Chapter 11: A Curious Corridor

Later that same day, I sat at the Gryffindor Table, staring dismally at my untouched dinner plate, not being able to stop thinking about the possibility of this meal being the last meal I would ever have here at Hogwarts, because I was destined to be expelled at any moment, all because of that viperous snake, Merula Snyde.

"You really should eat something, Jane," Rowan said in a concerned tone as she bit into a piece of chicken leg. "You won't have another meal for another twelve hours."

"I can't eat," I said angrily. "Not with the possibility of expulsion hanging around my neck like a noose."

"Flitwick said that," Rowan said with a shrug, "but that's only what it is—a possibility. That means it might happen, but it might not."

"Rowan, I know what 'possibility' means," I said in an annoyed tone. "I just…I really don't want to be expelled. Hogwarts just became a second home to me. I don't want to leave it…not forever. It's bad enough Snape was the one who caught me; no doubt he'll expel me and let that snake stay." I didn't see the fairness in expulsion being the reward for defending a friend from a bully.

"That may be so," Rowan shrugged again, "but doing something that extreme is the Headmaster's decision, not Snape's. If Dumbledore saw what happened from your perspective, I'm sure he'll change his mind to let you stay and kick Merula out. At least, that's what I would do if I was Headmaster, or rather Headmistress. No doubt Merula would just tell lies to Dumbledore, but if you talked to him yourself and told him what really happened, I'm sure he'll take your side in a heartbeat and let you stay."

She was right. Professor Dumbledore always seemed to be much more understanding than Professor Snape and was willing to give second chances; whereas Snape wasn't as willing, not by a long shot. If Snape was the Headmaster instead of Dumbledore, he'd definitely expel me without a second thought; in fact, he probably would've expelled me from the moment I—or rather Merula—had exploded my potion in Potions Class on my first day. Thankfully, Snape didn't have that authority over me, but he could still get permission from Dumbledore to expel me. God, I sure hope he doesn't, I hoped quietly to myself.

"Thanks, Rowan," I smiled at her warmly. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"You wouldn't have me any other way," she smiled back, showing broccoli-stained teeth.

"No, you're right," I chuckled. "I wouldn't."

Just then, a familiar Hufflepuff girl with bright blue eyes and braided blond hair approached me and slid on the bench next to me. "Hey, Jane!" she waved at me. "Remember me? We met on the Hogwarts Express."

I nodded. "Yes, I remember you. Penny Haywood, right?"

"Yup, that's me!" she smiled, her teeth, unlike Rowan's, perfectly clean and white.

"You're the most popular girl in our year," I said, in total disbelief that someone like that would have any interest in talking to a (in Merula's words) 'cursed loser' like me; "and I'm…" I then paused sadly. "Well…not popular."

"I disagree, Jane," Penny shook her head. "Everyone is talking about the heroine who was brave enough to stand up to the tyranny of Merula Snyde. Not to mention all the rumors surrounding your brother."

I couldn't help but sigh and roll my eyes. "Yeah."

"Anyway, I wanted to say thank you," she continued. "Hogwarts is supposed to be fun, but Merula was making it miserable for everyone. I especially appreciate how you immediately stepped in between Merula and Ben Copper to stop her bullying."

"Someone had to do something," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"I agree," Penny nodded, "but only you were brave enough. I hope Professor Snape doesn't punish you for your bravery. Let me know if I can help you with anything, Jane. I know the gossip around Hogwarts, and I'm pretty good with potions if I say so myself."

I smiled appreciatively. "Yes, you mentioned that on the train. And I will. Thanks, Penny."

"You as well, Jane," she smiled back. "I'll see you around. You too, Rowan!"

"See ya, Pen!" Rowan waved as Penny ran back to rejoin her Hufflepuff friends. She then sighed. "She really is popular. I wish we were popular like her."

"If I didn't have my brother's bad reputation haunting me everywhere I go, I would be," I replied dismally. "I've tried so hard to fit in here, but the only place I fit into is Trouble Town."

"It's actually not so bad, Jane," Rowan shook her head. "What's brilliant about Trouble Town is that you get to go on all these grand adventures, like the Cursed Vaults. I would give up every last book to go on an adventure through Trouble Town with you." She then paused and said, "Actually, that's a lie. I would never give up any of my books, but I'd still accompany you on your adventures."

