Chapter Text
On the night of September 1st, 1987, the Great Hall of Hogwarts was bustling with excitement, full of both new and returning students. After the Sorting Ceremony, the Start of Term Feast began, and at the Slytherin Table three friends happily chatted about their summers.
‘Remember when we broke the Boggart curse, opened the Cursed Vault, and saved Hogwarts? That was pretty cool!’ Barnaby said, between taking bites off of a turkey leg.
‘As if we could forget,’ Rowan snorted. ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to avoid the gossip, Jamie. Everyone’s waiting to see you break the next curse!’
Jamie nodded, adjusting his glasses. ‘Yeah, wonder what the next one’s going to be…’
A few seats from them, a black haired girl turned to them with a sneer when she heard them. ‘Take care, Smith. I spent my summer learning all three Unforgivable Curses. I’ll be testing them out on you and your friends…’ Ismelda said with a grin. In front of her, Merula was rolling her eyes at her friend’s attempt for a threat.
Ignoring the jab, Rowan pointed at someone at the Gryffindor Table. ‘What’s wrong with Ben? He looks like he’s seen a Nundu…’ he muttered.
Before Jamie could look at where Rowan was pointing, he felt someone hug him from behind for a second. ‘It’s great to see you, Jamie! How was your summer?’
Turning around, Jamie smiled. ‘Penny! It was good, thanks. I’m excited to catch up with all of you, and start searching for the next Cursed Vault.’
With a concerned look, Penny lowered her voice. ‘You might want to talk to Ben first. I know how he gets, but I’ve never seen him this scared…’
Finally getting a good look across the room at his friend, Jamie saw an almost catatonic Ben, staring into empty space with a look beyond terrified on his face. ‘What happened?’ asked Jamie, more quietly.
Penny narrowed her eyes, uncertain. ‘I’m honestly not sure. When I approached him, he was trembling, and murmuring something about nightmares… And when that red-haired woman next to Dumbledore arrived, he went completely pale.’
At the mention of the red-haired woman, Jamie looked at the High Table, where Dumbledore was indeed talking quietly with a tall, ginger woman in her early thirties Jamie hadn’t seen before. She was wearing red robes with a black cloak over her shoulders, and a strange blue brooch resembling an eye adorned the cloak at chest-height, an eye of Horus. Her cold blue eyes scanned the Great Hall as she spoke with the Headmaster, briefly stopping on Jamie. The Slytherin boy looked back at his terrified friend, growing worried about him. ‘I’ll check on him right after Dumbledore’s speech. I wonder if he knows that woman from somewhere… Who is she?’
Penny shrugged her shoulders. ‘I have no idea. I’m sure Dumbledore will introduce her in his speech…’
Dumbledore walked up to the podium, and all the students returned to their tables and went quiet. Opening his arms wide with a smile, as he usually did, he started talking. ‘Welcome back to Hogwarts! An important part of your magical education is learning to identify and overcome danger in its many forms.’ Taking on a more serious tone, he looked around through his half-moon spectacles. ‘Those of you who have been with us these last few years may have already encountered cursed ice and Boggarts.’ Looking directly at the main troublemakers, he added sternly, ‘Despite my warnings, a handful of you have disobeyed me, and managed to enter and survive the Cursed Vaults.’
Whispers ran wild among the students, until Dumbledore raised a hand to get their attention back. In a calmer tone, he continued. ‘The truth is that while we are your instructors, and it is our duty to keep you safe, we do not have every answer. We do not know where the next Cursed Vault lies… What it contains… Nor what curse will be unleashed by those foolish enough to disturb it... And that is why I sought out an expert: a renowned Curse-Breaker who has first-hand experience with the Cursed Vaults.’ Pointing with his right arm to the red-haired woman, he said, ‘Please help me welcome Patricia Rakepick.’
The name was oddly familiar to Jamie, though he couldn’t quite pin down where he’d heard it before. The Headmaster stepped aside, and Patricia Rakepick took his position in the podium with a smirk, addressing the students. ‘Thank you for that glowing introduction, Professor Dumbledore.’ Her voice wasn’t deep, but it demanded respect and attention in a way Jamie had seen very rarely before. Jamie would have considered her sharp and pointed face attractive, if it didn’t intimidate him in such a strange way. In an almost amused voice, she went on, ‘I was honestly shocked when he invited me back considering all of the trouble I gave him as a student. After graduating from Hogwarts, I became the Head Curse-Breaker at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. As a student, I was convinced that the Cursed Vaults existed, but the faculty chose to ignore my warnings. Now that they’ve finally been forced to admit their mistake, I’ve returned to open the vaults, and reveal their secrets.’
