Chapter 13: Inside the Room

It seemed like yesterday, I had just begun my fantastic journey to Hogwarts, and now, it was the last day of final exams for the school year; and tomorrow, we would have the End-Of-Year Feast before boarding the train to head back home for the summer the day after that. Needless to say, it was unbelievable how quickly the year had passed.

This whole year has been filled with magic and friendship, which was everything a witch like me could ask for, but there was something missing that made this year not quite as magnificent as it should've been…

Any and all clues on the whereabouts of my brother.

But all of that was going to change very soon, because tonight, with the help of my friends, I was going to recover those clues from the mysterious room behind the locked door in the forbidden corridor; and once I did, I was going to be one step closer to finding him.

On the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room after my penultimate final exam, I had the unfortunate accident of catching sight of the one person I did not expect to see outside the Common Room—the caretaker, Mr. Filch; though this time, his filthy cat, Mrs. Norris, was not with him like she often was. She was more than likely patrolling the forbidden corridor, while Snape and Filch were working. Filch was glancing suspiciously around the corridor, seeming like he was waiting for someone. Maybe he was still looking for the two Gryffindors (Rowan and I) that he claimed his cat had seen just before the Christmas holidays, I thought. This thought made me smile, knowing that it was now the end of the year, and he still hadn't suspected it was us who had snooped in the corridor that night.

I tried sneaking my way past him as a large group of Gryffindors was entering the Common Room, but he caught me before I could enter.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" he growled at me as he stepped right in front of me, blocking me from entering.

Trying to act all innocent, I shook my head and said, "Me? Nowhere. Nowhere special. Just my dorm room. That's not considered rule-breaking, is it?" I then paused, thinking that last bit wasn't the best thing to say, especially to Filch. He seemed like the type of guy that would look for any excuse to punish a student, even if there wasn't a reason at all. "The stories I've heard about how he punishes misbehaving students make Snape look like a pleasant Hufflepuff," Rowan's words rang in my mind—stories that I really didn't want to find out about, certainly not now.

Instead of answering, Filch glared at me suspiciously and recognizably, making my skin crawl. "You're Jacob Morgan's sister, aren't you?" He said my brother's name bitterly, like that was how it physically tasted on his tongue.

Instead of lying, I decided to tell the truth for once, especially when he might actually be on to me about being in the forbidden corridor after hours that night. "Yes, I am," I said, "but I'm not lik—"

Filch didn't let me finish my confession. He interrupted me, saying with contempt in his scratchy voice, "Your brother was one o' the nastiest li'le rule-breakers this school 'as ever seen. I was sad to see 'im expelled."

That last statement suddenly made me pause. "You were?" I asked, frowning in confusion. As someone who loathed misbehaving students like my brother, it didn't make sense to me why Filch would feel sad to see him go.

"I was," he confirmed. "I missed my chance to 'ang 'im from the ceiling by his wrists."

"Oh." I was shocked after hearing this. As sick as the idea was, this was something that Filch should be thrown in Azkaban for. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?

Filch then smirked at me, showing rotten, yellow teeth. "Now I 'ave a second chance with you."

He seemed to truly mean what he was saying, but I wasn't going to let him scare me. "With respect," I said seriously, "I don't know what you think I am, but I'm not like my brother, Mr. Filch."

"A liar is what you are!" Filch said angrily. "Mrs. Norris saw two Gryffindors lurkin' in a forbidden corridor last term. I'm guessin' one o' those Gryffindors was you."

Okay, so he is on to me, I thought nervously, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. I felt like I still had a chance to get one up on him. After all, it was one of the most important things to help us succeed in this mission, and this was the only opportunity.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said defiantly, "but even if she did see someone who looked like me, it wasn't me."

Filch paused for a moment and shook his head. "I don't give a rat's be'ind what you say, girl. You won't be goin' anywhere withou' me an' Mrs. Norris knowin'."

