I drop Alana off at the Hospital Wing, stuttering out an explanation that I found her in the frozen corridor. Madam Pomfrey looks at me suspiciously, but doesn't ask any questions. I'm grateful. I doubt I could say more without bursting into tears.

Instead of returning to the Ravenclaw common room to find Rowan, I find the Room of Requirement. I'm not ready to face my friends, not with guilt still weighing down my heart.

I simply request a place to be alone. I pull open the door to reveal a small room with a purple beanbag chair and a window overlooking the lake.

I sit on the beanbag chair and look out the window, struggling to make sense of my feelings. My thoughts jumble together, forming a chaotic soup. I try to place the blame on someone, anyone. It's my fault Alana was hurt by the door. And yet, she volunteered to help me. Can I blame myself for her choice? We never would have investigated the ice if Jacob hadn't gone missing. Maybe it's his fault.

I can't blame this on Jacob, but he's my brother. Mine, not Alana's, not Rowan's. This is my search, and I can't let my friends get hurt trying to help me. That's why I have to return without them. This time, maybe it's no one's fault, but if one of them gets hurt again, then I will be to blame.

I stare out the window, unmoving, until dawn breaks. The tears have stopped flowing, but my face is still damp from a few I haven't bothered to dry. I swipe my hand across my face, wiping away the last of the tears.

I leave the Room of Requirement, wondering if my friends have heard what happened to Alana yet. How could they? She was hurt in the middle of the night, and I haven't returned to the common room yet.

I wait outside the entrance to the common room for Rowan to leave. I pull her aside. How do I tell her? In the end, I simply whisper, "Alana was hurt".

Rowan sees my tear-streaked face. "What happened?"

"We found a hidden corridor. There was a door with a snowflake on it, and it attacked us. It hit Alana."

People are giving us odd looks as they pass. I realize how strange we must look, whispering in the middle of the corridor. "Get Penny and Ben, and meet me in the Artefact Room," I whisper. We need to be someplace private, somewhere away from the stares. Maybe I should offer to find one of them myself, but I don't want to explain things more than I have to. Once will be plenty.

I wait for my friends amid the dust and clutter of the Artefact Room. My attention is drawn by a skull on one of the shelves. I pick up, looking at it as if it might tell me how it died. It's small, a child's skull. Was it killed by one of the Cursed Vaults? What if we end up as dusty skulls, forgotten by everyone?

Rowan leads Ben and Penny in, interrupting my bleak thoughts. In a shaking voice, I explain the events of our search last night. Penny and Rowan look at me in concern, but Ben closes his eyes and scrunches up his face.

"What are you thinking about, Ben?" I ask.

He lets out a defeated sigh. "Just trying to remember… I keep feeling like… like there's a memory there, but when I try to reach for it disappears." He rubs his forehead, as if he's hoping to shake a memory loose.

I want to reassure him, but there's nothing to say. Who knows when, if ever, his memory will return? In the end, I simply look at everyone else and move on. "I don't want any of you going near that door," I say. "I have to go back, because of Jacob, but I don't want you guys getting hurt."

"That's not your choice to make," Penny says. I'm startled by the hardness in her voice. Does she not like being given orders? Or is it something more than that?

"It's understandable that you don't want us getting hurt, but you can't face that door alone," Rowan says thoughtfully. Her eyes light up. "I know, you can take Bill Weasley!"

The rest of us stare at her blankly. "Who's Bill Weasley?" I say finally, asking what we're all thinking.

"Who's Bill Weasley?!" Rowan shrieks in indignation. "He's one of the most powerful students at Hogwarts, and he's sure to become a prefect next year, and Head Boy in a few years! He's one of the most popular boys in school, and everyone says he's incredibly brave!"

"And you really think he'll agree to help me?"

"Maybe you should bring him a gift," Penny suggests. "It's what I do when I need to get someone on my side."

"All right. Do you have any idea what he likes, Rowan?" I ask.

"He wants to be a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts," Rowan says immediately. "His favorite color is green, he likes mashed potatoes, and he likes dogs. Oh, and he practices spells in the Training Grounds a lot, so that's where you should look for him."

"How do you know all of this?" Somehow, between helping with the search for the vaults and studying, Rowan has found the time to stalk Bill Weasley. I'm impressed by her dedication, but also somewhat unnerved.

Rowan blushes and doesn't answer. "Tell him that if he needs a study partner, I volunteer," she says instead. "Or if he just wants someone to follow him around, I can do that too."

"It sounds like you do that anyway," I tease, making Rowan blush again. "I'll see what I have." I bought lots of extra books at Diagon Alley, and while I hate to give any of them up, I can always buy another copy.