She was clearly revelling in the irony of the situation, much to the annoyance of some of the professors. Professor Snape had a twisted face of disgust, and Madam Hooch was staring daggers at Rakepick. The Curse-Breaker continued with a warning tone. ‘I may ask some of you to describe what you’ve witnessed. I may even ask some of you to help with my investigations. But I will not tolerate your unsolicited interference.’ Rolling her eyes, she simply stated, ‘From this point on, you will stay away from the vaults, and stay out of my way.’
The witch stepped aside, having finished her speech. Dumbledore addressed once more the students, with a happy expression. ‘Now you all know what you needed to know, I shan’t keep you from eating any longer. Enjoy your dessert!’
‘I see Patricia Rakepick hasn’t changed a bit. Yeh’d be wise the watch out fer that one, Jamie,’ Hagrid’s voice made Jamie turn around in his seat, and the teen stood up to greet the enormous groundskeeper. ‘Hagrid! Did you just arrive?’
Hagrid looked down, with a look of worry on his face. ‘It’s a long story. I hate teh interrupt yer meal, but I need yer help.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Follow me. It’ll be easier teh show yeh…’
‘Oh, do you mind if I bring Ben? I need to check on him…’
‘I don’t care who yeh bring, Jamie. As long as yeh hurry…’
Following Hagrid to the Courtyard, having managed to convince Ben to come along, Jamie saw Tulip sitting on the fountain, looking confused and disoriented. ‘Tulip! What happened?’
Rubbing her head in pain, she groaned. ‘I wish I knew. I dozed off on the Hogwarts Express, and woke up in the Forbidden Forest.’
‘I saw her walkin’ toward the forest as I was getting’ ready fer the feast. I tried teh stop her, but she was teh far away,’ Hagrid confirmed.
‘I guess I was sleepwalking…’
A memory came to the front of Jamie’s mind, long ago, back when he did some volunteering in the Hospital Wing to earn House Points. ‘Madam Pomfrey mentioned sleepwalking students before…’
‘It must be another curse. Madam Rakepick probably messed with the next Cursed Vault…’ Ben said, trembling.
Jamie turned to face him. ‘Everyone said you hid when she came into the Great Hall. Is everything okay? Do you know her?’
‘I know enough to stay away from her…’ The reply came in a whisper.
Hagrid interrupted them. ‘We can talk about Patricia Rakepick later… Luckily, Tulip hit her head on a branch headin’ into the Forbidden Forest. Lots o’ creatures in there would love teh feast on a sleepwalkin’ student… I tried teh take her teh the Hospital Wing, but she wouldn’t let me. She only wanted teh see yeh.’
Still holding her head, Tulip explained, ‘You found a map of the Forbidden Forest, James Smith. This could be related…’
Jamie took out his wand. ‘First, let’s make sure your head is okay. Episkey!’ Drawing a circle with the tip of the wand, pointing at Tulip’s head, he carefully said the word.
Tulip blinked, removing her hand from her forehead. Standing up, she looked at Jamie, now her vision more focused. ‘Thank you, James Smith. It will be easier to work out what happened without a splitting headache.’
‘Yeh can work it out later. Let’s get yeh teh the Hospital Wing, so Madam Pomfrey can have a look at yeh…’
Hagrid, Jamie and Tulip started walking towards the castle entrance, but Ben stayed behind. ‘I’ll catch up with you later. I’m expecting a letter…’
After helping Tulip get into one of the beds in the Hospital Ward, Jamie walked up to Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to a sleeping Gryffindor boy. ‘Is Tulip going to be okay, Madam Pomfrey?’
‘I’m confident she will survive. Which is more than I can say for this poor student…’
Jamie looked at the Gryffindor. Breathing heavily, he had a look of extreme pain on his face. Bloodied bandages covered his arms and neck, and his black robes were ripped in several places. ‘What happened to him?’
‘He succumbed to the sleepwalking curse, and walked into the Forbidden Forest,’ Madam Pomfrey explained. ‘He emerged covered in massive bite marks, and sickened by an unidentified poison. I was able to heal his wounds, but he will surely die from the poison if it isn’t identified soon…’
‘What could have done this to him?!’ asked a horrified Jamie.
