After hours of discussion, planning, and nervous excitement, the group finally agreed.
They would search the Upstairs Corridor that very night, the exact place where Snape and Filch had spoken about the Vaults.
---
The castle was silent when Soren, Penny, Cassie, and Jacqueline slipped out of the Slytherin dormitory.
Moonlight streamed through tall windows, casting long shadows that made the corridor feel alive.
They reached the hallway Snape had mentioned, empty, eerie, and colder than normal.
Soren whispered, "This is it. This is where they were talking."
Cassie wrapped her arms around herself. "It feels… icy. Why does it feel icy?"
Jacqueline held her wand tight. "Maybe this is the sign we're looking for."
Just as they were about to start searching, a faint clang echoed from further down the corridor.
Penny's voice trembled slightly.
"Based on my research, there are at least twenty-one different entities that could be roaming Hogwarts corridors at night… and all of them are potentially terrifying."
Cassie stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Penny! That is not reassuring!"
Soren whispered, "Let's just search fast."
They checked every corner.
Behind suits of armor.
Under old portraits.
Even inside a dusty broom cupboard.
But they found nothing, no frost, not any magical residue. Not a single hint.
Soren exhaled sharply. "We won't find anything unless we get inside the room Snape was guarding."
Cassie muttered nervously, "An impenetrable lock… A mysterious door… And the constant threat of being caught by Filch…"
She pressed her forehead against the wall.
"Getting into the room seems impossible, Soren…"
Penny suddenly perked up.
"I know a spell that can help us," she whispered.
All three turned to her.
"A spell?" Jacqueline asked. "What spell?"
But before Penny could answer.
Click… click… click…
The sound of light footsteps echoed around the corner.
The girls froze. Soren stiffened.
But then he saw and said, "It is just a cat."
Penny slowly peeked, and gasped.
"It's not just a cat… It's Mrs. Norris."
Cassie whispered frantically, "THE Mrs. Norris?! Filch's Mrs. Norris?!"
Jacqueline paled. "If she sees us, we're dead."
Penny hissed, "She'll alert Filch instantly, we have to go!"
Mrs. Norris's glowing eyes fixed on them.
Soren didn't hesitate.
"RUN!"
And all four sprinted down the corridor as quietly and quickly as possible.
Mrs. Norris let out a sharp, piercing meow, and they knew.
The four of them sprinted through the dim corridors, robes fluttering, hearts pounding in their chests.
They didn't stop until they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
Only when the wall slid shut behind them did they finally collapse against the couches and chairs, gasping for breath.
Jacqueline pressed a hand to her chest. "I thought Mrs. Norris was going to scratch my soul out of my body…"
Cassie nodded rapidly. "Or worse, she would wake Filch!"
Penny leaned her forehead against a wall. "That was… entirely too close."
Soren let out a long, shaky breath, "At least we didn't get caught."
The girls nodded.
Penny straightened, brushing dust from her robes.
"We'll talk again tomorrow. We need a proper plan. A real plan."
Cassie added, "And maybe practice whatever spell Penny was about to tell us."
Jacqueline nodded. "Tomorrow, then."
Soren agreed. "Tomorrow. After classes."
They exchanged tired smiles, then finally separated for the night, each one replaying the close call in their head.
---
The next day arrived far too quickly.
Despite being exhausted from last night's adventure, the group headed together to Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom.
Soren slid into his usual seat beside Jacqueline.
Penny and Cassie sat just ahead of them.
Students buzzed with early morning energy, chatting about assignments, breakfast, and the latest Hogwarts gossip.
Flitwick stood on his stack of books at the front of the room, beaming with excitement as always.
Soren whispered to Jacqueline, "Do you think Penny will tell us about the spell today?"
Jacqueline nodded. "She will. She seemed serious about helping."
Cassie turned backward in her seat. "And we need that spell. I'm not letting Mrs. Norris stalk me again."
Penny sighed dramatically. "I've never run so fast in my life…"
At that moment, Flitwick clapped his hands together.
He balanced on his usual stack of books, eyes bright and full of excitement as the class settled into their seats.
"Wands out, everyone! Today's lesson will be particularly illuminating!"
He lifted his wand.
"Today," he announced, "we will be learning a very practical and commonly used jinx, the Knockback Jinx, more formally known as Flipendo."
Murmurs echoed around the room.
Flitwick continued cheerfully, "Flipendo is designed to knock an object, or opponent backward. It is a staple in dueling, obstacle courses, and general magical mischief… though I do not encourage the latter."
A few students snickered.
Flitwick hopped down from his books and pointed his wand at a wooden practice dummy standing nearby.
"Observe closely!"
He swished his wand in a short, sharp arc and called:
"Flipendo!"
