Jinx hated the idea of admitting that Madam Rakepick was correct or that her advice was helpful, but she did have to agree that asking Professor Kettleburn for tips on getting into the Forbidden Forest was a good idea. The Care of Magical Creatures professor had a knack for getting himself in and out of dangerous situations and seemed to operate under the belief that so did everyone else. There would be nothing out of the ordinary in asking him about ways to get into a spot of danger.
Luckily, Jinx had her chance to ask the professor relatively soon during a practical lesson on Bowtruckles.
Unluckily, that meant that Jinx would have to tolerate certain Slytherins that were even more intolerable in such a lax class as Kettleburn's.
"We should make these creatures fight each other," Ismelda said as Kettleburn pushed cages with the small, twiggy creatures out. Jinx and Tonks exchanged eye rolls at this.
"Nooo, but they're so cute!" Barnaby pouted.
"And they're not fighters either," Rowan chimed in. "There are loads of them at the farm. They used to eat woodlice right out of my hand."
"Miss Khanna is correct in saying that Bowtruckles are usually not fighters," Kettleburn chuckled once he had sent up everything for the lesson. "They're shy, peaceful creatures, but they can be quite fearsome when it comes to guarding wand-wood trees. Speaking from personal experience, it's best to keep them far enough from you so they can't gouge your eyes out. Have fun everyone!"
Jinx liked this about Kettleburn's practical lessons. Especially when it came to harmless creatures, he mostly let the students interact with the creatures on their own, intervening only if there was a sign of danger. And with Bowtruckles, there truly wasn't any danger at all. Rowan took the time to try to bring up Rakepick with Jinx again, but she refused to discuss the Curse-Breaker in such a public place.
"You are going to talk to Professor Kettleburn after class, right?" Rowan asked as she let a particularly short Bowtruckle tap-dance across her palm.
"Yeah, I know Rakepick said to ask him for advice on how to get into the Forest," Jinx whispered, "but I honestly like your idea of getting in through the air."
Rowan looked pleased with Jinx supporting her idea. "Good, but still try to get some more information out of Kettleburn about the Forest in general if you can."
Jinx nodded and reached out so that the Bowtruckle could walk over onto her hand instead. She laughed as she wiggled her fingers, causing the Bowtruckle to trip and mess up its dance routine. In a fit of anger, the Bowtruckle bit her thumb and Jinx yelped as she tossed the Bowtruckle into the air.
Thankfully Barnaby was nearby to catch the poor creature. He cradled it in his hands as the entire class laughed at Jinx, who was putting her now-bleeding thumb up to her mouth to try to stop the bleeding.
"Well-deserved, Raider," Merula cackled. Jinx wondered if Merula's life was truly so miserable that watching her be in pain brought her such joy. Then, she figured she would be laughing her head off too if the same had happened to Merula and relented in her annoyance.
"Oh, Jinx," Rowan giggled, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes under her glasses, "you've somehow managed to make Bowtruckles look like Beasts!"
"Alright alright, everyone, settle down," Kettleburn called out as he made his way over to Jinx. "A Bowtruckle bite is nothing to be concerned about."
"I don't know, Professor, looks pretty serious to me," Barnaby said, eyes wide with concern. He was still holding the Bowtruckle in his hands, and the creature was sitting cross-legged, looking very pleased with itself.
"Yes, well…" Kettleburn's voice trailed off as Jinx's thumb still bled. "Class is dismissed!" he finally announced. "Everyone put your Bowtruckles back where you found them. Mr. Lee, I will be taking this naughty little thing, and Miss Raider, wait after class a bit as I get you a bandage."
"Thank you, Professor," Jinx said, trying her hardest to stop her face from turning red. While it was embarrassing to have been attacked by a Bowtruckle of all things during a lesson, at least now she had a legitimate excuse to stay back and talk with Kettleburn.
As her friends left (Tonks had turned her hair bright green as a joke), Jinx followed Kettleburn to his supplies cart.
"Er, sorry if I startled it," Jinx said awkwardly as Kettleburn knelt on the ground, searching for bandages. "But seriously, that Bowtruckle has no sense of humor. Where'd you even find it?"
