we’re more helpless than we thought,” I added with a chuckle of my own. “Will you help us, Andre?”
“Of course. You know me, I never turn down an opportunity to make the wizarding world a stylish place,” Andre replied with a nod. “If it’s not Jae, who is it that requests my expertise?”
“A back alley seller who is currently not my biggest fan,” Jae responded, his eyebrows narrowed in suspicion.
“We’re hoping that gifts would convince him to forgive Jae and secure me an invisibility cloak,” I explained further. “I need one to sneak into the Ministry of Magic. Rakepick’s Dark Artefacts are stored there--artefacts that she needs to get into the final Cursed Vault. If I can get my hands on them, I can draw her out and stop her.”
Andre glanced between me and Jae, potentially waiting for one of us to say that we were pulling his leg--but he didn’t question either of us when the catch didn’t come.
“So your ability to stop Rakepick from getting into the final Cursed Vault depends on my fashion sense?” Andre finally deduced. “Well, brilliant! I love a challenge. Now, tell me--why does this seller need fashionable socks?”
Jae did most of the explaining while I looked around at the decorated Great Hall, set with decorated pumpkins all aglow. I knew that any normal student would be looking forward to the fabled Halloween Feasts, especially given the incredible entertainment that Dumbledore arranges every year and the scrumptious food that the House-Elves prepare every year. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same--especially now as I gazed at the giant pumpkin that had the castle carved on its face. Only one person I knew well could have brought this design to life--the one person I swore to protect.
Not that I doubted Badeea’s ability to replicate the castle’s design, but I’ve known little Em’s ability to make something wonderful out of something ordinary. The crafting talents she had never really went unnoticed between me and my brother, and now here it was, on display for all the other students to see. They should at least see that she was no Emily Tyler. She is nothing like the pink-clad gossiping sass that sashayed through the halls with her haughtiness.
“So let me get this straight,” Andre finally said, twiddling his index fingers at Jae. “The seller wants fashionable socks because he’s been losing all of his to baby dragon fire?”
“He had been smuggling in baby dragons recently,” Jae clarified with a nod. “I figured it would be risky business to bring in something dangerous and untamed.”
“Then why don’t you give him a pair of fireproof socks?” Andre suggested. “They’re used in dragon care, so they’re practical, but also very stylish as well.”
“Sounds perfect!” Jae agreed with a nod. “He’ll love them.”
“I’m all in for that, but where can we get a pair of fireproof socks?” I asked.
“I got a pair for Charlie’s last birthday,” Andre responded. “I think I may have a spare that I can lend...if you bring me along to see this merchant.”
Now Jae looked skeptical at Andre’s bargain, and he tilted his head in intrigue. “Are you sure you want to come with us? This merchant isn’t exactly the best company.”
“Of course I do! I want to see the look on his face when he sees we’ve got him the perfect gift,” Andre said with a nod. “Besides, I feel guilty going with Cedric instead of helping Clara find Sickleworth.”
“Don’t be, Andre. Everything worked out alright,” I said lightly, shaking my head. “I did manage to track down Sickleworth--he lead me to my brother again.”
“That’s fantastic!” Andre beamed. “But I’d still like to come, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Well, who am I to turn down extra help?” I grinned and nodded. “The only thing we have to ensure is that we are back in time for the Halloween Feast, so everyone get a move on. We’ll reconvene in Knockturn Alley.”
---
Dust swirled around the ankle of my boots as I stepped into Knockturn Alley once more with Andre and Jae behind me, the both of them carrying the gifts we needed for the merchant. Hopefully they would be able to appease him. Whatever kind of dodgy deal gone wrong couldn’t be worth just a few more items to aid him personally.
“There he is,” Jae whispered, gesturing to a tall man with a hood that looked all too familiar. No, it wasn’t the anonymous messenger who kept threatening me back in fourth and fifth year about death coming to Hogwarts. This trader I met only once or twice, but it was enough to associate his name with his look and demeanour.
“Huh. I think I see why you asked for fashionable socks--for a dark wizard, he’s actually rather stylish,” Andre remarked with a thoughtful nod.
“Do you think these gifts will be enough?” I asked Jae then.
“Yeah, for sure. But stick close, just in case.”
Jae lead the way now, walking right up to the trader without a falter in his step. Andre and I glanced at each other before following him.
“Kim. You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face in front of me,” the trader growled, eyes narrowed and mouth twisted in a snarl. “Don’t think I forgot about the fake love potion you sent me.”
“Alistair, I had no idea that potion was actually Butterbeer,” Jae insisted. “If I knew, would I have sold it to you?”
Alistair? So I was right. The name rang a bell in my mind, and I jumped into the conversation before I could back out.
“Hold up--Alistair Fidgen?” I confirmed, mouth dropping in shock. “You’re that dodgy wizard who sold me and Charlie a fake dragon egg just last year! You thought you could pass an Acromantula egg off as a dragon egg and get away with it!”
“Oh, you again,” Alistair said with a roll of his eyes. “Look, Lin, I said I could get you one, not that I would. It was your fault for not being smart enough to figure that out.”
Andre folded his arms and shook his head at me. “Talk about hypocritical,” he mouthed to me, and I nodded.
“Look, Alistair--we both did things that we probably shouldn’t have. At least I can come clean with that,” Jae started. “So why not put our pasts aside for Clara’s sake? See, Clara’s in the market for an Invisibility Cloak, and I know you’re in the market for mending our broken business relationship. And we brought gifts for you too!” He gestured to the Remembrall and fireproof socks. “What do you say, Alistair? My sincere apologies and our gifts for an Invisibility Cloak?”
“Oh, I’ll do better,” Alistair sneered. “I’ll take the gifts, keep the Invisibility Cloak, and get my revenge all at once!”
He raised his wand, and an unknown spell flew towards Jae, leaving him completely winded though still on his feet.
“Jae!” Andre rushed to his aid, and Jae leaned heavily on his shoulder.
“Guess...he was more...upset than I thought,” Jae muttered, shaking his head.
“Get back, Jae.” I stepped forward and shielded the two boys from view with an arm. “Avis!”
The flock of birds that shot out of my wand with a BANG whizzed past Alistair’s ear and out of sight, though that was enough to shift his focus towards me instead now that Jae was out of commission.
“That,” he growled, pointing his wand towards me, “was a mistake, Lin.”
I readied my wand as well, pointing it towards him with a hardened glare. “We’ll see.”
Alistair Fidgen did not hold anything back--in fact, he was much tougher to beat than I initially thought, for one who dealt with something so dirty. In the end, I fell down once from a powerful Flipendo, only to have Andre pull me back up for another round. It was not until I managed to push him back with a powerful Depulso that had him completely out of breath, signalling the end of that duel.
“You make...quite the convincing argument,” Alistair finally acknowledged, mopping the sweat off his brow. Some of his grey hair clung to his forehead, and I cringed as they gleamed in what remained of the light. “Tell you what, then. I’ll forgive Kim and get you your Invisibility Cloak for one last thing.”
I stowed my wand in my dress and put my hand on my hip, though the attempt to look intimidating must have been rather futile. “You just lost, Fidgen. Should you really be in a place to bargain?”
“That’s funny. I was under the impression that you wanted an Invisibility Cloak,” Alistair shot back.
For someone who handled dirty dealings, he definitely had a way with his words. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, trying to steel my nerves yet again. “Okay, fine--what do you want then, Fidgen?”
“Bring me a real Love Potion--the one Kim was supposed to bring me before--and I can secure you an Invisibility Cloak,” Alistair finally proposed. “Bring it here, or don’t bother coming back.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left, snatching the items away and stowing them into his pocket. I turned to Andre and Jae, who looked positively defeated at how that interaction went.
“That just...went completely downhill,” Jae remarked in a low mutter.
“And you don’t have any Love Potions on hand, I assume?” I asked.
“Nope. I’ve run out--I’m not expecting my next batch for a while,” Jae responded.
“Maybe Penny might be willing to lend her potion brewing talents again for this cause?” Andre suggested. “After all, she did brew the Beautification Potion, the Wit Sharpening Potion…”
“A Sleeping Draught, a Draught of Peace, a Forgetfulness Potion, and a Polyjuice Potion,” I recalled with a nod. “Well, I just hope she’s up to it. My ability to stop Rakepick from finding the last Vault might depend on it.”
“We better head back to Hogwarts in the meanwhile,” Jae said. “The Halloween Feast should be starting soon.”
“Yes, let’s. We’ll talk this through with Penny when we can.”
So many things were riding on my ability to beat Rakepick to the last Cursed Vault. I just hoped against hope that my friends would not abandon me for this crucial mission once more.
There was something about the pumpkin juice at Hogwarts that brought a smile to my face despite all that was happening. Perhaps it was the flavour of the drink, fresh in any temperature, or the bright orange colour that looked a bit like liquid fire. Whatever the case, it was something I wouldn't turn down for the world, even as things got bad.
And I knew things were about to get really, really bad.
I couldn't get Jacob's words out of my head, insistent as he told me to not get involved with he trouble he dragged our family into. The look on his face was enough for me to feel guilty, not only for him and his predicament, but for me and my reckless behaviour. If I dove too deep into this, they feared that I wouldn't surface again. I knew Jacob already took too deep of the plunge to even bother coming back up for air, but he couldn't control the people he took in tow. Clara was already caught on the line--what did it matter if I joined in? Even if I was just a first-year who knew only the most rudimentary stuff, I knew I had to help my siblings. Not knowing them well enough when I was younger was no excuse.
The sweet tang of the pumpkin juice coated my tongue as I swallowed it down, imagining it drowning down the worries and fears I had for my older siblings. I just hoped that neither of them suffered from horrible repercussions that could potentially arise.
"Oi, leave her alone, will you?" I heard someone pipe up from behind me. "The only reason she doesn't want to speak to you is because you've already injured her enough!"
I turned around now to see Dawn and Nora face Eunice and Travis with daggers in their eyes, eyebrows narrowed as they stared the two Slytherins down. What was going on here?
"It was just a lousy Flipendo," Eunice drawled. "I didn't ask for her to break her elbow."
"Does it matter? First her nose, then her elbow--not even Nora would hurt her intentionally!" Dawn cried. "Whatever trick you two have up your sleeves this time, we're not interested in seeing it. I'll even tell Professor Snape what you've been up just to stop you both from bullying anyone else."
"She's another source of disgrace!" Travis added on, not even sparing me a glance. "I'm surprised you two would rather roll around in 'cursed kid' scum. No thanks. We'd rather squash her out before she infests everyone with her disgusting--"
SMACK!
The resounding crack of cartilage made me blink as Nora's fist connected with Travis' nose, punching deep into his face. Blood slowly began to trickle out of his nostrils, the scarlet carving a path over his pale face; the sneer suddenly dropped, and his expression morphed into one of horror.
"You--you wouldn't--" Travis muttered wildly.
"Key word: intentionally," Nora repeated, eyebrows narrowing further. "Now scram before I do something even worse."
The two Slytherins didn't have to think twice. With one last horrified look at Nora, they turned on their heels and hightailed out of there.
"What did they want with me this time?" I asked Nora and Dawn then, wiping my mouth with my napkin as they sat down by the Hufflepuff table. "And why bother you two about it?"
"Your guess is as good as ours," Nora responded grimly, twisting her fist decisively against her robes. "I'd assume they'd want to pick a fight with you after hearing that you've learned and somehow perfected the Disarming Charm way before Professor Flitwick taught it to us."
"Though it did surprise us, I'll say that!" Dawn added. "How did you learn the Disarming Charm so quickly?"
I didn't tell anyone about my involvement with Clara's friends. Well, Nora saw me and Diego working together, and Hillary saw me with the Weasleys, but no one else knew much about the people I spend time with. I don't even think they know about the fact that I've attended a few of Bill's Defence Against the Dark Arts tutoring lessons sometimes.
"Diego taught it to me," I eventually replied. "He taught me while we were in the Duelling Club one night."
"Not to be rude, but...who's Diego?" Nora asked, tilting her head slightly at the name. "Not one of us first-years, right?"
"You mean Diego Caplan?" Dawn interjected. "He's one of the strongest duellers at Hogwarts! Not to mention he's good-looking. He's a sixth year Hufflepuff," she added to Nora, who only nodded in slight confusion and acknowledgement.
"And he's one of my sister's friends," I said. "They've been looking out for me quite a lot since the start-of-term feast. They've always had my best interest at heart."
"So that's who your sister introduced you to, then!" Nora finally realized. "No wonder you've already gotten quite a few friends."
"I can't always rely on them, though. They'll be graduating soon, and who would I be left with once they're gone?" I pointed out. "I'll admit, though, you guys are a good bunch to hang out with too."
"Aww!" Dawn gushed then, pulling me into a brief side hug. "I mean, why not? You're a student just like any of us. There's really no reason to treat you differently because of who your brother is."
For all the bullying and attacks that Eunice and Travis had beset on me, it was a relief to see that there were a lot of people who still cared about me and my well-being. I nodded and smiled at the two of them, a warm fuzzy feeling radiating within me. "Thank you both."
The two girls just smiled back as they grabbed a sandwich each, and we shared our dinner together that night.
---
As Halloween started to roll around, the excitement for the spookiest day of the year began to spark in bursts like heated embers by the fireplace. Professor Dumbledore eventually called on a few student volunteers to help with decorating for the season a few days prior, and not to my surprise, a lot of students actually signed on.
"You should join too!" Dawn encouraged me, pointing to the sign up sheet. "We need someone of your creative calibre, after all! I'm sure you'll do a great job leading us."
"This isn't like creating flower hairpieces, Dawn," I warned her. "I can make a few basic crafts, but to lead students into making them?"
"It should be cake!" Hillary chirruped beside me. "Please?"
"Not to mention, we'll even get to work with Hagrid's giant pumpkins!" Nora added. "And I bet we'll create some awesome Jack-O-Lanterns with your help!"
Next thing I knew, Dawn grabbed the quill and signed my name on the sheet before I could say anything, and everyone wheeled me into the Great Hall to help with the decorating process.
"Ahh, Miss Lin," Professor Dumbledore greeted me with a serene smile. "And I see your friends convinced you to help, is that right?"
"Then I see you'll be a wonderful asset to our team," Professor Dumbledore said with an approving nod. "Very well. You four can go take a seat over there, and we'll get started shortly."
I normally wasn't a fan of Halloween. When I was much younger, my mother once scared me with a banshee mask on her face and a short loud "boo!" that made me cry in fright. I was wary of scary faces from that point on, but here it seemed very different. There were no masks around, no scary faces to be pulled--just floating Jack-O-Lanterns and dark candles that Professor Flitwick levitated with the recently taught Levitation Charm, and a couple of streamers and banners for us to hang around the Great Hall. Everyone had different tasks to do--the younger students had the job of making the streamers and banners, while the older students handled the knives and carved the Jack-O-Lanterns. I remembered offering one of my designs to one of Clara's other friends who signed on--Liz, I think her name was--and in no time she and a boy sporting Gryffindor coloured face paint carved out the Hogwarts castle on the biggest pumpkin in the room.
"Whoa! That looks amazing!" I heard one of the Weasley twins suddenly exclaim behind me, and I turned to see the two of them grin at the giant Hogwarts castle silhouette on the giant pumpkin.
"Now that is what I call an impressive Jack-O-Lantern!" George agreed with Fred. "Who came up with the design for it, by the way?"
