Over the next few days, things got very intense from an academic point of view. The professors got even stricter for the Fifth-Years, so Harry and John couldn't find time to investigate the corridor. Then, one fine day, the castle turned inexplicably chilly.

One morning, Filch was even grouchier than usual, and Mrs Norris looked slightly woozy. Harry heard her meowing, "When I catch the brat who drugged me, there will be hell to pay."

Then, around two weeks later, Harry was called to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. When he arrived, he also saw John Silvertongue standing by the stone gargoyle, and both were horribly confused. Then there were gentle footsteps heard, and Dumbledore emerged from his office.

He smiled, "Ah! Harry, John! Nice of you to drop by! I wished to talk to you two about something. Walk with me?"

As they walked, Dumbledore asked casually, "Are you both aware of the legend of the Cursed Vaults?"

John nodded, but Harry said, "I've heard bits and pieces, Professor. Nothing really concrete. I agreed to help John here with the investigation because he wanted some closure about his brother Jacob."

"I understand and sympathise. Rumour has it that there are treasures beyond one's wildest dreams in these Vaults. It seems that some may have caught wind of the rumours of riches and treasures, and went to investigate. As such, they have unleashed a Curse upon the castle. Now, were you boys anywhere near an out-of-bounds corridor on the sixth floor? I'd appreciate some honesty."

Both boys shook their heads firmly, and John admitted, "Professor… Harry and I did plan to investigate, but haven't got around to doing it, since we are all busy preparing for our OWLs."

Dumbledore smiled, "I appreciate that. I was hoping you two could try and put a stop to this Curse. We are currently heading for the corridor, because when I last saw it, there was some strange inscription on the wall."

Soon enough, Dumbledore led the two boys to an abandoned section of the castle. The further they walked, the colder it became and Harry could even see ice forming along the walls and ceiling. Finally, they stopped in front of a door covered in ice. John pointed his wand and ordered, "Flipendo!"

A fat chunk of ice broke away from the door, but the rest was still frozen. Harry then pointed his wand and barked, "Incendio!"

Sure enough, the rest of the ice melted away and the boy was able to wrench the door open. Dumbledore entered the room and pointed to a section of the wall where there were glowing blue symbols. Harry squinted, "That reads like Ancient Greek! It says… 'The Ice Knight stands guard past the vanished stairs."

Dumbledore nodded, "I see… What do you two suppose it means? I trust that you two shall investigate thoroughly and put an end to this Curse?"

They nodded firmly and went their separate ways. The first thing Harry did was get in touch with Ron and Hermione. They promised to help, but did admit that with their Prefect duties, they could not aid him and John as much.

The next day, Ginny approached the two boys during a strategy meeting, and she looked really worried. She said, "Harry? Do you have a moment? It's Luna. I'm a bit worried about her. I haven't seen her all day. You know how she can be a little… er… quirky? As far as I'm aware, she doesn't get along with her year mates. I also suspect that some of the seniors also pick on her a bit."

Harry tried to calm her down, "Ginny? Where did you last see her?"

"I don't know… I'm worried about her. I tried asking Padma and Anthony, but even they haven't seen her. They've promised to look for her."

John asked, "Maybe she's gone to investigate about this sudden cold weather."

She shrugged, "I don't know. Luna is Luna. She can be unpredictable, but she is my best friend."

After classes, Harry and John met up and began their search for Luna. Along the way, they bumped into Merula Snyde casually leaning against a pillar. She cheerily drawled, "Potter… Silvertongue… I was wondering if you managed to find Looney Lovegood."

Harry teased, "Aww… Are you worried about her? I didn't know you swung that way. I guess you had enough of kissing Malfoy's pasty arse."

She glared at him, "Oh fuck off, Potter. I could care less about that pathetic excuse of a witch. Though I do know that when people go missing, they are exactly where they are supposed to be."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "You know something, don't you? I heard that your parents were Death-Eaters. Maybe you were following in their footsteps and kidnapped her or something."