Madam Pomfrey sighed. ‘The terrifying truth is that there are many creatures in the Forbidden Forest that could do something like this. When this curse afflicted students years ago, we had to stop them from mindlessly marching into the Forest. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stop them all. Some were ravaged and devoured by the creatures in the forest. And some never woke again.’ Jamie’s face went pale, still looking at the injuries as he listened to the matron. Madam Pomfrey pulled him away from the bed. ‘Let’s let him rest. I’ll take you to Miss Karasu…’
Reaching a nearby bed behind a curtain where Tulip was lying on, Jamie asked, ‘Are you sure she’ll be all right?’
‘I believe so, but I’ll keep her in the Hospital Wing overnight to monitor her behaviour while she sleeps.’
‘You realise I can hear you both talking about me? I’m not dead yet,’ Tulip said mockingly.
‘I’ll leave you two alone. Something tells me Miss Karasu and I will see more than enough of one another before she leaves my care,’ the matron said, leaving them to tend to the other student.
Alone with his friend, Jamie asked, with a concerned expression, ‘Can I get you anything, Tulip?’
‘Just sit with me, James Smith,’ the girl said, tapping a space at the feet of her bed, and Jamie sat down, taking off his glasses for the first time since the Start of Term Feast started. As he put them away, Tulip started talking. ‘Let’s talk about how sleepwalking and the Forbidden Forest connect to the next Cursed Vault… That’s clearly the location for the Vault, or at least it has to have some clues.’
‘I agree that the next vault is probably in the Forbidden Forest… I just don’t understand why the curse sends sleepwalkers there.’
A voice behind him interrupted his train of thought. ‘I’ve wondered the same thing since the last time this curse befell Hogwarts…’
Turning around on his seat, Jamie narrowed his eyes the moment he recognised the Curse-Breaker. ‘You were eavesdropping on us?’
Rakepick raised an eyebrow, amused by the reaction. ‘You were discussing the Cursed Vaults. I made it clear that the vaults are my primary concern… And that they are no longer a concern of yours.’
‘I have to find the vaults to find out what happened to my brother,’ Jamie said simply.
‘Then it’s in your best interest to help me…’
‘I thought you wanted us to stay out of your way?’
‘There are ways you can help me without getting in my way. What do you say, Mr Smith? Will you help me find the Cursed Vaults?’
Jamie thought about it for a few seconds. He didn’t fully trust Rakepick, but he couldn’t simply turn down help from an expert. ‘I would be… honoured to help, Madam Rakepick. My priority is to break the curses and find my brother, and if that means helping you, so be it.’
Rakepick smiled. ‘I hope you find your brother, Mr Smith. I honestly do. If you’ll excuse us, I would like to speak to Miss Karasu about her sleepwalking incident… in private.’
Tulip nudged him. ‘Go ahead, James Smith. I’ll find you when Madam Pomfrey releases me from her clutches.’
Jamie relented, standing up and walking towards the door, but not before Rakepick said one last thing. ‘When I’m finished speaking with Miss Karasu, I’d like to see you on the Training Grounds. Now that you agreed to help me with the vaults, I need to make sure you’ll be prepared to face the dangers within.’
A while later, late at night, Jamie sneaked out to the Training Grounds for his meeting with Rakepick. The woman was standing in front of a few training dummies, waiting for him. ‘Thank you for meeting me here, Mr Smith.’
‘I need to go back to the Slytherin Common Room as soon as possible. I can’t be seen wandering outside after curfew. You said you wanted to make me aware of some danger?’ Jamie asked, looking around nervously for Filch.
‘Danger is ever-present for Curse-Breakers like you and I. You should know how to properly defend yourself. Do you know the Shield Charm?’
‘No, we’re supposed to learn it later this year.’
Rakepick rolled her eyes. ‘We’re Curse-Breakers, Mr Smith. We may not be alive later this year… Take out your wand.’
For about an hour, Rakepick corrected Jamie in his stance and incantation when casting the Shield Charm, teaching him the proper pronunciation and wand movement. It was a very complicated spell to pull off, despite the apparent simplicity of the incantation and wand movement, but Rakepick proved to be quite the competent tutor. Content with the results, she said, ‘Well done. Now, when I cast the Blasting Curse at you, cast the Shield Charm.’
Jamie took a step back. ‘Isn’t the Blasting Curse deadly?’
‘I realise we just met, but you should know that if something isn’t deadly, it simply doesn’t hold my interest,’ Rakepick said with a slight chuckle. Taking out her wand, she readied herself. ‘Are you ready?’
Bracing himself as well, Jamie nodded. ‘Of course. If I can’t survive this, how will I ever survive the Cursed Vaults?’