"I did," I said, waving a hand.
Now Fred beamed at me and shook my hand excitedly. "Well, I'll say, you got quite some potential!" he said.
"Right?! We all played a part in the decorating, but I think her Hogwarts pumpkin is going to be the ultimate highlight," Dawn said, joining us with a huge grin on her face. "If I had any say in this, I'd say she should start an arts and crafts club of her own."
"What?" At the sound of that, I shook my head. "Dawn, you can't be serious--"
"I'm serious! You can literally turn something into anything!" Dawn said. "Like your flowers--you can turn them into crowns! I've seen you do that in our dormitory a few nights ago. And you even turned a Sickle into a pendant--and a button into a charm--"
"I figured we could all use that kind of extracurricular," I nodded thoughtfully. "I mean, if everyone loves and appreciates that, I guess I can foster their interest in that."
Just then, I saw Sarahi enter the Great Hall with a few books in her arms. The moment she saw me, she quickly ran over to me.
"Em!" she called out.
I quickly waved her over just as she approached, a tired smile on her face. "Hello, Sarahi."
"I know I meant to reach out to you much earlier, but how are you doing?" she asked. "You know, with Eunice and Travis messing around with you and all."
"Managing," I managed to respond with a sheepish laugh. "I mean, at least they haven't had the urge to injure me again. A bloody nose and a fractured elbow is enough for me for one year. Let's just hope I don't get petrified next."
"Oh, yeah. I wouldn't want to think about the Petrification Curse either," Sarahi mumbled darkly.
"I just hope my sister and brother know what they're doing," I eventually said. "They recently just told me to have at least one normal year at Hogwarts. How can things be normal when they're pulling themselves deeper and deeper into danger every year? All I can do in the meanwhile is try to dodge Eunice and Travis every chance I get."
Beside me, Dawn wrapped an arm around me and squeezed my shoulder with a hand. Sarahi just nodded at the mention of my older siblings.
"Em, you know that when it comes to family matters...I'm not exactly the best person to turn to for advice," Sarahi said. "But know that when it comes to bullies, I'll protect you with everything I have. If I have to, I will Depulso Eunice and Travis into the sun, and I don't care how young they are. If they only act to hurt, that's not okay at all."
"Better than throwing a Dungbomb at them?" Fred countered, slightly disappointed.
"Lots of problems can be solved without Dungbombs, Fred," Nora warned him as she caught up to us. "And besides, I think we have gotten enough of your stinky pranks."
"Speak for yourself. Come Halloween, though..." George winked at Fred and chuckled. "You may have yet to see our first big heist."
"Oh, I'm looking forward to it, alright," Nora mumbled while everyone else laughed.
The sounds tumbling out of my mouth made my heart light again, and I thought back to the time I helped Hagrid with making rock cakes in his hut a few weeks ago. I had never really felt this happy since then. I suppose that was all a part of life--the happy times, the sad times, the scary times that would detach us from what we used to call 'normal'.
If only life was just as sweet as the pumpkin juice here. I wouldn't hesitate to drink it down every day if I had the option to.
Mundungus Fletcher’s discovery had my search turn a full 180 after I told Jacob and little Em of my plan to gain a lead on the owl that the white quill came from. But did Dark Artefacts have anything to do with what laid in the next Vault? Either way, Fletcher said that if she got her hands on them, R would be one step closer to the Vault, and I was not about to take chances.
But the search didn’t go as planned--Bill couldn’t find them in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and then old Filch blabbed to Dumbledore after he caught me and Merula hanging around in his office. Professor Snape wasn’t much help with the cause either--rather, he was too busy brewing Veritaserum in his office, and then he said Rakepick’s Dark Artefacts were cursed themselves. Apparently they were cursed with unfamiliar Dark magic that even I personally couldn’t handle--not that I would try if I had the option to.
And now I found myself back in the Headmaster’s office, summoned by Professor Dumbledore who had heard the whole story from Filch. The pain from my tongue where my teeth pierced through every taste bud was nothing compared to that insatiable itch to put Rakepick to justice as soon as I potentially could.
He still doesn’t understand. He probably never would.
“Professor, please.” I’ve tried to exercise enough patience to the Headmaster now, but I could feel my temper rising within me. “Rakepick cannot get her hands on those Dark Artefacts! If she does, she’ll be one step closer to finding the last Cursed Vault! We have to stop her!”
“And we will,” Professor Dumbledore tried to reassure me. “You should be focusing on your studies--or did you already forget our earlier conversation about getting your priorities in order?”
“I haven’t forgotten. I just wanted to put Rakepick in her place--or at least do something to ensure that!”
“So you decided to ignore my request to leave these matters to us?”
It wasn’t like they weren’t trying--yet even if they did, I haven’t seen any visible proof.
“Ha! Serves you right, Lin,” Merula taunted me with a laugh.
“Miss Snyde, your obsession with finding Rakepick hasn’t gone unnoticed either,” Professor Dumbledore warned Merula now. “I do plan to save your lecture for another day, but you must do well to remember: revenge is an awful waste of talent.”
He then proceeded to tell me that the artefacts were housed at the Ministry, kept safe from the hands of those with “well intentions”. Basically a way to throw us off the search while we still could. The information did little to ease my conscience, though--if anything, it made me want to infiltrate the Ministry more than I wanted to slap Merula for her homicidal mindset. Yet the tone Dumbledore adopted as he spoke to me made me feel uneasy. There was a reason he put me in detention for most of my fifth year, after all.
Still, I couldn't just sit around and let the artefacts wait for its devious owner.
A long, loud sigh of defeat whooshed past my lips as I dropped onto a chair in the library, throwing my bag onto the table where it landed with a clink. I could hear Pince hiss a quick "SHH!" behind me, the sound passing through my brain like the rattling wind through the branches of the Whomping Willow, and I scowled under my breath as I took out my Transfiguration textbook and propped it open. I remembered Rowan bringing me to the library back in my third year to help me study so I could earn the privilege to go to Hogsmeade. Speaking of Rowan, I haven't seen her in a long while--where was she?
"Clara? You okay?"
I glanced up now to see Tulip walk over to me, pulling up a chair and sitting by me with a worried expression on her face. Aside from Rowan, Penny and Tonks, Tulip Karasu was also one of my closest friends at Hogwarts. Since the time we both worked together to conquer the Vault of Fear, as well as the time she helped me earn a spot in the Frog Choir, I felt like she was a really cool person to be friends with. Even if she was Merula's friend at first, we quickly grew to trust each other.
"Just bummed," I admitted, dropping my voice so Madam Pince couldn't hear. "Just when I get a lead on the search, someone had to call it off."
"Oh?" Tulip's face scrunched into one of confusion before her eyes widened in realization, and she nodded thoughtfully. "Ohhhhh."
"Yeah," I said. "The Vault. I've been looking for an eagle owl that's had an allegiance with 'R', but a source told me to look for Rakepick's Dark Artefacts instead. Dumbledore told me they'd be safe at the Ministry, but I'm not convinced of it."
"You mean the artefacts Rakepick always made us study last year? Would they still be in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, then?"
"Bill and I already searched there. No luck."
"So that should be enough to tell you to stay away from the Ministry, Clara," a new voice laced with a slight sneer piped up.
I turned around to see Percy Weasley hovering over me and Tulip with a disgusted look on his face.
"Look, I can't just sit around and do nothing while Rakepick could have some idea to disable the Ministry's security and infiltrate the building undetected," I countered firmly. "Yes, it would mean my parents would be mad at me, but I have to do this for the ultimate greater good."
"And if you're caught?" Percy inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"All the more reason to take a risk!" Tulip said with a nod, slowly catching on with the plan. "No risk, no reward!"
"Wait, wait. Tulip, don't your parents work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Percy asked Tulip then. "You break the rules despite your parents working for that Department?"
Tulip gave Percy an incredulous look and began laughing so loud, I thought Madam Pince would dash over on hot heels to shush us indefinitely.
"Oh, you naive child," Tulip said with a shake of her head. "I break the rules because my parents work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Percy, I'm not asking you to actually come with me to the Ministry if I do decide to break in one day just to get the artefacts," I told Percy then. "But I know you want to work there in the future, so I could really use the knowledge of it. I've never been inside the Ministry despite my parents working there starting last year, anyway."
Percy glanced at both me and Tulip rather incredulously for a few seconds before heaving his own sigh of defeat. "Fine. For the record, I still think this plan is wrong and a total violation of the rules, but you helped find Fred and George when they went missing without asking any questions, so..." He clenched his fist and nodded. "Let's just do this before I come to my senses."
And so they gave me the low-down of the Ministry's interior. I knew of the hidden entrances to hide prying eyes from Muggles, as my parents told me, but I was not prepared to hear that it was located underground in London. Not to mention the fact that there was a department on every floor, accessible by a lift except for the tenth floor--well, I could only imagine the environment my parents worked in every day. I was surprised Tulip had been to the Ministry a few times with her parents back in the day, knowing how much she doesn't like the prospect of being with her parents who were so firm on keeping everything in line. Still, they both gave me enough information for me to figure out the general layout.
"Oh wow," I eventually remarked. "The Ministry seems much more complex and intimidating than I thought. Seems like this infiltration plan of mine provides more problems than I thought--getting in would be hard, and even if I do get in, it'll be hard to find the artefacts, let alone access them." I sighed and closed my Transfiguration book. "I could ask my parents, but I have to keep Jacob's word. I can't let them know why I'm doing this."
"I'd ask my parents, but they don't want me to have anything to do with you," Tulip added dejectedly. "They think you're a troublemaker. I think that's your best quality."
Talk about strict parents, I thought. Perhaps they'd need a lesson or two from my mother about what makes proper parenthood for both themselves and their children.
"And my dad gets in enough trouble at his job as it is," Percy said. "I don't want to give them a reason to sack him."
No connections on the inside to help? This plan was in much worse shape than I thought.
"I think I know of one other person who works at the Ministry who might be able to help," Tulip finally said, pulling out her quill and a piece of parchment from her own bag. "Remember Chester Davies? He helped you with the frog choir auditions."
"You mean the old Ravenclaw prefect? Yeah, I remember," I recalled. "You sure he could help? I don't think he knows me or remembers me much."
"I'm sure. He'll have to see it's for our good," Tulip assured me firmly. "For those who have a future in the wizarding workforce...they have to overcome these problems at school before anything else."
Percy could only throw an exasperated look as he left us, and the scratching of Tulip's quill on parchment did little to ease my conscience fully. Even with this possibility, the plan could still fail.
Yet I knew it was far too late to obey my brother's words.
My head jerked up suddenly as I heard Professor Snape’s voice addressing me for the third time this week in Potions. Around me, I could see a few of my classmates snickering, Eunice and Travis among them, and a flush of heat rose to my cheeks in embarrassment.
“Sorry, sir.” I took a shaky breath and sat up straighter, holding my quill at the ready over my parchment.
Professor Snape clicked his tongue disapprovingly at the sight. “Then tell me, how many times are you to stir the Herbicide Potion, and in which direction?”
“Seven times counterclockwise, sir.”
Instantly, the snickering stopped, replaced by disbelieving glares. Professor Snape simply nodded at my response. “Correct. Ten points to Hufflepuff.”
Despite the praise I got for actually studying, I still couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. It had been a few days since Clara and I spoke last, and from what I heard from her friends, she was still trying to locate the source of the White Quill that threatened the life of one of her friends. I knew she had every reason to worry even more now, but I wish she knew how much the threat unsettled me too--and yet when I brought it up both of my siblings shot me down.
Did either of my siblings know the meaning of “normal”? I wouldn’t consider being bullied normal. I wouldn’t consider walking in the midst of a curse running rampant normal. As much as I would have loved to forget it, it’s hard to. I caught Hillary and Dawn both looking at me in concern, and I shook my head fervently. Now wasn’t the time to show any vulnerability.
After what felt like an eternity, the bell finally rang signalling the end of the double Potions period--and the end of classes for the day. I was quick to pack my things and fill a sample of the potion with a spare flask Hillary lent me, and just as I was bringing the sample up to the front Professor Snape stopped me.
“You must understand that worrying over your siblings is not the best thing to do right now,” he simply murmured to me once everyone was out of earshot. “Professor Dumbledore would be sure to catch every whiff of trouble before you could say ‘balderdash’.”
I glanced up at Professor Snape now, at his steely black eyes staring intently into my gaze, and frowned. “I know all the professors warn us constantly about this, but what good would sitting back be if there’s nothing done about the situation?”
Before Professor Snape could answer, I put the flask down and walked out of the classroom, head bowed and gaze fixed on my shoes. Not to my surprise, Dawn and Hillary were both waiting for me in the halls, looking at me anxiously as I arrived.
“Em, you’ve been zoning out a lot recently,” Dawn told me gently as we both headed up to the Great Hall for dinner. “What’s going on?”
“Honestly, if Professor Snape cornered me after Potions like that, I’d freak,” Hillary murmured as we all headed to the Hufflepuff table (I caught Travis shooting us a nasty glare from the Slytherin table) and set our things down. “And him being my Head of House does not make me feel any better.”
“He just warned me not to worry about my siblings,” I told them, grabbing a nearby grilled cheese sandwich. “But how could I not worry about them when they’ve literally been through hell and back? I worry for what’s to come, and even more worried about what they have yet to endure. And i want to do something to help, because I can’t help but feel like breaking the statue curse is my responsibility too.”
“Well you should keep in mind that Professor Snape did know your siblings well, right, since they’ve been under his tutelage for a few years more,” Dawn said as she took a bite out of her corned beef sandwich. “At least well enough to know that they still hunted for the Vaults with or without Rakepick--”
“--so what? I should just--leave them alone?”
“Now, really! Is that what a Hufflepuff like you should be thinking?”
Dawn’s mouth suddenly opened in a scream and she almost fell off the bench at the sight of two ghosts approaching us at the table, though she did kick the table and knock over her pumpkin juice in her shock. Hillary dropped her sandwich immediately and picked up her napkin, spreading it over the spilled juice to stop it from dripping over the edge of the table. I squinted my eyes at the sight of them--one rather plump and the other dressed in noble medieval garb--and frowned again. “Who are--”
“Ah, you must be the youngest Lin to grace the halls of this magnificent school!” the one dressed in noble medieval garb greeted me with a deep bow. “Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington here at your service--I am your brother and sister’s house patron ghost, you know.”
“You know my siblings?” I asked him, lowering my sandwich to my plate.
“Of course! I once helped your older sister, Clara, understand the fuller meaning behind the Cursed Vaults at Hogwarts,” Sir Nicholas said then. “And we’ve been on such a grand adventure together!”
“But who’s the other one with you?” Hillary asked. “Not to be rude, but I’ve never realized we had house patron ghosts here.”
“A Slytherin, aren’t you?” the plump one addressed my friend now with a cheery grin. “I suppose you have yet to meet the Bloody Baron, then. Not a pleasant one, I’ll tell you. I’m Hufflepuff’s patron ghost, the Fat Friar.”
“And a real jolly helpful soul he is!” Sir Nicholas chimed in with a chuckle.
I nodded at the two of them, taking another cautious bite out of my grilled cheese sandwich. “It’s really nice to meet you both. Now that I think about it, Clara’s actually told me a little bit about you--I just didn’t realize till now. I’ve just never seen you around before.”