Kettleburn laughed at this. "First, help me give this little fella a proper name?"
"A name?"
"Yes, a name," Kettleburn repeated. "A symbol of respect."
Jinx hesitated. "Perhaps…what about Barnaby Junior?" she suggested, suddenly feeling giddy about the name. "This is his favorite class, and I'm sure he'd love to care for his own Bowtruckle."
"Brilliant!" Kettleburn said, placing the Bowtruckle, Barnaby Jr., back into its cage. "Now that you mention it, he even looks a bit like Barnaby." Then, he took out a strip of white bandage and handed it to Jinx. "And as for your question, I found these in the Forbidden Forest?"
Jackpot.
"Are there many Bowtruckles in the Forest?" Jinx asked. This little questioning session was falling into place perfectly, wasn't it?
Kettleburn nodded. "Oh yes, there are many. I actually flew in yesterday to find these little guys. Gotta return them later once the Third-Years are done with them too."
"I thought the Forest was Forbidden?"
"Only for you students," Kettleburn laughed. "For us teachers, we've got a special path. That is strictly monitored," he added upon seeing Jinx's calculating expression.
"Makes sense," Jinx said nonchalantly. Then, when her thumb was properly wrapped up, she grinned at Kettleburn. "Well, thanks for the bandage, Professor, and I promise to be more careful next time."
"Happy to help, Miss Raider," Kettleburn smiled back. As she left the classroom, he waved with his hook hand, and Jinx waved back.
She immediately went to look for Rowan, who was still keeping the maps hidden in their dorm room. After three years of going to school with Rown, Jinx knew her friend's schedule well enough to know that Rowan would be in the dorms after Care of Magical Creatures to wash up. As she expected, Rowan was in the dorms, and when Jinx told her about Kettleburn mentioning a special path into the Forest, she got very excited.
They took the maps out and spread them out on Rowan's bed. Jinx noticed a curving dotted line from the Great Lake into the Forest on one of the maps, and upon looking at the key, they determined that this must be the path. It led to one of the clearings that Rowan had marked as a potential entrance into the Forest.
"This is great, now we know which clearing to avoid!" Rowan clapped her hands. "I knew you could do it, Jinx!"
"Well, Barnaby Junior certainly helped."
"Barnaby Junior?"
"Kettleburn asked me to name the Bowtruckle," Jinx shrugged, "and I thought the name fit."
Rowan seemed to think so too as she dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Oh, that's fantastic, Barnaby will love that!"
And Barnaby did indeed love the name. Two days later, after Friday dinner, Rowan had assembled their little Vaults "study group" again in the library. First, to inform everyone that yes, Jinx had survived the vicious attack from the Bowtruckle (Bill scolded her for being so careless, Barnaby was thrilled with the name and mentioned they should start running again so Jinx could tell him more about Barnaby Junior). And second, to let the group know that they had their entrance location pinpointed.
Tulip glanced over the maps in between reading on the history of Curse-Breaking. She was still researching Madam Rakepick, although both Rowan and Ben were now discouraging her from doing so. "It's a good location," she agreed. "Lots of trees for good covering when you fly in."
"Still, be careful," Bill warned.
"You know that I'm always careful," Jinx protested, not appreciating his patronizing tone.
But Bill simply raised an eyebrow and gestured at her still-bandaged thumb. Jinx supposed she couldn't argue with that and leaned back angrily in her chair.
At that moment, Charlie decided to stop by their table. His hair was wet and he smelled of dirt and sweat. And he was holding his broomstick - how he got that into the library, Jinx had no clue.
"How was practice?" Bill asked.
"Alright," Charlie shrugged. "Higgs accidentally hit a water bottle instead of Bludger at me, that git."
"How do you confuse - nevermind," Tulip shook her head. "I never understood that silly sport."
"Just because you don't understand it doesn't make it silly," Barnaby said lightly, and everyone turned to look at him. Jinx smiled a bit at this: while Barnaby certainly wasn't top of the class, he was surprisingly observant when it came to matters like this.
