Rowan and I decide to wait until after Christmas to try to get inside the locked room, since there isn't much time left anyways. Besides, Professor Flitwick has told us that he plans to teach us the Unlocking Charm, Alohomora, when we return to Hogwarts.
Two days before we leave to return home, Rowan and I are sprawled on our beds, working on a Potions essay. Professor Snape was the only one who assigned homework so close to break, but fortunately, it's one of his least complex assignments.
Rowan keeps looking at the window, as if she's expecting something. I try asking what she's waiting for, but she doesn't respond, so I give up.
An owl glides into the room, and Rowan shoots to her feet and charges the owl, which is impressively unruffled.
"So now will you tell me what this is all about?" I ask after the owl has flown off and Rowan is done reading the letter.
"I asked my parents if you could come stay at the farm for Christmas, and they said yes!" Rowan says enthusiastically before shoving a piece of parchment and a quill into my hands. "Now you just have to write to your parents and get permission."
"I don't have an owl," I remind her.
"So go to the Owlery," Rowan says matter-of-factly.
"Duh." I scribble a quick letter and roll it up neatly, giving Rowan her quill back. "You want to come?"
"No thanks. I still have to finish my essay." Rowan carefully smooths out her Potions homework, which had gotten a bit crumpled in all the excitement.
"All right." I leave and find my way to the Owlery.
The Owlery is on top of a tall tower. I stop in a circular room with a straw-covered floor. There are several windows around the edge of the room, none of which contain glass. Apart from the locked door, it's the coldest part of Hogwarts.
Something crunches under my feet and I look down. The straw is littered with tiny skeletons, regurgitated by the owls.
I select a beautiful Snowy Owl and tie my letter to his leg. I carry him to one of the windows and raise my arm. He pushes off, flying towards the Khanna farm.
I realize that I'm not alone. Talbott Winger, my reclusive year mate, is watching one of the owls, although he doesn't seem to be planning on sending a letter. I consider greeting him, but decide against it. If he wants solitude, then I'll let him have it.
With my eyes still on Talbott, I nearly walk into someone else as I'm leaving the Owlery. "Sorry!" I say. Wait... Caleb?
"Hey, Caleb," I say. I haven't talked to him since the Devil's Snare.
"Hi, Celena." He seems flustered. He won't meet my eyes.
"I wanted to thank you for... everything," I say.
"S-sorry, I can't talk right now." Caleb's eyes are flicking around, refusing to meet mine. He's very nervous, and... a little scared? I must be imagining it.
I frown. What's bothering him so much? "All right. Maybe later?"
Caleb freezes. His eyes finally steady, but they seem to be focusing on a point somewhere beyond me, as if he's staring straight through me. "I don't know. There's something I need to do."
"All right," I say again before leaving the Owlery. I'm halfway down the stairs before I realize...
Caleb wasn't holding a letter.
Two days later, Rowan and I haul our trunks down to the Hogwarts express. My parents gave permission for me to spend Christmas with Rowan.
We find a compartment with Ben and Alana, both of whom are returning to their own families.
Rowan looks at me questioningly. Should we tell them?
I nod subtly. Yes.
"Why are you two looking at each other like that?" Alana cuts in. Maybe I wasn't as subtle as I thought.
"Have either of you noticed that Hogwarts has been colder lately?" I ask. I explain everything about the locked door and my vision, answering questions whenever they're asked.
"So you need a way to get past Mrs. Norris, a way to open the door, and a time to investigate when no one else will be around," Ben says.
I nod in confirmation. "I was thinking we could investigate at night, and use Alohomora to open the door."
"I actually think you're more likely to be caught at night, with Filch and Snape both prowling around," Alana says. "What about during the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch match at the end of February? Professor Snape won't miss that."
I think about it for a moment. Alana has a point. "But will we be ready by then? We still don't have a way to get past Mrs. Norris."