“Is there something troubling you, my dear?” the Fat Friar asked me then. “I recognize that long frown anywhere. Poor Penny Haywood was wearing that same expression just last year when her little sister was trapped in a portrait.”
“It’s about...both my siblings, actually,” I admitted. “I’m worried that with the statue curse going around and threats circulating them, they’ll be in greater stress than ever. They don’t want me to help, though! I get that neither of them never really had a ‘normal school year’, and I know Clara’s keen on wanting to protect me, but it’s hard to ignore the statue curse at all when we know any one of us could be hit next! I want to help! Why can’t they understand that?”
Now the statue curse must have been foreign to the ghosts, because then they completely stilled in shock, mouths gaping slightly. How could it still be news, though? Student gossip was quick to get around--so Penny constantly reminded me. Then again, in his time at Hogwarts Jacob didn’t witness the statue curse at all. If this was the only curse that didn’t repeat itself in the few years Hogwarts had been afflicted by curses, then this would be a hard nut for even the wisest sage to crack. And not even a ghost who had drifted through the walls for the last 500 years or so would be able to offer any advice on this if it wasn’t seen or heard of.
“A statue curse?” Sir Nicholas inquired quietly. “This is a new revelation indeed--and not a good one.”
“I can’t imagine! Students trapped in a shell of stone--the poor dears,” the Fat Friar agreed. “But as for the youngest Lin and the trouble with her siblings...you must do whatever it takes to help them in their cause whether they like it or not.”
“But--”
“Emily, think about one thing that will make you happy,” Sir Nicholas told me then. “What is it that you most want to see?”
“I just want to see my family come back together,” I said. “No more fights, no more arguments that shake the whole world.”
“Then do what you can to get to that goal.”
“Even if it bugs them?”
I didn’t have to see their nods to know what the answer would be.
“Wotcher, Em!”
There came a light thud on my right hip, and I looked up to see Tonks sliding in on the bench beside me, a huge grin on her face.
“Hey, Tonks. What’s up?” I asked. “Wait no, don’t tell me. The candles floating above us?”
“Blimey, you got yourself a good sense of humour yourself!” Tonks praised me with a gentle pat on the back. “No, your sister’s actually asked me to help her with finding an eagle owl that might be associated with R or Rakepick. I just came back from seeing Ben acting like a madman.”
“At least now you’ve seen it firsthand,” I said then, passing her an egg salad sandwich. “Ben’s become more than interesting. I can’t imagine that he used to be scared of everything.”
“Fear is supposed to be healthy, though, isn’t it?” Dawn asked, finally having recovered from her earlier fright with the ghosts and pouring herself another glass of pumpkin juice. “It alerts you to safety the minute you see something frightening.”
“Yes. But Ben seems to think it’s hindering his growth,” I told her. “Anyway, did you find anything about the owl, Tonks?”
“No. We’ve been all over Hogsmeade and then got the tip to Knockturn Alley. But then we got another tip that Rakepick was after her Dark Artefacts--she apparently needs them to open the next Cursed Vault.”
First a message threatening the life of one of my sister’s friends--in Chinese, no less--and then a long search for an owl; now we had to look for Dark Artefacts? Is R planning on leading them through a wild goose chase?
“I just hope she doesn’t lose sight of the ultimate goal in all of this,” I eventually said, finishing off my sandwich.
Perhaps they didn’t want me to succumb to the aftermath of danger, but in a time like this where they could potentially lose their heads, I knew I had to do something to help.
At this point, the tug on both sides of the rope had become so unbearably strong that it’s taking all my will not to snap.
I had a responsibility at the school. I remembered the promise I made to my parents all too well before the start of the year--to protect my sister--and I wanted nothing more than to carry it out amidst my own pressures as a student. But I didn’t expect to see Jacob so soon after our last reunion, and the fact that he was leaving me out of whatever he planned to do to put this battle to rest only frustrated me more. After he departed from his room, no doubt wanting to get off school grounds before Apparating away, I couldn’t help but wonder what even was the right thing to do--chase after my brother and aid him in his cause behind the front lines, or do nothing and ensure my sister doesn’t get into trouble.
She was too young. To shoulder all my worries and burdens was one thing, but to put herself at risk when she’s only just begun to learn how to use a wand…
If I lost either of them, I would never forgive myself.
Beatrice’s talk before I went to see Jacob didn’t help with matters either. If Jacob needed space, he’s already got plenty of it after our last reunion. Was two months not enough time to give him the space he needed to think things through? Seeing him like this now, so brusque and stern--did his time in the Vault do this to him? Or was it from the fact that I was once Rakepick’s apprentice like him? Did he not know that I wanted to get my revenge the same way he wanted to?
Maybe the damage Rakepick left behind was much worse than I thought.
“So...you came to me for what reason, exactly?” Talbott asked me, plucking a stray brown speckled feather from his robes and thrusting it to the stone floor of the owlery. “I’ll say I was surprised you remembered I spend a lot of my time up here--”
“--to get away from social pressure. Yeah,” I finished for him with a nod. “Of course I remember--we’re friends, after all. Though I’m not sure how you get used to the smell.”
“You think it’s odd I spend time here?”
“No. I understand why you hang out here,” I responded. “If we look past the skeletons of the poor rodents serving as the owls’ dinner,” I added with a laugh.
Talbott laughed along as well, his voice jovial for a moment before it sank back to its usual dulcet tones. “I guess you and I are a lot more alike than I thought,” he eventually remarked. “Anyway, I suppose you’re not here to get another gift for the Centaurs, right?”
“I managed to appease them just well enough,” I reassured him with a grin. “The lavender you and Professor Sprout gave me definitely made them happy. No, it’s about something a bit more...sinister.”
“Sinister as in...Cursed Vaults sinister?” Talbott guessed.
“Yes,” I automatically replied. “Rakepick’s Niffler, Sickleworth, came running in the school with a White Quill in his mouth--and when I caught up with him, he was with my brother. We discovered that the quill was a Transfigured message, written in Chinese, threatening to kill one of my friends by the end of the year.”
Talbott’s scarlet eyes darted about for a bit as he pondered over this. Then: “I don’t know what’s more surprising, the fact that you can read Chinese or the fact that we’re even friends in the first place. This is making me seriously reconsider our friendship.”
“Talbott, this is serious,” I said, folding my arms indignantly. “Finding the source of the quill will help me find a lead on the one responsible for this. Then again--didn’t you mention that Rakepick had an eagle owl or something?”
“Yes. I used that owl to send a message to Merula a while ago,” Talbott recalled as well, his face scrunched up at the memory. “Which reminds me--I actually saw the owl again not too long ago! It was flying towards the Forbidden Forest.”
“And if that’s where the White Quill came from, then we must have our culprit.” I snapped my fingers, grinning at the sight of this new lead. “Brilliant.”
I started to make my way out of the owlery, but then I turned back to glance at Talbott smiling expectantly. “What, you only said that so I could leave this place to yourself, huh?”
“It’s a plus,” Talbott admitted with a shrug. “But I do want to help you. I thought you’d know that much.”
“Suppose I do now. Thanks.”
---
Talbott and I may not have started our friendship off on the right foot, but over the years we’ve grown to trust each other, especially after an episode where I helped him look for his mother’s necklace at a time when things looked dark for him. One of the things I would never forget is how he helped me become an Animagus, even if we hadn’t known each other for long--and so I shifted into my tabby cat form as I walked further away from the sunshine, back into the desolate darkness of the Forbidden Forest on quiet pawsteps and an inhuman stealth.
As I turned into the Forest Grove, I caught sight of Liz and Chiara, along with the little werewolf cub Borf, cooing at a white eagle owl roosting on Liz’s arm. Not just any white eagle owl--it had to be her white eagle owl.
There it is! I thought to myself. The white eagle owl Talbott mentioned--it had to be!
Barely had I begun to prepare myself for the pounce when the owl got spooked by the change in wind, spread its feathers, and flew away into the branches high above. The sudden departure caused Liz and Chiara to look at me--an unassuming little cat--and exchange a look of disdain.
“A cat?” Chiara asked. “But...what would a cat be doing here?”
“It’s me,” I said after changing back to my original human form. “Sorry--”
“You’re an Animagus?” Liz interrupted me then, tilting her head in intrigue. “I had no idea!”
“Yeah well...it’s not something I boast about openly to anyone,” I admitted. Tendrils of doubt crept into my chest as I recalled the day I transformed in front of Rakepick, however. What would she do with the knowledge that I’m an Animagus? “Anyway, about the owl that was just here--did either of you know her?”
To my disappointment, both girls shook their heads.
“I do take care of her and feed her from time to time,” Liz told me. “I even called her Artemis. It might not be her name, but...seems fitting.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Why do you want to know about that, though? We barely had the time to catch up, and now you seem interested in the owl more than us,” Liz suddenly said.
“Well, long story short, I just got spooked by a White Quill delivered to me reminding me of the threat that would take a friend’s life,” I told them.
“Wait, what? First we get petrified students, and now this?!” Chiara exclaimed. “No wonder you’ve been so busy.”
Liz nodded thoughtfully as well. “Bill told us that as well last year, after you all returned from the last Cursed Vault. He said Rakepick made mention of that same threat, to kill one of your friends--do you think Rakepick is the one who sent that threat?”
Even if Rakepick was a minor player in the cabal, I wouldn’t deny that her powers and abilities made her an instrumental component--vital, so to speak. If this note was sent on behalf of R, then there’s no reason to doubt that it must have been her to send it. Her direct ties to R could not be overlooked. It was the one thing that, even to this day, I couldn’t wrap my head around. Knowing that she was backstabbing us the whole time kept me up almost every night last summer.
“I hate to admit it, but I think it is Rakepick who sent that quill to me,” I responded. “Like you said, she did issue that threat before.”
The words hung like a cold heavy veil over the mist that snaked around our ankles. Chiara nodded in defeat and sighed. “I’ve always tried to see the best in people...but Rakepick makes it hard.”
“A witch like that does not deserve a Niffler like Sickleworth,” Liz added indignantly.
“Grrrrr,” Borf agreed, his usual happy disposition now replaced with one of muted anger and loathing.
“I recalled Talbott saying he used Rakepick’s owl at one point to deliver a message to Merula at one point,” I told them then. “I’m just not sure if Artemis is Rakepick’s owl, or the source of the White Quill. That’s why I had to track it down.”
“It’s fine.” Liz nodded and sat me down on the ground. “Why don’t we play with Borf a bit and I’ll tell you what I know so far.”
It sounded like a better deal than nothing. Besides, I could use the break.
So as Borf frolicked around us, Liz told me about how she found Artemis and took to caring for her. Apparently she was first spotted at the Hogsmeade Train Station, and smelled a little bit like a goat. She didn’t look well-cared for, so she took her under her wing--not literally--and the owl continued to drop by once in a while. All the while I continued to pet Borf, and the stress and tension from the immediate issue at hand seemed like a world away. The here and now was comforting with Borf’s puppy eyes shining at us, but even the present wouldn’t last long. One fleeting moment, gone forever with the next second that replaced it.
I knew I didn’t have all the time in the world to play with Borf and forget all my troubles, as much as I had wanted to.
“It somehow seems like a lot of birds love to congregate at the Hogsmeade Train Station,” Liz said then as Chiara scooped Borf up into her arms. “Perhaps it’s the ample shade.”
“It’s a good lead,” I said finally, standing up to relieve the cramp in my knees. “Then the train station is where I’ll head next.”
“Wait, Clara.” Chiara looked over at me with concern glinting in her eyes. “Given the threatening message you found, it’s not safe for you to be outside of Hogwarts on your own. Do you want us to come with you?”
As much as I wanted my friends by my side, I knew that it wouldn’t be safe. Anywhere they were wasn’t safe for them.
“I appreciate your concerns, but it’s probably best if you both stayed close to the castle,” I told her. “You can both keep an eye out for Artemis if she comes back.”
“Borf!”
The little werewolf pup in Chiara’s arms gave a bark in protest, and I laughed, ruffling its head affectionately.
“I wouldn’t leave you out for the world, Borf,” I promised.
“Still, it’s not safe for you to go to the Hogsmeade train station alone,” Liz said.
“No worries. There’s one person I know who’ll be more than willing to help,” I assured them.
I just hope that with all that’s been going on, she’s still willing to lend a helping hand. I’d need it from her more than ever now--I just hope she’d be enough to provide the distraction I needed.
Hearing Beatrice scream about the onset of the curse all those weeks ago was enough for me. I didn't want to see what the curse looked like at all, let alone go anywhere near it, but the pain in my arm decided to protest otherwise and by this point the agony was unbearable. The entire time we walked to the hospital wing, Diego's arm never left my shoulders. His face morphed into one of concern, his expression guarded, and I couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into him now that made him want to look out for me.
Not even his presence prepared me for the statues that were laying on two of the beds in the ward, along with the sights of Professors Dumbledore and Snape and Madam Pomfrey crowding around one of them, whispering in low voices. Just a simple glimpse of the stone that encased their flesh was enough to make me want to scream, the terror gripping at my throat to choking point. Their eyes, wide in shock and terror, would never blink again. Their hands, lifted to the heavens for help, would never feel anything, hold onto anything, until the worst of the rampage comes to pass.
No one would ever hear their last scream.
"So. You're here to investigate the curse, too?"
I haven't heard Ben's voice in a long time, but it wasn't one I would forget so easily. I quickly turned around now to see him approach me and Diego, his face looking rather sour as he stared me down.
"No, Ben. As a matter of fact, I'm here to see Madam Pomfrey so I could get something for my elbow," I decided to tell him.
"Don't you already have it immobilized and placed in the cast? Though if you ask me, the person who did it must have done quite the sloppy job."
"Look, I'm here for my reasons, alright? I didn't want to see this," I snapped, gesturing to the statues. "And I didn't want to talk to you."
"Shame. I would have liked to talk with you further, actually," Ben said then, folding his arms. "Then again, I do have other witches and wizards to interrogate in Knockturn Alley. I was actually in the midst of talking with one certain Dark witch with five teeth and demanding her for Rakepick's whereabouts when your sister decided to step in with an owl and asked me to come back to Hogwarts due to an emergency."
I should have known Ben would continue to sneak about Knockturn Alley after my sister told me of his strange behaviour the last time she caught him there. Funny how we didn't cross paths with him when Jacob showed up though. Then again, I haven't seen him since the first time we met in the Artefact Room, so I assumed he was avoiding us. Total contrary to what he's telling me now.
"Well, I'll have you know that Sickleworth has recently been spotted on Hogwarts grounds," I reported. "I suppose that's why my sister would want to get in touch with you. You know how to find him, after all."
"Me. Find Sickleworth. For you?" Ben shook his head, a scoff escaping his lips. "Last year, when Sickleworth went missing, your sister told me I was obsessed with finding him. And now you're asking me to help you search for him."
"Only because you know where he might be. You know Sickleworth best out of all of us," I snapped again. "And what is it with your attitude, anyway? If you ask me, I'd rather you go ahead and face Rakepick straight away without any preparation whatsoever. I'd like to see how that duel would go."
I wouldn't normally pose such a threat, but Ben was supposed to be one of Clara's friends. If he's acting this snarky, though, there's no way the label still applied to him.
"Aw, look at that. Little badger with a broken arm decides that I'm the one who needs help," Ben mocked with a roll of his eyes. "What is up with you, anyway? Aren't you supposed to get your nose out of this business?"
