Chapter 7: Snared

"I've made a complete fool of myself!" I growled in frustration as we left the Dungeons. "I should never have taken my eyes off her! If I'd paid more attention to her, I could've stopped her, then none of that would've happened. I should give her a pair of buckteeth to go with her chubby cheeks and her vomit-stained hair! If only I knew the spell…"

"Densaugeo," said Rowan.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"Densaugeo; that's what the spell is called," Rowan clarified. "I read it in a book on hexes and jinxes at home. Unfortunately, I don't know the spell, but even if I did, I wouldn't have been allowed to use it, especially without a wand. Maybe we can find it in a book in the Library, and we can learn it together."

I nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. She deserves it after what she did. I swear Merula is going to do everything she can to try and get me expelled." Suddenly remembering what Rowan said in my ear during Merula's confrontation, I said, "I remember you saying you read something about Merula's parents; what happened to them?"

"Oh, yeah!" Rowan exclaimed. "I read in the Daily Prophet something about the Snyde Family being sent to Azkaban just before the school year started. It was rumored they were aiding You-Know-Who during the Wizarding War. It was also said they tortured and killed several Muggles during that time, just for their own pleasure."

"Seriously?" I said in amazement. I then nodded in understanding. "That explains why she's so obsessed with being 'the best.' She's trying to look all big, mean, and scary, and make everyone fear her so she's not viewed as a loser."

"Exactly," Rowan nodded. Then she sniggered, "Then again, if we did give her some buckteeth, she won't look so 'big, mean, and scary' anymore."

"Right!" I giggled at the image. Then I instantly paused. "But what if she's just like her parents? If that's the case, maybe giving her buckteeth isn't such a good idea. Who knows what she'd do to us then."

Rowan nodded nervously. "Yeah. Come to think of it, you're probably right."

Suddenly, as we turned around a corner, I was startled by a small blond boy that was coming around the same corner at the same time.

"I'm so sorry!" the boy cried as he frantically bent over and started picking up his books, which had fallen out of his book bag when we had collided into each other.

"It's okay," I said as I reached for his Herbology book and handed it to him. "We didn't see you coming round the corner."

When the boy finally looked up at us, he stepped back in shock. "Oh, you're Jane Morgan, aren't you? Good! I'd been meaning to speak with you!"

"You know me?" I asked in bewilderment; but then I instantly had to bite my lip. Duh, Jane! Everyone knows who you are by now!

"Of course!" the boy said. "I'm in the same year as you, as well as in the same house. You must remember me? Ben Copper?"

"Oh, yes, I remember you!" I nodded, recognizing the name as well as his face.

"Me too!" Rowan said. "You're the boy that fainted into your soup bowl when Nearly Headless Nick floated by to congratulate you on being Sorted into Gryffindor." I had remembered that as well. Luckily Charlie was brave enough to lift Ben's head out of his Tomato Soup and lay him on the table instead so he didn't drown in his soup.

"Uh…yeah…" Ben laughed awkwardly at the memory while his face went beetroot red at the same time. Of course, the only thing he would've remembered about the incident was waking up on the side of the table with Tomato Soup in his hair. Changing the subject, he cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, I just wanted to say 'thank you' for standing up to Merula Snyde just before Potions Class. I was watching from the end of the corridor, if you're wondering how I knew about that. I also saw what she did to your potion. I would've stopped her, but I was honestly too scared to approach her. I'd fix your cauldron for you, but I don't have any glue." He suddenly paused, catching himself saying the wrong thing. "Uh, I mean, I don't know any repairing spells."

That's right, he's Muggle-Born, I thought to myself, smiling at Ben's mistake of words.

"That's okay, Ben," I assured him. "Snape probably wouldn't have let you leave your work station anyway, unless you were gathering more potion ingredients."

"I really don't like Merula," Ben said honestly. "I've been following her so she can't sneak up on me, and if she sees me, I'll at least have a chance to run away. She tormented me during most of the journey here on the Hogwarts Express. She kept threatening me and calling me a Mudblood."

"Seriously?" I gasped in shock. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry, Ben."

"I know," he said dismally. "Merula is obsessed with being the best witch in our year, and she thinks she has to impose her will on us to prove it."

I nodded. "Yeah, we know. We were just talking about that before we ran into you."