Tulip didn't seem to appreciate this, however, as she angrily started shocking books and parchment back into her bag. Barnaby looked confused as she glared at him. Jinx was confused too, as to why Tulip was taking Barnaby's so seriously, but she knew better than to press Tulip on the issue. "Well, I'm done here tonight," Tulip huffed as she stood up. "Oh, and Jinx Raider, be careful, that letter looks like it's going to fall out of your bag at any moment."
"What letter-" Jinx began to ask, but Tulip had already left.
"Don't feel bad, Barnaby," Rowan said apologetically. "We all know you didn't mean to make her upset."
"I don't know why it would," Barnaby said, scratching the back of his neck.
"What letter is she talking about?" Bill asked Jinx.
Jinx reached down and picked up an envelope in her bag that she had noticed before. It was strange, as Tulip had said that it looked like it was about to fall out of her bag. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small scratch of parchment. It was a note from Kettleburn, asking to meet him in the Training Grounds after dinner on Sunday. She passed it around the table, and everyone found the note to be strange.
"Are we sure this is Kettleburn's handwriting and signature?" Rowan asked, holding the parchment up to the light.
"Yeah, that's his handwriting and his signature," Charlie confirmed. "I write to him over the summer, and he always replies so I'd know if it's fake."
"And it's not fake?" Bill asked again, still suspicious.
"It's a weird request, but not fake," Charlie said with certainty.
"Do I go?" Jinx asked. "He didn't even say what for!"
"Maybe it's about how to deal with Bowtruckles," Barnaby suggested.
"Well, your grades in Magical Creatures could suffer if you don't," Rowan said solemnly.
If this letter was really from Kettleburn, then Rowan did have a point. But if it wasn't from Kettleburn… well, she would still have to go to find that out.
"I could come with you too," Rowan said. "If it really is Kettleburn, then I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"You always know best, Rowan," Bill laughed. Madam Pince glared at him from the bookshelves, and he quickly quieted. But Rowan still blushed at this, and Jinx caught Charlie rolling his eyes.
And Rowan's plan did make sense. There was no harm in her tagging along this time, as there wasn't Madam Rakepick threatening her to come alone in the letter. And Jinx did feel more comforted knowing she wouldn't be going alone. The letter, the timing, and the rudeness with which it had appeared were all very suspicious.
During Sunday dinner, Jinx could barely eat. She didn't know why she was feeling so tense but brushed off the feeling as to general nerves concerning the situation. After all, Rowan would be with her, and why would anyone want to impersonate one of her professors? There were plenty of other ways to lure her out into the open if there was some ulterior motive behind the note. And Jinx noticed that Professor Kettleburn wasn't up at the staff table either, so she couldn't approach him during dinner either.
Rowan was on edge as well; she barely touched her food and kept downing goblets of pumpkin juice. Jinx wasn't used to seeing her friend so frazzled, and that only added to the uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.
That feeling continued to grow as the pair left the Great Hall and headed to the Training Grounds. The sun had already set, so Rowan brought a lantern along with them. However, right as they got to the Training Grounds, Dahlia Pritchard, one of the Hufflepuff Chasers and the new Quidditch Captain, caught up to them and grabbed Rowan's arm.
"Team meeting tonight, Khanna, remember?" Dahlia said. In the lantern light, Jinx could see her exasperated expression. She didn't want Rowan to lose her place on the team, and there didn't seem to be any disturbance out in the Training Grounds.
"Go on, Ro," Jinx said, nudging Rowan towards Dahlia. "I'll be fine."
"Alright," Rowan said. She was frowning, her eyebrows creased together with worry. "You keep the lantern though."
"Good luck," Jinx said, waving as Dahlia led Rowan back up the hill.
She did feel slightly safer with the lantern, even after Rowan and Dahlia's retreating backs couldn't be seen any longer.
"Professor? Are you here?" Jinx called out after a few minutes of silence.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling from behind the training dummies. Immediately, she had her wand in hand, ready to cast an offensive spell. A cloaked figure appeared: it was definitely not Kettleburn as Jinx could see that the figure had two working human hands.
"You're not-" Jinx began to say as the cloaked figure stepped closer to her.
