The day after we enter the Cursed Vault, spring finally begins. The castle thaws out. After the unending chill of the ice, the air is balmy. When I walk into the common room, I see that the fireplace has been almost abandoned. It's a defense against a cold that no longer exists.
I walk over to the window, looking outside. The sky is clear and a brilliant blue. I see several students lying on the grass and soaking up the sun, enjoying the feeling of being warm for the first time in months. I wish I could join them, but I can't. An owl arrived this morning with a letter for me, telling me that Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with me.
I'm nervous, but I tell myself that they can't prove that we went into the vault. Still, my hands are shaking as I approach Dumbledore's office. I clasp them behind my back so Professor McGonagall can't see them.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?" I say, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
Judging by the stern look on Professor McGonagall's face, I haven't fooled her. "This is not the first appearance of cursed ice at Hogwarts, Miss Serantos," she informs me. "This is also not the first time it has suddenly disappeared."
Not by a long shot, I think. A book from Rowan says that people frequently go looking for the vaults, although normally there's more time between them than Jacob and I. "It's gone?" I say, continuing the lie even though there's no point.
"Like the previous instance, it seems to have appeared when the vault was tampered with, and disappeared when the door was opened. I'm sure you can guess who was responsible for releasing it the last time," Professor McGonagall continues.
"Jacob…" I sigh. I love my brother, I really do, but why did he have to go looking for the vaults?
"We don't yet understand how the vault reappeared, or who tampered with it this time. Truth be told, there is still much we don't understand about the Cursed Vaults," she confesses. "I won't bother asking if you were responsible for the ice disappearing. You are the only student who has shown the necessary talent, recklessness, and interest to do so."
I'm not reckless, I think, annoyed. I'm just trying to protect everyone, and find my brother.
"Fortunately for you, we have not been able to discover any evidence of your direct involvement," Professor McGonagall says. "So I will not be taking any points from Ravenclaw."
I hide a smile. Good job, Ben.
"However, you will discuss the matter with Professor Dumbledore now. He may not be so forgiving."
My heart plummets. I swallow hard, but remember Professor Dumbledore's words the last time I spoke to him. "I know that you will not abandon your pursuit of the Cursed Vaults, no matter how much I punish you." Last year, he basically gave me permission to look for the vaults. Surely my punishment won't be too harsh.
Professor McGonagall turns to a large statue of a golden phoenix. "Iced mice!" she says, making the statue spiral upwards to reveal a staircase.
I take a deep breath and dry my sweaty palms on my robes before climbing the stairs.
Professor Dumbledore is writing something at his desk. "I'm not quite ready for you," he says without looking up. "Please spend the next eight hours exploring my office."
"Sir?" He can't be serious, right?
There's no answer. I look around, thinking that I actually could spend eight hours exploring his office. The walls are filled with portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses. Most of them are asleep, and the rest don't seem interested in talking. Tables filled with bizarre silver instruments emit a soft whirring sound. On a perch is a real phoenix, far more beautiful than the statue. I stop to talk to it, whispering compliments.
"I'm ready for you now," Professor Dumbledore says. I walk back over to his desk.
"What were you writing?" I ask.
He doesn't answer. "It would seem that you discovered the source of the cursed ice," he says instead. "You revealed a hidden staircase, explored long-forgotten areas of this school, and broke an ancient curse on a vault that many refused to believe existed despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary." He peers over his half-moon spectacles at me, his friendly gaze suddenly stern and piercing. "All of which should have been left to the professors."
I suck in a breath, feeling my hands clench into fists. "Professor, I would have been more than happy to leave this to you. The reason we never hid the staircase was so the professors could finish what we started, only they never did, and people kept getting hurt. You left us no choice."
If Professor Dumbledore is startled by my anger, he gives no sign. "I will be sending your parents a letter telling them about your activities this year and last year."
So that's what he was writing. I clench my hands tighter as my frustration mounts. I can feel my fingernails digging into my palms.
"However, you also deserve a reward for your bravery. I assume Miss Khanna, Miss Morgan, Mister Copper, Miss Haywood, and Mister Weasley helped you?"
I nod. How does he know Bill has joined my friend group? Does he keep careful tabs on everyone's social life, or only the troublemakers?
"Then I award one hundred and fifty points to Ravenclaw, one hundred points to Gryffindor, and fifty points to Hufflepuff," Professor Dumbledore says.
Merula's going to be furious. Slytherin was in first for the House Cup, I think with a smile. My thoughts darken as they stray to the letter and I wonder how my parents will react to it.
It doesn't matter how they react, I tell myself. No matter what, I'm not giving up on Jacob.
I wait for a response, hoping to hear Jacob's voice again, offering reassurance, but there is only silence.
The months until the end of the year pass in lazy bliss. Not even the looming threat of the end-of-year exams can interrupt the relief everyone feels.
Most of the professors have been assigning less homework, content to let us enjoy the ice-free castle. Even Professor Jordan has hardly assigned anything. She told us soon after we broke the curse that she won't be returning next year. I can't say I'll be sad to see her go. Maybe next year we'll actually learn something from our Defense professor.
Snape, of course, is still giving lots of homework. In fact, he's been assigning more homework than ever. Penny, Ben, Rowan, Alana and I take our textbooks outside every day and work sprawled on the grass. Sometimes Bill joins us, but he has different homework, so we can't help him much.
Rowan has started reading the fourth-year textbooks so that she can help Bill study for his exams. She's already read the third-year textbooks, "just to get ahead", she says when I ask her. I smile and decide to do some of my own reading ahead this summer.
At the end of May, I finally go to my first Quidditch match. I promised Skye I would go. It's her last match of the year, and it will decide whether or not Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup.
I'm uncertain who to root for, Skye or Ravenclaw. In the end, I simply decide to remain impartial. For such a high-stakes match, it's rather boring. It quickly becomes clear that Skye's fellow Chasers are nowhere as good as Ravenclaw's, and the Gryffindor Beaters can't make up for it. Their Keeper makes several impressive saves, but one player can only do so much. Ravenclaw leads by one hundred and forty points, with Skye scoring all of Gryffindor's goals so far.
Far away, I spot a flash of gold. Charlie and Andre see the Snitch at the same time. I hold my breath as they race towards the fast-moving ball. Gryffindor can still win if Charlie catches the Snitch first.
Charlie was closer to the Snitch, and his hand closes around the ball just before Andre reaches it. Andre nearly crashes into him, but manages to stop his flight in time.
"Gryffindor wins one hundred and eighty points to one hundred and seventy." The commentator, a third-year Ravenclaw named Murphy McNully, sounds distinctly annoyed. I share his feelings. Ravenclaw clearly had the better team, but Charlie stole their victory from them. It doesn't seem fair.
"I didn't know you liked Quidditch so much," Rowan says when I tell her this.
"Neither did I." It's the truth. I've never been particularly interested in Quidditch, but lately I've started to like it more. Too bad matches are the optimal time to break the rules.
The atmosphere in the common room following the match is subdued. Ravenclaw finished last in the Quidditch Cup, our worst performance in years, according to the older students. However, at the end of the year, Ravenclaw is still in first for the House Cup, so we still get a victory this year. With just days to go, Hufflepuff edges ahead of Slytherin. Despite winning the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor finishes last.
Seeing the scowl on Merula's face as Dumbledore announces the House Cup results is the sweetest victory of all.
A/N: Two down, five to go! I've already started writing year three, and so far, it's been the most fun to write. How far have you guys gotten in the game? I'm in year five chapter six. I haven't heard good things about this year, but I guess I'll just have to see for myself.