She got in his face and snarled, "Choose your next words, very, very carefully. I had nothing to do with Lovegood going missing. All I'm saying is that there are things happening here at this school that you can barely begin to understand. Trying to uncover them will only get you killed, and that is not a threat. That is a warning. Just be a good little studious Ravenclaw and a brainless Gryffindor and let me handle it. I'm the most powerful person in Hogwarts, so I'm obviously worthy of looking for the Cursed Vaults."

John rolled his eyes, "Look… You can go on your wild goose chase. We're just looking for Luna. If you don't have any useful information on her whereabouts, then you can just sod off."

The girl simply sauntered away without a care in the world. John then turned to Harry, "Hey, you know Luna better than I do. Where are her usual hiding places?"

Harry shrugged helplessly, "I'm friendly with Luna, but I haven't hung out with her as much as I would have liked to. You got any ideas?"

John screwed up his face in thought, "Umm… There's an Artefact Room nearby. Rowan and I used to frequent that place."

The boys hurried off to find this Artefact Room, which was located near the Great Hall. After a few minutes of rummaging around, John hit the jackpot, "Bingo! I found something."

He pulled out a small note and handed it to Harry. They opened the note and read it, "Hmm… Ancient Greek again. It reads, 'Your next instructions have been Transfigured into a Black Quill and hidden in the Gryffindor Common Room. Failure to follow your instructions will result in severe punishment'. There's also the Greek symbol for the letter R. So I'm assuming that whoever wrote this note goes by the name, R."

Harry grinned, "Oh, this will be easy. I can go find the quill and bring it back."

Harry split up from John and returned to the Gryffindor Common Room as fast as he could. Along the way, he bumped into Bianca and Mackenzie. After explaining the situation to them, they agreed to help him, since they were also worried about Luna.

Eventually, Mackenzie found a Black Quill lying innocuously on a nearby desk. Together the three of them exited the Common Room and met back up with John. Standing around a table in an empty classroom, John pointed his wand at the feather. He chanted, "Reparifarge!"

Sure enough, the quill transformed into a scroll that read, "Proceed to the farthest corridor at the east end of the fifth floor. Transfigure this scroll back into a Black Quill and return it back to where you found it. Failure to follow this instruction will result in severe punishment."

Mackenzie held out a hand, "Harry, pass me the scroll. Bianca and I will Transfigure it it back while you and John explore the corridor."

The two parties split up and the boys went to explore the corridor. As they walked, the air grew chillier and chillier. Harry rubbed his arms to warm himself up, "Brrrr… It's pretty bloody cold. The quicker we get rid of this curse and find Luna, the better for us."

Finally, they reached the fifth floor, and they saw several clumps of ice sprouting all over the place. While making their way east, John and Harry kept melting the ice with the Fire-Making Spell. Before long, they stumbled upon an empty corridor that was covered in ice, and it was spreading. The boys cleared the ice as much as they could and forged ahead.

At last, they found their target. Luna Lovegood appeared to be in a seated position, but she had ice covering her, almost up to her neck. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, she wasn't freaking out, but was looking at them serenely.

She airily spoke, "Hello Harry, hello John. Lovely weather we're having, aren't we?"

Harry looked relieved, "Oh thank the Gods! Luna! What happened to you? And why are you barefoot?"

The Ravenclaw oddball simply said, "Oh don't worry. The Nargles took them. I suppose they'll turn up soon. By the way, could you give me a hand? I'm afraid my bum's fallen asleep."

Harry couldn't help chuckling to himself as he used the 'Incendio' spell to melt the ice and free her. Luna dropped to the ground, shivering a little, and Harry scooped her up in his arms, bridal style.

The two boys retreated with their package, Luna cuddled into Harry's arms, greedily devouring his body heat. Eventually, they ran into Anthony and Padma, who looked absolutely relieved. The two Ravenclaw Prefects took Luna in their arms and promised to take her to the Hospital Wing. A day later, Harry swung by to see how the younger blonde was doing. Madam Pomfrey sidled up to him, "Not to fret, she will be right as rain in no time. Though I would advise against grilling her for information. Her memory is spotty, at best, but I've seen much worse, present company included."