"I forged your professor's handwriting," the figure said in a distorted voice. "I assumed you wouldn't answer my invitation."
Of course. Jinx would most certainly listen to her instincts better in the future, but this time curiosity had gotten the better of her…
"Who are you?" she demanded, aware that what she should have done was cast a Shield Charm and run back to the castle. But once again, her curiosity won out.
"A messenger."
"What do you wa-"
"Petrificus Totalus."
"Pr-" The spell had just begun to leave Jinx's lips when the cloaked figure's spell hit her and knocked her back to the ground. Jinx fell onto her back, arm still outstretched, mouth still slightly open, eyes wide open looking up at the sky.
The figure took one step closer, and Jinx couldn't see its face through the opening of its red hood. "I want to deliver a message," the figure said with that strange voice. "Don't worry. Someone will probably find you soon, and reverse the Body-Bind Curse. There is still time to avoid your brother's fate. Stay away from the Forbidden Forest. Stay away from the Cursed Vaults. Stay away from Patricia Rakepick. Death is coming to Hogwarts, Jinx Raider. Do as you're told, and it may not come for you."
Then, without another sound, the figure disappeared back into the shadows and left Jinx lying on the ground. Her eyes were beginning to water and her arm was growing sore, but Jinx supposed that as far as an ambush went, she had been relatively lucky in escaping with her life and limbs still intact. The only problem was that she did have class the next morning - double Potions to be exact - and if she was not rescued by then, she would have to face Snape's wrath.
Jinx tried to keep track of time by the movement of the stars across the sky, but her mind was suddenly blank when it came to remembering anything from Astronomy. She thought she could make out the tip of the Draco constellation, but had no idea how much it had moved or what that meant in terms of time. Still, she supposed that it was a good thing that it was still dark outside. Perhaps Rowan would stop by after Quidditch practice.
Eventually, Jinx heard footsteps and two voices approaching the Training Grounds from the hill.
"Lucy, you know that I only like you. I wasn't flirting with- Oh my Merlin!"
"What's wrong, Sam?" the other, higher-pitched voice asked as the two people arrived at the Training Grounds. Sam and Lucy? The names sounded familiar, had Bill mentioned them before?
"Is that a person there?" the girl, Lucy, shrieked.
Jinx could hear the footsteps get faster and louder as Sam and Lucy ran over to her. Now, Jinx could see the bottom of someone's Ravenclaw robes and the top of someone's curly-haired head: so it was indeed Bill's friend Sam. Jinx remembered then that his girlfriend Lucy was Emily Tyler's roommate, and absolutely despised her. It comforted her slightly, knowing that it was Bill's friends that had found her.
"Oh my God, we have to do something," Lucy gasped.
"What if she's been cursed?" Sam asked.
"It doesn't matter, we still have to try something," Lucy pleaded. She took out her wand and shouted, "Finite incantatem!"
Jinx's arm fell back down to the ground with a loud thud. She had never felt so relieved to feel the pain of her wrist hitting the ground and inhaled deeply. She blinked rapidly a few times and brushed away the moisture coming out of her eyes.
"Thank you so much," Jinx said breathily as Sam extended his hand out to help her stand up. Jinx grasped his hand tightly and pulled herself up. Her legs felt shaky, but Merlin did it feel good to stand up. "Lucy, is it?"
"Yes," Lucy nodded, recognition lighting up in her eyes. "And you're the Raider girl. You're ok? Safe?"
"Yeah, Jinx, you good?" Sam asked, now holding onto her shoulder. He had kind eyes, Jinx noticed. "Do you need me to get Bill or help you to the Hospital Wing?"
Jinx shook her head violently. Bill and Madam Pomfrey would bombard her with questions, questions that she wouldn't have answers to. "No, I'm fine," she insisted, but Sam and Lucy remained unconvinced.
"What happened?" Lucy questioned. Her wand was still out. Jinx took a look around the Training Grounds again, using Lumos to try to see past the training dummies, but nothing suspicious popped up.
"To be honest I don't really know," Jinx replied. "It kinda just sprung on me. Wait, what time is it?"
