Hogwarts, Hogwarts
Jack, Caleb and I skip lunch, planning a way to dye the Gryffindor's hair green. There's a quidditch game coming up and the rivalry remains strong.
"We're gonna need a polyjuice potion," I tell them.
"That's too slow, the game's in two days," Jack points out.
"I don't see how else we'll get in," I admit. We all look at each other, hoping for someone to come up with something.
"Wait!" Caleb exclaims. "Remember last year when you made some during Christmas break?"
"Yeah," I reply. I'd made enough for each of us. We pretended to be Gryffindor players Austin, Craig and Oli during a quidditch game. We fumbled everything, giving Slytherins the win. I'd made one for Matty too, but Filch caught him and confiscated it. My eyes go wide.
"Filch," we say in unison.
"You think he still has it?" Jack asks doubtfully.
"Worth a try," Caleb says.
"Tonight," I say. "Our best chance is at night."
"I'm in," Caleb says.
"I'm out, Alex and I have a...sleepover...tonight," Jack says. Caleb and I laugh and shake our heads.
"I get it dude, have fun," Caleb tells him, getting up. "I'm gonna go to the yard," he adds and we get up, going with him.
Caleb and I sat in the common room, trying to pass the time with Wizard's Chess. We'd each won twice then got bored. Now, we're sprawled out on the lounge couch. We talked for a while, joking around and doing fun magic tricks. After an hour or so, we fall silent. I'd balled up our chess scoresheet and Caleb made it float. I got bored and lit it on fire, it's a bit mesmerizing. I look over at Caleb and see he's fast asleep.
Shit, I think. Not wanting to wake him, I decide to go alone. I like wandering the halls better that way anyway.
As I climb the moving staircase up to Filch's office, I hear some whispering. I pause, looking around for the source. I slowly back down the stairs, stopping when I see three figures standing in the hall. Déjà vu washes over me, a vision of Vic popping into my mind. It was the same hallway I'd caught him in. I watch their shadows pace back and fourth before disappearing altogether.
"They're using the room too?" I whisper to myself. The Room of Requirement's supposed to be a secret, the only way I found out is because Caleb's dad had used it when he went here and passed the knowledge down. I travel down the stairs and to the door. Unfortunately, I have no need for the room. I can't get in. I turn back, going towards the stairs again. Just as I step onto it, I hear running. I jump back, diving behind a tapestry.
"You rotten kids come back here!" comes Filch's voice. I laugh, loving how many rule-breakers are here. I see something in the corner of my eye and turn just in time to see Vic pass the other side of the entrance. Apparently tonight's the night to sneak out. I rush towards him, curious.
I peak my head around the corner, and see him walking. Quietly, I follow. He turns a corner so I do too. He turns again, heading towards the Room of Requirement. My heart rate quickens and I stop, hiding. This is my chance to find out what he does in that room. He paces and I hear the door open. I rush around the corner as quickly as I can and lunge towards the door, catching it before he can close it.
"Kellin?" he asks, confused. I push him out of the way and close the door behind me.
"Hey, who's this?" Someone asks angrily. I look around the room. It's a large, empty, circular room with grey walls and flooring. I look around and see the guys that Vic had fought at the party standing across from us.
"Kellin," I introduce myself.
"Hey, we said alone!" the hot one yells.
"He followed me in, you watched it!" Vic argued back.
"Whatever. You in or out?" the hot one asks me.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"I said," he adds. "Are you in or out?"
"He's out," Vic answers for me. He turns to me and says, "Kellin, get out of here."
"I'm in," I tell them, not having a clue what I was getting into, but too curious to not find out.
"No, you're not," Vic says sternly. "Go to bed, Kellin."
"Look, we don't have time for this," the larger Gryffindor says.
"Yeah," the lanky one agrees, all of them aiming their wands at Vic, "Let's do this."
I pull out my wand, but before I even get a good grip, it goes flying across the room.
"Hey!" I exclaim, looking at Vic.
"He's out. Let's go," Vic says. I make a move to get my wand, but as soon as I do Vic mutters, "Incarcifors."
I yelp as a metal cage falls over me. Rage bubbles in my stomach and I turn back to Vic.
"You can't beat them alone!" I desperately yell.
He turns to me, rolling his eyes and quietly says, "I can beat them in five moves."
I'm not gonna lie, his confidence is impressive, but this kid has a death wish. He turns away when I don't answer and flicks his wand, starting the duel.
Blasts go off left right and centre, I can hardly see what's happening there are so many light trails. Vic isn't so good at the blocking part, but has startlingly skilled offensive hits.
"Expelliarmus!" he cries just as the lanky one does too. Vic and the large one's wands go shooting from their hands. The hot one takes the opportunity to stun Vic, little did he know Vic can block it anyway. As he does, the charm backfires and down the hot one goes, knocked out.
The other two look at Vic in absolute horror. They pause for a moment, look at each other and then bolt to the door. Vic watches them go, looking proud.
"Hey!" I call as he picks up his wand. Despite being impressed, I'm still mad that he locked me in here in the first place. "I'm pretty sure that was 8 spells."
He looks at me and smiles amusedly, replying, "It was six, but touché." We're both quiet for a moment, just smiling at each other. "I'm starting to think you're stalking me," he adds.
"Says the person who locks me in a cage and duels with Gryffindors," I reply, annoyed.