John asked, "Are we allowed to see Luna."

She nodded and gestured, "Oh yes! Please do. She has been asking for you two. Though she has also been making a number of strange requests and declarations. Something about 'Wrackspurts', whatever they are."

Luna smiled when Harry and John approached, "Hello… Come to check up on little old me?"

Harry reached over and ruffled her blonde locks, "How are you feeling, mate?"

She breezily said, "A slight chill and a little sore, I'm also a little bit knackered. I'll be fine though. Don't worry about me. On the bright side, the Nargles finally returned my shoes."

Harry and John shared a knowing look, it was clear that there were some bullies within Ravenclaw. They sat with her for a while and then Harry asked, "What were you doing in the icy corridor in the first place?"

She shot him a quizzical look, "You know… I'm not really sure, to be honest."

John spoke up, "As far as we know, there was a letter in the Artefact room, leading to another letter in the Gryffindor Common Room. The second one led us to you."

She frowned, "Perhaps you two can go back to the corridor and continue the investigation. Do let me know how it goes. I know that Daddy would jump at the chance to figure out the mystery of the Cursed Vaults. He's the editor of The Quibbler. It could finally be our chance to prove that our magazine is not a worthless rag that publishes outlandish conspiracy theories."

After a while, the boys left the Hospital Wing deep in discussion. Suddenly, John mused, "Harry… Do you think this Vault business is nothing but a wild goose chase? I mean, my brother practically sacrificed his Hogwarts education, and look where that's got him. Me and mum have been worried sick."

Harry sighed, "John-o, the adventure's barely begun, mate. Don't tell me you're chickening out already? Think of this as a mystery, the answers won't come immediately. Now come on, let's go back to that corridor, and hopefully the ice hasn't come back."

They returned to the corridor and resumed their investigation. Half an hour later, nothing turned up. Just then, Harry felt a small icy breeze blow through his salt and pepper hair. He turned around and scanned the area. The demigod could not figure out where it was coming from, especially since there were no nearby windows. Harry took a step down the corridor, and the breeze stopped.

He stepped back, and the breeze returned. He glanced to his left, since the breeze was coming from that direction. Harry approached the wall and ran a hand over it. The breeze was much stronger and colder, and he called out, "Oi! John! Come here a sec! There's a draught coming from this section of the wall."

John came over and spoke, "Yeah! I hear something. Think it's a hidden passage?"

Harry shrugged, "Possibly… Do you know the Revealing Charm? I'd rather avoid an uncomfortable explanation to Dumbledore, as to why we destroyed a section of the castle."

John snorted and pulled out his wand, "Revelio!"

On cue, a section of the wall vanished, revealing a staircase going upwards. The boys shared a look and Harry quipped, "Well… Shall we?"

John muttered, "This looks like the same staircase from my vision. Probably the same one that the message in the ice was referring to."

With their wands lit up, they advanced up the stairs. As they walked, the air grew colder, but they persevered. Eventually, they came across a large pair of doors, and heaved it open before entering. Just then, Harry noticed something on the floor and dropped to a crouch to investigate.

He called John over, "Hey! Take a look at this… Footprints… Someone's already been here."

Carefully, they followed the footprints, which eventually led them to an archway. The entrance was very foggy and too thick to see anything. John raised his wand and cast a spell. In an instant, the fog cleared, revealing an icy room, with another door.

John hesitantly stepped up and slowly reached for the door. However, as soon as he touched it, his eyes went blank and sightless for a few seconds. When his eyes cleared, he breathed, "Blimey! I think I just had another vision."

Harry leaned forward, "What did you see?"

"Two rooms. One was dark and filled with books. The other was cluttered and had a door outlined in chalk."

Harry's response was cut off, by an icy projectile from the door. Fortunately, he activated his shield and protected the two of them. More projectiles rained down and Harry yelled, "Mate! I think we're going to need some backup!"

The boys beat a hasty retreat to regroup and plan their next course of action. Over the next few days, Harry and John opted to leave the Vaults alone for some time and focus on their OWLs.

