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I can't bekieve after so long the final chapter for year 2 is published. With final tests out of the way, Juniper and her friends can finally relax and have some well-earned fun.

Warnings: Mention of past injury

Second-year exams were dawning faster than Juniper could say Petrificus Totalus. Her best friend, Rowan, was in her element. She took pride in helping others study. Juniper, Ben, Penny, Tonks, Andre, and Charlie formed a study group. Bill was busy with his own fourth-year exams, but he was willing to help Rowan out. 

They already had their charms tests, which Juniper confidently expected to do well in, whereas the potions exam was churning her stomach. In her mind, she could already imagine Professor Snape's smugness in being able to call out on her incompetence, especially since she handed out half-written essays. His class was one of many. Juniper handed in a lot of uncompleted or late assignments during the second and third terms to the point Professor Flitwick pulled her up concerned. 

Once the cursed ice knight and vault were defeated, there was a steady incline of improved homework, to her Professors' delight. It narrowly avoided her landing in detention to catch up. 

At the library, Juniper tried to absorb all the information but found her mind splitting into different branches of distracting thoughts. 

Juniper fiddled with that bit of paper between her fingers. The Gryffindor seeker could hardly leave her mind as she stared mysteriously at the dragon drawing, which was more like a scrawl. He did try with the details, such as the fact that it had only two legs rather than four. 

When Rowan left to take a toilet break, Juniper nosied around for books about dragons. Rowan always told her that the best way to find out about anything was at the library. She found a book, From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper’s Guide, and carefully opened it up on top of her neglected herbology textbooks.

The pages were beautifully illustrated, highlighting each dragon's best features. There were small copper dragons, large black dragons, and ones with horned tails. When she turned the next page, Juniper audibly snorted, earning a warning glance from Madam Pince. 

The picture displayed the two-legged dragon similarly drawn to the note, but it was clear to Juniper that that's not what Charlie was referencing. The silver-blue colour danced brightly on the page as the dragon had blue fire breathe out of its nose. 

She continued looking through, flipping the pages of the book as she was mesmerised by the illustrations. 

"What are you reading?" 

Juniper out of instinct shut the book and gave her a nervous grin. "Nothing relating to herbology. Unless you count dragon hide from our gloves of course."

Rowan raised a dark eyebrow. "Now is not the time to be distracted. Herbology is your worst subject, so we better focus on getting you a passing grade." 

"Yes, ma'am," Juniper jokingly replied. Madam Pince shushed them from behind and gave them a stern warning that one more keep would get them kicked out of her library. 

May rolled into June as the majority of students stopped wearing their robes and wore lighter clothing. Grades came out as the first to fourth years filled the castle with disappointed moans and relief. Juniper felt Ravenclaw, in particular, the students buzzing about their tests. 

Juniper didn't do as well as she did last year. Barely scraping a pass in potion and herbology. She wanted to blame the busy autumn and winter term on the cursed vault. 

Professor Flitwick also handed out third-year choices for subjects that they were interested in studying for their year. They were allowed to choose from a minimum of two subjects, but Juniper was tempted to take on three like Rowan. A few would prove useful in her hunt for the next cursed vaults. 

Ben, Rowan, and Juniper were on their way to Black Lake to enjoy the warmer sun. Ben was slathered in an unusual muggle cream that he explained was sunscreen to prevent his skin from getting sunburned.

"What are you choosing for your third choices, Ben?" Juniper asked. 

"Well, I'm thinking of picking arithmancy, ancient runes and muggle studies." 

"Isn't that basically cheating?" Juniper teased him. "You'll breeze right through that." 

"Well, that's kinda the point," a nervous smile displayed on Ben's face. Though Juniper noticed for a brief second, a small smirk forming. 

"You're also picking arithmancy? I heard that's the least popular subject amongst the third year choices," Rowan said. "So much so that there were a few years where they didn't have enough students for a class." 

"Well, we have three already," Juniper pointed out. You, Ben, and me. " She and Rowan discussed earlier what they wanted to pick, and by chance, they ended up with the same ones: arithmancy, the study of ancient runes, and the care of magical creatures. 

"Let's hope we have more," Ben said. "I just want to do subjects that aren't dangerous." 

