Soren and his friends walked through the corridor toward the Potions classroom.
Merula suddenly slowed down. "I want to say something."
Soren stopped and looked at her. "What do you want now?" he asked, clearly irritated.
Merula opened her mouth, but Soren didn't argue this time.
He was tired of going in circles with her. Arguing only made things worse, and fighting her ego never solved anything. Instead of wasting more time, he made a decision.
He wouldn't punish her with a duel or a fight, instead he would handle her differently.
Soren decided to let Merula talk and show off if she wanted. He would feed her ego just enough to keep her calm, while quietly guiding her actions. If she wanted to prove herself, he would make sure she did it in a useful way.
For now, he chose to stay quiet.
Maybe, instead of causing trouble, Merula could be made helpful.
And if not, he would deal with that later.
Merula suddenly smirked and said,
"I was just wondering where your cowardly Mudblood friend Ben is."
At the mention of Ben's name, everyone paused.
"Yeah," Jacqueline said, ignoring Merula's insult. "We haven't seen Ben since we arrived for second year."
Soren looked at Merula. "Do you know something?"
Merula smiled slightly. "I know more than you. Sometimes, even when people are missing, they're exactly where they're supposed to be."
Cassie frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Merula gave a quiet snicker. "There are things happening at this school that you wouldn't even begin to understand."
That was enough.
Soren stepped forward, grabbed Merula's wrist, and pulled her in his arms.
"Explain," he said firmly. "Or I'll make you talk, and it won't involve magic."
Merula froze. For a moment, panic flashed across her face. But then something unexpected happened, she didn't get angry.
Instead, her heart raced.
Why do I like this? she thought. Why do I like this idiot holding me? I'm supposed to be the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.
She swallowed and looked away.
"Maybe," she said quietly, her usual arrogance gone, "it has something to do with the Cursed Vaults."
Before Soren could say anything else, she pulled free from his grip and ran off down the corridor, clearly embarrassed.
Penny watched her go, surprised. "It seems sometimes you need to control her like that."
"Yeah," Soren nodded.
He turned to the others. "You go to the Potions classroom. I'll ask Professor McGonagall about Ben, maybe she knows something."
"Okay," the others agreed.
They split up, each of them thinking about the same thing.
---
Soren found Professor McGonagall in the courtyard and told her that Ben was missing.
Professor McGonagall looked surprised. "Missing?" she said. "Did you see Mr Copper on the Hogwarts Express?"
"No," Soren replied. "But Penny did. She said Ben seemed fine at the time."
Professor McGonagall thought for a moment. "Did you notice him behaving strangely toward the end of last year?"
"No," Soren said. "I mean, Ben has always been a bit odd, but nothing unusual."
She continued, "Did he join you on your ill-advised trip to the room filled with cursed ice? That ice has been known to have strange effects on students."
"No," Soren replied. "Ben was too scared to go."
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly. "Did you find anything in that room? Any clue or warning about dangers beyond the room itself?"
She paused before adding, "I understand your reckless pursuit of the rumored Cursed Vaults, given your brother's unfortunate situation. However, this is no longer just about you. This could affect not only Mr Copper, but all of Hogwarts."
Soren nodded. "Yes, Professor. We found a message. It mentioned an Ice Knight and Vanished Stairs."
"Hm," Professor McGonagall said. "I will share this information with the Headmaster. Unlike last time, we can only hope the ice remains contained in that room."
"Last time?" Soren asked, curious.
"It's not important," she said quickly.
She then continued, "What is important is that you search all of Mr Copper's known hiding places for clues to his whereabouts."
"The faculty will likely find him first," she added, "but any help is welcome to ensure he is found as soon as possible."
She looked directly at Soren. "Report back to me if you do find him. I would like to know that he is safe, and I would like to reward you for your efforts."
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Soren said.
She nodded once and walked away.
Soren stood there for a moment, thinking.
Last year, Jacqueline told me Ben spends a lot of time in the Artefact Room, he thought.
I'll search there first.
---
Soren and the others gathered in the Artefacts Room, surrounded by dusty shelves and old cabinets.
"Any luck finding clues about Ben?" Soren asked.
"Not yet," Jacqueline replied, holding a scroll. "But I did find a fascinating scroll about the behavior of flesh-eating slugs."
Cassie shook her head. "Nothing on my end."
"Same here," Soren said.
He looked around the room and frowned. "This place brings back bad memories."
"Because of the strange smell?" Penny asked.
"No," Soren said. "This is where I had that vision last year, the one about the cursed ice."
"I know," Penny said gently. "I was trying to avoid the subject with a joke about the smell."
Cassie studied him. "Do you really want to be here after what happened?"
"Yes," Soren replied without hesitation. "I need to find Ben. And I can't keep running away from this. If there's another Cursed Vault, I need to know."
