Peter found Patricia studying in the library one Saturday afternoon. "Hey Pat," he said, walking up to her and taking a seat across from her. "Me and the guys were planning a prank, and were wondering if..." Peter's eyes soon found the titles of the books she was reading. "Hey, what's this? It doesn't look like school work."
"It's not," said Patricia, looking up from her reading. "Peter, can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course," said Peter immediately. "We're friends, right?"
"Yeah, obviously," said Patricia. "It's just...I don't want too many people to know about this, and you seem like the only person I can trust with this information."
"Really?" asked Peter. "What about Remus? Or James, or Sirius?"
"I don't think Remus will believe it," said Patricia. "As for James and Sirius, I just don't think they're...mature enough, if you get me."
"I suppose," said Peter. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Have you heard of the Cursed Vaults?" asked Patricia.
"I can't say that I have," said Peter. "What are they?"
"Well, there are rumours that there are five vaults hidden somewhere in or around Hogwarts, each containing something locked away for various reasons," said Patricia. "Some are said to have treasure, while others are said to have dark artifacts. No-one's really sure if they even exist though."
"Okay," said Peter. "But you believe it?"
"Most rumours start with at least an element of truth in them," said Patricia. "Even the gods from Greek and Roman mythology were just early witches and wizards without a means to control their powers."
"Okay," said Peter, nodding along with the explanation so far. "So, why are you looking for them?"
"Because who knows what kind of treasure is stored in those things?" asked Patricia with a bit of a smirk on her face. "Plus, wouldn't it be at least a little bit cool to be able to add 'found and proven the existence of the Cursed Vaults' to your resume?"
"I guess," admitted Peter. "But what about the dark artifacts you mentioned?"
"What about them?" asked Patricia, causing Peter's eyes to widen in shock. "Look, Peter, I'll level with you: you're not really a leader, are you?"
"I guess not," said Peter glumly.
"If someone else wants to take charge of the situation, you're happy to help, right?" asked Patricia.
"I am," said Peter.
"Well, I need a sidekick in what I'm doing," said Patricia. "You see, what I'm doing could get me in trouble. Like, expulsion-level trouble, if I'm not careful. And if that happens, who's going to carry on my research?"
"Good point," said Peter.
"So, are you in?" asked Patricia, staring at him.
"Of course. I'd love to help you," said Peter. "But, uh, about those dark artifacts we might come across in the process of doing this..."
"Oh, don't stress too much about those," said Patricia, handwaving it like it was no big deal.
"It's just that...I don't know, I just don't want to get wrapped up in something that I might regret," said Peter. "I mean, what if..."
"What if what?" asked Patricia. "Look, if it's evil enough that we could get in trouble, all we have to do is either destroy it, or hand it over to the relevant authorities. Or we could keep it, I don't judge."
"But...wouldn't we end up like Grindelwald?" asked Peter. "Or that new Dark Lord, Volde..."
"Don't speak his name," interrupted Patricia quickly, before a smile spread across her face. "You're not scared to speak his name, are you?"
"Why should I?" asked Peter, completely oblivious to what was happening. "Either the Aurors will stop him, or we'll end up serving him. There's no reason to fear him."
"That's what I want to hear," said Patricia. "You're looking at the situation from a critical point of view, and when it comes to survival, you know what the best course of action is. So, you'll join me in my search for these Vaults?"
"Yes, definitely," said Peter. "If you'll join me and the boys with our prank."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Patricia, standing up and picking up her stuff. "Let's go see what you've got in mind."