"Hey guys," a cheery and bright voice approached, belonging to Penny Haywood. Next to her are Tonks, who are sporting bright turquoise hair that matches the summer mood. "Are you going outside?"

"Aye, to the black lake," Juniper said, brushing her braid behind. 

"Don't mind if we tag along," Tonks made herself comfortable. 

"More the merrier," Juniper invited them. Ben and Rowan had no qualms either. Tonks put an arm around Juniper's shoulder. "So what are guys picking for your third year choices?" 

"We were actually talking about that," Rowan said. 

They swapped their choices, seeing if they shared the same classes. Yet to their disappointment, the five of them won’t be sharing a single class of their third-year choices. Arithmancy was unsurprisingly the most unpopular choice, but it would be enough to fill a classroom. The majority of students wanted to pick care for magical creatures that had to be turned into two classes for their year so as not to overwhelm the creatures they would interact with.  

They reached Black Lake, finding that it was getting crowded with first- and second-year students who had the same idea of using the lake to cool down and have fun. Third-years and above were lucky that they could spend the weekend at Hogsmeade.

"It's going to be hard to find a somewhere I can read," Rowan muttered. 

"Who cares? We can still go into the water," Tonks chucked off her shoes and socks. "Race you to the water!" She tapped Juniper before sprinting off. 

"Wait! I'm coming!" Juniper hopped as she struggled to get her own shoes off. She looked at Penny, Ben and Rowan. "You guys coming?" 

"Maybe later," Ben said. "Let's see if more students leave as it gets later." 

"Give me your shoes. I'll keep them safe along with Tonk's stuff, and then I'll come," Penny offered. The sun made her white smile seem whiter. 

Ben and Rowan sat at the side. They managed to find their favourite spot by the tree before Penny came and joined Tonks and Juniper's water antics. As Ben said, students left either because they had tried themselves out or because they were hungry. 

Ben and Rowan slowly emerged once they were the last ones left to dip their toes into the refreshing, cool water. 

"Hey, hope we weren't late to the party," Andre grinned as he and Charlie approached the group. 

"It was just getting starting," Juniper said despite being out of breath and her trousers soaking at the hem. 

"Hey Andre, do you want to join us?" Penny waved. Andre glanced disgruntled at the water. "I would rather not ruin my clothes, thank you very much." 

A mischievous plan was forming behind Tonks' eyes. She splashed some water onto the Ravenclaw, prompting an exaggerated gasp. 

"I just made this!" Andre exclaimed before retorting back with his own water splash. Tonks flicked her wand to make the pebbles float and let them splash near Andre. He couldn’t let this slight slide and fell into Tonk’s trap prompting a splash battle. Penny tried her best to avoid getting too out of hand but somehow got involved in the fun. There were no sides, and anyone was free to splash. The Black Lake was filled with the squealing and playful shrieking of the second-year students. 

Juniper noticed Charlie leaving. Curious, she followed. They dried their clothes and sat on the rocky beach. She slid over to him as they continued to watch how Tonks, Andre, and the rest continued with their splashing contest and started to wind down. 

"Hi Charlie," she said.

"Hi Juniper, haven't seen you for a while," a small lopsided grin formed. " How did your exams go?"

"Could have been better," she sighed. That red acceptable mark on her potions test, al andpe's smug look as he handed out her test, wa still burned in her mind. "How was yours?" 

"It was alright, Bill and you guys helped me out a lot." He brushed off a flying red strand. Juniper wondered if he was trying to grow out his hair, as it was almost as long as his brother's. "Though I can’t rely on Bill too much next year. Bill needs to focus on his OWLs, and I don't want to distract him." 

"Though I'm sure he will help if you ask him," Juniper mentioned. "He'll do anything for you." 

"He'll do anything for all six of us," Charlie's lopsided grin softened and warmed. That pang of jealousy came back again, which Juniper pushed down. 

Almost noticing Juniper's shifting smile quickly changed topics. "I hope the black lake has Sargasso dragons or some other sea dragon "

"Would Hogwarts even have a dragon?"

"I know there is one here and I will find it," his smile grew dimpled. 

"Speaking of dragons. A Swedish short snout? Seriously?" Juniper jokingly rolled her eyes, referring back to the note that he wrote to her when she was recovering from her bludger injury. 

The lopsided grin widened on Charlie's face. "I was hoping you would get the reference." 