"Not if my older sister and brother are involved," I responded to him pointedly. "Besides, the victims of this curse are partly my responsibility, too."
Apparently the professors chose that moment in time to approach us, and I stood my ground, wincing slightly as Diego squeezed my shoulder and Ben stepped away from me with folded arms.
"Ah. Miss Lin, Mr Copper, and Mr Caplan," Professor Dumbledore said, a stern look on his face as he glanced at the three of us. "I hope your visit does not mean you are trying to break the Statue Curse."
I shook my head at the prospect. "No, sir. I only wanted to see Madam Pomfrey about my arm. Eunice Ahn from Slytherin fractured my elbow pushing me onto the ground earlier today."
"And we're also looking for a missing Niffler," Diego added with a nod.
"I hope so. I'm sure you three are well aware that searching for the final vault would be breaking my rules," Professor Dumbledore reminded us. "You should all spend your time in school becoming the best witches and wizards you can be, not putting yourselves in needless danger. We will take care of the Cursed Vault and Statue Curse."
"I suppose that's something you remind my sister constantly as well?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"Indeed. This curse and everything it pertains are no laughing matter," Professor Snape responded, glancing pointedly at us.
"But you haven't seen a Niffler around, have you?" Ben asked.
Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Mr Copper. Rest assured that if we do see one, we will let you know."
"Thank you." Ben nodded and shot a dirty glare at me--an expression that looked strange on a face that once projected so much fear.
Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey came around and took a careful look at my elbow in the makeshift cast. "Oh, dear," she murmured. "This looks very serious. I'll see if I can find a Wiggenweld potion for that...might have to use Episkey if it comes down to it, too. Just sit tight, Miss Lin."
"Did you really have to do that?" I hissed at Ben. "You're not the Sickleworth compass, okay?"
"I know." Ben shrugged and folded his arms, his eyes briefly trained on Madam Pomfrey sorting through her various medicines in her cabinet. "I was asking on your behalf, and clearly he's not here."
"You don't seem so eager to look for him anyway," Diego noted, glancing from me to Ben. "So why are you still hanging around here?"
"I thought it'd be a good chance to study the Statue Curse up close," Ben responded, his gaze shifted to Diego. "You see, I've been thinking of becoming a Curse-Breaker when I graduate."
Now my jaw dropped to the ground at this piece of news before it was closed again by Madam Pomfrey tipping the goblet of Wiggenweld Potion into my mouth. The slimy liquid almost caught in my throat, and I choked slightly at the foreign taste before swallowing the rest of it down.
"Well, it would seem you are...interested," Diego spoke for me, his face scrunched up in thought.
But I shook my head, wiping my mouth to recover from the coughing fit. "No, Ben. I don't think it's safe. Who knows what would happen when people see you as a Curse-Breaker? They'd want your service everywhere, and you know it's not always for the greater good."
"Should have known you'd oppose," Ben said, scoffing at me. "If it were your sister I'm sure she'd think differently."
I sighed as I finished the rest of the potion in the goblet, and Madam Pomfrey quickly sped up the healing process with Episkey. As I turned to leave, though, I saw Sickleworth shoot past out of the corner of my eye, the white feather still wedged in his mouth.
"Sickleworth!" I whispered, taking my wand out just as the Niffler darted away. "Oh, come on!"
Ignoring the dull throbbing in my elbow, I quickly burst out of the Hospital Wing and sprinted down the corridors, the same way I did my sister heading to Knockturn Alley--and just in time, I saw it disappear down a corridor I have never seen before.
Huh. I peered into the dark corridor, but there was nothing there--nothing that screamed immediate danger. Still, I didn't feel safe. The last thing I wanted was to be the victim of either a dark unforgivable spell or disastrous prank.
That was when I heard a distant crash, and the sound of tinkling glass skidding across the stone floor immediately caught my attention.
I should have expected a Niffler to cause a wreck with its presence, working with the enemy or not.
"Lumos," I murmured, setting my wand alight as I held it up like a torch. The brilliant beam of light stretched on for miles in the dim hallway, landing over the benches and books and gleaming stained glass windows that decorated the corridor walls. On silent tiptoe I crept through the dark, and just as I shone my light through a door open ajar, I swore I heard someone shout and yank me right through the door, a firm grip over my shoulder.
"Oi!" I exclaimed quietly, whirling around to confront my captor...only to find that it was Jacob who had grabbed me. Still, my face didn't exactly soften at the somewhat familiar face.
"You shouldn't be creeping around like this when you know you could be in danger!" Jacob hissed. "What were you expecting, little Em? Rakepick?"
"Jacob, I--I was just following Sickleworth..." I faltered at his stern expression, not at all like the softer expression he had in Knockturn Alley the last time we met.
"Without a clue where he could have been going?" Jacob asked. "Merlin's Beard, Pipsqueak! If he actually lead you to Rakepick, you know R would have a field day planning on how to kill you, Merula, and our sister all in one."
"I'm not all that helpless, Jacob," I reminded him. "Just because I have a fractured elbow doesn't mean that I can't put up a good fight. I've had friends who helped me learn a few advanced spells, and one of Clara's friends actually brought me to the Duelling Club once to help me hone combative magic."
"Still, you have to be extremely careful. Imagine what would happen if either of our parents learn that all three of her children have become reckless and--"
"What's happening in here?"
Crud. Clara somehow came along with a very concerned expression on her face. Jacob and I immediately turned as she came into the room, her eyes fixed on Sickleworth.
"Did Sickleworth lead you here, Em?" she asked me.
"Yeah." I nodded slowly and sighed. "I'm sorry, alright? I should have at least called for you or someone before even going down this corridor leading me to whatever this room is."
"It's my old research room," Jacob told me. "You can see all the old research I did on the Cursed Vaults here." He gestured then to the bulletin boards covered with pictures and red yarn, his desk piling with notebooks and samples of things he found at different sites.
"What are you even doing here, anyway?" Clara asked him. "How could you not tell either of us you were in Hogwarts again? Why didn't you come to see either of us if you had to step into Hogwarts at all?"
Jacob heaved a sigh and looked over at Clara. "I only meant to get in, grab a few things to help me find Rakepick, and get right back on her trail. But then Sickleworth showed up with a White Quill and--"
"Wait." Clara pointed a finger between Jacob and the little Niffler. "You know Sickleworth?"
"And what's a White Quill?" I asked. "I thought R communicated using Black Quills."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Jacob answered. "I don't have all the answers either, but I'll tell you what I do know."
I was surprised this quill was white, after all. R used to leave Transfigured messages in Black Quills--that was where, supposedly, Clara got information about R's intentions to infiltrate the school with all these Curses. Their tampering with the Cursed Vaults lead to endangering most of the student population. If Jacob assumed they, too, contained secret messages, then it's about time I started freaking out. After all Clara's trying to do to ensure that I wasn't getting carried away in danger, here I was getting involved, and it could potentially end up with me dead or worse.
Eventually, Clara Untransfigured the quill with a quick flick of her wand, and as she picked up the parchment I swore I saw a couple of Chinese characters marked across the page in black ink. I didn't get to read all of it though, but the expression on Clara's face, now morphed into fear, said it all.
您仍然欠我们一个朋友的生命，我们打算收集。
"What does it say?" Jacob asked.
Clara's hands trembled as she gripped tightly onto the paper, the corners quivering with her fear. "You still owe us a friend's life, and we intend to collect," she translated quietly.
"No." I shook my head in disbelief. "No, it can't be."
"What can't be?" Jacob asked me. "What's going on?"
"Jacob, this message is for me," Clara told him. "Last year, an unknown messenger in a red hood gave me a warning that one of my friends would die at the end of the year. We managed to foil their attempts, but it seems like they haven't given up."
I gently took the parchment from Clara and glanced at the words myself, at the characters etched in the paper spelling out the warning she never thought she'd receive again. I couldn't imagine what life would be like without a friend walking beside you in this world, lost to a casualty that was entirely preventable.
"But who could have sent this to us?" I asked, placing the paper down. "And how did Sickleworth get a hold of this White Quill?"
"He must be delivering messages for R," Jacob said. "So if I follow Sickleworth, he might eventually lead me to Rakepick. Of course."
"Then let me come," Clara decided.
"No."
"What--why?! Why won't you let me help you?! We'd make a great team!" Clara exclaimed. "When we reunited in the buried vault, it was like nothing had changed."
"I can't risk putting either of you in danger!" Jacob fired back. "It was enough when I heard that an assassin is after you, but now that little Em's at Hogwarts...if they find out anything about her, I don't know what I'd do to help you. I've done enough damage to this family already! And if anything happened to both of you, I..."
Served him right for leaving us, then. He left our parents arguing for ages with me relying on lies like security blankets to retain my sanity. It was already enough for me to contemplate on the initial happiness I felt followed by all the mixed emotions of fear and guilt and anger...and the fact that he actually admitted that he did all this to us made me feel even worse for him. I wasn't even sure what to feel anymore.
"I understand, but I can't just sit here and do nothing," Clara said with a shake of her head. "You can follow Sickleworth. I'll try tracking down the white owl that the White Quill's feather came from--and don't talk me out of it. I've made up my mind."
"And what about me?" I asked, folding my arms. "You're just going to leave me alone?"
"You need to have one normal year at Hogwarts," Jacob said firmly to me. "It may seem like your responsibility, Pipsqueak, but we've got enough going on as it is. We don't want the Cursed Vaults to affect all of us. At least promise me you'll have one normal year at school, with good friends and a bright future."
"That's what Dumbledore said to me in the Hospital Wing," I recalled. "But if there's anything I can do...just let me do it. I want to help you too."
For a second, Jacob looked like he was going to argue. Then he sighed, nodding as he looked at the both of us solemnly.
"Alright. I can't argue with the both of you, so you do what you need to," he said. "But be careful. Now more than ever, I'm sure you're being targeted..."
I should have known Sickleworth would have gone straight back to Rakepick the minute Ben left him to his own devices. How could I have thought that he'd simply roam free like most wild Nifflers would?
He was handed to Rakepick during her days at Gringotts. Of course he'd want to stay by her and await her instructions like any puppy bound to its owner would. But how could he have tracked her? Last year, Ben and I thought she abandoned him, but it turned out that Sickleworth was still resourceful in a sneaky way we never considered. So maybe she didn't abandon him after all, the same way she abandoned Jacob in the Vault. Maybe, after all this time, he was working for 'R' too.
Honestly, I couldn't believe a devious little Niffler could leave us looking like fools.
"Revelio," I murmured, waving my wand over the dry dirt path. With a small sigh like the gentle whisper of a breeze, the dust parted to reveal the hardly discernible, yet present, tracks I so desperately needed...and they seemed to lead right toward the Care of Magical Creatures paddock.
Without even bothering to look behind me to check on Diego and Em, I ran ahead in a full sprint, keeping the tracks on my right side and my wand tight in my grip. Upon arriving at the paddock, my feet screeched to a halt at the sight of Beatrice and Ismelda throwing Puffskeins through pet-sized Quidditch hoops, a heap of the fluffy little creatures by their feet.
Even if throwing the Puffskeins didn't actually hurt them, I still felt very aggravated. My fists clenched against my will, and I let a loud whoosh exit my mouth--a bit too loud, unfortunately. Instantly, Beatrice and Ismelda froze mid-throw and glanced up at me, the Puffskein landing with a dull thump on the ground in front of the hoops.
"Lin? Really?" Ismelda shot at me. "And here I thought you learned your lesson the first time."
"I'm not here to talk to Beatrice about Penny," I told them, holding my hands up in surrender. "But what are you two doing, anyway?"
"Throwing Puffskeins, obviously. Ismelda said the Puffskeins like it," Beatrice responded, throwing another Puffskein through the top-most hoop. "Plus it passes the time as we wait for Hogwarts' inevitable doom.”
Hogwarts' inevitable...oh.
"How cheery," Diego's voice scoffed from behind, and I glanced behind, slightly guilty at the fact that I had indeed left Diego and Em far behind, the latter having to cradle her broken arm close to her to prevent any further injury to it. Leave it to Eunice to further initiate the war zone that Hogwarts wasn't meant to be. I just didn't understand why so many people wanted to target her.
"Oh, you again," Beatrice suddenly said to little Em, her eyes narrowing. "You're not here to spy on me for Penny, are you?"
"Clara just said it. We're not here to talk to you about Penny, and we're certainly not here to spy on you for her," little Em shot back. "If you really must know, we're here looking for a Niffler."
"Rakepick's Niffler?" Ismelda asked her then, eyes widening. "He was just here raiding the feed bags!"
"And obnoxiously parading a white feather around," Beatrice added with a roll of her own eyes.
"Can't blame him. He must have been famished after terrorizing a first-year Slytherin earlier," I shrugged. "Must have missed him, then. It doesn't look like he's here."
Ismelda just shook her head at the three of us as she crouched down to grab another Puffskein. "Why are you interested in finding that rat, anyway?" she inquired, chucking it through the hoops and straight towards little Em, who caught it instantly with her good arm.
"I suspect Sickleworth might lead me to Rakepick," I explained simply. "Not like you'd care."
"You mean Rakepick could be lurking around here somewhere?" Beatrice asked then.
"Sounds like the inevitable doom could come sooner than I thought," Ismelda added with a sneer.
All this time, I was trying to protect my friends. All this time, I was trying to avert the "inevitable doom". Was I really trying to make this situation better, or was everyone already suffering more from my actions? Could anyone understand that everything I did was ultimately for the greater good?
Every move I made dictated what could happen in the future. Every move I made was engraved in the past, without any way of changing it.
The prophecy may still have confused me, but at least now I knew that it was coming to pass. Even if I still had yet to hear from the Centaurs about what my prophecy meant at all, I already knew that what was happening now could spell the trap I could fall into.
"Useless banter, I see," little Em finally spat, and I whirled around to see her face morph into that of a deep anger I have never seen before. "As if either of you have suffered what my sister had suffered. As if either of you had suffered what I had suffered! For years we've lived through hell--for weeks we've suffered through so much agony together! Can't you both at least be appreciative of my sister for what she's doing? Even if I don't always know what she's doing, I know that she's trying to help ease the situation."
"And what about you? Just standing by while others injure you and your pride?" Beatrice demanded. "Don't be dumb, little Em Lin. I've seen your broken nose incident. I could have broken it again in the Artefact Room. Heck, I could break it right now while I could."
"Can you leave me alone? I'm just a kid!" little Em screamed. "And so what? You're just going to let the fact that I have a fractured elbow make you feel much more superior? Your word on Hogwarts' inevitable doom would never come to pass. I believe in my sister more than anything."
"Shut up with your useless talk, little Lin," Ismelda finally said. "If you don't have any other important stuff to say, leave. Beatrice and I have some Puffskeins to throw."
Hence, after a short glare shot at us, they resumed their dawdling over the school's inevitable doom.
Idiots, I couldn't help but think. They're just idiots, lording over everyone else with the mere thought of the school being in deep trouble whilst they waited it out like tyrants planning to overthrow a kingdom. And to have it start by torturing Puffskeins...I gently scooped up a few of them and brought them away to a safe corner, away from Beatrice and Ismelda. None of these little cuties had to withstand this kind of agony.
"Looks like we're hitting a dead end right now," Diego said to me with a shake of his head, spilling a couple more Puffskeins onto the ground.. "If they don't know where Sickleworth went, then who would?"