"Just a bit past ten," Sam said after checking his watch. "If you hurry, you'll get back without anyone catching you after curfew."
"And Bill's on duty tonight," Lucy added, "so you'd be fine anyways."
Jinx chewed her lip. Right, she had to get back to the Hufflepuff basement. She was surprised that she was only frozen for about two hours; it had felt like a decade lying down on the ground, unable to move. "Anyway, thank you for helping me," she said quickly, not wanting to linger outside anymore. "Goodnight."
As she walked away, tightly clutching Rowan's lantern, Jinx could hear Lucy asking, "But what is it?"
Unfortunately, Jinx couldn't answer her even if she wanted to.
For the next few days, Jinx's mood was off. When she got back to her room that night, nobody else was there, so she had fallen asleep immediately. And the next morning, Jinx avoided all questions from Rowan and Penny about the meeting with Kettleburn. She told them that he didn't show up for a while, and that someone must've been trying to prank her. All throughout breakfast, Jinx noticed Bill's group at the Gryffindor Table trying to wave her over, but she ignored them.
Her mood was further soured when on the morning of her birthday, there was no candy delivery from Raul. As childish as it may have sounded, her happiness on her birthday depended on that sugar rush provided by Raul's candy delivery, and she needed it more than ever right now. She couldn't even enjoy the ludicrously large letter signed by her mother, Uncle Ellis, and grandmother that had everyone at the Hufflepuff table giggling. Even Penny noticed the missing candy and expressed her disappointment over not getting to sample the American Muggle sweets.
To make matters worse (yes, again), Jinx had received another summons to go to the Training Grounds on a Sunday night, this time from Madam Rakepick. She could confirm that this wasn't an impersonation, as Rowan and Ben both showed her their letters during Charms class. She was still upset at what happened the last time she was down there but knew that this was actually a meeting she could not get out of. Jinx always managed to catch Madam Rakepick lurking around the castle and did not want to find out what would happen if she ditched one of her little nighttime lessons.
So the only solace Jinx found on her birthday was skipping Rowan's library study group and spending the night in Jacob's research room. She hadn't been able to spend much time in the room during the school year thus far, so the room remained almost exactly the same as she had left it the previous year. This time, she didn't come to the room in search of clues or research related to the Vaults. No, she came to be left alone and to feel close to her brother's presence. Leaning against the cabinets of his messy desk, Jinx fell into the deepest slumber she could manage since the attack at the Training Grounds.
When she woke up the next morning, having no idea how late or early it was, Jinx discovered that her neck had a very sharp, stabbing pain. She would have to bother Penny for one of her pain-killer potions that every girl Penny was friends with used. As she tried to stand up, however, Jinx realized that her cloak had gotten caught on one of the desk cabinet handles. So when she tried to stand up, the desk started falling down too.
Only through her trained quick reflexes was Jinx able to get her wand out and shout "Wingardium Leviosa!" The desk started floating, and Jinx was able to rip her cloak off the desk. It was strange that the cabinet door didn't simply open when the cloak tugged on it, but Jinx would investigate it later. For now, she had to run back down to the basement and get a change of clothes.
And then all too soon, it was Sunday again, and Jinx and Rowan headed down to the Training Grounds again after dinner. This time, though, they were both able to eat, and Jinx felt better upon seeing Bill walking down with Ben. She felt less better upon seeing Merula and Ismelda walk down in the same direction.
When they finally reached the Training Grounds, Jinx suddenly felt the familiar flash of Petrification hitting her.
"Are you alright, Jinx? You look like you've seen a Dementor." Rowan's voice was low and full of concern.
"I was attacked by someone," Jinx shrugged.
"What?! When?!" Rowan hissed.
"Last week. They paralyzed me and told me to stay away from the forest, the vaults, and Rakepick. They said death is coming to Hogwarts." Jinx couldn't help but shudder at that last part. She felt guilty for hiding the incident from her friends and avoiding Bill like the plague all week. Still, she supposed she was grateful that Bill hadn't told anyone else what Sam and Lucy had witnessed.
"What did they look like?" Rowan asked, her voice still quiet.