"I'm just glad someone was brave enough to stand up to her," Ben said honestly. "I'm certainly not. It's a joke that I got put in Gryffindor."

"Everyone is afraid of something, Ben," I assured him, "even Gryffindors."

Ben sighed. "Unfortunately I'm afraid of everything. I come from a Muggle family, so all of this is new and scary to me."

"I know how you feel," I nodded understandingly. "I come from a wizard family, and this is hard for me too, and not just because of my brother. I'll try to help you however I can, Ben. Just ask."

Ben smiled. "Really? Thanks, Jane! I'll see you around." He then paused and asked, "Uh, do you guys know where the Greenhouses are?" After we gave him directions, he said 'thanks' again and ran off down the corridor.

"What a strange boy," Rowan pointed out as we ascended the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. "He says he's afraid of everything, and yet the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor. Bit ironic, don't you think?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "maybe he's destined to overcome his cowardice in the near future. You can't expect him to stay a coward for the rest of his life; he's got to eventually grow out of it, right?"

"I suppose so," Rowan said doubtfully as we approached the Fat Lady. We gave the password, and the Fat Lady allowed us access into the Common Room, where we dumped our book bags on the floor and got started on our Charms homework, as we had a bit of time to kill before Herbology with Professor Sprout; we must've been in the class right after Ben's class. I just hoped that between now and then, our Prefect wasn't going to come in and harass me about my loss of House Points. I wasn't sure how fast word travelled around the school, and I dreaded to think about what she would do if she did find out.

#####

Luckily, the Prefect didn't show up before Herbology, not even after. However, I knew that somehow the Potions incident wasn't going to be over; a crisis this big was never going to go unnoticed, or even unheard, for that matter. It was common in Muggle schools for gossip—especially over something dramatic—to spread like wildfire, and I figured that gossip spreading throughout Hogwarts wasn't going to be any different. Apparently, it didn't matter what world you lived in, Muggle World or Wizarding World; news of any fault you ever made would spread on an endless scale from one corner of the world to the other (figuratively, as the world has no corners because it is round), and it would eventually come back to haunt you when you least expected it. It always did.

And, of course, the exact moment when Professor McGonagall said at the end of Transfiguration Class later that day, "Miss Morgan? Will you come see me, please?" I knew I was going to be haunted for life. I guessed they didn't call me 'cursed' for nothing.

"I'll wait for you outside," Rowan assured me as she gathered up her things and followed the rest of the class out of the classroom.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall?" I asked as I hesitantly approached her desk.

Without making eye contact with me and, instead, straightening out a stack of papers that she was preparing to grade, she said in a strict voice, "I trust by now that you are familiar with one of the Gryffindor Prefects, Miss Angelica Cole?"

I nodded. "Yes, Professor."

"Miss Cole would like to see you in the Gryffindor Common Room as soon as you're able and discuss with you about the events of earlier today in Potions Class," McGonagall continued.

I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment at her words. Bollocks, I thought, she knows. Then again, of course she knows, being the Head of Gryffindor House. She must know every action of every Gryffindor student in the castle. "Uh…okay," I said out loud. "I'll head there straight away."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "That would be the wisest course of action. Miss Cole is currently waiting for you there. Off you go."

As I left the classroom, I felt McGonagall's eyes on my back, but I didn't bother looking back at her, too afraid to make eye contact. I supposed it was fortunate that she decided not to make eye contact with me in the beginning; who knew whether she was one of those people that could invade your mind if you locked eyes with one another. What did they call them—legitimates, or something?

"She knows," I said dismally to Rowan in the hallway, who had kept her promise to wait for me outside the classroom door.

"What?" Rowan asked, puzzled, "about what happened in Potions?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She said our Prefect is currently waiting for me in the Common Room to talk about it. I had a feeling this was going to happen before the end of the day."

Rowan shrugged. "Well…better the Prefect lecture you than McGonagall."

"Yeah, that's true," I agreed. It was also fortunate that she was busy grading papers instead of dealing with an apparent troublemaker like me. I somehow doubted she'd let me off the hook because it was my first day, but maybe the Prefect would be more understanding. We'll see. "Come on, we shouldn't keep her waiting."

#####

"Jane Morgan?" the Prefect known as Angelica Cole approached me seconds after Rowan and I walked through the portrait hole of Gryffindor Tower.

