Samson thought that he was the only person trying to get into the room, so he was shocked to find his brother and the school bully trying to get in as well.
Yes, even after the first attempt at getting into the room with Ben, Samson continued to try getting in - even though he promised that he wouldn't.
There was just something about the room that just kept pulling him back... So, during one of these instances, instead of being alone as always, Samson discovered Merula and Samwise.
"What?! What are the two of you doing here?!" Samson exclaimed.
"I could be asking you the same thing!" shouted Samwise.
Merula glared at the both of them, shushing. "You two need to shut up! Sullivan Two, are you gonna help us or not?"
Samson paused. So it seemed that they were also trying to get into the room, that was obvious. But working with Merula would be hard. Then again, this could be his only chance with getting into the locked room. "I'm in."
"Great," said Merula, as a familiar noise began to purr. "Sullivan, that's your cue."
Samwise nodded and approached Mrs. Norris with the vial of Sleeping Draught. "Here, kitty, kitty..."
Mrs. Norris screeched and ran away. "Oops." Samwise frowned. Merula scowled, "Somebody get that cat!"
"No need..." announced a voice. Samson looked up to see Penny and Samantha holding an asleep Mrs. Norris. "Oh h-hi Penny." Samson stuttered.
Samantha rolled her eyes, "Nothing for your own sister?" The two girls walked over, laying the resting cat down on the ground. "But- how? She never drank the milk!" Samwise asked.
Penny held up Mrs. Norris' milk bowl. "We simply just dropped a dose in here and it worked. I don't know why you thought she would drink it straight from the vial..."
Merula snapped. "That doesn't matter. We're here now. Now are we going to get into this room or not? Or are some more Sullivans going to interrupt?"
"Woah, what's Merula doing here?" questioned Samuel, walking in with Rowan and Ben.
"Oh my- AGH!" screamed Merula, "You guys are ruining this!"
"Sorry," explained Rowan, "But when Ben and I both realised he was getting spells from us, we had to find out what was happening. And when Samwise wasn't in his dorm..."
"By the way, Barnaby snores." Ben clarified.
Samwise shouted, "You watched my roommates sleep?!"
There were now eight First Year students in the corridor, and they all began talking amongst each other. It was all too much for Samson. He felt as if the world was spinning. More obviously, of course. Merula seemed to agree.
"Ugh! You stupid Sullivans ruin everything!" Merula screeched, whipping her wand out. "I went to find the Cursed Vaults. I tricked people to work for me. It's all about me!"
Samwise shook his head in denial. "Merula, stop-"
Snyde had had enough. "Shut it, Sullivan! Flipendo! Flipendo! Flipendo!"
By the end of her rage, all seven other students were on the ground, exhausted. Merula smiled. "That's what I thought." she turned to the door, "Alohomora!"
After a while, Samson began to regain his strength, managing to get up. "Ugh... What was that?"
Samwise grimaced, "Merula manipulated me into working for her. I helped her, just because she made me feel powerful, respected..."
"It's alright," comforted Samuel, "I don't think any one of us would be able to say no to that..."
The group nodded, as Ben turned to Samson. Wait, did he expect a speech? Inspiration? Samson looked at the students surrounding him.
"So..." he began, "We must get into that room. To find not only the answer to these mysteries... But the answer to ourselves. You may ask yourself how to be braver, more popular, smarter, or even more powerful. And by entering that room, you can find out how. It is by entering that room. Because I know that you all will go in there no matter what, and you are all the strongest, most intelligent, social and courageous people I know. Now who's coming with me?"
...
Samuel raised his hand. Followed by Samantha. Then Rowan... Penny... Ben...
"I'm ready." announced Samwise.
When they all entered, Samson didn't think that anyone predicted to see Merula trapped in growing cursed ice. "Help me!" she mumbled. It was a small, square, brick room covered in ice.
Samson looked around at the people, and he knew that they were all thinking the same thought - should we?
Just then, the sounds of an increasing amount of ice began to, well, increase. Samson turned. No - they were also in ice. Rowan, Penny and Ben.
This was no Cursed Vault, but it was some sort of Cursed Room... Nevertheless, the quadruplets had to free their friends - and Merula - from the ice, but how...?