Rakepick laughed. ‘You remind me of myself, Mr Smith. I have only said that to one person before… Ten points to Slytherin. Confringo!’
‘Protego!’
A flash of light emerged from Rakepick’s wand, roaring through the air directly towards Jamie’s chest. His own magical barrier deflected the spell, making it land on the ground a few feet away from both of them, blasting dirt and grass everywhere. Rakepick congratulated him. ‘I’m impressed. You may be as gifted as they say…’
‘Do you understand why I want to help you find the Cursed Vaults?’ Jamie asked impatiently.
‘You should focus on your classes for now, Mr Smith. I will call you when necessary…’
Days later, deep in his thoughts, Jamie didn’t see Professor Kettleburn until he bumped into him in a corridor. ‘Oh, sorry, Professor…’ he muttered, but Kettleburn didn’t seem bothered when he spoke, instead looking happy to see his student.
‘Mr Smith! You haven’t happened to see a Chimaera running free, have you?’
Jamie shook his head. ‘I don’t even know what a Chimaera looks like…’
‘Oh, they’re beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous creatures. Powerful too. They’ll tear the head straight off your body.’
‘And there’s one running free?!’ Jamie asked in shock. Professor Kettleburn had never stricken him as the most responsible when it came to safety, but this was a bit much.
‘I was dishing up her favourite meal of goats and bats when she made a mad dash for the castle! I think this is the first time in Hogwarts history that a Chimaera has gotten loose on school grounds! Isn’t that wonderful?!’
Kettleburn’s sincere smile and look of joy were too contagious, and Jamie couldn’t help but feel some excitement for the news, especially with the passion they had been delivered with. ‘Yes! Experiencing exciting new things is what I love most about Hogwarts.’
Kettleburn’s smile widened. ‘I like your enthusiasm, Mr Smith. You’d make a fine Magizoologist should you choose to take that path. Either way, ten points to Slytherin! Now, you’d better be on your way, Mr Smith. If everything goes well, I will see you tomorrow in class.’
‘And if it doesn’t go well?’
Kettleburn waved it off. ‘Don’t worry. I still have a limb or two to spare.’
The professor walked off, and Jamie continued on his way to meet Tulip, now thinking about the escaped Chimaera. Reaching an empty corridor, he saw her waiting for him. ‘James Smith! Good to see you. Come on! I was following Rakepick, she can’t have gone far.’
‘Why were you following Rakepick?’
As they walked along the corridor, Tulip explained. ‘When you left the Hospital Wing, she asked me questions about my sleepwalking incident, and the Cursed Vaults. I decided to follow her. She interrogated the House Elves in the kitchens for a while until Snape arrived. And he led her here…’ Turning a corner, Tulip dragged Jamie behind a pillar, hiding them both.
‘Why?’
‘Because he found another sleepwalking student…’ She said, pointing at three figures down the corridor. Snape was holding a sleeping student by the scruff of the neck, holding him in place. Rakepick was walking up to Snape, inspecting the student. ‘Where did you find him?’ they heard her say.
‘Approaching the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore asked us to keep watch on the perimeter.’
‘How many sleepwalking students have you found?’
‘Seven.’
‘Since you started teaching at Hogwarts?’
‘Since the start of this school year.’
‘It’s the curse. Someone has tampered with another Cursed Vault,’ Rakepick concluded, a slight smile on her lips.
‘I assumed that someone was you,’ Snape said coldly.
From his hiding position, Jamie could almost hear Rakepick’s eyes rolling, and he heard her say, ‘You still don’t trust me after all these years, Severus? Could it be that you’re jealous?’
‘Is it arrogance or insecurity that makes you misinterpret my genuine disdain?’
‘Slither back to your dark little closet full of jars and frog parts. Leave the important matters to an expert,’ she spat.
‘I’m going to deliver this child to the Hospital Wing,’ Snape insisted, losing his temper.
Rakepick scowled, putting her hands on her hips. ‘Dumbledore charged me with anything to do with the Cursed Vaults.’
‘If you can manage to keep your mouth shut, we can walk there together.’
‘…Fine.’
‘Fine.’
The two adults walked down the corridor, turning a corner and disappearing. Jamie and Tulip went out of hiding, and Tulip shook her head. ‘Unbelievable…’
‘I know. Rakepick was really giving it to Snape.’
‘I have a feeling she’s up to something other than the Cursed Vaults. We need to find out what it is…’ Tulip said, stroking her chin.