I smiled again. "Thanks, Row." Seeing movement at the corner of my eye, I saw Snape walking toward the exit of the Great Hall, followed closely by Merula, and my smile immediately faded from my face. He glanced sternly at me and gestured for me to follow him before he slipped out the door. "I should probably start heading to the West Towers," I said sadly as I got up from the table. "Snape wanted us to meet him there after dinner, and he said we'd be in more trouble if we're late."

"Good luck, Jane," Rowan said a little sympathetically. "I hope he doesn't give you too harsh of a punishment, especially if it includes expulsion."

"Me neither," I agreed. "I'll see you at the Common Room after." I then left to follow Snape and Merula. I found them standing around the corner on the far side of the corridor leading away from the Great Hall. I guessed, since he saw us both in the Great Hall at the same time, he changed his mind to meet here instead of up in the West Towers.

"There you are, Morgan," Snape greeted me in his usual grumpy way. "Now that you and Miss Snyde are here, I can discuss your punishment. Expulsion seems to be the most logical option."

No surprise, I couldn't help thinking in my head with a slight roll of my eyes.

"I had nothing to do with it, Professor," Merula suddenly spoke up, feigning innocence. "I only defended myself when this loser attacked me!" Her snide comment made me stare, flabbergasted, at her, knowing she was lying again to get out of whatever punishment Snape had in mind for us.

Luckily, Snape saw sense and seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. "Everyone saw you cast that first spell, Miss Snyde." After he said that, I couldn't help but smirk at her, and she gave an 'I'm going to get you back' look back at me, which I ignored. "This, however, does not excuse Morgan's behavior." Snape spoke up again, this time glancing to me, and my smirk immediately disappeared. "Since you arrived, you have fought in the corridor, made a mess of my classroom, and dueled on school grounds. This after the damage your brother did to Hogwarts. Why shouldn't you receive the harshest punishment for your actions, Morgan?"

Because absolutely none of that was my fault, I wanted to say, but I knew that if I did, Snape would yell at me for lying (which I technically wasn't, seeing as Merula had started all of those things, and I tried and failed to stop her from making things worse) and expel me right on the spot. So, I said the only honest thing I could say. "I stopped Merula from bullying me and my friends. I didn't do anything wrong." Why should I be punished for defending my friends? I wanted to scream at him. It's completely unfair!

But, of course, Snape didn't want to hear it. "Attacking a student with your wand is against school rules," he said in almost a yell. "You quite literally did do something wrong. Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing that Angie was going to be upset, but I was too angry to care.

"As I said," Snape continued in a somewhat softer voice, "expulsion is the logical punishment for dueling on school grounds. Unfortunately, our Headmaster is illogical and believes that expulsion is unfair in this case."

Hearing this made both Merula and I feel a pang of relief. I guessed I wasn't going to be expelled, after all. Thank God, I thought.

"If either of you are ever caught dueling on school grounds again," Snape said, glaring daggers at us, but mostly at me, "I can assure you that you will not be so fortunate." This statement made us both glance shamefully at the floor.

Suddenly, an elderly-sounding voice shouted from behind us, "Professor!" We turned to see the caretaker, Argus Filch, running—more like hobbling, due to his seemingly weak knees—toward us, followed closely by his scrawny-looking cat, Mrs. Norris.

"What is it, Mr. Filch?" Snape asked in a calming voice, very unlike how he spoke to Merula and I just seconds ago.

"Professor Snape!" Filch said in a seemingly panicked voice. "You must come with me righ' away. It's about…" He suddenly paused, glancing down at Merula and I as if seeing us for the first time. He then lowered his voice to a whisper and said in Snape's ear, but at a volume that I could still hear, "The vaults."

Hearing those last two words instantly made my body stiffen in shock, knowing there was only one set of vaults that he could be talking about. I glanced to Merula, and her body was straightened in almost the exact same way as mine.

Snape then turned to us and gave us a strict order. "Return to your Common Rooms. We will discuss your punishment tomorrow." He then strode down the corridor with Filch and Mrs. Norris in tow.

The instant that the adults had left earshot, Merula piped up and said, "The vaults? I bet they must be talking about the Cursed Vaults! No way I'm missing this." She then hurried after them, not thinking twice about the consequences of disobeying Snape's direct orders. Typical, I thought with a roll of my eyes, but then I frowned.