"The Knockback Jinx!" murmured a frozen Ben, "Cast Flipendo!"
Samson nervously looked around. Would it work? And if it did, would it hurt? Samantha seemed to share his thoughts. "Don't think about the negatives," she assured, "Think about the positives - you'll free Ben!"
Samson nodded, making a serious expression. "Save Ben... Flipendo!"
The ice shattered, leaving Ben unharmed. "Agh, thank you..." panted Ben. He clung to Samson for support.
Samuel grinned, "It works? It works!" He faced Rowan. "Flipendo!"
Samantha cast towards Penny, "Flipendo!"
Everyone now was free... Except for Merula. Nobody else had the energy to free her. Except for Samwise.
And despite all that she had done throughout the year - Devil's Snare, the Duel, the manipulating... Samwise still found the sympathy to cry out, "Flipendo!"
Merula, weak, fell into Samwise's arms. "Sullivan... You... You saved me..."
Samantha faced all of the students, "Let's go."
"Wait..." Rowan called out, weakly pointing at a code written on the wall, "What is that?"
"A code..." Samson realised, "Perhaps if we decipher it we can figure something out about the actual Cursed Vault..."
"Don't worry," Samuel reassured, "I'll remember it. Let's just go now."
The next morning, Samson didn't expect to wake up being praised heroic. If anything, he thought that if word got out he would be called stupid, but apparently not. Everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room seemed to be staring at him. Angelica calling him over to have a discussion didn't make it better.
"So, Sullivan," she interrogated, "Anything to tell me?"
Samson gulped. There was no point in lying anymore. He burst out all that had occured that night, and by the end, Angelica claimed, "You're just like your brother."
"Not in a bad way of course!" she clarified, "You see, Jacob was your average Slytherin - ambitious, resourceful, self-preservative. But he shared many traits that a true Gryffindor would, like you. He was brave, noble, and chivalrous."
Samson smiled, "Thank you."
Angelica gasped, "Oh, I almost forgot. Dumbledore wants to speak with you."
What?
Yep. I guess it's just Sullivan tradition to be expelled for searching for the Cursed Vaults. At least that's what Samson thought, approaching Dumbledore's office. Outside he found his siblings. "You get called here as well?"
They all nodded. "What do we tell him?" Samwise questioned, anxiously. Samantha seemed pensive. "The truth."
"If we are getting expelled, it's a true shame. Rowan just deciphered the code - it's about Ice Knights guarding Vanished Stairs. He said that it would take roughly a year to figure out what it means, although I think we'll still be here by then..." Samuel confessed.
Samson smiled. "No matter what happens, I'm glad I've been here at Hogwarts, though for short time. Plus, we'll always have each other."
The quadruplets all looked at each other in gloom, before hugging. Suddenly, a voice appeared from inside the office. "How sweet."
Samson looked up to find Albus Dumbledore himself. "Oh, how rude of me," Dumbledore chuckled, "Please, come inside."
Dumbledore's office was greater than Samson had expected it to be, good for the Hogwarts Headmaster. The quadruplets all took a seat. "Thank you all for meeting me today," Dumbledore announced, a twinkle in his eye, "That took bravery."
"Are we going to be expelled?!" Samwise blurted out. Samantha scolded him.
Dumbledore calmly responded, "No, no, it's alright. You will not be expelled. Despite all that has happened so far this year, I still think you all have great potential to become heroes - no, you already are."
"But what about all of our mistakes?" questioned Samson.
"They all came with good intentions and were noble. Also, no good hero is formed without mistakes." Dumbledore chimed.
Samuel raised a question, "Wait... If you already know what's happened, why did you need to call us here?"
"Ahh, for this," replied Dumbledore. "I am informing you that I have awarded 100 House points to each of your houses, awards for your heroic deeds."
"But... We're in all four houses." Samwise laughed.
Dumbledore shrugged with a smile, "Oh well."
"Wait, professor, if you don't mind, are the Cursed Vaults real? And what happened to our brother?" Samson asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot help you with that as of right now. Anyways, I think that you would prefer discovering for yourself, would you not?"