Well, if that's what you think… I thought with a raised eyebrow. I then said out loud, "Ever heard of Peeves?"

"'Course I've 'eard of Peeves," Filch growled with a frown. "Filthy li'le poltergeist 'as caused me more trouble than every student put together. Why?"

"I heard him talking about sabotaging your office," I said smugly. I knew I had him now. There was absolutely no way he was going to patrol the corridor, especially if what I was saying was actually going to happen; not that it was going to happen, but it was likely.

"How?" Filch asked somewhat angrily.

"He said he'd set all of the prank items you've confiscated to go off the next time you open the door," I said confidently, having made up this story a long time ago to use on this very day, at this very time. "Boy, I sure hope Mrs. Norris doesn't get hurt." He certainly wasn't going to guard the corridor if his pet's life was in danger; again, not that it was, but it was likely.

"Why would he do that?" he said in a concerned tone, which was exactly how I expected and planned for him to feel.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, you know Peeves better than me, but I assume it's because he's fond of mischief and chaos. And he hates you."

"How do I know you aren't lyin'?" he said, glancing down at me suspiciously, almost like he can genuinely see through my lie.

But I knew he would say such a thing, and I had the perfect response prepared and practiced. "You can think I'm lying, and you can take the chance that he ruins your office and hurts Mrs. Norris… Or you can stand guard inside your office so Peeves can't get the best of you."

Just then, I heard the crack of knuckles from Filch's hands balling into fists at my words. "I hate that wretched li'le poltergeist," he growled with clenched teeth. "I can't let 'im harm my li'le precious and damage my office. I keep my favorite chains in there." He then glanced down at me, raised a finger in my face, and murmured, "If I find out you're lyin' about this, I'll be usin' those same chains to 'ang you by your ankles. You mark my words." He then walked away without another word.

I smirked as I watched him go. "Operation Distract Filch…check. Now to assemble the lion pack and get inside that room."

#####

"I'll admit, this is more terrifying than I ever imagined," Ben said as he, Rowan, and I entered the forbidden corridor after everyone had gone to sleep, "and I spend a lot of time imagining terrifying things. You weren't lying when you said this would be dangerous, Jane."

We peeked around the corner and saw Mrs. Norris walking back-and-forth in front of the locked door, much like how a Palace Guard would when patrolling outside the walls of Buckingham Palace.

"Okay…" I said, sighing anxiously. "Is everyone ready?"

"I'm ready to not get caught," Ben said honestly. "That's my biggest concern right now, amongst other things."

"I spent all night studying maps of this section of the castle and going over the plan, Jane," Rowan said confidently, the phial of Sleeping Draught gripped tightly in hand. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"I tricked Filch into staying in his office," I assured them, "but we should still hurry. Snape might return any minute." I turned to Ben. "Ben, you will keep watch and make sure no one is coming." Then, I turned to Rowan. "And, Rowan, you will give the Sleeping Draught to Mrs. Norris, while I use Alohomora to unlock the door."

"I've read a lot of books, but none of them explain how to make a cat drink a potion," Rowan admitted nervously.

"I mixed it with milk," I told her, remembering over breakfast earlier that morning when I had poured some milk into the phial from my glass. "Just pour it on the ground, and she should lick it up."

Rowan took a deep breath, straightening her robe around her nightie. "Okay. Here goes nothing." She snuck behind a bench close to Mrs. Norris, while she was looking the other way and licking carelessly at her paws. She uncapped the phial of potion and poured a little in front of the bench before recapping the phial and rushing back to us. "I imagined myself doing all sorts of things at Hogwarts," she said, "but I never thought I'd be giving a cat a Sleeping Draught." We all chuckled at her words.

We all watched as Mrs. Norris glanced over at the puddle of potion and hesitantly approached it, like it was a parasite that was going to eat her if she got too close.

"Hey, look!" Ben exclaimed. "She's sniffing it! What if she thinks it's poison, or something?"