"Yes," I nodded awkwardly in response. "Um, hi, Angie."

"Actually, it's Angelica," she replied indignantly. "My friends call me Angie."

I took a step back in surprise. "Okay," I said, trying and failing to suppress my disgust toward her direct statement. "Sorry, Angelica. You wanted to see me?"

Angelica nodded in a way that suggested that she didn't want to waste time exchanging pleasantries like most people did when they properly met each other, which I honestly found a little off-putting. "Yes. As you know, I'm your Prefect, and it's a Prefect's job to keep order in the house and help first-years like you with their problems. Considering what your brother did to Gryffindor's reputation, I should have kept a closer eye on you. We all make mistakes, Jane, but we don't make mistakes that cost Gryffindor twenty House Points. Because of this, Gryffindor is now at fourth place, you're aware?"

I sighed. "Yes, I'm aware. Look, I'm sorry for what happened, but if you could just hear me out, I can tell you what really happened. It wasn't even my fault."

Angelica shook her head. "Fine, just tell me the story, and I'll do my best to understand."

I immediately began explaining about what happened between Merula and I before and during Potions Class. I explained about her threatening Rowan, who hadn't done anything wrong, and how she seemed to feel threatened toward me just because I was the 'better witch' since I cast the perfect Lumos in Charms Class. I then explained about my belief that Merula had sabotaged my potion during Potions Class, again because she felt threatened by me and felt the need to get back at me for stealing her thunder in Charms.

"I know my brother broke school rules and damaged Gryffindor's reputation," I said to end my story, "but I want to be a credit to our house, I swear."

"I understand that, Jane," Angelica said in a tone that suggested that she was trying but failing to be sympathetic toward my situation, "but if I'm completely honest, you haven't exactly proven that about yourself; if anything, you've proven to be the exact opposite. I also understand that it is only your first day, so you probably didn't know any better; but if you start proving you are truly a credit to Gryffindor House, I would be willing to look the other way. In any case, Professor Snape already sent you a letter directly to our Common Room." She then held up a messily folded piece of paper that had my name written in messy script, making me sense that Snape must've written this in a rush.

"Wouldn't it have made more sense if he'd sent it to me in person?" I frowned, puzzled, as I took the paper from her.

"I don't disagree," Angelica shook her head in a 'it doesn't matter' manner, "but it could be that he didn't want to because he was too busy teaching classes, or he simply despises you. He feels that way about everyone, so I wouldn't take it personally. Anyway, you should open and read that letter immediately. Even though the chances are low, it could be that he is offering to give us back the twenty House Points you lost; in which case, you should follow his instructions sooner than later."

"Okay," I nodded as I unfolded the letter and read the script out loud. "'Morgan, I have discovered evidence that your potion may have indeed been tampered with. While it does not prove your innocence, it does cast some doubt on my belief that you are hopelessly incompetent.'" I paused at this statement, feeling awkward. "'Bring me a jar of Pickled Slugs from the Potions Storeroom, and I will consider restoring your House Points. Snape.' There are directions to the Potions Storeroom at the bottom of the letter." I said after I finished reading.

"Want me to go with you, Jane?" Rowan offered. "It's the least I can do after you saved me from Merula."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks, Rowan. You know your way around the castle much better than me."

Angelica's chocolate-brown eyes widened in shock, obviously not expecting this turn of events. "Clearly he is offering to give us back the twenty House Points you lost! Hurry to the Potions Storeroom before he changes his mind!"

"Come on, Rowan!" I grabbed her hand, and we raced determinedly out of the Common Room without looking back.

#####

"Okay," I said as we arrived to the small door that led to the Potions Storeroom—at least the one that which the directions in Snape's note sent us to. "The directions on Snape's letter say this is the Potions Storeroom."

Rowan glanced around the area with a nervous look in her eyes. "I always thought it was located in the Tapestry Corridor. I suppose there must be more than one." I had to agree with her, because I was feeling her nervousness too. This seemed like an area of Hogwarts that was rarely touched by student, and even staff, feet.

"I guess," I shrugged, not caring where in the castle the Storeroom was located, nor what circumstances we'd be in once we'd arrived; I just wanted to get back those points that Snape had unfairly taken from me earlier that day. "Anyway, we need to find a jar of Pickled Slugs quickly so I can bring them to Snape so I can get those twenty House Points back…or ten at the very least."