One fine day, Harry got a letter from none other than Percy Weasley. Turns out, he wanted to meet him at Hogsmeade the next day, and the matter was urgent. The day arrived and Harry trotted off to Hogsmeade for his meeting. As he entered the Three Broomsticks inn, he spotted Percy and Cedric in the far corner. Cedric spotted him and waved him over, "Hiya Harry! Fifth-Year treating you alright?"

Harry grinned, "It's been a crazy week, but we're managing. So what did you want to talk about? It sounded urgent."

Percy lowered his voice, "Harry? Do you remember Penelope Clearwater?"

"Yeah, wasn't she your girlfriend? She's helped me write my papers in the past."

"Yeah… Turns out, we've broken up. Decided that we were better off as friends."

Harry sympathetically spoke, "Aww that's a shame."

Cedric spoke up this time, "Couple of weeks ago, Penelope approached me while I was interning with my Dad. Apparently, she's started feeling uncomfortable working in the Ministry, especially with some traditionalist Purebloods around. Poor girl was worried about her own safety, especially since she's a Muggleborn."

Percy leaned forward,"I've done what I could, but the Weasley family is a bit low on the social ladder. The Diggorys have some clout, but not as much as the other Pureblood families. I figured that it was best that she disappear. I was hoping that you could convince her to join you and your sisters as a Hunter of Artemis. She's coming here in about 20 minutes."

Harry frowned, "Mate... Are you sure about this? It's not so simple to just fill out a bloody application form and sign up. Once you're a Hunter, you're a Hunter for the rest of your life. Also, do you still have feelings for her, and does she feel the same?"

Percy sighed, "Two years ago, I might have said yes. But things have changed and we couldn't make it work. So we mutually decided to break up."

Harry was still apprehensive, "Again, like I said, being a Hunter is a very big deal. For her to join, she has to swear off of falling in love with men. Every Hunter recruit swears a sacred oath to pledge themselves to my mother. They must swear off falling in love with men and accept eternal maidenhood."

Cedric's eyes widened, "So they are immortal?!"

"Nah Ced, there's a big difference between immortality and eternal youth. With eternal youth, you stay young for the rest of your life, but you can still die by combat or poison. Even the Gods are not immortal. I learned that the hard way, last summer. The God of the Wild, Pan, he faded away because his domain is dying. Owing to mass deforestation and many wild creatures going extinct, Pan's domain diminished."

By then, Penelope had just entered the inn and made her way to the table. She sat down next to Percy and shivered violently. The girl breathed, "Felix Rosier is getting bolder. Wanker was stalking me throughout the Ministry today. Only managed to escape his sight, thanks to Madam Bones. Percy, you said that you had a plan?"

Percy nodded and indicated for Harry to speak. Harry started off by speaking about the Greek Gods and demigods. She was sceptical, but he spoke about his ADHD and dyslexia and revealed that those were typical symptoms of being a demigod. Then he spoke about the Hunters of Artemis, a group of girls who followed Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. Those girls were effectively young forever. That piqued her interest, but Harry then warned her that she would have to give up on falling in love with males. He then explained the unusual circumstances of his birth, and that the Hunters all accepted him as family.

It took some time, but she eventually took the plunge and agreed to be a Hunter. Harry smiled and led her out of the inn and to an empty alley. He took out his wand, "Repeat after me, I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood and join The Hunt."

She dutifully repeated those words after taking out her own wand. Harry then accepted the oath as the Lieutenant of the Hunters. He then scribbled down an address on a piece of parchment and handed her some Drachmae, "This is the address for a Hunter safe house. Also, in the demigod world, we have a communication system called Iris Messaging. All you have to do is find a fountain and make a rainbow from the mist. Then you toss a drachma into the rainbow and say, 'Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering'. Then you ask her to show you whoever you want to speak to. What I want you to do is contact Thalia Grace, she's the acting Lieutenant when I'm away."