"They didn't have a face. It was just a red cloak," Jinx explained. "And the voice was strange, like it was somehow distorted."
"Hogwarts is surrounded by protective enchantments. Outsiders can't get in, especially not Dark Wizards," Rowan said pointedly.
Was Rowan then suggesting the attacker wasn't an outsider? Jinx couldn't think of anyone at Hogwarts who both wanted her gone and had the magical prowess to spring an attack on her like that. She knew that Rowan was suggesting it had been Rakepick, but why would Rakepick pretend to be someone else just to warn Jinx to stay away from herself? If she truly wanted no connection with Jinx, then she wouldn't have sent Jinx an invitation to meet with her again.
When she didn't say anything, Rowan snapped her fingers in front of Jinx's face, and said, "We have to tell Dumbledore!"
But Jinx shook her head quickly. "No, not yet," she muttered. "Until we have proof on who it was, we have to act like everything is normal."
Rakepick finally arrived at the Training Grounds, her red hair somehow still bright and shining, even only illuminated by lanterns. Bill and Merula both immediately went up to Rakepick, but Ben stayed back with Jinx and Rowan.
"Would anyone care to guess why I invited all of you here?" Rakepick asked when she held everyone's attention.
"I'm sure it's for something terrible," Ben mumbled, and Jinx snorted.
"Miss Raider, perhaps?" Rakepick's sharp voice interrupted Jinx's amusement.
"Umm, well, we all have connections to the Cursed Vaults so it's probably related to that," she said hesitantly.
"You might be here to kill us because we're your main connection to finding the Vaults," Ben added under his breath. But he was not quiet enough, as Bill turned around and gave him a warning look. Jinx supposed there was a little bit of Gryffindor in Ben at that moment.
Rakepick, on the other hand, found his response to be endearing, as she let out a short laugh. "Worry not, Mr. Copper. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead," she said once her laughter subsided. Then, in a more serious tone, she announced, "I need an extra pair of hands in my journey to locate the remaining Cursed Vaults and break their curses. I believe one of you is best suited to serve as my assistant."
Ah, so when Jinx had rejected her assistant offer, that hadn't deterred her from trying to find a replacement.
"Which one?" Ben asked. Jinx was surprised that he was able to speak up to Rakepick, especially after his behavior at the start of the year.
"That's what we're here to find out, Mr. Copper," Rakepick said.
"You want to pit us against each other?" Merula asked gleefully.
"Think of it more as a friendly test of wills and skills. Completely voluntary, of course," Rakepick added with a friendly smile that suggested this was not voluntary at all.
"Why would we want to be your assistant?" Ismelda scoffed, and for once, Jinx agreed with her.
"Good question, Miss Murk. The answer is that I can teach you things you cannot learn from anyone else at Hogwarts."
"What sort of things?" Bill asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. Jinx knew that Bill looked up to Rakepick, especially after she gifted him that book about her all the way back in Second Year when she first met him. It was funny, how Rakepick was now a very real force in their lives.
"Allow me to demonstrate, Mr. Weasley. I trust none of you are afraid of curses. Today you will all be learning the Blasting Curse," Rakepick said as she brandished her wand.
"Confringo?" Rowan asked, her eyes alight with excitement.
"Precisely, Miss Khanna," Rakepick said, matching Rowan's excitement. "Now let's begin."
Jinx quickly noticed that Rakepick had a very distinctive teaching style. The way that Rakepick taught them all the Blasting Curse was almost identical to the way she taught Jinx the Shield Charm. So Jinx found it relatively easy to follow along with the repetitive motions that Rakepick demonstrated. She tried not to feel too smug when she saw Merula and Ismelda struggling to keep up.
After about half an hour of practicing the wand movement and precise pronunciation, Madam Rakepick pocketed her wand. "Mr. Weasley," she said, gesturing for Bill to step in front of a training dummy, "please demonstrate this spell first, as you've already learned it." Then, she turned to Jinx, and said with a smirk, "Miss Raider, you appear to know this spell pretty well; please go after Mr. Weasley."