"Why does she care about the Cursed Vaults?" I pondered aloud. "I'd better follow her and Snape. I can't miss this either, especially if they find something about my brother."

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I ended up following Merula back to the dark part of Hogwarts where she trapped Rowan and I with the Devil's Snare on our first day, and I was surprised to see her pass the room and creep further down the corridor. As I followed, albeit at a slight distance so she thought she was alone, I noticed that the corridor's temperature dropped the further down I walked.

I finally caught up with her as she was crouched behind a nine-foot tall statue of a knight.

"Merula, what are you doing?" I demanded in a harsh whisper.

Merula jumped upon hearing me and discovering that I had followed her. "Ugh, you're here!" she grumbled in an annoyed tone. "Get out of here before you get us in more trouble! We're not supposed to be here."

"What's going on?" I demanded again.

Merula immediately shushed me. "Be quiet and see for yourself." She gestured to the far end of the corridor, where Professor Snape and Mr. Filch were talking in low voices to each other. They were standing outside a very ancient-looking door that appeared to emit a bright blue light from within.

Remembering what Filch said when he found us, I murmured knowingly, "They must be talking about the Cursed Vaults."

"Duh," Merula sighed, rolling her eyes. "Shut up so I can listen to what they're saying." Her tone was insistent, like she was determined to find out everything that the two adults were saying, and in all honesty, so did I, so I did as she requested.

"Who else knows about this?" I heard Snape ask seriously to Filch, his hand brushing lightly against the surface of the door.

"Only me an' Mrs. Norris saw the ice, sir," Filch said, stroking his cat's fur. "Was going to report the incident to the 'eadmaster, I was."

Ice, I immediately thought to myself. Just like in my dreams and visions.

"I will inform Professor Dumbledore," Snape replied. "This may have to do with the Morgan situation."

I frowned upon hearing my surname being said in that manner, like this was my fault that whatever it was that was behind that door was there, but I knew that was a lie, and that it had to be my brother's doing from when he was still at Hogwarts. Could he have returned to gather more evidence of the Cursed Vaults one last time? Was he behind that door?

"Is it true that the Vaults are filled with gold and powerful prophecies and ar'ifacts from before 'ogwarts existed?" Filch asked curiously. "An' that's why the Morgan boy lost his mind trying to find 'em?"

Snape shook his head. "Don't worry about what's inside the vaults. Worry about keeping everyone out. Lock this door and keep it guarded. In fact, I am going to suggest to the Headmaster to forbid everyone from entering this corridor at all costs. Everyone except us, that is. We must inform him at once."

Immediately after, they turned toward our direction, and I pulled Merula behind the statue with me. She shook me off of her, but she stayed quiet and hidden as Snape walked right past us and around the corner. We didn't see Filch following, so I risked a glance around the statue to see him walking in the opposite direction with Mrs. Norris further into the dark corridor and out of sight.

As soon as I knew we were safe, I asked Merula, "What is the 'Morgan situation'?"

"Who cares?" Merula shrugged. "This is another clue to the Cursed Vaults."

"You think the Cursed Vaults are real?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you're trying to find them? You always call my brother mad for doing that exact thing."

"Even if I cared to explain myself to an idiot, I wouldn't do it here and risk getting caught by the two meanest people at Hogwarts." She then walked back down the corridor where Snape had gone, murmuring under her breath, "Ugh, are people always this stupid, or is it just a 'Morgan' thing?"

Shortly after Merula left, I glanced back at the door where Snape and Filch were standing near, and I sighed. "She has a point," I pondered aloud, "about getting caught here, anyway. I better tell Rowan what I heard." I then left the corridor before Filch or Snape came back, that familiar icy chill creeping up my spine again.

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"This is brilliant!" Rowan exclaimed excitedly after I had explained everything to her after returning to our Common Room. "Your very first clue to the Cursed Vaults could be lying just on the other side of that door."

"And a first clue to finding my brother," I added hopefully.

"Yes, that too," Rowan nodded. "What do you think is on the other side?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug, "but it must be something dangerous if Snape wants to keep it locked up and guarded. Apparently, he's going to talk to Professor Dumbledore and ask to have that entire corridor under lockdown so no one can get in or out. In fact, Snape could be talking to Dumbledore about that right now as we speak."