She nodded and left, while Harry returned to the Three Broomsticks. Cedric had left earlier, but Percy was still there. Harry rejoined him and spoke, "Oh, I almost forgot. Could you put me in touch with Bill? He works as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts, right? I want to get an audience with the goblins. There is a big war coming, against Kronos and the Titans. I'm hoping that the goblins will aid us demigods."

Percy grimaced, "I'll ask Bill when I see him. Can't make any promises on the goblin front, though. They're not too fond of wizards, but I'll keep you in the loop."

With that, Harry returned back to the castle. As he entered inside, he was hit with a blast of very chilly air. It was so cold that he could practically see his breath. Just then, he bumped into Hermione, who was in a great hurry. She hurried him back to the Common Room without a word and ushered him inside. Flopping down onto a couch next to Ron, she paused to catch her breath. The girl wheezed, "Oh thank the Gods that I found you! We've got a serious problem. This Cursed Ice or whatever, is starting to spread through the castle. Professor Sinistra and a bunch of Second-Years are trapped in the Astronomy Tower. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team are also trapped in the Changing Rooms. Heard Cho Chang shouting for help, and she sounded really panicked."

Harry sprang into action, "John and I will get to the bottom of this, there's no time to lose. Hey do you two want to come with me and John? We could use some backup."

The two of them nodded firmly, "We'd love to, mate. This is our school. We have to protect it. Can't be too different from all the drama that's been going on in the past few years."

Harry nodded in understanding and asked them to gather volunteers from different houses. A few nights later, Harry and John gathered by the location of the icy corridor. Minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined them, and they were not alone, as Penny, Susan, Diego, Padma, Anthony, Cassandra and Katie also showed up. Harry definitely enjoyed the looks on their faces when he vanished the wall and revealed the staircase. Wands out, they trooped up and went past the door. From there, they found a solid wall of ice blocking their way. Katie whistled and rubbed her shoulders vigorously, "Wow! You weren't joking about how cold this place is. And that solid block of ice looks tough to get past."

However, John was confused, "Hang on… The ice wall wasn't there before. I'm guessing that it's one of the vault's defences."

Together, they raised their wands and chanted, "Incendio!"

It took a while, but all the ice was soon melted. Then the door stood before them, all imposing. Cassandra grunted, "This had better work. The professors can only do so much. Heard that Dumbledore has gone to look for a Curse-Breaker."

Susan piped up, "Daphne and Tracey are helping in the Hospital Wing, along with Hannah and Chiara. It's absolute bedlam, we have to figure this out. I wrote to Auntie, but even she's baffled, though she promised to get in touch with Curse-Breakers."

Harry got in a fighting stance, "Guys… This door has a tendency to fight back by freezing us in place. Spread out and be ready to dodge."

Everyone wordlessly obeyed his command and took their places. For good measure, Harry activated his shield. At John's command, they took turns attacking and dodging. On one occasion, Harry flung his shield to the right and parried away a Freezing spell from hitting Diego. Ron had positioned himself on the far right and caught the shield, before tossing it back.

It took a while to wear down the door, but eventually the ice melted. Then, the door blew open and eerie footsteps echoed across the marble floor. Ron stammered, "Mate… Was this door supposed to keep us out, or keep something in."

They got their answer when a massive armoured figure lumbered out, a knight wielding a massive sword. It slashed outwards to the left, sending out a wave of icy shards. Harry tossed his shield towards Hermione on the far left, protecting everyone and redirecting the shards to the left wall, freezing it.

Then, Penny fished out a potion with a determined look, "Alright… It's time I tested this Erumpent Potion I brewed."

She tossed the potion and it exploded upon impact. The knight staggered a bit, before attacking, but once again, Harry, Hermione and Ron tag-teamed and protected everyone. Harry motioned to everyone, "Clear some space! I'll handle him."

They retreated as Harry turned his wand into the Sword of Gryffindor and took up a fighting stance. The armoured figure struck first, but Harry parried. Harry then thrust forward and dealt some damage. Undeterred, the figure stomped its foot and a row of icy stalagmites raced towards the demigod. Harry simply allowed his reflexes to take over and rolled out of harm's way. The Knight attacked again with its sword, but Harry protected himself with his shield and then stabbed it through a chink in its armour.