"You and Rowan can brainstorm over the holidays. I'll work on learning Alohomora- I can't actually try it out, but I can practice the wand movement," Ben says. "That way I can help you if you need it."
"And what about me?" Alana asks.
Ben shrugs. "Help Celena and Rowan, I guess."
"I'll send an owl to Tulip," Alana says instead. "I'm sure she'll know a way to make sure Filch doesn't find us."
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
We all look at each other with poorly concealed terror. Did the trolley witch hear what we were discussing?
If she did, she shows no sign of it. "Chocolate Frogs, please," Alana chirps, recovering her composure the fastest.
The rest of us collect ourselves and make our requests. Between the four of us, we end up with a mound of Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Licorice Wands.
Rowan is curious about how Muggles celebrate Christmas, so Ben and Alana take turns explaining it to her. It really isn't very different. Muggles have to make do with electricity instead of magic, of course, but that's really it.
Rowan and I find her parents and Finch after leaving the train. Ben and Alana immediately walk through the barrier, searching for their parents.
"How have you girls been?" Rowan's dad asks, taking one end of Rowan's trunk. Her mum grabs my trunk with one hand, gripping Finch's hand with the other.
"We've been fine," Rowan says. "All of our classes are really fun. Professor Snape's kind of grumpy, though."
"He wasn't teaching there when we went to Hogwarts," Rowan's mum says. "We had old Slughorn, remember, Colt?"
Rowan's dad nods. "Of course. Who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?"
Rowan makes a face. "Professor Gibson. He spends the entire time lecturing us on how things were better in his day."
"In my day, young wizards and witches knew to respect their elders. In my day, everyone could cast this spell. In my day, students knew not to read in class," I say in my best impression of Professor Gibson's crotchety voice.
"I'm assuming that last one was aimed at you two?" Rowan's dad says in a disappointed tone, although he's smirking slightly as he shakes his head in fake disapproval.
"We have to read the textbook in his class. It's the only way to learn anything," Rowan huffs.
The platform is mostly empty now, so I start walking out. "We took the Knight Bus here," Rowan's mum says.
"Ooh," Rowan says excitedly. "Can I call it?" She doesn't wait for an answer, but extends her right hand once we leave the platform.
Bang! A purple triple-decker bus appears in front of us. I jump.
"You've never ridden on the Knight Bus?" Rowan asks. I shake my head.
"Well, it's a... wild ride," Rowan says with a smirk.
At that moment, a man in a purple uniform the same color as the Knight Bus appears in the open door. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening," he says.
We haul the trunks onto the bus, which is filled with an array of beds. The beds don't seem to be attached to the floor, which means they'll slide everywhere when the bus moves.
"I hope you didn't bring anything breakable." Rowan looks suddenly concerned. "I forgot to warn you."
I shake my head and sit on one of the beds, keeping a firm grip on my trunk.
Rowan's mum and Finch sit down as well while Rowan's dad tells the conductor where we're going.
There's another bang, and then the bus starts moving at an exhilarating speed. As I expected, the beds lurch forwards when the bus slams to a stop.
Stan Shunpike helps a group of wizards off- or rather, shouts his description of the Knight Bus at them as they get off.
We take off again. Riding the Knight Bus reminds me of a ride at the Muggle amusement park Dad used to take Jacob and me to, and I grin, but it quickly fades. I'm breaking my promise.
I push the thought out of my head. I'm just doing what has to be done to bring Jacob home.
We get off the Knight Bus on top of a hill near a small, red house. Spread out below is row after row of different trees. "I'll teach you all the different kinds tomorrow," Rowan promises.
I take one last look at the picturesque landscape before letting her pull me inside.
"We don't have a spare bedroom," Rowan's mum says. "So you can either sleep on the couch or we can put a sleeping bag in Rowan's room for you."
"I'll take the couch," I say with a mischievous grin. "It'll be nice to have a break from Rowan's snoring."
Next we have to work out the problem of where to put my trunk. Rowan says it will fit in her room, so we pull them down the hall.
