"So, let's go. Alohomora!"
The padlock opens noisily, with the heavy chain falling to the ground.
Pansy darling,
sorry that I haven't written in a while, but you know what's going on here in autumn. The dressmakers are hard-working, but there is still a lot to be done before the collection is finished.
Since your father is on a business trip for the Ministry again, I also have to make the preparations for this year's Christmas party all by myself.
Pansy can't help laughing. Like every year, her mother won't lift a finger to prepare the party, but tell her house-elf Tessy where to place the flower arrangements and in which colours the salon is to be decorated.
Gemma would probably not be able to live without an elf; Tessy is her schedule book, housekeeper, gardener, cook and, in a way, even Pansy's nanny. Pansy doesn't know for sure if her mother is incapable of casting household spells like cleaning, cooking or baking, but she never saw her try them. On the other hand, why should she bother when Tessy even relieves her of putting on the kettle for tea?
We will invite Blaise and his mother, as always. Let me know whom of your new friends you would like to have here. We might as well invite your whole class, but then I need a list of names.
P.S.: I can't find my diamond earrings anywhere. If you have them, I want you to bring them back when you get home.
Mum
Pansy peers over the parchment. Tracey lies on her bed practising the Leviosa Charm (much to Mabel's and Lady's delight, who are trying to catch the floating feather), Millicent breaks her chocolate biscuit into small pieces, believing to save calories, and Daphne focuses on a book - by balancing it on her head.
Eye-rolling, Pansy dips her quill into the inkwell on her bedside table.
Hello Mum,
it must be very stressful for you to have so much to deal with. I hope Dad comes home soon and Tessy supports you wherever she can.
She is convinced that these lines won't seem sarcastic to her mother at all.
Don't bother with the invitations, most of my classmates go on holiday during Christmas.
They do not.
I packed the earrings by mistake, I must have confused them with my own.
She did not.
Give Dad a kiss for me when he gets back.
P.S.: I really need new face masks from La Mera, the cold air makes my skin dry. It would be best to send me a month's supply.
Pansy
As she folds the letter, she's a little annoyed with herself. It gave her great pleasure to push Malfoy to the ground (his dumb face was priceless), however, she recently spent a lot of time in front of the lighted bathroom mirror, studying her face and applying moisturiser.
"You're so ugly."
And even though the girls keep telling her that Malfoy is just a git, Pansy wonders if his remark might have a true core. Unlike Tracey, she doesn't fall out of bed in the morning and looks pretty. Without any makeup, Daphne isn't flawless either, but at least she has impressively long hair and a perfect, small nose.
Right now, Millicent is Pansy's only consolation; every girl needs a plain Jane as a friend, next to whom she can shine. Besides, Hogwarts' famous Halloween feast is just around the corner, and there are some rumours doing the rounds (with a teacher's costume contest as the most popular one), and Pansy is confident that the feast will take her mind off things.
~.~.~
"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEONS!" Quirrell shouts in panic as he runs forward to the High Table. He then sinks to his knees, gasps, "Thought you ought to know," and collapses in front of Dumbledore.
There is dead silence in the Great Hall, until it dawns on everyone that this was not a Halloween show. Then chaos breaks out. The students jump up, girls scream, dishes break and there is pushing and shoving. Who wants to encounter a huge, grey-skinned monster with an appetite for human flesh?
Suddenly, the noise is drowned out by the deafening firecrackers exploding from the end of Dumbledore's wand. "Prefects," he rumbles, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
John Bletchley climbs on the table, shouting to the Slytherins, "All of you stay exactly where you are! You see what's going on at the door right now, and you don't want to be crushed, so calm down first. Since the troll is apparently in the dungeon, we can't go back to the common room. We'll wait in the library instead and -"
"Great idea, John," someone calls from the crowd. A Ravenclaw Prefect with square glasses and a beaming smile is making his way towards them. "But mine is better!"
"Sykes? What are you doing here?"
"I think, unlike our dear Headmaster. He was either mentally absent again, or he really doesn't like you Slytherins. So instead of going to the library, why don't you just come with us?"
"Are you serious?" John asks.
"Sure, we have enough space, and some of you visit us constantly anyway."