Rowan nodded. "Right, and get your cauldron fixed before you meet him later tonight to redo your potion that Merula sabotaged."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't remind me." I then glanced at her uncertainly. "You believe me about that, don't you, Rowan? You were right next to her."

Rowan shrugged. "Well, I personally didn't see Merula sneak the Bulbadox Powder into your potion, but if there's ever a claim that Merula did something horrendous such as that, I'd believe it all. She truly is a horrendous little witch."

I nodded in agreement. "Right. Come on, it looks like the Storeroom is already unlocked." I frowned. Seeing as Snape was quite the perfectionist when it came to potions, you'd think he would've been more protective of his ingredients, preventing anyone from attempting to get their hands on them…or worse, sabotage them.

Once we entered the room, we were greeted with nothing but complete darkness.

"I can't see a thing," I complained as I took out my wand to cast the Wand-Lighting Charm. Before I could cast it, the loud thunk of the door slamming made me pause. "Hey, why'd you close the door, Row?" I asked, turning to her, or at least toward where I believed was in her general direction, seeing as it was so dark.

"I didn't," she said to my right in a confused tone. "It closed right after I entered. It must've been the wind, or something."

I somehow doubted that the wind was responsible for the door slamming, seeing as this was a secluded part of the castle that seemed to scarcely get any fresh air or frequent visitors; in fact, people seemed to avoid this area entirely. I dreaded to think of the alternative explanation for this sudden turn of events.

"It's not locked, is it?" I said, trying not to sound too concerned.

I heard the jiggling of the door behind us as Rowan checked it. She jiggled it several times, but the door didn't seem to budge. "Uh, yeah, it is, actually," she said, exactly what I feared she would say. "I don't think there's a way to open it from the inside."

I shook my head, bringing my focus back to the task at hand. "We'll figure it out once we find that jar of Pickled Slugs." I cast the Wand-Lighting Charm exactly as I was taught in Charms Class, and the tip of my wand lit up in a bright white light, illuminating a large mound of green…'things' that seemed to writhe on the floor and walls.

"Ugh…" I said in shock and curiosity, "what is that?"

"It looks like a mound of snakes," Rowan breathed behind me.

"Zero points to the bookworm; how disappointing!" said an all-too-familiar voice from the opposite side of the now locked Storeroom door. "The proper name for it is a deadly plant called Devil's Snare. Some fourth-year Slytherins showed it to me when I first arrived. It's sensitive to light. If you're really better at the Wand-Lighting Charm than me, escaping should be no problem."

"Merula!" I exclaimed angrily. "You little snitch! You locked us in here?"

"Along with sending you a fake letter from Snape," she sniggered. "I told you things would only get worse for you, Morgan. Something has to stop you from ruining Hogwarts. It may as well be Devil's Snare. Dumb move of you to bring your friend along; now you both get to suffer together. Good luck getting out alive, losers!"

"Merula, I will flippin' kill you!" Rowan screamed, pounding fruitlessly on the door. "Get us out of here right now!"

"Row, it's no use!" I said, shaking my head. "She's already gone!"

Rowan groaned. "We can't just sit here quietly. Someone has to—Jane, your arm!"

Before I had a chance to react, a large tendril of Devil's Snare wrapped itself around my wrist that was holding my lit wand and pulled me back into the mound. My back slammed into the vines, and I felt a piercing pain stab through a few spots on my back from the sharp thorns and ripping the soft fabric of my uniform. More vines wrapped around my waist, my other wrist, and ankles, pinning me to the mound, piercing my exposed skin and drawing blood.

"Rowan!" I yelled painfully. "Help me! Use Lumos!"

"Right! Lumos!" Rowan's wand tip lit with a bright white light, and I could see the tendrils of the Devil's Snare, some wrapping tightly around me and others attempting to pull me apart. Careful not to let the Devil's Snare take her too, Rowan kept the tendrils back with her lit wand tip, and they recoiled back in seeming fear or pain, like the light was an actual fire that it didn't want to be burned by. Once she felt safer to approach it, she held her wand to the vines that held me in place—especially the ones that wrapped around my neck and chest—and the vines retreated back into themselves, releasing me enough from their clutches where I could at least breathe again.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to even start celebrating, because once a vine retreated, another took its place and wrapped itself around me much tighter than the previous vine. It was like the Devil's Snare had a mind of its own, and it was fighting back with double force.

