Stories from the Vault - Hogwarts Mystery One Shots

Rowan's Victory

Trepidation, enthusiasm, fear? Rowan normally always knew just the right word—but as she climbed the grand staircase alone in the evening, she didn't have the answer. She wasn't sure how to feel.

It had started off easily enough. She'd been elated to receive the purple and gold envelope at breakfast, her invitation the Sphinx Club. To the elation there added confusion, when she looked up from her invitation to share her glee with Sarah, and Sarah hadn't received an envelope.

Facing the new environment, an unknown adventure, without her best friend, added a concoction of too many conflicting emotions that settled in her stomach like one of Barnaby's botched potions.

The Sphinx Clubhouse was on the top floor. She found Professor Flitwick standing in the corridor. He tottered back and forth from his heels to his toes, whistling merrily. 

"Ah, Miss Khanna," he said at her approach. "Here for the first meeting of the Sphinx Club?"

"Yes, Sir. But I'm afraid I don't quite understand the directions." She held out her invitation. 

"Yes, we were worried that might happen." He gestured to the window next to him. "Through here."

Rowan stared back and forth from the window to Flitwick's smiling face. Was he joking?

"It's quite alright, Miss Khanna," he said. He patted the window ledge. "Just keep a hold of that invitation and you'll be fine."

Rowan stepped over to the window and looked down. The icy wind blew her black hair in front of her face, obstructing the view of the courtyard below. It was dark, so she could only make out the fountain by the light shining from the castle windows, but it still seemed like miles away. 

"We're seven stories up," she told Flitwick. 

Flitwick raised his eyebrows. "Things aren't always what they seem, Miss Khanna." He gestured for her to move along. "Go on."

Rowan's head buzzed with analyses. Was this a test to see if she truly belonged in the Club? What spells could possibly save her from a seven story fall? What were the chances that Flitwick was actually someone nefarious in disguise? Normally, she'd calculate these possibilities out loud until Sarah decided to take the risk and go first. 

Rowan glanced down the corridor in both directions. There was no Sarah to reassure her, nobody but Flitwick waiting patiently. Slowly, Rowan climbed onto the open window, swinging her leg over so that half of her body was in the castle, and half was hanging out into the freezing night. 

She looked at Flitwick. He nodded. Bit by bit, she forced herself to pull more and more of her body out of the window, until she was dangling from it, her arms folded over the window sill. The wind was so strong that her legs jostled against the castle wall. She searched Flitwick's face the entire time, searching for any indication that this was a trick. 

"Have a good time," he said brightly. He stepped forward and pushed her on her forehead. Rowan released the window in shock. She screamed as she fell and fell...

About three feet. 

She landed with an "ummph!" onto a pile of large of cushions. She found herself in a large hall, nearly the size of the great hall, but much darker. This was because the left-side walls and the ceiling were made mostly of glass. The light from the moon and the stars shone through. The only other source of light came from large, stone braziers every few feet until the end of the hall, were floating candles illuminated a reading area, complete with tables, desks, and cushioned armchairs. 

Rowan rose to her feet and walked forward, mouth agape. There were several other students exploring the clubhouse as well. Some admired the magical stained glass in several of the windows, while others explored the titles on the enormous bookshelves. Rowan's heart leaped as she came across a hole in the floor with a ladder that led down to another story full of bookshelves and reading nooks. Her fingers itched to select a book at random and begin reading, but she told herself there would be plenty of time to read later. For now, she wanted to keep exploring.