I shook my head. "Nah, Sleeping Draughts have no scent. She'll just think it's milk and drink it up in a heartbeat. See? She's drinking it right now!"

As I was speaking, the cat was casually licking up the puddle, much like a stray cat would when licking up rainwater on the street. After a short while, she started swaying slightly before falling sideways and passing out on the floor, with her face still in the potion. A loud purring was heard not long before we all started laughing loudly…a bit too loudly.

"Shh!" I shushed everyone before our laugher could be heard all over the castle. "We shouldn't be too loud!"

"Sorry," Rowan snorted as we approached the door. "It's not every day I get to see a cat pass out like that. Brilliant plan, Jane! You have a real gift for this. If wizarding doesn't work out, you should really consider burglary."

As interesting as the idea was, we had more pressing matters to attend to. "Let's hurry and get inside that door," I said seriously.

"Right," Rowan nodded somewhat disappointedly.

"Guys, I'm still not sure about this," Ben said nervously, stopping us.

"Don't worry, Ben," I said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We're just going to get inside the room and just see what's in there. Once we know, we'll go back to the dormitory before anybody notices we're here."

"Quick, get the lock open before Filch or Snape come back!" Rowan said anxiously.

I swiftly took out my wand and cast the Unlocking Charm. "Alohomora!" The door suddenly clicked open. I smiled excitedly, pocketing my wand. "Great, now le—"

"FLIPENDO!"

Ben and Rowan suddenly screamed as they got flipped over on the floor, Ben knocking his head into the wall, and Rowan briefly losing her glasses.

"Wha—?" I managed to get out before I was immediately flipped over as well, falling hard on my backside. We all looked up to see none other than Merula Snyde smirking down at us, still dressed in her green-clad Hogwarts robes. Clearly, she hadn't planned on going to bed, nor even pretended to.

"Only an idiot like you would invite a spineless Mudblood to keep watch, Morgan," she sniggered at me. "I was wondering how to unlock the door and get past that nasty cat. All I had to do was follow you and wait for you to do it for me."

"Merula, wait!" I tried to protest, but she interrupted me.

"A 'cursed vault' could be inside," she continued, "and no one is going to reach the Cursed Vaults before me. Move it, losers!" She moved past us, nearly kicking Ben in the stomach, and entered the room, leaving the door open just a crack, where a frigid draft was coming from inside.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate Merula?" Rowan said as she rose to her feet, rubbing her sore shoulder.

I nodded, rubbing my backside. "Yes, many times, and you've never been wrong." I then turned to Ben. "Are you alright, Ben?"

"Now I know the exact pain you saved me from when Merula was bullying me," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What are we going to do, Jane?" Rowan said worriedly.

I shook my head. "I can't let Merula find the Cursed Vaults before me. She could ruin my chances of finding my brother."

"And we don't even know what's inside," Rowan added with equal worry. "What if it's an all-powerful artifact? I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again… Can you imagine an all-powerful Merula? I'm right behind you, Jane."

"I'm afraid of what might be inside," Ben admitted, "but I'm even more afraid of being all alone in this corridor."

I sighed, turning to the door. "Let's see what's inside this room." After waiting so long, I was finally going to get the answers I desperately wanted. The time of waiting was over.

After I pushed open the door, we all gasped. The room was small, but the outcome was enormous. Every square inch of the interior was encased in thick layers of ice, including...

"Merula!" I exclaimed in shock upon instinct. The ice had spread over most of her body, even though she was only in the room by herself for a few seconds. Looking closely at the ice, it was slowly spreading over her, and it was only a matter of time before she would be frozen solid.

"What happened?" Ben cried, as equally shocked as the rest of us.

Although, Rowan's shock was short-lived. Upon seeing Merula in this condition, she smirked. "Ah, this is to good. I so wish I had a—" She then paused, turning to Ben. "What are those things called; the things Muggles use to take pictures?"