Finch brings his camera to dinner. At first I'm confused, but then I remember what Rowan said at the beginning of the year. So when he offers me a bowl of ice cream, I know what to expect.
That doesn't mean I can control my face, though.
Finch grins and takes a picture. "Yours is even better than Rowan's!"
I laugh and accept a bowl of normal ice cream from Rowan.
Christmas morning dawns snowy and cold. I'm the first to wake up, followed by Finch, then Rowan, and then their parents. Rowan's parents took us shopping for gifts yesterday. I got Rowan a sweater, Alana a joke book, and Ben a stuffed elephant. While he's scared of several animals, elephants aren't one of them.
Rowan got me a history book. I give her a puzzled look. While it's a gift I can easily see her giving, she knows that I already have this book. "Look at it later," she says.
Ben sent me a Muggle friendship bracelet kit. I noticed that you never take your bracelet off. I figured you might like some new ones, reads a small note tucked into the wrapping. I've never told my friends about the bracelet, what it really means.
Alana sent me a watch that looks identical to hers. I don't know how you and Rowan are never late, her note reads. I don't know how I'm going to fit all of this stuff on my wrists.
My parents sent me cards and a letter saying that they're saving my real present for when I come home. There's also a letter from my Muggle friend, Nola.
I bite my lip. Nola lives next door to me, and we became friends when I was being homeschooled and she was going to the local primary school. She's kind of odd. Her parents joke that she has her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground- curious, obsessed with fantasy stories, but organized. I tell her stories of the Wizarding world, and she doesn't know they're real. The only problem is that if someone finds out, she'll have to be Obliviated.
With everything that's been happening, I haven't written to her, not even to say that I wouldn't be coming home for Christmas. What kind of friend am I?
After we've finished opening presents, Finch brings out his photo album and we look through the different faces. Rowan was right. Hers is impressive.
I slip away to scribble a quick letter to Nola, apologizing for not writing and promising to talk to her over the summer. I can write more later.
Rowan, as promised, takes me on a walk through the trees. We bundle up with coats and hats and gloves, and Rowan leads me through the rows, naming every kind of tree. Many have shed their leaves for the winter, but there are still several rows of green.
I spot a small green figure on one of the trees. It's well camouflaged, and I can barely make it out. "Is that a bowtruckle?" I whisper.
"Yes. They like wand wood trees," Rowan says in a louder voice. "You don't have to whisper. They're friendly unless you squeeze them."
I walk closer, examining the bowtruckle. It's skinny and leaf-green, with limbs that look fragile and twiglike. The top of its head has leaves sprouting from it.
"Hold out your hand, palm down," Rowan instructs. I hold out my right hand, and the bowtruckle gingerly places one limb on my hand.
I giggle. The bowtruckle tickles as it makes it's way up my arm, finally stopping near my shoulder.
"It likes you," Rowan says. "It took me weeks to get one to go past my hand." She thinks for a second, then adds, "Though that could be because I was three at the time."
I giggle again. "What other animals live here?"
"Well, there are fairies," Rowan says. "The bowtruckles like to eat their eggs, though they can't often get them. Lots of birds."
We finish our walk, and then Rowan leads me back to the bowtruckle's tree. "Time to go home, little guy," I say as I hold out my arm again. The bowtruckle scampers back onto its branch. I'm sad it go. Its cute and friendly.
"So, what's the book about?" I ask before we go inside.
"It's about the history of the Cursed Vaults. Apparently, your brother wasn't the first person to seek the Vaults. Not even close. A student tries to open them every fifteen years or so," Rowan explains.
"Wow. I'll read it later. Maybe it can give us some ideas," I say.
"The book also said that tampering with the vaults unleashes curses, but opening the vaults gets rid of the curses. So as long as we wait until the curses have been unleashed, Dumbledore can't punish us for helping Hogwarts," Rowan says.
I can't share her optimism. "Let's just hope he sees it that way..."