They spread out and started searching the room carefully, checking shelves, tables, and cabinets.
After a moment, Jacqueline stopped.
"Wait, this cabinet is locked."
Penny stepped forward. "I've got this."
She whispered, "Alohomora," and the cabinet clicked open.
Inside, they found a folded note.
Soren picked it up. "It's written in code."
Jacqueline examined it closely. "I'll try to decipher it," she said. "But it'll take some time."
Penny glanced at the clock. "Charms class is about to start."
Soren nodded. "Okay. Let's go to class and meet back later."
They left the Artefacts Room, all of them knowing that the note might be the first real clue to Ben's disappearance.
And they didn't want to be late for Charms.
---
Professor Flitwick stood on a small stack of books at the front of the Charms classroom, smiling brightly as the students settled into their seats.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" he said cheerfully. "Today, we'll be learning a very useful charm, Engorgio."
He picked up a small feather from his desk and held it up so everyone could see.
"Watch closely now."
Professor Flitwick raised his wand, took a neat stance, and said clearly, "Engorgio!"
The feather immediately began to grow, expanding in size until it was as large as a cushion. A few students gasped, and some leaned forward in their seats.
"Excellent," Flitwick said happily. "Now, back you go."
With a quick counter-spell, the feather returned to its normal size.
Flitwick then explained the spell in detail. "Engorgio, was an Enlargement Charm used to increase the size of an object. It was often used in everyday wizarding tasks, magical research, and sometimes in emergency situations. However, improper use could cause objects to grow unevenly or become unstable."
He also shared a brief history of the spell, explaining that it had been refined over time to allow better control, especially for younger witches and wizards.
"Control is very important," he reminded them. "This spell responds well to steady focus."
Next, he asked the students to revise the spell.
"Please write down the incantation, wand movement, and proper stance," Flitwick said. "Take your time. Accuracy matters."
The classroom filled with the sound of quills scratching on parchment as students carefully took notes.
After a few minutes, Flitwick clapped his hands lightly.
"Now, everyone stands. We'll practice the stance and wand movement only. No casting yet!"
Students stood beside their desks and slowly practiced the movement in the air. Flitwick walked around, correcting grips and posture, occasionally tapping a desk to get someone's attention.
"Nice and smooth… don't rush… excellent control," he said encouragingly.
Once he was satisfied, he returned to the front.
"All right," he said. "You may now try the spell."
One by one, students attempted Engorgio on small objects placed on their desks.
Some objects grew slightly, average results. A few barely changed at all. One object grew too fast and tipped over, earning a gentle warning from Flitwick.
Soren and his friends went next. Soren cast the spell cleanly, enlarging the object evenly. Penny followed with steady focus and good control. Cassie's result was precise and balanced. Jacqueline's object grew a little slower, but perfectly formed.
"Well done!" Flitwick said proudly. "Excellent work from all of you."
Merula also succeeded, her object expanding quickly and cleanly. She smirked at the result.
"Very good, Miss Snyde," Flitwick said. "Just remember, control over speed."
A few more students managed decent results, while others struggled, their spells either failing or producing uneven growth.
"That's all right," Flitwick said kindly. "Practice makes progress."
By the end of the lesson, most of the class had a basic understanding of Engorgio.
After the class ended, Jacqueline asked everyone to meet in the Slytherin common room.
---
When Soren and the others arrived, a few students immediately noticed him.
A second-year asked, "Is it true what everyone's saying about the Cursed Vaults?"
A first-year looked at him nervously. "Did seniors bully you in your first year?"
A fifth-year leaned back and asked casually, "How many House points have you earned for Slytherin so far?"
Soren answered them briefly, then moved to a quieter corner with his friends.
He asked, turning to Jacqueline, "What does the note say?"
Jacqueline looked serious. "You guys won't believe this. At first, I thought I translated it wrong, but I checked it four times."
"Jacqueline," Cassie said, impatient, "stop building suspense and tell us."
Jacqueline took a breath. "The note says, '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. — R.'"
Soren frowned. "Black quill? And who is 'R'?"
"I've been wondering the same thing," Jacqueline said. "Felix Rosier? Rubeus Hagrid? Argus Filch? I can't imagine any of them writing this."
"If this message was meant for Ben," Penny said.
"We have to find that quill. We can use Reparifarge to undo the Transfiguration."
Jacqueline sighed. "The bigger problem is how we get into the Gryffindor common room. Students aren't allowed inside another house's common room."
Cassie smiled and pointed to herself. "That's where your Gryffindor friend comes in. Don't worry about it."
Soren blinked, then laughed awkwardly.
"Right… we completely forgot you're in Gryffindor."
The plan was clear now.
They just had to get into the Gryffindor common room, and hope the black quill was still there.
They decided that once they learned Reparifarge, they would meet again in the Gryffindor common room.