"A camera?" Ben said, like he was in disbelief that she didn't know what that was.

"Yes, that's it!" she nodded. "A camera! I so wish I had a camera right now."

"The ice s-stuck me t-to the f-floor and keeps sp-preading over me!" Merula said in a somewhat scared tone, struggling to free herself. "S-someone do something!"

"It's the ice from my vision," I said, suddenly remembering what I had seen in my dreams of something similar that was happening to Merula happening to the rest of Hogwarts. It briefly made me wonder if this sinister ice was coming from one of the Cursed Vaults that my brother went searching for.

"It's sp-preading over the d-door too!" Merula cried. I turned around, and she was right; the ice had, indeed, spread over the doorframe, trapping us in the room. "Get m-me out of this ice bef-fore I j-jinx the t-three of you!" she was genuinely scared, because a single tear fell from her eye, but it had frozen on her cheek as it was trickling down.

"I'd like to see you try with your hands frozen to your sides!" Rowan chuckled, crossing her arms.

Merula frowned at her. "V-very amusing, b-bookworm! Let's s-see you laugh after you've been f-frozen to d-death!"

I turned and tugged on the door handle, but it was slippery with ice, and the hinges were jammed. "The door is frozen shut!" I exclaimed. "We're stuck!"

"I'll say!" Rowan yelled, frightened. "Jane, help!"

"I can't feel my legs!" Ben said, sounding equally frightened. "I can't move them at all! Jane!"

I turned to them, and I paused in shock when I saw them both half-frozen in the ice, much like Merula. For Rowan, the ice was spreading around her lower body, but for Ben, it had spread across his upper legs and waist.

"Rowan!" I screamed. "Ben! Hold on!" I then murmured to myself, thinking aloud, "Think, think, think! What spells have we learned that can destroy ice? Lumos—useless. Nox—even more useless. Rictusempra—I doubt this ice is ticklish..."

"J-just out of c-curiosity, how m-much slower can you b-be before w-we all die?" Merula said in an annoyed tone, but I ignored her.

"Jane, hurry!" Rowan whimpered. "The ice has s-spread to my knees!"

"I don't think you w-want to know w-where the ice h-has spread on me," Ben said in a choked voice, "but I w-will say it s-sure isn't a pleasant f-feeling."

I continued thinking to myself, not wanting anyone to interrupt my train of thought. "Expelliarmus—it might slow the spread of the ice, but I don't think it'll break through it. Flipendo—it's like an invisible force shoving someone down really hard with enough force to knock them right through a solid wall…"

I could still hear Rowan, Ben, and Merula begging for help behind me.

"T-the ice has c-completely closed around my l-legs now!" Rowan said.

"It's s-starting to c-close around my c-chest! It's getting h-harder to b-breathe!" Ben said.

"C-can I just s-say, before we're all frozen p-popsicles, that you g-guys are the b-biggest bunch of d-dimwits I've ever m-met?" Merula said.

Rowan's final plea suddenly brought me back to the present situation. "J-Jane, p-p-please!"

"Flipendo!" I cried in triumph, suddenly realizing my solution to freeing all of us. "I'll use Flipendo! I've got you, Rowan!" I cast the spell at her, and she screamed as the ice shattered around her. "You okay, Rowan?" I asked as I helped her to her feet.

She nodded. "Yeah, but Ben isn't! Help him!"

"F-forget the M-Mudblood!" Merula yelled at us. "H-help me first! I got into t-this mess first, n-no thanks to either of y-you for warning me b-beforehand!"

"Jane…" Ben choked out as the ice squeezed around his chest ever more tightly. "I-I c-can't…b-breathe…" His eyes were starting to roll back in his head from the lack of oxygen.

"Ben!" I cried in alarm. "Rowan, help me!" She took out her wand and pointed it at Ben, and I did the same. "Together!" I declared before we both cast Flipendo at the same time. The combined force from our blasts broke Ben free in an explosion of ice shards.