"It shouldn't be hard to find clues," I said. "If he was here raiding the feed bags, then he might have left another trail with them."
Little Em nodded in agreement, her eyes softening considerably now after that little spat with Beatrice. "We'll have to be fast about it, too," she simply murmured. "With an injury like this, I might need to visit the hospital wing soon."
So the three of us headed into the little shed and quickly went through the feed bags together, rummaging through all the tools as well that we'd normally look through during class to take care of various creatures. As we did, I couldn't help but glance over at Diego and Em--at one point, I thought I saw Diego grasp onto little Em's hand and look at her in the eye. Something told me that they must have grown very close, but how, and when?
I didn't hold anything against Diego--we didn't know each other long, either--but the fact that he and my little sister actually grew close in such a short time...
Was there something going on between them?
"Guys, I found a trail of feed going back to the castle!" little Em finally announced, throwing away the ripped burlap sack she was holding and gesturing for us to follow. Indeed, she was right, and I soon saw the little fine grains of feed creating a little path out of the paddock. "If we follow that trail, it could lead us to the Niffler."
"And Rakepick," I added under my breath.
"Em, I think you'd better see Madam Pomfrey about your arm," Diego said, glancing over at little Em who still cradled her elbow close to her, the other hand holding onto the Puffskein Ismelda threw at her. "I had no idea a powerful Knockback Jinx could actually cause such an injury."
"Me neither," I said with a nod. "That just makes Merula's bullying look like child's play."
"Maybe because Eunice is vying for the title more than Merula. Who knows? Or she's just trying to be her own kind of terrifying, too," little Em said with a sigh, wincing again at the pain. "I hope she doesn't want me dead by the end of the year."
How similar they sounded to the thoughts I once had with Merula in my first year.
"Don't worry. I'll continue looking for Sickleworth," I reassured her. "You need to get some help about your arm."
"But Clara--"
"Em, it’s okay. I can handle this. I'll catch up."
Without another word, little Em and Diego went back to the castle, and as they turned the corner I swore I saw Diego wrap an arm around her protectively. I didn't want to ditch my sister's help this early on, but she needed help more than I do, and I wasn't a skilled Healer. But something in the way Diego was acting toward my sister, almost as if he was her bodyguard...or--
"I'll come with you, Clara."
I turned around to see Beatrice approach me now, sweeping her blonde hair out of her eyes with her hand.
"You're going to leave Ismelda here to wait out Hogwarts' impending doom?" I asked her skeptically. "Besides, I thought you told my sister to tell me not to get involved with your business."
"You and my sister. But I suppose since you're the only hope for the school..." Beatrice sighed and folded her arms in a manner almost akin to Merula. "Might as well see what we're getting ourselves into. If Rakepick's plotting something, I want to know--if only to rub it in to Penny that this school can't protect us."
If I had to be honest, Beatrice was the last person I wanted to get involved with anything Cursed Vault related considering how the last curse affected her to the point where she lost her old self. Well, everyone's lost their old selves now. I'd say we've all changed in some way or other with all that happened last year. But when the change came with a lifetime guarantee of pessimism and neglect, that's when we know just how permanent the aftermath of what caused the change could be, and no amount of therapy could help.
Perhaps in a way, I was thinking like Merula, too. With a bond severed like that, there was no way to tie them back together, because even if we did, the slit will always be there.
It was too late to talk Beatrice out of that mindset, though, as she dragged me back to the castle, a strong grip over my left forearm, the trail of feed at our feet.
If there was already so much gossip surrounding my family and the Cursed Vaults, I could only imagine just how much gossip would circulate the moment Harry Potter steps into Hogwarts. Anyone would want to flock around The Boy Who Lived, after all--it was hard to imagine that he survived an Unforgivable Curse that anyone else in his position would immediately succumb to. Could anyone really consider themselves to be popular after such misfortune that struck them, though? Surely they'd consider themselves just to be lucky--and by lucky, I did mean lucky enough to have escaped the misfortune almost completely unscathed. There wasn't anything special about the hell they went through.
Honestly, I'd just be lucky if I could escape the gossip about me almost completely unscathed.
But with Cedric, things were different. Somehow, he had gained the favour of almost everyone in the school, including many of Clara's friends. No one was fawning over him because he suffered some sort of similar hell we went through--in fact, they doted on him for his handsomeness and his humbleness and talent. At least, that was what I could gather from just seeing Cedric every day in class. He was in my year and in my house, after all--and I supported that. I supported him. After all the adventures Clara told me about, where his father was involved, I knew he was a good kid just trying to uphold a good reputation.
That was all, was it? And yet somehow everyone seemed to find it amusing and cool.
So it wasn't a surprise when I arrived at the courtyard about a day after the search for Jacob Lin to find Clara immersed in the throng of students crowded around Cedric. Maybe Merula was right after all--Cedric had indeed become the new talk of Hogwarts. Yet I didn't consider myself to be popular. I never had anyone's favour with me, save for a couple people who actually believed in me. Other times, people just bullied the hell out of me in hopes that they'd get rid of me.
Considering that I was still alive and intact and as well as I could be after just a few weeks, I'd say my time at Hogwarts so far wasn't a complete disaster. But alas, not everything could retain its supposed normalcy.
"Well, well, look who it is. Baby Cursed Vaults Kid and the serpentine traitor," I heard Eunice drawl from behind me, and I whirled around to see her smirking knowingly at me and Hillary, an evil glint in her eye.
"Can you please leave us alone? We just want a peaceful talk," Hillary hissed at her.
"Shut it, Redstone. It's embarrassing enough to see you hanging around with one of their lot. Besides, what happened to that Haywood girl, Lin? Can't find it in you to convert her back to the good side?" Eunice asked mockingly.
"She made it very clear she did not want to be converted. So what? You can't stand Hillary being with me, yet you're okay with Beatrice being with people like you?" I shot back, trying my hardest to keep myself levelheaded. "Why don't you convince Hillary to rejoin your nest of vipers? Oh, that's right. You can't."
"Don't make it all about me, Lin. Heard you found and lost your brother again just yesterday, huh? You can't seem to hold onto anyone without them slipping through your fingers like slippery soap," Eunice retorted with a shrug.
"Worked all night for that line, didn't you? That's seriously lame," Hillary snapped, drawing out her wand. "Just give up already, Eunice. If you're looking to join the snide Snyde crew, you're failing."
"Snyde? I give no shit about Snyde, whoever she is."
"You don't even know about the one who declares herself the most powerful witch at Hog--"
"Flipendo!"
The force of the Knockback Jinx, delivered so harshly and suddenly by the enemy, had me topple over with an "oomph!" to the ground, my elbow letting out a loud crack as it hit the asphalt. Agonizing pain sprung through my entire being, my nerves completely shot with numbness, my conscience barely swimming. I couldn't even push myself to my feet. It was too much for me to bear.
Somehow, I heard footsteps running by, and Cedric stepped between me and Eunice, his wand raised, his normally cheery disposition replaced with an angry glare.
"Eunice Ahn. This has to stop," Cedric said pointedly. "You cause anymore trouble to our fellow peers, you'll be talking to Professor Dumbledore before you know it. I will not tolerate this behaviour."
For a split second, I thought I saw tears brimming in Eunice's eyes, her breathing heavy as she glared down at me. Then she fixed her gaze toward Cedric, her wand pointed at him.
"I won't hesitate to hex you, Mr. Perfect," Eunice growled, teeth set in a grit like a mangy dog about to tear into a piece of meat.
At this point, everyone's wands were out, no one knowing who to hex first. As I lifted my head, I could see Diego kneeling down beside me, an arm around my back in an effort to pull me up, and I saw Clara and Penny as well with worried expressions cast in my direction. The tension that rose among everyone seemed to intensify with every second that passed, and just as Eunice opened her mouth to jinx them all, she suddenly toppled over and fell to the ground with a shriek.
Just in time, too, because Diego had lifted me up, bridal style, away from the sudden phenomenon that was a Niffler carrying a white quill in its mouth. It shot right through Eunice's legs, running round and round them in figure-eights, and just as she hit the ground it ran up her arm and shook the feather in its mouth, causing the poor Slytherin bully to sneeze.
"Immobulus!" I heard Hillary cry out, waving her wand at the Niffler--her jinx missed, however, as he shot away through the crowd, and the sparks hit Eunice instead. I couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the expression her frozen face bore, and for a split second I almost forgot about my fractured elbow until Diego set me back on my feet.
"Ferula," he murmured, bandaging my elbow with a spell and a gentle incantation. The cast immobilized my arm fairly well, and I was careful not to move my arm too much in the makeshift cast as I smiled at him in gratitude.
Cedric's eyes were ablaze as he ran over to me, Clara and Hillary following suit. "You alright, Em?" he asked me.
"Just peachy--except my elbow," I responded, wincing as pain shot through my arm. "Ow."
"I swear I'll get her one day," Hillary vowed, slamming her fist into her open palm with a cross glint in her eyes. "I don't understand how it is that she doesn't know who Merula Snyde is and yet taunt you with her old signature spell."
"Bet you five Sickles she and Travis would get together by the end of the year?" I asked.
This seemed to put a small smile on Hillary's face. "Oh, I'm sure they'll love that idea. Everyone would be avoiding the most toxic couple of the year by year's end."
Clara, in the meanwhile, kept looking at the place where the Niffler was just last seen, and her frown deepened, brows creased. "Did any of you guys see that Niffler?" she inquired the group quietly.
"Looks like Sickleworth," Charlie agreed from beside her--I had no idea he, Andre, Penny, and Barnaby were there at all until I saw them approach her. "What was that in his mouth? A white feather?"
"I don't know. As suspicious as the item he's carrying seems, we have to know what he's doing here--and why he'd try to terrorize that Slytherin bully," Clara said slowly.
"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. The bully label suits Eunice well," Hillary chipped in. "Besides, she was the one who hexed Em's broom in her first flying lesson. It takes a genius to put two and two together when intent is indirectly delivered."
"Clara's right, though. Why is Sickleworth here? Didn't Rakepick and Ben abandon him?" I asked her, turning to my sister with a raised eyebrow. "You told me he was an innocent agent in the story, Clara."
"So we thought," Clara agreed with a nod. "But if he's been meeting with Rakepick, then following him has to lead me to her!" she decided, folding her arms.
Of course Clara would think to ambush Rakepick without a second thought. After all, we were all lead to believe that Rakepick meant no harm. She had been so scared, all summer, because of that lost sense of security she thought she could retain with Rakepick. Such a devious woman deserved to be punished--but what was Clara's plan this time around to stop her? Did she even have one to begin with?
Even if she did, I wasn't going to let her do this alone--I never would want to, anyway.
"Then I'm coming with you," I said firmly. "This is my fight as much as it is yours."
"Em--but your arm--"
"It'll be fine. I've survived a broken nose, how much worse could this get?"
"I'll come too," Diego added, though his words seemed to be directed more toward me than Clara. "I've heard enough about Diggory for one day."
"You sure you don't want the Hospital Wing, Em?" Hillary asked me. "At least you'll get the treatment you need--"
"Hillary, I'll be fine. We'll work out the details on the project later," I reassured her--or at least tried to despite the quaver in my voice.
"He must have gone that way. Let's catch up to him before the trail goes cold," Clara finally decided, sprinting away after the Niffler before either of us could say a word.
Amidst a frozen bully, two worried friends, and everyone else departing quietly from the scene, I knew I didn't want to stay any longer in this scene. Without another word, I tore after Clara, Diego hot on my heels, and just as I reached the corridors I heard Eunice's enraged scream.
I was no stranger to Knockturn Alley, but I couldn't say the same about my sister.
The darkness enveloped me the further in I ran, swallowing what light streamed through the bustling friendly atmosphere of Diagon Alley until the warmth had completely leeched out of even the air around me. Wizards and witches shrouded in fabrics of pitch black, skin as gaunt and pale as a ghost's, loitered in the shadows, away from the streetlights that flickered with its dying power. As I turned a corner, eyes resting upon the storefront of Borgin and Burkes, I felt my arms tense up with the cold draft that blew past, and I shivered, goosebumps forming over my skin. Who knew that, in the span of only a few days, the place would feel like a freezer?
I quickly fished in my bag for something, anything, to wrap over myself to grant me some sort of warmth. My fingers brushed against the smooth surface of dried paint, and I instantly pulled the set of paint-splattered robes out into the open, throwing it on without a second thought. Andre suggested this to perform my chaos for Peeves in style, and it did serve a good souvenir and reminder of all that I went through to get my brother back. Handing Peeves the mischief masterpiece in exchange for the vault portrait was a major obstacle I had to leap over--needless to say, I was happy I executed it to the poltergeist's standards, but even happier that it brought me one step closer to bringing my brother home.
"Clara!"
The sound of my younger sister's voice as I slipped my left hand through the sleeve made me freeze, and I glanced up to see her jog towards me, almost tripping over the uneven cobblestone in her haste.
"Em!" I sprang forward just in time to catch her, and she fell into my arms, a heavy breath escaping our mouths simultaneously in a loud whoosh.
"So this is what Knockturn Alley looks like," Em remarked, her tone suggesting no admiration as she straightened up. "And this is why our parents didn't want us to come here."
"Sorry, Em. I just remembered last year, Duncan Ashe--"
"Hold up." Little Em slowly raised a finger toward another familiar figure, standing on the other side of the shop with her violet eyes gazing intently at the dark artefacts in the shop. "What is she doing here?"
Oh no. Somehow, without my knowing, Merula Snyde had entered Knockturn Alley as well. Last time it was Ben, and now...
I'd imagine this wouldn't be the last time I'd come here, but hopefully it would be the only time I'd be here to stop Merula from concocting whatever stupid scheme she had in mind here and return to finding Jacob.
"Merula Snyde," I eventually said, approaching her with my little sister behind me. "Fancy seeing you here at such a late hour."
"Should have known you'd come here," Merula sneered, looking up at me and little Em with a look of pure disgust on her face. "Come to take me back to Hogwarts and try to convince me that the 'kill or be killed' mindset is all but a waste of time?"
"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked her, folding my arms.
"Shopping at Borgin and Burkes. Not like it's any of your business," Merula responded. "Have you seen the cursed opal necklace in the window? It's supposedly claimed the lives of nineteen Muggle owners. It'd be perfect for Rakepick, don't you think?"
"You're right. That isn't my business to know," I retorted. "I should have known that you'll still be out here plotting to kill Rakepick."
Beside me, little Em pulled out her wand from within her robes, and she pointed it at Merula. "Don't you dare get any ideas," she warned her.
"Right. Like a little baby badger's supposed to threaten me well enough to stop me from performing the perfect payback for Rakepick," Merula said with a scoff, shaking her head. "You're both awfully quick to judge for someone who's slumming through Knockturn Alley, too."
"For a better reason than yours, I'll bet," little Em growled. "We're here to find Jacob. Clara thought he might be here, though I'm not sure why. Have you seen him?"
Just as the words left her mouth, a sudden crack pierced through the air, and I placed a hand on Em's shoulder as the person materialized in front of us, the effects of the Apparition he performed leaving him completely unfazed. His finely cropped black hair still bothered me completely to this day, but the firm expression he had on his face, the stony glint in his brown eyes, remained familiar to my memory, his long brown coat slightly dirtier now after his release from the portrait in the last vault.