The fierce battle carried on for a little while longer before Harry finally defeated it. The Knight collapsed in defeat and was still. After a beat of silence, Anthony whooped, "Cor! That was bloody bad arse, Harry!"

However, Harry snapped, "Stay focused! We're not out of the woods just yet. We don't know if this enchanted armour is the only guardian or not. Everyone, huddle up and stay behind me!"

Ron, Hermione and Katie immediately recognised that Harry was in battle mode, so they flanked either side of him as he raised his shield and pointed his sword above the rim. Slowly, he advanced into the room, with the others following him.

Fortunately, the next room was empty and free of ice, and the only thing standing out was a glowing obelisk with tempered glass windows. Harry turned his sword back into a wand as Penny gasped. She had clearly seen the column and was mesmerised, "Absolutely amazing!"

John hesitantly stepped forward and reached out to touch the obelisk. As soon as he did, the column shuddered and opened out. Inside was hollow and there was a book and a broken wand floating inside it. John reached out and grabbed the items, but as soon as he touched them, he flinched for a few seconds.

The teenager staggered back and Harry steadied him. After he and Ron helped the Ravenclaw, he breathed, "Whoa! That was something!"

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow, "You okay, mate?"

John stammered, "I heard a voice. It sounded like Jacob, and he said, 'Find the other four Vaults! Find my room. You can't let her get there first, hurry.'"

Then he sighed, "Just forget it… You lot must think I'm crazy."

Harry firmly shook his head, "Nah, mate. I had a feeling there was something dodgy going on. Though I'm still baffled at who unleashed the Curse in the first place."

Ron shrugged, "Had I not been a part of this, I'd have thought you were just barmy. But having said that, if the last four years are any indication, this thing is a lot bigger than we can even imagine."

Cassandra grinned, "Crumbs! Is your life really full of this much adventure, Potter?"

Harry snorted, "Oh please! This is tame compared to the shenanigans that Ron, Hermione, Neville and I got up to in the last four years."

Hermione reached out a hand, "John! Pass me the book. Let's see what's in it!"

She took the book from him and opened it, with Padma and Anthony reading over her shoulders. Padma frowned, "I don't know… Looks like random squiggles to me. It must be in another language, but the only ones I know besides English, are my mother tongue, Hindi, and Sanskrit. This dialect is neither of those."

Anthony spoke, "Sorry, I'm only fluent in English, French and German. I'll be of little help."

Hermione called out, "Harry! Does this read like Ancient Greek to you?"

He trotted over and took a look, "Reads like it. Come on, let's get out of here. We'll translate it together later. If this is the first Vault, hopefully the Curse has gone."

They also explored the room until Diego discovered a secret passage out of the room. When they emerged from a long tunnel, they found themselves near the Kitchens. From there, everyone split up and decided to head to bed.

The next day, the ice was all gone. Professor Sinistra and her students were freed, and so were the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. That same day, Harry and John went to Professor Dumbledore to speak about the Vault.

He was already seated at his desk, fingers steepled and an expectant look on his face. Dumbledore smiled, "I believe congratulations are in order. You two have managed to break an ancient curse on a vault that many have doubted its existence, despite evidence on the contrary."

John spoke up, "Professor… It wasn't just me and Harry, we had a number of friends to help out as well. Also, when we were down there, I heard my brother's voice. What are these vaults and why was Jacob so obsessed with them?"

Dumbledore sighed wearily and took off his half-moon spectacles. Rubbing his eyes, he mused, "There are many theories, Mr. Silvertongue. Some would suggest that the Founders or an acquaintance, created them, or it may have been the paranoid work of one of my predecessors. As to why they were created… I cannot say, but I must insist that speculation is dangerous until the truth is uncovered. I fear that this may just be the beginning. We must be vigilant, and I trust that you all will try your best to get to the bottom of this?"

The boys nodded vigorously and left when Dumbledore dismissed them.