Author's Note. Inspired before the Cursed Vault missions of Hogwarts Mystery. This story was created with the idea of pairing a female MC to any of the characters in the story (except Merula).

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Merula kept boasting about her upcoming adventure to the Cursed Vault during dinner at the Great Hall. As she kept whispering to Ismelda about the dangers she and the other curse-breaker apprentices were preparing to face, I couldn't help but look for a familiar dark-haired witch that was nowhere to be found. I was worried, especially after realizing how the Cursed Vaults became more dangerous with every passing year. I remember being scared the last time I joined the young witch in one of those cursed places. I felt my breathing stop as I remembered how we tried to wake her from a trance.

I'm going to lose her, and I still haven't told her...

I stood up from the table and ran as fast as I could, away from the laughter and the voices in the Great Hall. They didn't realize one of the people that worked hard to keep them safe was missing dinner. I ran towards her common room, hoping to find her before she took off to meet the other apprentice curse breakers. I stopped at the end of the hallway as I saw her exiting her common room. She looked different. Beth Hawthorne had changed from her traditional school robes to a long, dark cloak that covered her small frame. Only her black combat boots were visible under her dark cloak as she walked towards the end of the hallway where I stood. But she didn't notice my presence as she passed me by, making my heart feel uneasy - and scared. To every passing stranger, she seemed determined and ready to face any new challenges that stood in front of her. But I could see how her eyes were full of fear and hesitance while her small hands clenched into tiny fists at her sides.

I froze in place as the realization hit me - Beth Hawthorne was scared. The unbeatable, brave Curse Breaker was scared.

It took me a couple of minutes to shake off the uneasiness from my body before dashing towards her and grasping her shoulders with my hands to stop her from going forward.

"Beth..." - I whispered. I could feel her shoulders tense under my grasp before she turned around to meet my eyes.

"Hi. Something wrong?" - Her lips formed a tiny smile that barely reached her hazel eyes.

"Beth, don't go." As soon as I whispered those words, I knew I was being selfish. A dozen students were trapped in the portraits and they kept losing their consciousness with each passing day, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing her. "I'm... scared."

Her smile disappeared from her face as her eyes dropped to the floor. My hands continued to grasp her shoulders tightly, unwilling to let her go.

"I have to. The students in the portraits need me." - she whispered with her hands holding her cloak nervously.

I had never seen her so nervous. Suddenly, I realized that I was just making things worse. Stupid... She didn't need me worrying about her when she was clearly preoccupied with a thousand thoughts running through her head. I gulped as my hands moved from her shoulders to take her small ones in mine. I stroked the back of her hands with my thumbs, smiled softly, and cleared my throat loudly before saying: "I know you can do it. You are the most amazing, powerful witch I have ever met - Even more powerful than Merula."

She laughed softly with her bright, hazel eyes looking at me for the first time. Beth unclenched her hands and held mine in return. "Thank you... I needed that."

I smiled at her before letting her hands go, knowing she was ready to face any challenge that lay ahead of her. She smiled before turning around and continued to walk in the direction of Professor Rakepick's classroom, where I assume she would meet Merula and the other curse breakers.

At that moment, I wanted to tell her how I felt, how she completed me and made me feel like I could do anything when I was with her. I had realized how I felt about Beth Hawthorne during the Celestial Ball during our fourth year at Hogwarts. I wanted to scream to her how much I loved her, but those feelings had to wait until she returned from the Cursed Vault. And I was sure she was going to come back to Hogwarts - to me.

But it never ocurred to me at the time that Beth would change after facing that Cursed Vault.