John nods. "I owe you one, Alex. All right, you heard it, we're going with the Ravenclaws. And anyone not behaving gets thrown out for troll-hunting with the teachers, got it?"
Pansy and the others smile faintly.
In the Entrance Hall, Prefects and seventh-years from Ravenclaw and Slytherin gather around the students, wands at the ready. Their way leads them to the western part of the fifth floor, from where they climb a wide spiral staircase. It has many steps. Too many, if you'd ask Vincent Crabbe. Judging from his heavy breathing, his massive body is still not used to the fact that the castle is teeming with staircases. And yet - with every metre they put between themselves and the troll, the atmosphere becomes more relaxed and the first laughs can be heard again.
After a while they come to a door with a bronze-coloured knocker that has the shape of an eagle. Alex Sykes grabs the ring and knocks. The eagle then comes to life, opens its beak and asks in a deep, gentle voice, "What is the end of everything?"
Huh?
"The letter 'G'!" says Terry Boot, a first-year.
"Correct," the eagle replies, and the door opens.
The Slytherins moan.
"What if you don't know the answer?" Goyle asks.
"Then we're better not in a hurry to get in."
One after another, they enter the circular common room, which is significantly smaller than that of the Slytherins and, due to the unexpected guests, slightly crowded.
The constellations of the night sky are depicted in the blue carpeting, and bookshelves line the walls. Pansy looks for a fireplace or cozy armchairs, but the only places to sit seem to be the upholstered window sills, which, even in the moonlight, offer a fantastic view of the Hogwarts grounds. A spiral staircase leads downwards behind an archway, which is framed by two bronze eagles, and next to a white marble statue of a woman wearing a diadem. Since it is placed so prominently, this must be the founder Rowena Ravenclaw.
"How snobbish, I guess a portrait wasn't enough for her," says Pansy, when suddenly several Slytherins gasp for air. She follows their gaze up to the ceiling - and is quite astonished. The bookshelves lead further up into a hollow spire, right to the top. They're all connected by wooden walkways, leading to platforms with upholstered furniture and tables that are missing in the entrance area. The different levels are accessed via library ladders, which, like some staircases in the castle, move up and down by themselves.
"Pretty cool, right?"
Pansy turns around, looking at Padma and Lisa Turpin. "Kind of."
Daphne giggles. "Hermione's eyes would fall out!"
"But the best thing is the view," says Lisa. She is thin and wears a short blonde haircut, which makes her almost look like a boy. "In the first days I got up extra early so as not to miss the sunrise."
"Though, not a patch on our view," says Millicent arrogantly.
"Weird thing with the troll, isn't it?" Tracey asks.
Pansy waves her hand dismissively. "Oh, I bet it was just a confusion with Lavender, who forgot to put on makeup."
The girls laugh.
"But seriously," she continues, "it doesn't make any sense. As a teacher, Quirrell should've been able to deal with a troll."
Padma shakes her head. "I wonder how he convinced Dumbledore to give him the job."
"Maybe no one else wanted it," says Tracey. "My parents always joked that the position were cursed. No Defence-teacher lasted more than a year throughout their school days."
"Anyway, we think that the troll has been in the castle the whole time," says Lisa. "There's no way it could have just walked through the entrance gates, as they're protected against unauthorised intrusion."
"You must be kidding," says Millicent. "I mean, where could such a monster have been hiding?"
"Well, in the third-floor corridor of course."
"You mean …the forbidden corridor?" Daphne hisses.
Padma nods. "Exactly. And because everyone was at the feast tonight, including the Prefects who usually keep watch there, the troll managed to escape."
"But then something really special and valuable must be hidden in this corridor, or Dumbledore wouldn't have put the students at such risk," Tracey mumbles.
"If it's true at all," Pansy interjects. "But let's assume you're right - what do you think happens now? Will they catch the troll and bring him back?"
Lisa shrugs her shoulders. "We'll probably find out during the evening."
~.~.~
And they did; after a while, Professor Flitwick came and announced that the troll had been overpowered in the girls' bathroom on the first floor. Everyone talked about the incident for days (there even was an absurd rumour that the troll was blown up by Harry Potter), but now, there's only one topic: the upcoming Quidditch season.