"Thanks, Jane," he smiled gratefully as he got back to his feet. "I was afraid I'd freeze to death…"

"Anyone n-noticed that I s-still am?" Merula said, now sounding more annoyed than ever. "N-no one c-cares about you, M-Mudblood! Save me!"

Rowan, Ben, and I looked at each other questioningly.

"Should we leave her?" Rowan suggested. "I personally think it best to just leave her. It would definitely teach her a lesson that this is the type of consequence you deserve when you bully people for as long as she has."

As much as I wanted to agree with her, deep down, I knew that wasn't the right thing to do. Yes, Merula deserved it, alright, but this wasn't the way to punish her. "There are other ways to stand up to a bully," Angie's words rang in my mind.

"True," I nodded, "but having the punishment of being imprisoned in solid ice for all eternity? She could die, and I'm not about to let that happen. Not to anyone. Stand back!" I then turned to Merula, raising my wand. "This is going to hurt, Merula…"

"W-what are you t-talking about?" she glared at me fearfully. "W-what are you g-going to d-do?"

"It's called 'getting even,'" I said before casting the spell. "Flipendo!"

Merula screamed as the ice shattered around her. "Ow!" she cried as she fell in a heap on the icy floor.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Rowan smirked with a raised eyebrow. "Now you know how we feel when you cast that spell on us."

"We have to get out of this room, now!" I said, knowing we had been in this room for far too long. "Come on, guys! You too, Merula!" We all turned to the frozen door. "Cast the Knockback Jinx on the door like I did to free you guys!"

"Flipendo!" Rowan cast the spell, but the ice only broke a little, and not enough. Panicked, she said, "The door is still stuck! What do we do, Jane? The ice is spreading too fast!"

"I guess I have you morons to thank for this room to be my tomb!" Merula sighed with a roll of her violet eyes.

"It's hopeless!" Ben whimpered, burying his face in his hands.

"Ben!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering being told that he was top of our class in Charms. "We need your help."

"'We?'" Merula scoffed with a frown. "Don't you mean 'you?'"

"Ben, I know you know the Knockback Jinx," I said, ignoring Merula again. "I've seen you do it in class. You're the best user of that spell."

"Oh, yeah right!" Merula scoffed again. "I've knocked him back way more than he's ever managed to prevent himself from hiding in a broomstick cupboard like a pathetic wuss."

"I-I'm sorry, Jane," Ben said, shaking his head frantically. "I can't. I'm too scared…"

"See?" Merula shrugged. "That just proves I'm a better witch than anyone in this school. And you're the most worthless Mudblood."

"Shut up, Merula!" I yelled at her, having enough, and surprisingly she did. I then lowered my voice back to a calming whisper, "Don't listen to her, Ben. I know you can do this. You just have to try. Please…for your friends." I knew he cared deeply for us…well, Rowan and I; Merula, not so much. If he truly cared for us, he would be brave for us and help us escape…help us survive.

"Okay…" he eventually nodded, albeit nervously, "I'll try."

"You can do it, Ben," Rowan cheered. "Give it all you've got!"

Merula rolled her eyes again. "Oh, sure, leave it to a pantophobic Mudblood to save all of our lives. We'll see how well that turns out. It didn't do much good for Professor Mormon."

I sighed. Apparently getting her to shut up for even a minute was a longshot. She wasn't making things any easier for us, especially for Ben.

Funny enough, Rowan felt the same way. "Oh, I wish I knew a Lip-Locking Charm I could use to shut your mouth!" she snapped at her.

"No one tells me what to do, especially you, bookworm!" Merula snapped back. "I'll say whatever I want whenever I want, and there's nothing you can do abo—!"

"Flipendo!" Ben cried before the ice suddenly shattered, interrupting Rowan and Merula's argument. It turned out the door was never closed behind us, but the ice had somehow frozen into the doorframe in place of the door, giving the illusion that the door had closed behind us and locked us in.