Bill took his place first, and confidently said, "Confringo!" The spell hit the dummy in the chest and neatly knocked it back a few meters before bursting into flames.
Jinx then took the spot next to him, and muttered, "Confringo." Her spell flew forward and blasted the dummy upon impact. Bill let out a low whistle as the smoke from the dummy floated upwards, and ruffled her hair. Rowan and Ben clapped from behind them, and Jinx couldn't help but grin.
"Well done, Miss Raider," Rakepick said silkily, approval in her eyes. "You're certainly very talented. Who do you think could help me most with the Vaults?"
Jinx paused for a moment. This felt like the moment when that awful Rita Skeeter asked her who had won her competition; it was clearly a test, and while Jinx had purposefully failed Skeeter's test, she knew she couldn't fail Rakepick's. "Definitely Bill," Jinx settled on the safest option. Besides, Bill truly did deserve it. "He's the most experienced and the most powerful. He's even talked about becoming a professional Curse-Breaker," she added, hoping that Rakepick would now take more of an interest in him.
"He's also a filthy Weasley," Merula sneered, clearly upset that she was not given the chance to show off.
Rakepick silenced her with a glare, however, and looked at Bill thoughtfully. "Mr. Weasley is a fine candidate," she finally said. "If Miss Snyde or anyone else hopes to surpass him, they will need to be especially ambitious. I will send each of you invitations for further meetings and lessons. If you choose to attend, be ready to challenge yourself, and learn powerful magic. If you do not attend, I thank you in advance for not wasting my time. Goodnight."
Rakepick left in her customary style, tossing her hair over her shoulder and swishing her red cloak behind her before marching off. As she left, Merula turned towards Jinx, murder in her eyes.
"I hope you become one of these sleepwalkers, and walk straight into the Black Lake," she snarled. Then, pulling on Ismelda's collar, she followed Rakepick up the hill.
"You and Ben leave first," Bill said to Rowan once Merula and Ismelda were out of sight. "I have something private to talk about with Jinx."
Rowan nodded, although Jinx could tell that she was confused. Ben thankfully just looked happy to be rid of Rakepick, and so he happily led Rowan away from the Training Grounds, leaving Jinx alone with Bill. She sighed, knowing that eventually, the two would have to talk.
"Thank you for saying my name," Bill said lightly. "I have a lot of questions for Madam Rakepick about becoming a professional Curse-Breaker, and I appreciate you putting me on her notice."
"Of course I would, you deserve it," Jinx said firmly.
Bill gave her a fond smile at this. "I get the feeling Madam Rakepick wants you to earn the right to help her find the Cursed Vaults," he remarked.
"We don't need her help," Jinx grumbled. "I know how to get into the forest. I just need to know where to search when I'm inside."
"Still, it's nice of her to teach us magic," Bill said. "You never know what you'll stumble upon here in Hogwarts."
"Whatever questions you have, ask away," Jinx sighed, knowing where Bill wanted to lead the conversation.
"Are you alright?" Bill immediately asked, picking up a lantern. He started walking back towards the castle, and Jinx gladly followed. "Sam and Lucy told me what happened, and how confused and worried they were."
"I'm fine now," Jinx reassured him, "but it most definitely was not Kettleburn who wrote that letter…" She explained what happened to Bill, who stayed mostly silent. After she was done, he paused for a bit, looking up at the sky.
"Well, we certainly should have been more careful and suspicious of the letter," he eventually said. "That's on me too, for encouraging reckless behavior."
"Yes, Bill, it's all your fault," Jinx said sarcastically. He did not appreciate it as he gave her a look that reminded her of her mother.
"Next time you get a weird message, I'll go with you," Bill said resolutely. "You know, I won't ditch you for Quidditch practice."
"What a fantastic future Head Boy," Jinx joked, and she was happy to see Bill's face finally relax. "But seriously, tell Sam and Lucy I'm doing alright, and that I'm so thankful for them being there."
"No, you should thank Emily Tyler for flirting with Sam and making Lucy get mad," Bill laughed. "Otherwise she wouldn't have insisted on blowing off steam at the Training Grounds."
Jinx snorted at that last part. Yes, she was fortunate indeed.