"It's no use!" Rowan cried hopelessly. "There's too many of them!" she ran back to the door and continued pounding on its surface in a fruitless attempt to get the attention of anyone who wasn't a Slytherin. "Someone, please help us! We're getting killed in here! Please!"

She suddenly screamed as there was an even stronger pounding on the other side of the door that could only have been made from the hands of a giant. A few more heavy pounds, and the door swung open, revealing the large man that escorted us to the castle by boat—the Gamekeeper. "Gulpin' gargoyles, Gryffindor!" he cried, alarmed. "Get away from that Devil's Snare. Yer scarin' it!"

I frowned incredulously. "I'm scaring it?!"

The giant man reached out to me with a kind expression on his heavily bearded face. "Don' be afraid. I'm gonna get yeh out o' 'ere." With ease, he pulled me out of the hold of the Devil's Snare and carried me out into the bright hallway.

Once he set me down, I suddenly realized that I didn't have my wand. "Wait!" I cried, "my wand is still in there!"

"I got it!" Rowan said as she ran out of the once-again darkened Potions Storeroom—if that even was the Potions Storeroom—and tossed me back my wand.

I sighed in relief, turning to the giant man. "You saved my life! Thank you, Mister…"

"Rubeus Hagrid, at yer service," he introduced himself in a booming voice. "I'm Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Pleasure teh meet yeh."

"I'm Jane Morgan," I replied, then gestured to Rowan. "This is Rowan Khanna."

"Uh, hi, Mr. Hagrid," she greeted with a subtle wave.

The Gamekeeper shook his large head. "Please, call me Hagrid an' forget teh 'Mr.' business." He then turned to me. "Yer the one everybody's been talkin' about. Maybe trouble really does run in yer family. How'd yeh end up in there, Jane?"

"A first-year Slytherin named Merula Snyde locked us inside," I said in disgust at her name—a poisonous name fitting for a girl with a poisonous soul.

"She did?" Hagrid said, genuinely shocked. "What are yeh goin' ter do?"

"I'll tell everyone in our year what she did so they know she can't be trusted," I declared confidently, despite the traumatic experience Rowan and I had just seconds ago.

Hagrid raised a bushy eyebrow. "Do yeh have any proof?"

I dug in my robe pocket and pulled out the fake letter from Snape, discovering, to my shock, that it was now torn to shreds. "I have a fake letter from Snape, but I can't prove she's the one who wrote it."

"Ah, but who'll believe yeh if yeh don' 'ave any proof?" Hagrid said, considering my statement. "Yeh might want ter reconsider. I'd 'ead back to yer Common Room an' take some time teh think, Jane. I don' want yeh doin' somethin' yeh'll regret." He then did a thorough scan with his eyes at my ripped uniform. "Yeh might want to do somethin' abou' those robes. That Devil's Snare got yeh good." He even went as far as to wipe a little bit of blood that had stained the side of my neck. "An' maybe pay Madam Pomfrey a visit in teh 'ospital Wing as well."

"Thanks, Hagrid, but I'll be fine," I reassured him. "I'm sure some of my fellow Gryffindors know some healing spells. Hopefully I'll see you again…uh, under better circumstances."

"Yeh certainly will, Jane," Hagrid replied with a smile. "Bu' fer now, yeh and yer friend had better get back ter yer Common Room."

#####

"Bloody hell! What happened to your robes?" Angelica cried upon seeing the state of my clothes.

"I got snared by Devil's Snare," I confessed as I held a piece of cloth to a bleeding spot on the side of my neck.

"Devil's Snare?" Angelica exclaimed incredulously. "How? What happened with Professor Snape?" Maybe she thought Snape trapped me with the plant, or something, as the letter suggested, which sounded ludicrous even to me.

I shook my head. "It was a trick. Merula Snyde faked the note and trapped Rowan and I in a room with it. It nearly killed me."

Angelica sighed and shook her head. "Merula Snyde again. What is it with you and this girl?"

I shrugged. "I think she feels threatened toward me. And I think she hates that I'm the only first-year who's stood up to her."