"It's a bit obvious; I mean my hair stands out like a sore thumb." Juniper tugged at her hair. "That would be the same as me calling you Peruvian vipertooth." Juniper blurted out the first dragon that came to mind. There were two red dragons that stood out in particular. One was a fiercely bright red, but the other was more coppery. She recalled that it did mention they were the smallest but fastest dragons. How befitting for the Gryffindor seeker. 

"I though you would go for Chinese fireball." Charlie's eyes glinted a honey colour under the sun. 

"That would be too obvious." 

Which earned Charlie a chuckle as his ears grew red. "Okay, you got me there." 

They chatted until they were interrupted by Filch, who decided it was his business to check up on Black Lake and shoo away students loitering. Not that they minded much since they were pretty hungry. 

While the teachers prepared for their third year, they were occupied with other matters once all students had handed in their choices. Juniper, in particular, was occupied with the broken wand and the mysterious notebook. She read through the mysterious symbols and diagrams. Despite the end of term coming soon, she wondered if she could squeeze in some time at the library to compare and find out. So far, it has even stumped Rowan, which is very rare. 

At last, the end-of-term feast came, starting off with a beautiful choir performed by the students and Professor Flitwick conducting with a bounce in flicks and steps. Dumbledore stepped up to the podium to begin his speech, and for the most exciting part, House had won the House cup. 

"Another year gone far too soon." His smile was polite yet warm. This year has been more difficult than most, but I want to thank all of you for showing great courage and resilience throughout. My hope is that next year will be equally thrilling but far less dangerous." Murmurs quickly spread amongst the students, and glances turned to a particular blue-haired witch. 

"Enough about next year," he silenced the murmuring. "It's time to award the winner of this year's House cup! In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with 409 points. In third, Gryffindor, with 407." Both tables seemed defeated with their spirits down. "In second place, Slytherin, with 412 points making our winner Ravenclaw, with 435 points! Congratulations, Ravenclaw!"

Naturally, the Ravenclaw table cheered, but Juniper could hear whispering at the neighbouring tables about Dumbledore favouring her again. The banners remained the same colour from the previous year. 

"Please enjoy this delicious feast, and enjoy your Summer!" Dumbledore was last added before the students tucked into the delicious feast. The warm roast filled her stomach, and she was able to relax, yet she couldn't help but practise over the Summer. 

The Ravenclaw tower was lit up past midnight before all students had to leave for the train back to Kings Cross Station. Normally, Chester would tell the students off for staying past curfew, but it's a tradition amongst the students to celebrate the end of the year, especially the seventh-year students. Tulip, Badeea, Rowan, Juniper, and even Skye played tunes on their gramophones and ate sweets while they played some games. There was still the ongoing tension between Juniper and Skye, but there was an unspoken temporary peace. 

On the train home, the compartment was filled with hugging goodbyes and promises of exchanging letters. Rowan, Ben, and Juniper eagerly discussed their summer plans for having their sleepovers. Juniper immediately sprung up to the sight of a greyed blue short cut hair, and next to her stood a tall wizard towering over her. 

"Ma! Ged!" Juniper rushed up to her mother and Gedeon, crushing them both in a tight hug. 

"Juno, don't you look refreshed!"

"And you've grown a lot too. You used to be this wee," Gedeon teased her, using his hands to exaggerate her growth spurt. 

"I guess that means we have to go buy some new clothes for you," Julia pinched her cheek. Juniper generally hated when people, but for her mum, she gently brushed her hand away. 

"I'm thirteen, Ma."

"Oh, all girls were at one point," Julia remarked with a wink. Juniper was glad that her mum was in a cheery mood. 

"Anything exciting from the past terms?" Gedeon asked her. 

"Nope, nothing to that worth mentioning."

Previous chapter: chapter 20

Next chapter: year 3 coming soon...

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sleepy dragons

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sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

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After defeating the ice knight and opening the cursed vault, Juniper finally gets some normality by partaking in the quidditch season final against Gryffindor.

Warnings: Injury, Teenage drama

April and May were the months of change. When Juniper exited Dumbledore’s office, it was like Hogwarts had changed. No longer was she ignored or sneered at; instead, random students approached her, thanking her personally for breaking the curse and calling her a hero. At first, Juniper pinched herself to ensure this wasn’t a dream. But the more people told her it, the more she was allowed to believe in it. No longer was she the mad or cursed girl but the curse-breaker of Hogwarts. She was the hero of Hogwarts. 