"You did it, Ben!" I exclaimed proudly, clapping him on the back.

"I did it?" he said, puzzled at himself, but then he composed himself at the last second, smiling. "I mean…yeah, I did it!"

"Let's get out of here!" Rowan said insistently, rubbing her hands across her arms in an attempt to warm herself. "I'm freezing!"

"Ow, hey!" Ben exclaimed disapprovingly as Merula shoved him aside so that she could get out first.

"Out of the way, wuss!" she barked at him as she exited.

"Do you think this ice will keep spreading throughout the castle?" Ben asked Rowan in a concerned tone as they exited the room together.

As he said this, I was suddenly halted as I caught a glimpse of strange writing on the wall above the doorframe inside the room. The writing looked like something written in an otherworldly language. "Whoa!" I exclaimed upon seeing the writing. "Guys, wait! Look at this!"

Rowan, Ben, and Merula came back to see what had gotten my attention. Merula shook her head, groaning, "Who cares about stupid graffiti! Care more about what Snape and Filch will do if they catch us here!"

"What is it?" Ben asked curiously.

"It's some sort of code," Rowan said, examining the wall. "Someone left a message in the ice…"

"I wish I had something to write it down," I said glumly. "It might be important."

"Guys, what's taking so long?" Merula growled at us impatiently, having left the room again. "Do you want to get a life-long detention from Snape? I sure don't! Let's go!"

In that moment, I thought of telling her to go if she wanted to, and that she didn't need to wait for us, but I decided not to say anything, because I could see Rowan squinting very hard at the writing on the wall as if she was taking it apart and putting it back together again like a jigsaw puzzle with her eyes.

"Okay, I have it memorized," Rowan said after a moment. "Let's get out of here."

"Finally…" Merula and Ben said together, Merula in an annoyed tone, and Ben in a relieved tone.

"Looks like Mrs. Norris is still out for the count," Rowan chuckled after we exited the icy room, pointing at the sleeping cat, whose face was still soaking in the potion.

"I should have known better than to follow you idiots!" Merula said in a tone like she was blaming us for dragging her into this, which we did absolutely no such thing. "I'll find the real Cursed Vaults by myself!" she then ran back down the corridor, presumably back to the Slytherin Common Room, without another word.

"Well, she's gone!" Ben sighed. "Thank god for that!"

"That wasn't a Cursed Vault, was it?" I asked Rowan breathlessly, feeling my heart pounding out of what I couldn't decide to be anxiety or relief.

"It doesn't seem likely," she said, shaking her head, "but the ice itself did appear to be cursed. Maybe it's protecting a vault…or somehow escaping from one?" She then paused, thinking aloud to herself. "Deciphering those runes could give us a clue. Either way, it seems like your vision was some sort of prophecy. If the ice is spreading, it could eventually encase all of Hogwarts."

I shook my head, feeling tired, and also slightly bummed out that we had to wait until the end of the summer to find out anything else. "We can try to work it out later. Let's get back to the Gryffindor Common Room before we get caught by Filch or Snape." I then pulled the door handle shut, hearing a loud click as it locked. "We'll just close that one off. I don't want anybody finding out about what is happening. I mean, I want the Headmaster to know, but if we tell him we've gone snooping in the corridor after hours and discovered what we've seen, he'll expel us on the spot. It's best for everyone that this place is kept secret."

"Snape and Filch should find out about it," Rowan pointed out. "They're supposed to be guarding this door, after all."

"I don't know about you guys," Ben said, looking around, "but I think we should go back to the Common Room before either of them come back."

Rowan nodded wholeheartedly. "I agree. I want to get back under my covers and just be warm for the rest of the night. Is that too much to ask?"

Ben and I chuckled, exchanging glances at each other. No, Rowan, it most certainly is not.