‘And find the next Cursed Vault before this sleepwalking epidemic takes over all of Hogwarts…’ agreed Jamie. ‘Let’s gather our friends in the Library. We have important matters to discuss.’
That evening, Tulip and Jamie had gathered Bill, Rowan, Ben, and Barnaby; and the six of them were sitting on a secluded table. ‘Tell them what we overheard, James Smith,’ Tulip suggested.
‘Rakepick and Snape found another sleepwalking student. They think it’s a curse caused by someone messing with a Cursed Vault.’ With a chuckle, he added, ‘Also, they don’t seem to like each other much.’
‘Professor Snape doesn’t like someone? I don’t believe it,’ Bill said with mock surprise.
‘What do you think about Madam Rakepick?’ Rowan asked Jamie.
Looking around, Jamie replied in a whisper. ‘She doesn’t seem trustworthy. I think she’s hiding something. I’ve accepted to help her, but I think we have to tread softly around her. We should keep trying to find the next vault ourselves; we just have to make sure not to stand in her way… directly, at least.’ Taking out a piece of parchment he had been carrying since the previous year, he looked at it for the millionth time. ‘It’s hard to tell where the map leads. Let’s study maps of the Forbidden Forest to see what we find.’
Gathering all the books they could find on the subject without drawing too much attention to themselves, they went through the information they had collected, making notes on what they could find in the forest. Reading over the “beasts” list, Ben shuddered. ‘Centaurs and Trolls and Acromantulas? Oh no…’
Rowan gave his opinion. ‘The creatures in the Forbidden Forest don’t scare me as much as getting caught. Dumbledore will have our wands.’
Looking over a few maps of the grounds of the school, Jamie pointed at a few points. ‘If we enter the forest at just the right spot, we can be in and out before the creatures or the professors find us.’
‘I’m fairly certain we’ve determined the best place to enter, but that won’t help once we’re inside,’ Tulip noted.
‘Tulip is right. I went in there with Charlie once, and got turned around. I’d still be in there if it weren’t for him,’ Bill added.
Rowan scratched his chin. ‘Everyone should keep studying the forest to work out exactly what we’ll need to do to prepare. But for now, we should leave for dinner.’ Turning to Jamie, he said, ‘Come with me, Jamie. We have another mystery to solve.’
Rowan and Jamie sat in the Slytherin Table, separated from the rest. ‘What did you want to talk about, Rowan?’ Jamie asked, loading his plate with food.
Rowan didn’t beat around the bush. ‘I think Rakepick is the mysterious R who wrote that letter to Ben, and drew the Forbidden Forest map.’
Leaning back, Jamie thought about it. ‘Why?’
‘In addition to the obvious initial, the tone of the letter matched her tone during the Start of Term Feast. We know she’s interested in the Cursed Vaults, and that letter sent Ben to the corridor that led to the Ice Vault.’
Rowan’s reasoning seemed solid to Jamie, who still didn’t understand one thing. ‘Why couldn’t we talk about it in front of our friends?’
Rowan leaned forward, whispering, ‘Because I’m not sure if Ben really is our friend. I still think he’s hiding something.’
‘I asked him about his connection to R last year, and he denied everything. We can’t do much besides take him at his word. That being said, I’ll admit that Madam Rakepick does seem like the most likely suspect to be R.’
‘The letter mentioned severe consequences for disobeying…’ Rowan reminded Jamie with a concerned tone. ‘What will happen if she finds out that we’re trying to find the next Cursed Vault?’
Jamie gave him a comforting smile. ‘Try not to worry, Rowan. Let’s keep calm, and talk this through.’
‘But aren’t you worried about her?’
‘Not if we stick together. We’ve accomplished amazing feats in the past, we can face her together if necessary.’
‘I feel a bit better, but I just can’t help worrying about Rakepick… What about the Cursed Vaults?’
‘We’ll keep searching together. I’ll work out a way to do it.’
‘What if she’s R?’
‘No reason to stop investigating then. We’ll just be careful.’
Rowan took a deep breath, and went silent for a while. A few moments later, he admitted, ‘I suppose you’re right. We shouldn’t accuse Rakepick of being R until we know more about her… I hope we can trust her. We could use her help to break the curse, and find the Cursed Vaults.’
‘From their conversation, it sounded like Rakepick and Snape used to be classmates… The other professors might know her too. I’ll ask them all about her next time I go to class,’ Jamie decided, and returned to his dinner.
When he was about to finish his dessert, Ben came running up to him, eyes wide with fear. ‘Come to the Artefact Rom, Jamie! It’s an emergency!’