Anyone who previously walked through Hogwarts with blinkers on, can no longer ignore the house rivalries, which have become more obvious than ever. And those students, including Pansy, who don't care about Quidditch at all, belong to a (female) minority.
Slytherins boast that Quidditch has been played in their families for generations, thus they not only know a great deal about the subject, of course, but also have an opinion on all players, teams and championships. So it always comes back to heated debates in the common room. The Gryffindors like to share their passion by shouting slogans and insults wherever they are. But it's almost the same with the Ravenclaws. They seem eager to prove that they're more than just bookworms and have some athletic skills too, and even the Hufflepuffs, many of whom have no clue about Quidditch, stand firmly behind their comparatively bad team. In short: the whole school is over the moon, and there is no escape.
Today, on a very cold November day, the first game is going to take place - Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Everyone walks down to the Quidditch pitch and takes their seat on the tribunes. Everyone but four students.
After the troll was defeated, Padma and Lisa speculated that the corridor - and the mysterious object in it - is now guarded by the Prefects alone. At least until an event takes place that lures the entire school outside ...
But Tracey actually wanted to watch the game, and Millicent refused to join the adventure as well, because she doesn't like Lisa. So Pansy and Daphne decided to meet Padma and Lisa on the third floor after the start of the game. Once there, the Ravenclaws are already waiting by the portrait of a man raising his scotch glass to them.
"There you are," says Padma. "You never know with Quidditch, the game could last hours or just ten minutes. So let's waste no time!"
And so the four of them set out to reveal a secret. It feels strange to wander through the silent, empty hallways. The castle never seemed so huge to them.
"I honestly hope that Gryffindor wins," Pansy says as their footsteps echo off the walls. "Malfoy can't stand the fact that they put Potter on the team. He would probably be so mad, he'd pull the skin off his face with bare hands."
Daphne sighs. "The boys have been upset about this for weeks, I can't hear it anymore!"
"But basically they're right," says Padma. "Ordinary first-years aren't allowed to play, why are they making an exception for Harry?"
Lisa shrugs. "Because he is not ordinary. I only say Voldemort."
The others stop with their mouths open.
"You said his name!" hisses Padma.
"Oops, sorry, I'm not familiar with the etiquette. This had never been an issue at home, as my father is a Muggle. And besides, I think the "V-word" was just his nickname."
"Oh," mumbles Daphne. "I always thought it was his surname. Like, Lord You-Know-Who."
"Whatever," says Pansy gruffly, "you're not supposed to say it, it's just not appropriate."
Shortly afterwards, they pass the Charms classroom and enter the narrow, gloomy corridor, which is normally guarded by at least one Prefect. They slow down their steps until they come to a door with a large, iron padlock.
"So, here we are."
"Yep."
"Erm … what now?"
"Well, we should open it … shouldn't we?"
"Wait, maybe we can hear something," says Lisa, putting an ear against the door and listening intently.
Pansy rolls her eyes. "There's no one in there!"
"We can't exclude that completely. Maybe the troll just fainted and they brought him back here."
"You mean, like some kind of recovery room for runaway monsters?"
"Pssst!"
"Do you hear anything?" whispers Padma.
"Don't think so."
"See?" Pansy says cheerfully, pulls out her wand and rolls up her sleeves. "So, let's go. Alohomora!"
The padlock opens noisily, with the heavy chain falling to the ground.
"Great," Lisa says sarcastically, "they definitely heard that on the Quidditch pitch."
Pansy turns to Daphne and Padma. "You didn't do anything yet, so one of you has to go in."
"But I don't dare!" Daphne whimpers, looking at Padma with big eyes.
"All right," she sighs, putting her hand on the doorknob. "But I'm staying right here - just in case."
She carefully turns the knob, pulls the door and pokes her head through it.
"So?" whispers Daphne mesmerised.
"It's too dark, I can't see anything. Wait ... Lumos!"
For a few seconds, nothing happens. But then Padma jumps back, slams the door and covers her mouth with a trembling hand.
No one breathes.
In a weak voice she asks, "Are you dog people, by any chance?"
