The coziness of the Gryffindor Common Room always reminded me of home. I could relax in here, forget about most of the problems and put all my worries aside. Most of the students here were friendly and cheerful, which only added to the atmosphere. But now, there is little time to relax. We have to find out what happened to Ben, and we have to do it fast. I placed the Black Quill on a table and was readying myself to untransfigure it.

“Hey, Dylan…” Rowan addressed me. “Are you feeling any effects from using the Shrinking and Engorgement Charms on yourself?”

Now that he mentioned it, I am glad it worked as it was supposed to. I am still dreaded by what could’ve happened had the spell gone wrong… No, I’d better not think about it now…

“I feel fine, though I do have a newfound respect for insects…” I decided to lighten up the atmosphere. Rowan already looks very tense, I don’t want him to worry about unnecessary things.

“What do you think these secret instructions will say? I hope Ben wasn’t being forced to do something terrible…” He said with a concerned voice.

“The only way to find out is to Untransfigure this Black Quill…” I replied.

Then I took out my wand and repeated the movement Professor McGonagall demonstrated during the class. “Reparifarge!” I said loud and clear while performing the spell. Immediately after, the quill turned into parchment of paper. I took it and started reading.

“Proceed to the farthest corridor at the east end of the fifth floor. Transfigure this scroll back into a Black Quill, and return it to the Slytherin Common Room. Failure to follow your instructions will result in severe punishment. -R.”

“Severe punishment?! Is that what happened to Ben?” Rowan asked.

“What’s in that corridor?” The message piqued my curiosity.

“Nothing that I know of,” he replied. “No one ever goes there… Why was he supposed to put the quill back where he found it?”

“Maybe he isn’t the only one receiving these instructions…” I assumed. That is pretty much the only logical conclusion I could come up with…

“I have a bad feeling about this, Dylan. Dumbledore said if we found anything odd, we should tell a professor… Do you really think we should explore the corridor?” He asked.

I noticed that he is very upset. He is likely too afraid to go, but I can’t blame him for that. I could ask Penny to go with me and check out what’s in that corridor.

“Penny is worried about Ben too. I’ll ask her to explore the corridor with me while you tell Dumbledore or McGonagall,” I suggested. Perhaps he’ll be more comfortable with this role.

“Okay. Just be careful, Dylan…” He replied.

***

It didn’t take a lot convincing to get Penny to join me. In fact, she was pretty happy I asked her for help. Apparently, she was very concerned about Ben’s well-being. She is so kind and friendly… I am very fortunate to have her as a friend.

Once we arrived at the corridor, I started getting the familiar feeling. It was the cold. Despite being on the opposite side of the door, I could feel it radiating faintly from the corridor. We quickly made our way inside.

As soon as we entered, I felt the intense cold surging throughout my body. I was fairly sure that Penny felt it too. There were several shards of ice around the corridor, some even larger than me. About thirty feet away from us, I noticed Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape standing near Ben, who was almost completely encased in ice. I quickly pulled Penny behind one huge chunk of ice in order to avoid being spotted. We then remained as quiet as we could and observed them.

“Flipendo!” Professor McGonagall yelled as she pointed her wand towards the ice that was encasing Ben. However, the spell appeared to have no effect against the ice.

“The Knockback Jinx always shattered the cursed ice before, but it seems to have become impervious,” she said.

“Incendio would melt it away,” Snape commented.

“Along with his flesh,” she replied, worriedly.

“I never said he would survive,” he answered with a cold voice.

“The cursed ice continues to spread throughout Hogwarts. Someone has clearly been tampering with the Cursed Vaults,” she said.

“It would be helpful if our Headmaster were at Hogwarts, instead of searching elsewhere for answers,” he angrily replied.

“We don’t need Dumbledore to safely free Mr. Copper. We will cast Incendio together, but target the ice farthest from the boy’s body. Be careful, Severus,” she suggested.

“…Fine,” he agreed.

Both of them then started casting the Fire-Making Spell in order to free Ben from the ice. Penny and I decided it’s best for us to get out of there before we are noticed. I thanked her for agreeing to accompany me and we both went to our Common Rooms afterward. She said that Ben will probably be moved to the Hospital Wing, so I’ll be able to visit him later and see if he can tell me what really happened.

While I was resting in my dormitory, I couldn’t help but think of what happened. The cursed ice is back… Professor McGonagall mentioned something about the Cursed Vaults. According to her, someone tampered with them, which caused the ice to appear. But who did it? Was it the same one who sent Ben those messages? Or was it someone else entirely? And how did the cursed ice suddenly become impervious to the Knockback Jinx? It worked fine when we were in the room… Could it be related to the vault? So many questions were bothering me, yet I could answer none of them. All I could do is speculate, but I couldn’t come up with a valid explanation… There is something, something I am unaware of that could probably shine some light on this mystery… Anyway, I think I can go and visit Ben now. He is more than likely in the Hospital Wing right now.