"Now I have," Merula piped up meekly.
Little Em just stared in absolute shock at our older brother, who changed so much from the last time he saw either of us at home. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was agape, and she had completely lost hold of her wand, which fell to the ground with a hollow clatter. Years of absence from the family rendered him almost unrecognizable to her--and, admittedly, to me when I first saw him again after so long. She just looked at him as if he was suddenly a stranger, and for a few tense seconds, no one moved.
"Jacob." A smile slowly made its way over my face as I eventually ran forward and hugged him, just like we did when we reunited in the last vault. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you since I heard you were spotted at Hogwarts."
"It's good to see you too, Pip," Jacob said, nodding as he took a good look at me. "I'm so glad you're alright." Then his eyes landed on little Em, still trembling slightly on her feet. "And...is that our little sister? Em?"
"You've...changed so much," little Em remarked quietly. "Is that really you, Jacob?"
Jacob nodded, extending an arm to her. "Of course it's me, little Pipsqueak! I'd never forget about my youngest sister. And you've just started at Hogwarts, too!"
"Yup." Little Em's tense worried face soon melted away, and as she hugged her older brother I felt a spark of warmth tingle through my limbs, a bubble of hope rising through my being. If only our parents were here to see this family reunion. At least then they'd see that Jacob was alright, and we'd fix everything together after all.
Meanwhile, Merula looked just about ready to puke. "Ugh, come on. Anymore of this sappiness and I'll perform the Slug-Vomiting Charm on myself."
"Where have you been?" I asked Jacob then. "I haven't seen you since the Cursed Vault."
Jacob glanced up at me, though his arm was still firm around little Em. "I know, Pip. I'm sorry. But I had to try to stop Rakepick from getting away," he explained. "Besides, I knew you'd trust me to find you again, like I said I would. Along with the added bonus that is our sister," he added, smiling down at little Em who just nodded, squeezing Jacob's hand.
"I suppose all that matters is that you're here now," I said. "Which is great, because I have so many questions..."
Instantly, Jacob's face fell, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Clara. As much as I'd like to indulge you in your inquiries, we've got no time for that. Right now, we have to duel."
"Wait. Duel?" I swore I didn't hear that right. Why would my own brother want to duel me?
"This family reunion just got interesting," Merula remarked snidely, a low chuckle escaping her lips, and I made a mental note to slap her the next moment I got.
"Yes, Clara. I think an assassin is after both you and Merula," Jacob told me then. "And only you two specifically, though I'm not sure why--but there's no time to explain. You're just going to have to trust me."
Now little Em turned just as pale as one of the Knockturn Alley denizens, and she shook her head in disbelief. "Jacob, you're being serious, are you?"
"They know nothing about you, little Em, so you're safe for now," Jacob reassured her--or at least attempted to. "Or as safe as you can be. I'm doing whatever it takes to protect you and stop any assassin in case my suspicions do end up being true. But you may find yourself coming face to face with them one day, so you must be prepared. Duelling will help me make sure you are prepared, in the case that an assassin does attack."
An assassin, and a possible attack. Of course I knew that with all the events that preceded this very moment, more and more danger would continue to tumble towards me, snowballing until it reached the point where it could spin me off my feet--and not in a good way, either. At the sound of this, Little Em immediately leaned into Jacob and shook her head at me, her hand gripping tighter on his. I almost didn't even notice how she still looked like the little Em she had been even before Jacob went missing--so tiny, so helpless.
So vulnerable.
"Let an assassin try. I'm ready for them! It'll be a good warm-up for Rakepick," Merula piped up then, puffing her chest in pride. "Your sisters, on the other hand, don't understand that it's kill or be killed."
"Just because neither of us agree with your mindset does not make us weak," I shot back. "Besides, there are many ways to settle arguments. Killing doesn't have to be the only way."
Jacob shifted his weight to his other foot, and he let go of Em's hand. "As much as I hate to admit it, Merula has a point. Dark witches and wizards like Rakepick won't hesitate to hurt or kill you. You have to do whatever it takes to survive."
"Ha. Serves you right for disagreeing, Lin," Merula chipped in. "At least someone in your family has some sense."
"Wait, but--"
"Clara, we can't keep at this right now. We have to duel," Jacob interrupted me.
"Jacob, hold on just a second, alright? Everything's happening so--"
"Don't hold back. I want to see everything you've learned while at Hogwarts."
And hence, Jacob moved away, his wand at the ready. I barely got myself prepared when he shouted, "Slugulus Eructo!"
If Merula had her desires to choke up slugs, well, she'd get her wish sooner than expected had she been here in my place. The slick, slimy substance held such a vile taste as I burped up a slug, squishing it firmly under my foot, raising my wand at him. "Confringo!"
The blasting charm should have had a major dent in his stamina, yet Jacob still remained standing firm. He managed to recover in time to Disarm me, and I almost lost my wand to the gutters three feet away.
Spell after spell was cast with relentless power and force, and I felt the sweat break out on my forehead in a fine sheen, my wand arm feeling heavy after every spell. This shouldn't be different from all the other duels I've had before--with Merula, with the Troll, with Acromantulas and the Hungarian Horntail and the werewolves and even several dark wizards. Yet I knew Jacob wouldn't go easy on me. In some way or other, he did have more experience with magic. My only question, then, was when did he get his new wand?
"Episkey!" he cried next, healing himself with a wave of his wand over his head.
"Incendio!" I shouted then, watching as a jet of fire emerged from the tip of my wand.
The burns eventually did it. Jacob sighed and nodded as the flames died away, and he put his wand away, approaching me and my sister again with a nod of approval.
"Huh. I'm impressed, Clara. You've really learned how to hold your own," Jacob remarked, beaming. "Clearly you're not the little kid who needs my help chasing the Ghouls away anymore."
"No, of course I'm not, Jacob. We've all grown to learn how dangerous everything has become," I told him firmly. "That's why you should let me help you with Rakepick, with this assassin...with everything."
But Jacob shook his head. "I told you, this is my fight. I dragged us into this, so it's my responsibility to finish it. I can't let you all get hurt any more than you already have."
"We have to do something to help!" little Em chipped in then, shaking her head in refusal. "Everyone back home misses you terribly, Jacob. At least give us something to hold on to!"
"Pipsqueak, you already do. You'll always have your sister to hold onto. I'll come back when I can, but I have to go. I can't afford to let the trail go cold," Jacob said.
Now Merula jumped in surprise. "Wait, but what about my duel?"
"Jacob, at least answer some of my questions first," I said then, eyes widening in worry. "Like, how could you come to Hogwarts and not see us? Why are you looking into Mahoutokoro? And what do you know about the last Cursed Vault?"
"I'll explain when I can, I promise. But right now there's no--"
"No time, I get it." I sighed and shook my head, gesturing little Em to come over. "You don't seem to have much time for either of us anymore--or any of our family, really."
"Pip..." Jacob sighed as well and gave me one last hug, his arms firm around me before extending another arm to little Em. As the three of us hugged each other, I thought I could hear Merula fake-gagging, but I couldn't care less. It wasn't easy to get this opportunity to see him in this tight circumstance. Who knew when I would get this kind of chance again?
"We'll talk again soon, Pip and Pipsqueak," Jacob promised us. "Until then, watch your backs."
That said, he Disapparated with a loud crack, disappearing into nothingness in front of our eyes.
"Jacob, wait!"
No, there was no calling him back. I sighed again, holding my little sister close as she hugged me round the waist.
"You can't seem to hold onto anyone anymore, can you, Lin?" Merula teased me then with a laugh.
"Shut it, Merula!" I snapped, raising a hand and slapping her hard across the cheek. I know I shouldn't have, but at this point I was tired of Merula trying to butt into what was meant to be a meaningful reunion, even if it did have that foreboding note in the meeting. The sting from the slap tingled in my fingers, red hot in my anger. "My brother is trying to protect us from this assassin and Rakepick. I'm sure he'll come back once this is all over."
Merula visibly flinched at the sudden slap as well, her hand raised against her cheek which began to swell and redden beneath her fingers. "Yeah. I hope so. I'd like to see him again," she simply responded then once she's recovered well enough to volley another attack. "He's surprisingly...cool for someone who's related to you."
Cool, huh? That was the first time I've heard Merula say something that wasn't trash at my brother.
"What do you mean, someone cool?" little Em asked Merula then, folding her arms.
"Nothing. Forget I said anything," Merula snapped at little Em then, though I could see both her cheeks reddening and flushing--definitely not a side effect from the slap I gave her.
"Wait a second. Are you interested in our brother?" I inquired her carefully, the words dripping carefully from my tongue like venom.
At this, Merula shrugged and smiled sheepishly, her expression suddenly bashful. "N-no, of course not!" she denied. "We just share similar priorities is all."
"I'm not buying it. My brother is nothing like you, Merula," I told her defiantly.
"Right. Keep telling yourself that," Merula responded, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "But it's clear that your brother understands that when you're up against someone like Rakepick or this assassin, nothing is off the table."
Nothing. Right. Everything for me has already been laid on the line, but that didn't mean I had to kill to prove my worth and way of dealing with the circumstance. Jacob may have agreed with Merula on that point, but I still found myself disagreeing wholeheartedly with this mindset. Doing something unforgivable when your own life is on the line...would such an exceptional case still be made an acceptable one that leaves no guilt upon the conscience?
"Anyway, shouldn't you be worrying about your own social life instead of mine?" Merula asked me then.
"My social life? My friends are still as well as they can be, and I'm still connecting with them as best as I can," I said. "Or at least my sister's trying to keep our ties going. We're doing fine with that, thank you very much."
"I truly admire how naive you are, Lin."
"What do you mean anyway?"
"Cedric Diggory, the new star of Hogwarts," Merula responded finally. "He's only a first-year, but he's all the school can talk about. And that means you and your sister are no longer topics of gossip."
"Oh, I know Cedric, alright," little Em said then. "He’s my housemate and friend. If anything, I'm kind of happy he's found his place at Hogwarts. So what does it matter if my sister and I are no longer topics of gossip?"
At this, I thought I saw her hand raise toward the rose in her braid, but she lowered it after five seconds of holding it in the air. Something must have really bothered her more than I thought.
"You say that now, baby Lin, but see for yourselves the attention Diggory gets and we'll see if you feel the same way," Merula said.
"Right. Whatever," I groaned. "Anyway, we better head back. You can stay all you want if it makes you happy."
And just as little Em and I reached the tunnel to head back to Diagon Alley, Merula called us back.
"Remember, it's kill or be killed. And if you're not careful, your popularity won't be the only thing you'll lose this year..."
Being at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry meant that hearing things out of the ordinary was the norm. But never did I come to think that I'd hear that Filch was rudely woken up by my sister and seen, for the first time by any student, in his pyjamas--and here I thought that Fred and George implanting active Dungbombs in the Gryffindor Common Room would have been the major highlight circulating around the student population.
Well, maybe it was. After all, when I came down for breakfast the next morning, fresh from my visit to the duelling club with Diego just the night before, I caught sight of the Weasley twins being bombarded with questions about their clever prank that drove most of their house mates away from the common area. I'd assume that after this kind of stunt would get them in trouble by Filch, but surprisingly they didn't get caught. Maybe because Clara gave them the blind eye, or took the blame for herself? Either way, the fact that neither of them got detention baffled me slightly.
As I sat down at the Hufflepuff table, reaching out to help myself to a piece of toast, I noticed my dorm mate, Dawn Everett, give me one look from across the table and erupt into giggles.
"Okay, what is it?" I asked her with a slight huff. "Is it the rose in my hair? Yes, one of Clara's friends gave it to me. So what? Wearing flowers in my hair is my norm."
"No, no!" Dawn shook her head. "Well, yes it is--but not in the way you expect. I actually like the way you incorporate flowers in your everyday style, Em. Just...seeing them makes me feel happy."
"It seems like you're about one of the only ones who thinks so," I murmured, shrugging. "You remember how Yvonne from Ravenclaw thought that wearing sunflowers in my hair made me look ridiculous the other day."
"And I think you should do it more often! This is your style, Em, and you've actually become quite the inspiration for some of us." Dawn grinned and glanced at the scarlet rose embedded with my hair tie, securing the braid that Penny helped me fix this morning. "What kind of flower do you think would go well with blonde hair?" she suddenly asked.
"Hmm..." I tapped my chin and tilted my head in thought. Dawn's hair was actually a brilliant blonde, gleaming brilliantly with the early morning sun--on its own, it glowed with a sheen like a torch light. "I'd say daisies? Or lilies? I think any flower works well for your hair, Dawn."
Dawn nodded and flashed a quick smile at me before grabbing a few pieces of toast and shovelling scrambled eggs into her plate.
That was when the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and in strode Filch, wrapping his usual grey jacket tightly around his skinny shuffling figure donned otherwise in baby powder blue cotton. A white sleeping cap hung lopsided and crooked over his head, the pom-pom dangling over his shoulder as he ran.
"What in the--" Dawn took one look at Filch and burst into giggles again. "Looks like this is the first time we've ever seen the Hogwarts caretaker wearing pyjamas! At breakfast, no less!"
Dawn wasn't the only one laughing at the strange phenomenon. All around me, I saw other students from different houses erupting into cackles and wheezes at the sight--most notably, Tonks and Tulip who looked so red in the face they practically looked like they swallowed a bottle of Firewhiskey too many. Up at the staff table, I noticed Professor McGonagall crack a small smile, while Professor Flitwick and Kettleburn exchanged a glance and chuckled.
I suppose this caretaker didn't really get much respect after all.
"Em!"
I turned suddenly at the sound of my sister's voice calling for me, and I waved to her as she approached. "Over here."
"What in the world is happening here?" Clara glanced up at the staff table to see Filch fuming at the teachers, and she immediately turned pale. "Oh Merlin. Em, can I talk to you alone, please?"
Without waiting for an answer, she quickly beckoned me to follow her out of the Great Hall, and so I did, the sounds of roaring laughter dying away.
"I swear there's a good reason I had to call Filch up so early--" Clara began, but I held a hand up.
"I'm not saying you're being unreasonable, Clara, but you notice that you're still wearing pyjamas, right? At least, they look like pyjamas," I pointed out, gesturing to her red and gold lion-print ensemble complete with lion slippers on her feet. I'd assume that was what she'd wear going to bed at Hogwarts, because I've never seen her wear this set of pyjamas at home.
At this, Clara glanced down at her outfit and cringed. "Whoops. Yup, I know, I'm wearing pyjamas too, but this couldn't wait. You heard about the Gryffindor Common Room going up in stink last night, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Three of the Gryffindor first-years came by the Hufflepuff Common Room just last night so they could get their desired shower, and I heard the story then. Why?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure why Fred and George would do that, but eventually when I tracked them down with Charlie, they revealed that they were chasing after someone familiar--though I'd think you'd have a hard time believing me if you hear about who it was."
"Spill the beans, then. Who was it they were after?"
Clara took a deep breath--and then said the name I honestly thought I'd never hear her say for a long time.
"Jacob."
So our brother was spotted on or near Hogwarts grounds. At the sound of that, my jaw practically fell to the floor. "No way," I murmured. "Jacob Pan-Hui Lin in the flesh?"
"So it seemed--the one and only," Clara confirmed. "Though why he would drop by, I wouldn't know. I just asked Filch about it and he said that he got a report from Madam Pince about his presence in the library just last night."