"And I take it you don't have any proof?" my stern Prefect said with a raised eyebrow. She was so stern I would've thought she'd be related to Professor McGonagall by blood. She might as well be, I thought to myself.

I held up the torn letter. "I have the fake letter—ripped now—from Snape, but I can't prove Merula was the one who wrote it."

Angelica shook her head like my statement didn't prove anything, which, to be honest, it didn't. "Well, you can't go around the castle like that. Professor McGonagall will have a fit. People already look at you like you're mad because of your brother."

I rolled my eyes. Tell me something I don't already know, I thought.

Unexpectedly, Angelica then smiled. "Luckily for you, I know just the spell for the job." She waved her wand and recited a familiar spell. "Reparo!" After she cast the spell, I instantly felt my robes mending themselves back together. After a minute, I glanced down and noticed my robes were fully repaired, like they'd never been torn to begin with. Angelica smiled proudly. "There! That's much better. Now you don't look like you wrestled a hippogriff."

I smiled back. "Thanks, but I'm mainly just happy to be alive."

Angelica frowned. "Speaking of which, you're bleeding in several places. This next spell should give you a bit of comfort." She waved her wand again and recited another spell, this time one that didn't sound so familiar to me. "Episkey!" This time, I felt a soothing sensation rush through my body and the pain from my wounds washing away entirely.

I sighed. "Thanks again, Angelica. That does give me much comfort." I then paused. "There is one more thing… Do you mind repairing my cauldron? I need it fixed before I redo my Cure for Boils Potion for Snape later—the real Snape, anyway." I dug in my book bag and dumped all of the shards of my broken cauldron on the carpet at her feet.

Angelica nodded. "I shall. I will have it fixed by the time you're finished cleaning yourself up. I'd suggest you do that before you go anywhere else in the castle."

I nodded. "That's what I plan to do."

"You should also plan to go to class, focus on your studies, and, above all else…stay out of trouble," Angelica added sternly, and I took note of the emphasis of the last four words. "Do that, and you'll be sure to get back those twenty House Points."

I suddenly found myself speechless because of my increased anger, so I just nodded instead. I then glanced to Rowan and gestured for her to follow me up to our dorm and away from our bossy Prefect.

"Well, that was horrifying," Rowan sighed after she threw herself onto her bed next to mine, but not before shrugging off her robe and cardigan. "The Devil's Snare, I mean."

I nodded with a huff, "Yeah. Let's agree to never go back there again."

I felt so angry in that moment. Angry at my brother for leaving me and my family and putting himself into so much trouble to make everyone in the school hate me. Angry at Merula Snyde for making my life a living Hell and trapping Rowan and I in a secluded room with Devil's Snare that almost killed us, if not for Hagrid saving us while on his rounds. Angry at Angelica Cole for urging me to stay out of trouble and earn Gryffindor more House Points instead of finding my lost, and possibly wounded—or even dying—brother.

"I'm all for that," Rowan agreed wholeheartedly. She then paused, noticing my discomfort. "What is it, Jane?"

"Can you believe Angie—Angelica, whatever?" I sighed, throwing my mended robe roughly on top of my trunk at the foot of my bed. "My brother is missing, possibly dead, and all she cares about is House Points. In what universe are House Points more important than the life of a missing person? What if she had a missing sibling; would she feel remotely concerned for his or her safety? Instead of hounding me about pointless House Points, she should put herself in my shoes; maybe then, she'd think differently."

Rowan got up from her bed and sat on mine, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I don't disagree with you, Jane; that was a jerk move of her to tell you to stay out of trouble. By saying that, she didn't seem to care one way or another about the safety of your brother, but I'm sure there's a part of her that does fear for his safety, as well as feel sympathy for you. I get that she doesn't want Gryffindor to look bad, but if getting into trouble will get your brother back, then I say we do it."

I glanced at her, feeling incredulous that she'd say such a thing. "Really? You're not concerned we'll get caught…or worse, expelled?"

Rowan shrugged. "Maybe a little, but it might be worth it if it means saving a life. Sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith."

This was true. If breaking every school rule was a risk I had to take in order to get my brother back, then I would gladly do it, even if it went against everyone else's better judgement.

Who cares what Angelica says, I thought. I'd give up all of Gryffindor's House Points to save my brother, because he is, and always will be, worth it.