***

It’s been a while since the last time I was here. To be precise, I haven’t set foot in the Hospital Wing ever since Merula was injured. Nothing much has changed about it. Madam Pomfrey was tending to one of the Gryffindor students when I arrived. I approached her and asked about my friend’s condition.

“Is Ben going to be all right, Madam Pomfrey?”

“I believe so,” she answered. “His memory is erratic, but I have seen patients in far worse condition in my time as Matron of Hogwarts.”

“Can I talk to him?” I hope she’ll let me speak to Ben. There are so many things I want to ask him.

“What exactly do you want?” She seemed curious to know the reason for my visit.

“I’m sure he’s feeling down. I want to see if I can lift his spirits,” I answered. To be completely honest, those weren’t the only reasons, but I do care about Ben’s well-being, it’s just that I couldn’t say anything related to the cursed ice.

“Very well, but be brief,” she replied.

He was laying on the bed, resting. I could notice that he was still shivering from the intense cold he was exposed to. Once I approached him, he greeted me, but the tone of his voice was very depressing.

“Hey, Dylan…”

“How are you feeling, Ben?” I asked, concerned about his health.

“Cold. Tired. Sore. Not that different from usual, to be honest,” he answered.

“Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?” I really wish there was something I could do for him. I still owe him so much after he saved us all from that icy room…

“Seeing a friendly face is enough. Madam Pomfrey is very helpful, but she doesn’t have the most comforting bedside manner,” he replied.

“What were you doing in that Icy Corridor? How did you get trapped in the cursed ice?” I asked, hoping he’ll provide me with some answers.

“I don’t remember. I can hardly remember anything at all. Madam Pomfrey thinks it has something to do with the ice,” he said.

“I found a letter to you in the Artefact Room. It led me to another that told you to go to that corridor,” I explained, hoping it’ll spark his memory.

“I’m sorry, Dylan. I just don’t remember…” he answered with a sad face.

“You must remember something. Anything can help us understand what happened in that corridor…” I was hoping he’ll be able to give me any clue that could help.

“That’s enough for today, Mr. Edwards. Mr. Copper needs his rest,” Madam Pomfrey interrupted me.

I guess I should take another look at that Icy Corridor. Now that the Professors aren’t there, it should be easier to look around. However, I might need Rowan’s help. Who knows what might be there…

***

As I was entering the Forbidden Corridor, I saw that Rowan is already waiting for me. He was anxiously tapping his foot until he noticed me approaching.

“Dylan!” He greeted me. “I can’t believe you found Ben frozen in cursed ice! How is he?”

“Okay, but strange. He said he doesn’t remember anything about coming to this corridor…” I answered.

“I think he’s hiding something,” he replied.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’ve always felt like he knew more than he was telling. Like he was keeping secrets…” He said. “He might just be afraid of whoever sent those instructions, or he might be trying to protect us…”

When he put it like that, it does make some sense. But who was responsible for that, I wonder?

“I suppose it would explain some of his behavior. Why he’s so nervous, and always sneaking off alone… Let’s search this corridor, and see if we can find some clues…” I suggested.

We then started exploring every inch of the corridor, carefully avoiding any contact with the cursed ice that was still in there. It took us a while, but eventually, I managed to sense something while close to one of the nearby wall sections.

“Rowan, come here! You can feel a draught coming from this part of the wall!” I called him. Hopefully, it’s not just my imagination, but I could swear I felt something.

“Whoa. I think I hear something too…” He said.

“Do you think it could be a hidden passage?” I asked.

“Anything is possible at Hogwarts. The only way to know for sure is by casting Revelio,” he answered.

“Revelio?” What kind of spell is that, I wonder? This is the first time I’ve heard about it.

“It’s a Transfiguration spell that reveals concealed objects, and exposes the true appearance of things,” he replied. “It’s a really difficult spell, Dylan.”

“Then I’d better start learning it straight away…” I said, determined to find out the secret of this strange corridor.

Hopefully, Professor McGonagall will be willing to teach that spell to me. I guess I’ll have to ask her and see if she’ll be up for it. But then again, I want to avoid mentioning anything related to the Icy Corridor… What should I do… Those thoughts filled my head while we were leaving the place. I guess I’ll have to ask the Professor and try my best not to say anything I shouldn’t…

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