I then make the mistake of glancing at my wand and he immediately summons it, stepping a bit closer. I reach through the bars, but Vic holds it just out of my reach. What is he playing at?
"Why did you follow me?" he asks. I bite my tongue, not wanting to answer. Honestly...I'd been ignoring that question myself.
"I was curious," I shrug.
He rolls his eyes and I go for my wand again, but still can't reach it. I send him a look of pure disdain.
"Curious?" he replies incredulously. I give him a look saying yeah, and?
"I don't believe that for a second," he says. "What are you up to?"
"I'm not up to anything," I reply. "Is it really so weird that someone wants to get to know you?" I ask, pointing out his obvious trust issues. I was trying to help him after all, why wouldn't he just let me?
He looks at me with an unreadable expression, but I guess he believed me since he hands over my wand. I freeze for a second, oddly scared that he'd fight me too. I vanish the cage, still too scared to move.
"Why d'you fight them?" I ask quietly, half expecting him not to answer. "And what'd they want me in or out of?"
He sighs, looking at the ground for a second before replying, "Doesn't matter."
I roll my eyes, hating the answer, but I know how to take a hint. He clearly doesn't want me around, nor helping him. I'm getting fed up with his secretive bitchass and when he doesn't add anything else, I slowly start towards the door, speeding up as I exit.
As I approach the main corridor, I look around, practically jumping out of my skin as I spot Professor Longbottom coming down the main staircase. I panic and turn around, trying to find a good place to hide. Of course, Vic then comes out of the door and I nearly run him over.
"Hide!" I tell him urgently, assuming he'd rat me out if Longbottom caught him. He looks at me confusedly, but the footsteps get louder and his eyes widen in realization. He instantly grabs my hand and starts running. If I weren't so scared I probably would've questioned why, but in the moment I just put one foot in front of the other.
We sprint down the hall, not checking to see if he's following. Out of no where, Vic turns and yanks me with him, making me squeal. He pushes me into the wall, not letting go of my hand as he looks around the corner in the direction from which we came. The hall is silent except for our heavy breathing, and I close my eyes in an attempt to calm down.
"Coast is clear," Vic whispers. He turns back to me and I suddenly realize how close he is. I feel his breath on my lips and my whole body goes hot. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. I look down at our hands, finally wondering why he'd helped me escape. Vic quickly pulls them apart, taking a step back. I meet his gaze, again, speechless. We both just stand there silently, awkwardly looking at each other.
"Um...I'm gonna-" I stop, all english words falling out of my head.
"Yeah," he says. "I, uh...I'm just-" he points to a direction and I nod, turning in a different one. We both rush off, not saying another word.
Early the next morning, Caleb, Jack, Lyndsey, Matty, Alex and I meet outside, ready to go to Hogsmead. We go behind behind the statue of the one-eyed witch and come out in Honeydukes. Having been here a million times before, we don't stop to look around and head straight to the Hog's Head Inn. We like it better since everyone from Hogwarts goes to The Three Broomsticks.
"Butterbeer," we all say to the bartender. We take a corner table, near the back. That way if any professors come in they don't see us immediately.
"So Kellin, Caleb how'd the polyjuice potion hunt go?" Jack asked.
"Caleb slept through it," I say jokingly. He rolled his eyes, he'd been mad at me all morning for not waking him up. "But it was no good, couldn't find it," I lie. Honestly, I had completely forgotten until I got back to the dungeons.
"Dammit," Jack whined. "We gotta find another way."
"Even if Kellin gets us the password, I don't think we have a chance. We have to go in during the day when everyone's in class, so someone would see us," Matty points out. We all argue, shouting out any ideas on how else to get in.
"That could work," Jack says, nodding. Everyone was a bit tipsy at this point and Alex suggested we fly in through a window.
"We can repair the glass, easy peasy."
"It can't be that easy!" I drunkenly exclaim.
"Let's try!" Jack says, jumping up, but stumbling a bit.
"No drunk flying!" Alex says, pulling Jack to his seat.
"Aw come on," I whine. "I wanted to see that."
"See!" Jack exclaims, trying to get up again. "Kellin think's'a good idea!"
"No, honey," Alex says. "Not right now, you can go later."
"Come on Alex, let him fly into a buiding," Lyndsey says, making everyone laugh.
"Yeah. I mean worst case scenario he lands in a room full of boys, I don't think he'll mind," I point out.
"Worst case scenario he breaks a bone!" Alex exclaims.
I hand my butterbeer to him and say "Drink a little more, you'll get onboard."
Alex looks at me and then at the butterbeer, taking it and chugging the whole thing. Ten minutes and a lot of convincing later:
"Let's do this!" he exclaims, getting up. We all happily stagger out of the bar, heading in the direction of Hogwarts.
Up ahead on the road, we see a massive crowd of people. We all look at each other and run ahead.
"What's going on?" Lyndsey asks someone near the edge.
"Apparently, Mme Rosmerta came to throw her trash out and saw some hooded figure drinking unicorn blood."
As the woman finishes, I have goosebumps running up my arms. Slaying a unicorn is one of the darkest things someone can do. It curses them for life. Someone who would risk that for a bit of power is someone I don't want to be around.
"Let's go," I say, feeling queasy. We slowly walk back to the castle, not saying much to each other. We're all shocked. Who would do something like that? And who opened the chamber? Something bad is happening.