"Probably explained why it closed so early," I said thoughtfully with a nod. "Madam Pince probably didn't want anyone else to worry so much about the potential mess he'd make--let alone the chaos he'd ensue if anyone saw him. Besides the people we know who know him, that is. And that would probably explain why Filch was angry," I added with a laugh.
"Hey. To be fair, it's not like anyone to willingly wake up to satisfy a student's query so early in the morning. I would probably ask them to just go away and wait till I was actually up and ready to answer their question," Clara interjected. "But he was also up all night trying to rid our Common Room of the Dungbomb stink. He even went as far as thinking that I was the one who committed that crime--and I had to cover for the twins."
"A prefect, covering for trouble-making first-years? I'm impressed," I said with another nod. "But let's not try to stray away from the point. What are you going to do about Jacob?"
Clara's jaw tightened as she pondered this, and I swore I saw a storm gather in her eyes as her brows narrowed.
"I'm going to find him, and I think you should stay here."
"What?! But he's my brother too, whether you like it or not!" I argued, stomping my foot. "Clara, aren't we in this together?"
"Of course, Em. But I don't want you to end up in danger the same way--"
"I'm with you, Clara, what could possibly go wrong when I'm with you?"
Clara tensed at this question, muscles freezing rigidly. For a minute, I thought she would reprimand me for being so stubborn--though part of me thought she was being unfair anyway for wanting me to stay at Hogwarts while she pursued all these perilous things--but then she sighed and nodded.
"You're right, Em. I'm sorry," Clara eventually relented. "I just...I don't know. If the circumstances are dangerous--"
"But this could be the only time."
I wasn't a child anymore. I wasn't a baby anymore. Merula could label me as the baby all she wants, but I couldn't care less about my age when I have family to find. Besides, who knew if I would ever get to see Jacob again after this one time?
"Alright. You can come with me. Besides, it's not like the professors could do anything. It's the weekend, after all."
"Exactly. Just let me come."
"Fine."
"Best change into actual clothes first, though."
"Hey!"
But eventually Clara relented, and as she left, I felt like maybe we could truly become close after all.
---
The search for Jacob wasn't easy, to say the least. He wasn't in the library, as the inquiry with Madam Pince revealed--though the both of us ended up having to clear her shelves up afterwards as a result of the mess Jacob made the night before. It turned out that indeed, he was searching through her shelves to find out about something, but Madam Pince didn't even know what it was he was looking for. It went about as far as her telling him she'd report him to Dumbledore when he'd left.
"Your brother seemed determined to find the books he needed," was all she could tell us.
After lunch, Clara and I went to the Gryffindor Common Room to take the Floo down to Diagon Alley, and the first place Clara immediately made a beeline to as we got out of the fireplace was Flourish and Blotts.
"Madam Villanelle!" she called out, running to the shopkeeper. "Has my brother passed by here looking for books?"
"Clara! And...is this your little sister?" Madam Villanelle asked me, giving me a wary look.
I nodded. "Youngest sister of Jacob Lin here, ma'am."
"Yes, he was just here moments ago!" Madam Villanelle eventually answered my sister's question. "I was about to send you an owl telling you as much. I could tell that you wanted to see him again at the end of last year.”
"And let me guess--he left when you brought me up?" Clara asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry," Madam Villanelle apologized.
"It's fine. Thank you for keeping your word to notify me if Jacob visited Flourish and Blotts."
"Do you know what he came here for?" I asked her then. "Madam Pince, the librarian at Hogwarts, told us he was looking through her shelves but couldn't find what he wanted."
"He was looking for books on the Mahoutokoro School of Magic," Madam Villanelle explained.
"Mahoutokoro? That's where our father went to school!" I exclaimed. "But why would he want to look into that?"
I may have been absolutely clueless and behind, but Clara's eyes automatically widened at the revelation. "Madam Villanelle, remember the wizard in white robes that you told me Mundungus Fletcher fought last year? He was spotted again in Knockturn Alley just recently--and when I told Dumbledore, he thought that the wizard might be a Dark Arts practitioner from Mahoutokoro."
"Dark Arts practitioner? You don't think that there are dark wizards beyond..." I trailed off as I tried to comprehend the impossible. My father wasn't a crook, but then again he never mentioned this part of the protocol to any of us.
"Well, now that I think of it, Mahoutokoro students' robes do turn white when they practice the Dark Arts," Madam Villanelle said thoughtfully. "It's hard to say what your brother's intentions were, though. He just bought every book he could on the subject matter and then left."
And indeed, as I glanced over at one portion of the shelves, there was a huge gap present where books should have been stacked as other books began to keel over in their row. It almost looked like the same scene when my mother's books were pulled out of the shelves all those years ago.
Clara didn't seem fazed at the sight, though. She immediately began to pore over some of the older dustier volumes from the bookshelves, fingers flicking fervently over the pages, and after a while she eventually slammed down the last volume she found.
"Nothing! At least last year Jacob was kind enough to leave a message--now he's left no trace of his visit!" Clara growled. "What was he thinking? He didn't try to see us at Hogwarts, and now he didn't wait for us to get here despite knowing we were on his trail..."
"Do you think he's intentionally doing this?" I asked. "I mean, if he's gone all this way and never thought to see us..."
"He wouldn't. There must be a good reason for whatever it is he's doing," Clara said, shaking her head. "I'm sure whatever it is, it's in our best interests."
"Rest assured, if I see your brother here again I'll be sure to send another owl," Madam Villanelle promised. "To both of you," she added, nodding in my direction.
"Thank you, ma'am. We'll let you get back to work now," I said with a smile.
As the two of us turned to leave, I turned back to Madam Villanelle for a moment. "One more question, Madam Villanelle. Have you reached out to my mother recently about..."
"Your mother? Oh." Madam Villanelle nodded in recollection. "Renee Lin, right? it was always a joy to see her published books on these shelves. I remember wanting to take one off the shelves myself to read." She chuckled and shook her head. "No, your sister warned me not to tell her anything about his return. I did consider putting her books back on the shelves, but who knows what controversies could spark among the critics who gave her negative reviews?"
"I just...I was hoping my mom would continue to pursue her career as a writer," I simply mumbled. "You know, despite all that's happened."
"I can drop a word with her, let her know that her youngest daughter is thinking the best for her," Madam Villanelle offered. "But no worries. Your reasons for coming here would be safe with me."
"Thank you." I smiled and offered her a hand. "I'm Emily, by the way."
"Emily. I'll keep you in mind," Madam Villanelle said, shaking my hand. "But you better catch up with your sister. I don't think she's prepared to return to Hogwarts without knowing where your brother is."
I nodded and waved in farewell as I exited the shop, turning to find that, indeed, Clara had already left the shop. As I turned, I thought I saw the heel of her boot disappearing down Knockturn Alley.
So much for her trying to protect me. Neither of our parents wanted us to even travel down Knockturn Alley, and last summer when we came here to get my supplies they made these restrictions very clear. Yet if Clara was already going down that alley...
I quickly ran after her, not even knowing what consequences either of us would face in the alley forbidden by our parents.
What started as a search for the Weasley twins soon turned into a session where I had to stop Charlie Weasley from dropping onto the floor, and more than once too.
There was no sign of the twins in the Grand Staircase, and we were soon redirected to the Gryffindor Common Room by Sir Cadogan, who was slashing away in his portrait at passing students just as he was always doing. Though he showed no joy or liking at the mention of Fred and George--rather, he called them two scoundrels with 'hair of hellfire and a devilish gleam in their eyes'--he eventually put aside his personal feelings to help us.
The Gryffindor Common Room was thoroughly empty, and the foul stench that hung in the air gave us enough reason for the quiet state of the usually rowdy place. All around the room we saw Dungbombs, nestled carefully in the cushions of sofas and also by the fireplace and wardrobes--however, there was no other clue to their present location.
Eventually, we decided to pay Peeves a visit in his room, but Peeves insisted that we appeased him with acts of childish madness and mischief--even go as far as cast the Tongue-Tying Curse on poor Charlie--in exchange for the information he had on Fred and George. Apparently he decided to go and forget everything I did for him last year, because he remembered nothing of the mischief masterpiece I put together for him in exchange for the vault portrait we needed so badly. I figured, with a new year came new people to one-up others' reputations. I just wasn't sure whether I should applaud the twins for coming up with such a clever way to amuse him.
And now we were at the threshold of the Forbidden Forest--the last place either of us wanted to be looking for the twins at such a late hour. The usual dense white fog had evaporated into a light mist, a long unbroken veil that snaked between the trees and barely grazed over the gnarly roots. The occasional howl broke the otherwise eerie silence. I glanced over at Charlie, whose face had turned all but pale yet again, and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if we returned to Hogwarts empty-handed.
The entire time, Charlie had been in an absolute panic. Every new location we went to saw his hopes being smashed with the absence of his twin brothers, broken further and further until his guard had completely crumbled. Even if we managed to trick Peeves into telling us where Fred and George went, he didn't hold onto that confidence for long. The longer we were at this, the more I felt that he could potentially break again with all that happened in the span of a few hours. After all, we were now the eldest siblings with younger ones to care for. If anything happened to them--well, plainly spoken, nothing would ever be the same.
"It's hopeless, Clara," Charlie finally groaned, burying his head in his hands. "What if we never find them? The fact that Peeves mentioned a familiar face isn't making me feel better. What if it's Rakepick? What if it's..."
The pep that was usually in his voice whenever he talked of dragons was now long gone, replaced with pure fear and anguish that would relentlessly grip at any vulnerable soul. Catastrophe has affected too many of my friends. Charlie didn't deserve to feel any of this hopelessness that should have been reserved for me.
I turned to him and gently grasped his shoulders, my eyes locked with his. "Charlie, I'm just as scared as you are. We both have little siblings we have to look out for now, and with the curses running rampant it's not always easy to keep an eye on them all the time. But if we show weakness, the enemy will take advantage and go after them. Please stay strong, Charlie--not just for me, but for Fred and George, and little Em, and everyone we all care about so much."
Tear-filled eyes stared back into mine, and for a moment I thought Charlie was going to drop on the ground in exhaustion and despair. Then he unexpectedly pulled me in for a hug, his arms wrapped around me so tightly I could feel his rapid heartbeat against my clothes, warm tears falling onto my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Clara. I'm sorry I'm such a mess," Charlie admitted. "I was so worried that the Cursed Vaults may have hurt more of my family, I panicked."
"I would have, too," I whispered, allowing a hand to rub his back. "But worrying won't do anything for us. We'll fight it together."
That was when I noticed a couple fresh tracks in front of me, and I lifted my head to see where they were headed.
"Let's follow these tracks. They might lead us to Fred and George."
Hand in hand, we headed into the thicket, following the footprints on the ground that eventually brought us to the Red Cap's Hole. As we clambered in, I caught sight of the twins sitting on the ground, legs crossed and expressions pensive.
"Fred! George! There you are!" I cried, almost losing my footing and tripping on the ground as Charlie lowered himself to the ground.
"Of all the places in the Forbidden Forest, you had to end up at one of the most dangerous, at night no less," Charlie said plainly, walking up to the twins with a frown on his face. "We'll have to talk later, but I'm just happy you're alright!"
"We were afraid you'd gone missing because of the Statue Curse," I added on, eyebrows narrowing slightly at the twins.
Fred turned to George then, a wicked gleam in his eye. "Did you hear that, George? We were missing."
"Funny. I didn't feel missing," George responded lightly. "Did you, Fred?"
"Nope, I'm right here!" Fred said.
"Guys, this is serious. When we got Peeves to tell us that you'd come to the Forbidden Forest chasing after someone...and we followed your tracks here...I was terrified you'd run into Rakepick or one of her lot," Charlie admitted.
"Pish, Charlie, no need to get your knickers in a twist. We're fine!" Fred insisted.
"And we have a perfectly good reason for coming out here, honest!" George piped up.
Before anyone else could get a word in, a sudden scratching and growl caught my attention, and I turned round to see the Red Cap return, the little pale demon holding his long menacing club. "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" he chanted, his eyes sweeping over the four of us.
“Any chance you have a Beautification potion on you, Charlie?” I asked him timidly, searching my pockets now but coming up empty. It was one of the only ways to get the Red Cap out of the way--and I wouldn’t risk trying to hit it with a hex right now.
Charlie, however, shook his head. “Nope. Afraid not.”
"Stand back, you two. I just got a brilliant idea!" Fred said, the wicked gleam returning to his eye.
"If he's thinking what I think he's thinking, you might want to plug your noses," George warned.
And with that, Fred pulled out a Dungbomb from his trouser pocket and lobbed it toward the Red Cap, who instantly withdrew into the darkness at the slightest whiff of the disgusting stench the prank device left behind.
"Whew. That worked...a bit too well," I remarked, wrinkling my nose at the smell.
"I've never been so happy to smell a Dungbomb," Charlie added in with a laugh.
"Right. Let's get out of here, I've had enough Dungbomb stink for one day," I suggested.
"You said it. Besides, Bill would want to see Fred and George are safe at Hogwarts before he has to leave," Charlie said with a nod.
"No! Wait. We have something important to tell Clara about why we came here," Fred interjected, waving a hand.
"We think we saw a wizard who looked like your brother!" George blurted out eventually. "It matched his description, at least."
Wait a second. Jacob was here at Hogwarts? Or at least spotted on Hogwarts grounds? Why would Fred and George perform these pranks to confirm this? I folded my arms and looked at them skeptically, waiting for the pull on my leg, but no catch came. Even so, I didn't feel as hopeful as I thought I'd be.
"A wizard who looked like my brother? Do you know where he went?" I questioned them.
George shook his head. "Sorry, Clara. By the time we had crawled into the Red Cap's hole, he'd disappeared."
"But he must be around! If so, I have to see him and hope he's alright!" I cried. "Where do I start, though?"
"Why not you ask Filch if he's seen your brother?" Charlie suggested. "He's always bragging about how he knows everything that happens on Hogwarts grounds."
"I suppose I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning," I said with a nod. "Thanks for the suggestion, Charlie."
Charlie beamed, and I could see the genuine happiness radiate over his face, casting away all the fear from before.
"Good luck, Clara," Charlie eventually said. "I hope you're reunited with your brother like I was reunited with mine."
It was all I could think to say to Diego as we walked through the corridors, the rest of the group having left before us. Diego just chuckled at my remark, though, and nodded.
"Indeed, Bill does have a lot of skill," Diego agreed. "A shame we didn't get to duel before the end of last year. He's certainly shaped up to be quite the dueller."
"Well, with a few more spells he knew compared to the rest of us, I'd say we stand no chance against him," I joked with a laugh. "Though I'd like to ask--how in the world did my sister get to duel the troll and the dragon and the Acromantula and the Ice Knight and the werewolves and all those dark wizards over the last few years, and end up undefeated against them all?"
"I'm sure she had a lot of help," Diego responded thoughtfully. "Much like the rest of us now, what with him tutoring us. She didn't do it alone."
"Did you help her with any of those things last year?" I asked him then.
Diego nodded. "Well, I helped her train to fight both the troll and the dragon. The actual duel, she called Merula to help with the troll--"
"She WHAT?!"
"Not sure why. I suppose she wanted to see whether she was able to take the offer of redemption. But Merula was my duelling student," Diego said. "I suppose you could say both of my pupils went to fight the dumbest beast in history."