"You said Filch said something about ice," Rowan pointed out. "Do you think he was talking about the ice; I mean, the ice from your dreams and visions?"

I nodded. "He must be. That could be what's on the other side of the door. We need to investigate it before they lock it up entirely."

"But how?" Rowan asked with a frown. "Snape, Filch, and maybe even Dumbledore could be preparing to put the corridor under lockdown right now. If we go, we'll be caught, and then we could be expelled." She then paused and added, "Plus, you've been put in enough trouble already from dueling Merula earlier. If Snape catches you again…"

"He won't," I shook my head confidently, "and nor will Filch. We'll sneak there tonight after everyone goes to bed, and we can find out what's really going on. I need to know what's behind that door. Like I said, it could be a clue to finding Jacob."

Rowan shook her head uncertainly. "I don't know, Jane."

"You said it yourself that you wanted to go on an adventure through Trouble Town with me," I pointed out. "This could be our opportunity…maybe our only opportunity. Don't you want to know what's behind that door too?"

"I do, but…" She then sighed. "I just don't want to get caught, especially not this soon before Christmas. If my parents found out we've been snooping in a forbidden corridor…"

"It's not forbidden yet," I shook my head. "As long as we hurry in and out, Filch and Snape will never know that we were even there; they'll just continue guarding the door without even knowing what we've discovered on the other side." I then paused, smirking. "Imagine knowing something that Snape doesn't." I doubted Snape knew anything about the Cursed Vaults, and the idea of knowing more about them than he, or any other professor, greatly excited me.

Rowan smirked as well. "That would be wicked. Literally, because that's the most cunning thing I think I've ever heard you say. Although, it could be Snape already knows what's on the other side. If there's cursed ice in there, like Filch said…"

"Then we'll find out," I said determinedly. "Don't you ever hate it when adults know things you wish you knew; like, secrets about your past, or someone else's past? Or, in this case, Hogwarts' past?" For all we knew, the entire castle was built right on top of the Vaults as a way of keeping them well hidden from the rest of the world because of how 'cursed' they really were, given their name.

"What do you mean by that?" Rowan asked, puzzled. "You think the Cursed Vaults could be a part of Hogwarts' past?"

"Exactly," I nodded. "I bet there's not a single mention of Cursed Vaults in any history book on Hogwarts…at least none that you've read." Of course they weren't mentioned in any history books, if whoever built the castle on top of them didn't want anybody finding out about them…about their curses.

"Actually, some have mentioned Cursed Vaults," Rowan said, "but they've always been described as a myth. But you said Filch may have found some actual evidence of the Vaults' existence."

"The ice," we both said together in confirmation.

"Exactly," I nodded again. "Therefore, the Vaults must exist. One of the Vaults must be an Ice Vault, hence why ice was found behind that door."

"Although, I'm worried about Merula," Rowan said, slightly changing the subject. "You said she was interested in the Vaults as well. Why?"

"I'm not sure," I said, shaking my head nervously, "but it worries me too. If Filch's theory about the Vaults containing cursed artifacts is true, I would hate to find out what would happen if Merula got her hands on one of them."

"Yeah, I don't think I want to imagine what an all-powerful Merula would look like," Rowan said in agreement.

"Me neither," I said, knowing that if Merula Snyde got a hold of a cursed artifact, there would definitely be no stopping her reign of terror over Hogwarts, "which is why we must get inside that room before she does."

#####

After a bit more persuasion, I was finally able to convince Rowan to accompany me back to the corridor where Filch saw the ice behind that door. We stayed in our beds and pretended to sleep while our other roommates drifted off to sleep in their beds, and when we felt like everyone was fully passed out, we snuck out of the dorm room and out of the Common Room.

"This is where Snape and Filch were talking," I said after we arrived at the now empty corridor. Although it was empty, I knew it wasn't going to be for long.

Rowan must have been thinking the exact same thing, because she spoke up and said nervously, "I'm starting to have second thoughts, Jane. If Snape told Filch to stay on guard, he'll be back soon. The stories I've heard about how he punishes misbehaving students make Snape look like a pleasant Hufflepuff. Are you sure we should be searching this corridor?"

"We'll be fine as long as we hurry and stay aware of our surroundings," I assured her; although, deep down, I was actually assuring myself. I knew that if I was caught snooping here after hours, I was going to be expelled for sure.