I sort through my trunk, looking for a book to give to Bill. Apart from my textbooks, I have a book about wandmaking and a book about the history of the Cursed Vaults. I also have a few books about magical creatures, as well as some textbooks about advanced curse-breaking. I bought them in the hopes that they would help me prepare for the vaults, but I don't understand a lot of what they say. Maybe Bill can help me make sense of them.

I decide on a book called Curses and Curse-Breakers. I carry it to the Training Grounds.

A row of training dummies is set up. Someone has his back to me, throwing spells at the dummies and sending them skidding backwards. I know it's Bill, not just from what Rowan told me, but because he has the same color hair as his brother Charlie.

I cough. "Excuse me-" Rowan's extensive praise has made me nervous. I think back to my first conversation with Penny, when I could barely manage to say two words without messing up. Popular kids and I don't mix.

Bill pauses in his spellcasting and turns, lowering his wand. "What can I do for you, Celena Serantos?"

"I'm looking for the Cursed Vaults so I can find my brother." I go straight to the important information. I see no reason to introduce myself through small talk. Either he'll help me, or he won't.

"Your brother was the talk of the Weasley household when the Daily Prophet printed about his search for the vaults," Bill says. "I can't imagine what I'd do if one of my siblings went missing. I'll help you however I can."

I breathe a sigh of relief. That was easier than I expected. "Thank you."

Bill sees the book in my hands. "What's that?"

"I brought you a gift." I hold out Curses and Curse-Breakers.

"You didn't have to do that," Bill says, but he takes the book. "First, tell me everything you know about the Cursed Vaults."

He listens as I recount my experience with the cursed ice, from overhearing Snape and Filch discuss it to Alana getting hurt. At times, he interrupts to ask questions.

"You need to learn Incendio," he decides when I'm done.

"Right now?" I touch my wand.

"Right now." Bill shows me the wand movement. "Try it out."

I flick my wand in a triangular motion, resulting in a small jet of red and orange flames. I can feel heat emanating from them.

"Not bad for your first try," Bill says. "How many dueling spells do you know?"

"Three. Flipendo, Rictusempra, and Expelliarmus."

"I'm guessing you learned those on your own?"

"With my friends," I say.

"You should have learned the Leg-Locker Curse, the Jelly-Legs Curse, and the Stickfast Hex last year, but Gibson didn't do much teaching. I'll teach you them."

First, he shows me Locomotor Mortis, the Leg-Locker Curse. I try out the wand movement. "Locomotor Mortis," I say. The end of my wand emits a flash of purple light.

Bill's legs snap together and straighten, becoming rigid. He points his wand at his feet and mutters a counterspell. "You learn quickly."

"Thank you," I say politely. "So, you mentioned other siblings besides Charlie? How many do you have?"

"Six. Charlie's twelve, obviously. Percy's seven, Fred and George are five, Ron's three, and Ginny's two," Bill lists.

I do the math and figure out that if I can break all of the curses before I graduate from Hogwarts, the younger Weasleys will never have to deal with the threat of a curse hanging over their heads. Slow down, Celena, I tell myself. You haven't even broken one curse, and now you're hoping to break them all?!

The thought gives me a new reluctance. How can I ask Bill to help me with the vaults? What if he disappears, like Jacob did? I can't bear to imagine his siblings, most of whom are younger than I was when Jacob went missing, going through the same loss I did.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask. "You don't even know me."

"I told you, I don't like broken families," Bill says. "I'm helping you fix yours. Now let me teach you the Stickfast Hex."

I sigh and watch as he demonstrates. How can I keep people out of danger when they insist on walking straight into it?

I try to put my worries out of my head and focus on watching Bill. Colloshoo, the Stickfast Hex, can be used to stick someone's feet to the ground. It's a very interesting spell, and I find myself thinking of all the ways it could be used in a duel.

The last spell is my favorite. When I cast it on Bill, his legs wobble as if they have no bones. Maybe they don't. I don't know exactly what the Jelly-Legs Curse does.

"Finite Incantatem," Bill says. His legs return to normal. "Teach those spells to your friends. Is there anything else I should do to prepare?"

"Research the Cursed Vaults," I say. Rowan and I have looked through almost the entire library, but maybe Bill will find something we've missed. Thinking of Rowan reminds me of my promise to her. "My friend Rowan offered to study with you if you ever need a partner."

"I might take her up on that," Bill says. "My OWLs are coming up next year."

"She also said she would be willing to just follow you around," I add.

Bill considers this for a moment. "I feel like studying would be less odd."

I don't mention that Rowan already follows him around. I don't want to make a bad impression for her before she has a chance to meet Bill.