"And somehow survived to tell the tale."
"Yup."
Just as the two of us reached the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, however, we were greeted by the sixth year Hufflepuff prefect--Sarahi, I think her name was--and three first-year Gryffindor girls. Well, not just any first-year Gryffindor girls. Angelina, Alicia, and Nora were all standing at the doorway, practically pleading for entry into the common room.
"I'm sorry, girls, but you're not in Hufflepuff so I can't let you in. And the fact that Fred and George released Dungbombs in the Gryffindor common room isn't a good excuse," Sarahi was saying.
That was when Alicia spotted me, and she quickly rushed over to me, knocking the air out of me without warning as she threw her arms around me.
"Em!" she cried. "Please, please, please tell your prefect to let us in! We can't study anywhere else, the library's closed and our common room stinks and it's too dark to go outside and--"
"Alicia, slow down," I told her gently. "Of course you can camp out in the Hufflepuff common room for a bit. You can borrow our showers and do your homework by the fireplace. It's really a cozy place to be."
"But it looks like your prefect's putting the foot down. Not that she'd blame us. No one wants to smell the stink of the Dungbomb," Alicia said dejectedly. "She's even turning down Nora's requests, and they're really close friends from what I can see."
"How in the world did your common room get the Dungbomb treatment?" Diego asked Alicia warily, an eyebrow raised in intrigue.
"Fred and George. Probably the next wart on Filch's backside," Alicia responded. "They just released a huge crate of them and ran off! Honestly, I have no idea why they would do that. My hunch? Probably to annoy Filch for the fun of it."
"Nora, I'm really sorry, but I have to put the foot down," Sarahi told her friend firmly. "You could try the Artefact room, it's worked as a good study place for a few students I've encountered--"
"BUT IT STINKS!" Nora argued. "What now, you want us to wander around the school smelling like mouldy cheese and stinky socks? Filch would throw a fit if he caught even the slightest whiff of that!"
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, eventually approaching Sarahi. "Pardon me for intruding on this business, but they do seem to be in dire need of some basic facilities, Sarahi. Besides, they're my friends, too. I'll be extremely careful with our security measures. This would be the only time."
Sarahi looked skeptically at me, then Diego, then the three stinky Gryffindor girls who now looked at her with cute puppy eyes. Then she sighed and nodded.
"Alright, Em. I'll let you bring these three into our common room, under one condition." She turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You must supervise them at all times, and if they happen to do anything rash, you're taking full responsibility. This is the only time I'll bend the rules. Understood?"
"Yes." I nodded at her and then beckoned to the three girls. "Come on. You better get yourselves a nice warm shower before anything else."
A few moments later, we entered the Hufflepuff common room. The Gryffindor girls immediately made a beeline toward the showers, practically tripping over their robes in their haste, and even as they ran off I could smell the faint trace of Stinksap and animal feces and every combination of disgusting scents waft through the air.
It was a wonder I haven't fainted from the stink, yet. Even as I pulled out my essay on the Levitation charm, my mind swam as I recalled all the times I had to help my father with the Mimbulus Mimbletonia back home. Every accidental probe of the pores caused the foul liquid to spurt every which way, splashing in my hair and coating my glasses and face to the point where I could not sense anything except for that disgusting sap. No way was I looking forward to learning about this plant in Herbology.
Then again, I had to smell dragon dung every day back home. I shouldn't have reason to complain.
"Ah, the Levitation Charm," Diego spoke up so suddenly I jumped in my seat. "I remember learning that like it was yesterday."
"I'm still having some trouble over it," I admitted, pulling out my wand and a Galleon from my pocket. "The timing of the incantation and the movements still trip me up."
"At least you won't end up like one of those struggling Gryffindor kids in Charms," Diego joked, withdrawing his own wand from his pocket as well. "He always ends up practising this charm every class. From what I've heard, of course."
"Six years and he still hasn't understood it? That's horrible!"
"You'll be fine, little Em. Play with the big kids for a bit, and you'll see you can learn a lot," Diego encouraged. "Besides, you were able to keep up with Bill's lessons. I saw you writing notes and showing them to your sister. If you can manage those, the Levitation Charm will become cake."
He then waved his wand--swish and flick, just as Flitwick instructed. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Galleon soon lifted a few inches off the ground, small white sparks enveloping it as it bobbed like a bubble through air. Entrancing. Mesmerizing. I didn't realize I was so transfixed on the coin until it dropped back on the carpet.
"I'm sure a few pointers would work. Come on, let's get started."
Soon, the essay on the Levitation Charm had reached its conclusion, the Galleon had now achieved liftoff thanks to Diego's tutelage, and the Gryffindor girls have just re-entered the common room wearing their nightgowns and stuffing their dirty laundry deep into their bags.
"Never. Again." Angelina's scowl became more pronounced the deeper she punched her fist into the sack. "If I see another Dungbomb released in our common room, I will give Fred and George a good beating."
"Hey, I thought that was Clara's job," Alicia reminded her.
"Well, he did tell us to lighten up sometimes. Fred, I mean," I recalled, allowing the coin to drop into my palm. "Said the curse might not spread after all. It's only affected one student."
"Doesn't mean we're not all in danger. The curse has only started, it would only be a matter of time before it spread," Angelina pointed out. "And who knows what would happen to all of us?"
"Let's just try to get to the laundry before anything else happens," Nora finally suggested. "I don't want to get Petrified or lost or reprimanded by another Prefect."
The three girls eventually left, and I turned to Diego again, dropping the Galleon in his hand.
"What's this for?" he asked. "You don't have to pay me."
"It's not payment. It's a gift," I told him sincerely, a small smile on my face. "Years ago, I gave Clara a Knut, and it gave her luck. I thought you might use some, too."
"And this isn't because I helped you with Wingardium Leviosa, is it?"
I shook my head. "You've stuck by me for a lot. I owe it to you as a thanks."
For a moment, Diego looked mildly surprised. Then he smiled back and put it in his pocket, and then took my hand.
"Come on. I'll show you one of my favourite places in the castle," he simply said.
And I trusted him to lead the way out of the common room.
Bill's arrival honestly could not have come at a better time. Perhaps I was a bit too quick to feel hopeless, after all.
Standing together with my friends in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, my sister standing in the front where she could see Bill, I felt a sense of unity radiate from the few of us--even if Merula and Ismelda were there, it didn't affect the surging uplift of hope that pumped through my being. To be fair, I think it was the first time we were all standing together in one room without any other clueless students or teachers holding strict authority around. So long as we worked together as one united force, we could face any obstacle ahead. The warmth that radiated within felt very different from the cold boldness I got from Rakepick last year when I worked as her apprentice curse-breaker--that, at least, was a good change.
Well, not to mention that we needed a better professor than the one we had now.
"Thank you all for coming," Bill told everyone, a huge smile on his face as he looked at the group. "You might be wondering why I've called you here."
Ben shook his head stiffly in response. "I don't waste time wondering anymore. I just take action."
"Blimey, Ben!" Tonks exclaimed, shock written all over her face. "When did you get so interesting?"
"'Interesting' isn't how I'd put it..." Penny warned her friend, a look of embarrassment crossing her face.
"As I was saying, Charlie told me your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is particularly useless this year," Bill continued, as if the interruption never happened. "And since I have some down time between my Gringotts curse-breaking missions, I figured--"
"Get to the point. I have revenge to plot," Merula snapped.
I could feel little Em recoil against me, and I almost face palmed myself at the interruption from Merula. Why did she even have to bring up her desire to--well, I won't even bring it up anymore. Even I couldn't think about it without feeling some sort of disgust toward her.
"And I really need to get back to feed my toad, Sir Ribbithe," Liz added.
Bill chuckled at Liz, turning away from Merula as he looked over at everyone else. "Then I'll make this quick. I've decided to visit Hogwarts from time to time to teach you new defensive spells," he announced. "This is all informal, of course--I'm not replacing your professor, just tutoring. I've already got Professor Dumbledore's permission to use this classroom after classes finish for the day."
"Not that we're not grateful, Bill...but why?" little Em piped up, tilting her head in intrigue.
Bill nodded at little Em then, his face serious. "If the events of last year have taught me anything, it's the importance of being able to protect yourself," he responded. "If Rakepick of any of her lot return, I want to make sure you are as prepared as you can be--and from the sound of it, that won't be possible with your current Professor. Not that I'm forcing you to do this, of course," he added quickly. "You can leave if you're not interested. But I think there's a lot I can teach you if you decide to stay."
Was there anyone who actually wasn't interested, though? Everyone glanced around at each other, but no one actually left the room, so it seemed we were all in favour of this plan.
"If it helps me protect my sister and friends, count me in," Penny decided with a firm nod.
"Me too!" Barnaby added excitedly, and I was quick to catch a slight dust of pink splash over his cheeks, making me chuckle as well.
"Same. As long as we learn plenty of curses," Ismelda chipped in, a tone of menace in her voice.
"And I'm not about to turn down an opportunity to stare at...I mean, learn from Bill Weasley," Rowan said with a laugh.
"I suppose it doesn't sound like a complete waste of time," Merula finally gave in.
"Anything to make sure we can break the curse faster, together," little Em piped up, readying her wand.
I smiled in pride at my little sister before glancing around at everyone else. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we're interested, Bill."
"Perfect!" Bill said, clapping his hands. "So for our first lesson, I'll teach you all how to create a Cursed Barrier. I picked this spell up from a Dark Wizard I fought during one of my Gringotts missions. But instead of the barrier preventing people without a Dark Mark from passing through, my modified version stops people with a Dark Mark from passing through."
A Cursed Barrier made to stop certain people, huh. I figured it could come in handy among the few of us--especially seeing that, as Moody had predicted, there was a war now on the rise and we were all on separate armies training hard for the day it happened. We could only create so many barricades for ourselves before they get destroyed by the enemy, and who knew when our defences could go down? It was only best for us to prepare reinforcements that were more effective.
I watched as Bill gave his demonstration to the rest of the group. Some of us took notes, some of us copied Bill's gestures (without major damage), and some of us simply watched with scrunched up faces and various expressions that ranged from awe to confusion. I glanced down at little Em, who just smiled up at me with a little smirk and gestured to the notes she took. At least she was enjoying this as much as I knew she would.
"Alright, well done everyone!" Bill finally cheered. "Now all that's left is to give the Cursed Barrier spell a go. Clara, care to do the honours?"
Of course I'd be called on. Everyone wanted to see the resident curse-breaker give her demonstration.
So I nodded and went up to the front, performing the spell. It definitely qualified as one of the harder spells in any proficient wizard's arsenal, but at least I was able to do it. The only issue was whether it actually worked.
"Um, Bill. How do we know if it actually worked?" I asked him. "No one here has a Dark Mark."
"You sure about that?" Andre inquired suddenly. "Has anyone checked Merula's arm?"
The tension in the air soon became charged with electricity as Merula stomped her foot and glared Andre down. "You take that back or I'll..."
"No!" Em cried, waving her hands. "Stop!"
It seemed like Bill understood the message, because then he put his wand away and signalled the end of the tutorial. "Why don't we call it a night? I'll see you all for our next lesson."
God. Did Merula really have to flare up like this every time someone provoked her now? Something told me what Rakepick did to her ended up with much worse consequences than we perceived. As everyone filed out, I caught Em's eye, raising my eyebrows.
"I'll take her back, Clara," Diego assured me then, placing a gentle hand on my sister's shoulder. "She'll be in good hands."
I nodded in gratitude at Diego. "Thanks, Diego."
As the group dispersed, I made haste to follow, but then Bill called me back.
"Clara, do you mind hanging back? I was hoping we could talk."
I turned around to face Bill now, nodding. "Sure, Bill. What's up?"
"Before you arrived, Charlie told me you talked him out of leaving Hogwarts," Bill started.
Oh. Ohh. Just hours before, Charlie and I managed to negotiate a peace since he felt like Hogwarts was becoming less and less like the safe happy school it should have been, what with Rakepick's betrayal that he wasn't there to witness and all. Over a few glasses of Butterbeer and tears of worry, I eventually managed to convince Charlie to stay at Hogwarts instead of commence his early start as a dragonologist. Besides, the rest of his siblings needed him. And maybe I wouldn't admit it, but I needed him too. He was such an integral part of my group of friends, it would pain me to see him go so early.
"I can't thank you enough for watching out for him," Bill said then with a smile. "I've been throwing myself into my curse-breaking work to take my mind off what happened with Rakepick...so much that I didn't notice how much Charlie had been affected too."
I simply smiled back, though. Since befriending the eldest Weasley brother and meeting his parents at Christmas and the rest of his siblings as well just last year, I felt like they've become family to me, too.
"It's not a problem, Bill. Charlie's supported me all this time, so it's only natural I do the same for him," I said.
"I'd be grateful if, while I'm away, you could keep watching over him, and the rest of my brothers for that matter," Bill told me then. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to them."
I couldn't think of anything to say, but just as I opened my mouth, in came Percy with an expression akin to that of someone seeing a ghost for the first time, along with Charlie who looked just as worried and shocked.
"Good, you two are still here. There's been a major catastrophe!" Percy cried. "Fred and George are missing!"
"Hold on, slow down," I said, holding my hands up in alarm. "What do you mean, they're missing?"
"I asked them to meet me in the Great Hall earlier for dinner," Percy told us, his eyes still wide and wild in his haste to dish out his story. "Hours passed, but they never showed up."
"You don't think they've been...affected by the Statue Curse?" Charlie asked me quietly.
Well...it was possible it was another of their pranks, but I've been so worried about what the curse could do, I couldn't rule out the possibility that the curse might have hit them.
"I won't lie to you, Charlie, we can't rule it out," I responded dejectedly. "The circumstances and timing are...concerningly similar to Beatrice's disappearance just last year."
I wasn't trying to rile up any of the Weasleys--I was only telling the truth--but now the shock in Charlie's eyes have become more evident, his face paler with every second that passed.
"Oh no. No no no," Charlie murmured. "Now I'm more worried--what are we going to do?"
"I should never have let them out of my sights!" Percy lamented.
"Hold on. I'm worried too, but let's try not to jump to any conclusions," Bill said firmly.
Charlie's fists, balled tightly with his anxiety, didn't even loosen at Bill's words. "I-I'll try, but I can't get the image of them Petrified out of my mind."
"Well, the only way we know for sure is to find Fred and George," I stated. "The statue curse started in the courtyard, but we'll need to check the Grand Staircase as well in case the portrait curse has somehow been reactivated. We can split up and cover ground faster if we take to both locations at the same time, and hopefully we'll get clues to their whereabouts."
"Sounds like a plan. Who would you want to take?" Percy asked.
I looked at each of the three brothers, and instantly knew who I wanted to take. Perhaps we've reconciled somewhat over Butterbeer, but what if those thoughts of fleeing from danger entered his mind again?
"I'll take Charlie with me, and we'll search the Grand Staircase together," I said. "As long as you don't mind, Charlie," I added with a nod.
Charlie looked relieved when I picked him, and he nodded. "Of course, we make a good team."
"Then Percy and I will take to the Courtyard," Bill said. "And hopefully we'll find the twins in time."
"I just hope we won't be too late," Charlie murmured again.
Would we, though? How much longer would it take before the Statue Curse began to affect the people I shared even the closest bonds with?