"Okay," Rowan sighed with a nod. "I trust you, Jane. Besides, I don't think I could forgive myself for not taking the opportunity to inspect a forbidden corridor in Hogwarts. You were right about that earlier."

After she finished talking, I suddenly heard a noise from somewhere in the dark corridor. "Wait! Did you hear something?" I gasped, glancing down the corridor where I figured Snape or Filch would appear at any moment.

"Based on my research, there are at least twenty-one different entities that could be roaming the corridors at night, and every one of them is potentially terrifying," Rowan said as a way of reassuring me that it was probably nothing too threatening, like a rat scurrying through the darkness in search of food, or something of that sort. "What should we do, Jane?"

Shaking my head and ignoring my nerves, I said, "Let's just search the place as fast as we can and hope whatever it is isn't coming this way."

We agreed to not use the Wand-Lighting Charm, not wanting to attract attention to ourselves, such as Snape, Filch, or any other professor that agreed to watch the corridor. The longer I could avoid expulsion from this wondrous castle, the better.

"Is this where Filch said he saw the ice?" Rowan asked as she inspected the door closely, running her hands lightly across the intricate carvings in the wood.

"Yeah," I nodded. I tried tugging at the door, but it didn't budge. Snape must have come back here just before curfew and locked the door before anyone could get access to it…or to let anything inside escape. "It's locked!" I grunted. "We need to get this open somehow. Maybe with a key, or a spell?" I turned to Rowan and asked hopefully, "Do you know any unlocking spells?"

"No," she shook her head, and my hope immediately degraded. "Unfortunately I do not. Which is annoying, because even if there was one, that spell would be very useful right now."

I was about to agree when I suddenly felt a chilly breeze coming from underneath the door. "That's strange…" I frowned. "There's a cold draft coming from inside…"

"Probably from the ice," Rowan suggested. She then brushed her hand along the wall framing the door. "But there's something strange about this brick. It seems…old. Really old. Like, older than most of the other walls surrounding Hogwarts."

I suddenly felt frustrated. We were just told of some mysterious evidence of the Cursed Vaults' existence that laid on the other side of this door, but sometime earlier Snape had gone ahead and locked the door, keeping its contents away from me. It was like he knew I would try to come here and discover whatever was inside, and he was clearly preventing me from finding out its secrets within—secrets that could possibly lead to Jacob.

"I have to get inside this door!" I said angrily. "It could have something to do with my missing brother."

"How?" Rowan said, throwing her arms above her head in exasperation. "We don't know any unlocking spells, and we don't know of any keys that could fit into this lock. What are we going to do?"

I shook my head in defeat. "I don't know. We'll just have to do more research, but we aren't going to be able to work out what's really going on unless we get inside that room; but with the end of the term coming up, we may have to wait to come back here next term."

"Hmmm…" Rowan pondered aloud. "An impenetrable lock, a mysterious door, and the constant threat of being caught by Filch…" She then shook her head, seemingly giving up. "I don't know," she groaned. "Getting into that room seems impossible, Jane. This seems too complicated of a mystery, even for me."

"I'll find a way," I said confidently, "but I'll need your help."

"I'm always here to help," she shrugged, "but—"

She was interrupted by a small cracking noise, like a foot pressing weight on hard rock.

Fearing it to be one of the professors, particularly Snape, I gasped, "Shh! Someone's coming!"

As the footsteps were getting closer, I realized that these weren't the footsteps of a human but rather an animal.

"Not someone…" Rowan said, catching on to the same thing I was hearing. "Something."

Suddenly, the 'thing' scampered across the corridor, and we realized that it was a cat.

"Oh, it's just a cat," I sighed in relief. I then laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of being scared by a cat, of all creatures.

I glanced to Rowan, but she wasn't laughing with me. "That's not just a cat, Jane…" she said, shaking her head slowly, her voice sounding panicked. "That's Mrs. Norris!"

Her words made my heart go into terror-filled overdrive. If that really was Mrs. Norris, then Filch wasn't too far away. Upon seeing us, the cat hissed loudly at us and scurried away back into the darkness.

"Do you think she's going to get Filch?" I glanced to Rowan nervously, my heart feeling like it was beating in my throat.

She shook her head. "I don't know, but wherever she's going, I don't want to be here when she comes back. Let's get back to the Common Room! Quickly!"

Without thinking twice, we ran, not looking back.