"Oh yes, I always wanted a dog," Daphne says, pouting. "Or at least a big brother. And what did I get? A little sister! As if they were good for something."
"Tell us!" Lisa bursts out. "What's in there?"
Padma clears her throat. "A Cerberus."
Pansy and Daphne gasp.
"What's a Cerberus?" asks Lisa in confusion.
"A gigantic monster dog with three heads."
As if on command, they suddenly hear a muffled, sinister growl from behind the door that seems to come straight out of the depths of hell. Daphne is about to crush Pansy's hand.
"Okay, we have two options," says Padma.
Pansy shakes her head vigorously. "False! We have exactly one: to get out of here!"
"Let's think for a moment! So, a Cerberus has two weaknesses, music and honey cake."
"OH!" says Pansy. "I must admit that, just today, I left my honey cake and my harp in the dormitory!"
"I'm just trying to find a solution."
"Good luck with that, Ravenclaw." Pansy links arms with Daphne and drags her with her. "Come on, Daphne, I'm sure you want to keep your pretty head a little longer."
They leave quickly, but Daphne looks back worriedly again and again. "What if they're being eaten?"
"Then it's their own fault," says Pansy in a slightly hysterical tone of voice. "How can Padma seriously -"
"Lay a whisper on my pillow!"
They stop.
"What was that?"
"Leave the winter on the ground!"
"Sounds like Lisa."
Without another word, they run back and peek around the corner of the forbidden corridor.
"By Merlin," Pansy exclaims, but she doesn't mean the giant, snarling hellhound that has straightened up in its chamber, but Lisa.
While Padma is holding the door, ready to shut it any moment, her utterly fearless friend belts out a song to the six-eyed monster that Pansy never heard before.
"She's trying to sing it to sleep," Daphne says with a mixture of admiration and fear.
"It must have been love, but it's over now! It must have been good, but I lost it somehow!"
Saliva drips from the mouth of the middle head.
Suspiciously, Pansy watches the bizarre spectacle. "I'm not sure if she's successful with her silly Muggle song."
"But her voice! She can sing, I guess that's what matters."
"Let's hope so."
"From the moment we touched, till the time had run out!"
In the next moment, it looks as if the Cerberus were about to attack, but instead of rushing forward, it suddenly whimpers joyfully and lies down on the ground.
Pansy takes Daphne's hands from her eyes. "Look!"
"And it's a hard winter's day, I dream away!"
Three pairs of eyes blink dreamily at Lisa, until they lose the fight against fatigue. She actually did it, the Cerberus fell asleep. Slowly and still humming softly, she and Padma enter the chamber.
"Should we go after them?" asks Daphne, but then the two are grabbed by the shoulders.
They let out a scream, causing the Cerberus to wake from its nap with a growl. Startled, Lisa and Padma flee from the chamber and slam the door behind them.
"Say, ARE YOU CRAZY?" pants Padma, but then she hesitates.
"Well," says Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw Prefect, "we could ask you the same thing."
She is accompanied by Alex Sykes, who agrees, "Indeed! What were you trying to do, get killed?"
"Um."
"Get out of here." Penelope crosses her arms. "This is our game."
"Game?" Pansy repeats.
"Yes. Everything indicates that this secret corridor thing is actually some kind of competition for us Prefects."
The girls exchange uncomprehending looks.
"That beast in there is just one of several riddles," Alex explains. "But we're confident that if we manage to solve them all, we can expect plenty of house points."
Lisa looks at him in disbelief. "What else is hidden in there?"
"Different things. A carnivorous plant, flying keys, a life-size chess board …"
"But why didn't Dumbledore just keep the corridor a secret from everyone but the Prefects?" asks Padma, sounding a little disappointed.
"He probably thought that if he pointed out the danger, the students would voluntarily stay away from here." Alex smiles. "He's obviously never been eleven years old."
"And how far have the Slytherins come with those riddles?" asks Pansy.
"Not to the end, that's for sure - we would know about it. Anyway, you should watch the game next time. How could you even miss it? It's Quidditch, guys!"
"Speaking of," says Penelope with a tired smile, "the Gryffindors won. Harry Potter caught the Snitch. Sort of."