A burst of blue light shot from his wand. The dummy flew backward, landing on its back with a dull thud that echoed through the room.
Students gasped, impressed.
Flitwick dusted his hands proudly.
"As you can see, Flipendo does not harm the target, it simply pushes it away with controlled force."
He climbed back onto his stack of books.
"Now then! A few important details, Flipendo is greatly improved by wand precision. It requires confidence, hesitation leads to wobbly, ineffective jinxes. Your magical strength will influence how far the target flies."
He wagged a finger.
"And aim is critical. I will not have any students launching their classmates into the ceiling."
The class laughed nervously.
Flitwick demonstrated the wand movement slowly:
"A sharp forward jab, like this."
He repeated it until everyone nodded.
"And remember the incantation clearly: Flip-EN-do. Emphasize the second syllable. If you do not articulate properly, you may instead create sparks… or nothing at all."
He clasped his hands.
"Now then… your turn!"
Practice dummies lined the classroom. Students eagerly spread out.
Soren stepped up to his dummy confidently, he already knew Flipendo spell from his family training.
He aimed.
"Flipendo."
A clean bolt of blue energy fired from his wand, slamming the dummy backward with perfect form.
Flitwick beamed.
"Excellent, Mr. Whitlock! Splendid control!"
At the next station, Penny raised her wand, steady and focused.
"Flipendo!"
Her jinx blasted her dummy with enough force to slide it halfway across the room.
Flitwick clapped. "Marvelous, Miss Haywood! Very well done!"
Cassie followed.
"Flipendo!"
Her dummy toppled over neatly.
Cassie giggled with delight. "I did it!"
Jacqueline took a deep breath, steadied her stance, and tried.
"Flipendo!"
Her dummy flew backward so fast it hit the wall with a loud thump.
Jacqueline's eyes widened. "Oops—was that too strong?"
Flitwick waved cheerfully.
"No such thing! Wonderful power, Miss Grenger!"
Across the room, other students struggled,
some produced sparks, some only managed puffs of mist.
But Soren's group?
They mastered it on the first try, earning impressed glances from everyone.
---
When Flitwick dismissed the class, students spilled out into the hallway buzzing with excitement about the Knockback Jinx.
Soren, Penny, Cassie, and Jacqueline grouped together immediately.
Jacqueline whispered, "Alright, now that class is over, we can finally talk about the spell Penny mentioned last night."
Penny nodded. "Yes. I think it's exactly what we need to open that locked door—"
But before she could finish, a third-year Slytherin boy hurried over to them, slightly out of breath.
"There you are, Whitlock. I've been looking everywhere."
Soren blinked. "For me?"
The third-year nodded, adjusting his robe.
"Prefect Avery has summoned you. She said it's important and you're to come to her dormitory immediately."
Jacqueline tensed. "Selene? Is something wrong?"
"I don't know," the third-year said. "She just said to fetch him right away. Something about… important information."
Penny exchanged a glance with Cassie.
"Important information from a prefect?" Penny murmured. "That sounds serious."
Cassie leaned closer. "Maybe she learned something… about the Cursed Vaults."
Soren felt a chill. He didn't know why, but something about this felt big.
Jacqueline placed a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Well… Soren. No point in keeping a prefect waiting."
Soren nodded.
"Right. I'll see what she wants."
The third-year stepped aside, letting Soren walk past him.
Penny called softly behind him, "We'll wait in the courtyard after class. Tell us everything."
Soren gave a small nod, and made his way toward Selene Avery's dormitory, uncertain but ready for whatever his prefect had discovered.
---
Soren reached the entrance to Selene Avery's dormitory and raised his hand to knock, but then remembered her words from earlier:
"If you ever need anything, you can enter my dormitory anytime. No hesitation."
So he gently pushed the door open.
Inside, Selene's dormitory was warm, elegant, and surprisingly tidy, except for the sofa, which was completely covered in folded Slytherin robes, prefect cloaks, and a dozen neatly arranged outfits.
Soren stepped in quietly, and froze.
Selene stood beside the sofa, holding a stack of clothes, still in the middle of changing.
But now, she was completely nude. Her perfect figure was on the display.
Her perky books stood erect, as they were giving salute to someone.
And her downside, it was clean without any public hair. While her vagina lips were in the beautiful shape, it looks like no one has ever touched it before.
But Soren didn't know, forget about touching, no one has seen it before today.
For a full three seconds, both of them stared at each other in total shock.
Soren's brain shut down.
Selene's eyes widened in shame.
"A—Ah! Hold on!" Selene yelped, face flushing as she scrambled behind the sofa.
Fabric rustled frantically.
Within moments she reappeared, now wearing a green hoodie shirt, still looking flustered but composed.