When I return to the common room, I am bombarded with questions from Rowan.

"How was it? Did you learn a lot? Did you get his autograph? Was it amazing? Did you tell him about me?"

I laugh. "If you'll give me a second to speak, I'll tell you. I learned Incendio and a few spells Professor Gibson should have taught us last year. Yes, it was fun; yes, I told him you want to study with him; no, I didn't get his autograph."

"Thanks, Celena!" Rowan doesn't seem disappointed that I didn't bring her Bill Weasley's autograph, probably because she plans to get it herself. "What spells did he teach you?"

As soon as I answer Rowan's question, I'm met with another one. She asks me to explain everything at least five times, until I'm sure I will never forget any detail of my first meeting with Bill. At last, I stop her. "Rowan, I've told you everything. If you absolutely must know more about him, then come with me next time."

"I can't do that!" Rowan squeals. "What if I say something embarrassing? What if he doesn't like me? What if-"

I cut her off. "Rowan. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Of course he'll like you. You're smart and a great friend."

Rowan exhales. "Maybe I will come with you after all. I can't stand the anticipation. Did he say when he wanted to meet again?"

"Tomorrow."

This simple word is enough to send Rowan into a frenzy again. "Tomorrow! I'm not ready! What do I say? What do I wear? How does my hair look- should I do something different with it?"

Before I can offer more reassurance, Rowan tears upstairs to our dormitory. I follow her and find her rummaging through her trunk. She flings clothes onto her bed, but seems unable to find anything satisfactory in her mix of sweaters, skirts, pants, and shirts.

Knowing Rowan, she'll find Andre and ask him to make her a ball gown next. I stop her before things get too out of hand. "Make sure you wear something practical," I tell her. "We'll be casting spells."

Rowan glares at the clothes heaped on her bed. She starts folding them and placing them back in her trunk, leaving out a dark blue sweater and pants.

The next day, Rowan and I walk outside to the Training Grounds. It's a chilly day, and we have on gloves as well as our sweaters.

Bill is already waiting for us by the training dummies. "So this is Rowan, I assume?"

"She couldn't wait to meet you," I inform him. Rowan nods eagerly, making her ponytail bounce up and down. I barely convinced her to tie it back so it wouldn't get in her face. She wanted to leave it down so it would look better.

"I wanted to duel you today, Celena," Bill says. He looks at Rowan. "I didn't know you were coming, so could you just watch for now, if you don't mind?"

Rowan nods again, bouncing on her toes like an eager puppy. If Bill told her to fly to the moon on a broomstick, then she probably would.

Nervously, I pull out my wand and position myself so that I'm facing Bill. I run through every dueling spell I know in my head. The list seems painfully short. Half of the spells are the ones Bill taught me yesterday. Bill must know so many more. How can I possibly duel him?

Rowan must see my nerves on my face. "Come on, Celena!" she cheers, as if she's a spectator at a Quidditch game. "It'll be just like dueling Merula, only harder!"

My expression cracks into a smile despite my nervousness. "You ready?" I ask Bill.

Instead of answering, Bill simply begins. "Rictusempra!" he shouts.

I dodge the flash of silver light and quickly retaliate. "Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!" Bill casts a shield. The Shield Charm is one of the most useful dueling spells, but also one of the most taxing. I doubt Professor Jordan taught it to him, which means he must have learned it himself. He's good, just like Rowan said. Very good.

I keep moving, dodging Bill's spells as I try to think of a way to get past his shield. He alternates between defensive and offensive, blocking my spells and attacking with some of his own. I try to time my spells, to hit him in that vulnerable moment after he attacks, but before he can get his shield up again. It's no use. He's too fast.

"Expelliarmus!" My wand jerks out of my hand. I make a grab for it, but I'm too slow. It goes flying into the grass several feet away.

"That was great, Celena," Bill says as I retrieve my wand. "You're a great dueler."

"Thanks. You are too," I say. "How did you learn the Shield Charm? I'm assuming Professor Jordan didn't teach it to you."

"Surprisingly, that seems to be the one thing she can get correct," Bill says. "We learned it a couple weeks ago. I'd teach it to you, but I think it's above your current level."

It's not like I haven't learned advanced spells before- I learned Rictusempra last year- so maybe next year I'll be ready to learn Protego. I'd like to learn it as soon as possible. It will surely be invaluable in our dealings with the Cursed Vaults.

"Keep practicing the spells I taught you yesterday, especially Incendio. I'll tell you when it's time to return to that corridor," Bill instructs.

I nod, my thoughts drifting to the door blocked by the massive snowflake. What's behind that door? Will I find my brother, or a clue about his disappearance? Or has he simply vanished into thin air?