With the ice finally cleared, all the delayed matches resumed as Spring settled in. Slytherin won their match, overtaking Ravenclaw as the new second in the quidditch league, but only by a margin. They easily take second or win the cup if they play it right. Orion’s leadership and Skye’s fierce determination boosted the morale of the team, convincing everyone they could win the cup this year. 

However, due to ice's lingering effects on some of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, Roan Smith, in particular. He was heard yelling profanities at Juniper for taking his place as the substitute. Andre would have been their first choice, but they needed someone to fill the role of keeper since both their official and sub-keeper were recovering much slower than anticipated. They weren’t the only casualty, as many other students still were shaking off the lingering effects. 

Juniper felt strange putting on her blue quidditch uniform as if wearing a stranger’s skin. 

"It is time for vivification." Orion huddled his team around. They had been used to forming this circle for the past year, yet the air was cold and heavy inside the tent. 

While it was all good and well that Orion preached about balance when the team felt so disjointed. They all could sense it, but there was little time to change it. Juniper could feel Skye's eyes bore into her. Skye disagreed with Orion's choice to allow Juniper to stay on the team, but she felt Skye's disappointment was enough of a punishment. A small minority figured it wouldn’t be that bad if their captain and Ravenclaw’s head allowed punishment to be minimised to a degnoming. The rest were closer to Skye’s sentiments but grumbled quietly compared, but almost like magic; when Juniper had helped to clear the ice curse, the past was forgotten. 

It bothered Juniper why she was so desperate for Skye’s approval. It wasn’t like there were people that Juniper couldn’t stand and made it clear. Skye had a bristly personality that many couldn’t stand for her competitive and standoffish nature, but Juniper found her straightforwardness and focus endearing. 

The team lined up as Andre brushed past and whispered, "good luck." 

"Good luck to you too," Juniper whispered back. 

Everyone prepared their brooms to fly to make a spectacle for the audience. When they heard their team being announced, Juniper flew through with the team as she had to adjust her vision from the bright sun. Perfect weather is something every Quidditch player could wish for. 

It's also the seeker's best friend; the snitch has a harder time hiding with the sun out. Their team flew out first, soaking in the loud cheers of the Ravenclaw supporters. 

"And let's welcome the Gryffindor team to the pitch. Who have also made some changes to their team as well." Murphy introduced the next team. "No one knows what to expect except that there is a guarantee 97.3% that we will enjoy this match."

Gold and red blurs entered the field as the Gryffindor students grew loud with their cheers, chanting, "Hear the lions roar." This encouraged the Ravenclaw to sing their chant,  "Caw caw, see us soar." 

The two teams line up, waiting for the game to start. Juniper briefly glanced across at the Gryffindor seeker, Charlie Weasley. His red hair was a shiny orange under the sunlight and held back in the shortest ponytail she had ever seen. He flashed a warm smile, edged with a challenge, inviting her to a friendly competition. 

Juniper felt heat rising to her cheeks. She wasn't sure what he was trying. Disarm her with friendliness? Juniper smirked back. Challenge accepted. 

"Madam Hooch has the Quidditch balls ready to kick off as we wait in anticipation for the last game of the season." The loud and bright Quidditch announcer bellowed. Excitement crept into his voice. 

Juniper clutched tightly at the handle of her cleansweep as she waited. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, drowning out Murphey’s commentary. The moment the sound of the box clacking open and the high-pitched screech of Madam Hooch's whistle, everyone scattered. 

"And they're off to a banging start with Parkin grabbing the quaffle already, taking Ravenclaw a 79.6% chance of making the first score," Murphy announced. Juniper could feel the announcer on the edge of his seat. Unfortunately, she and Charlie’s start was an anticlimactic as both lost sight of the snitch, who wandered into the chaos of chasers grabbing the quaffle. Both on the edges of the pitch, opposing sides. Carefully, they always watch each other from the corner of their eyes for sudden movements. 

“That’s the first score for Ravenclaw due to their amazing teamwork using the hawkshead attacking formation!”

Cheers came from behind at the Ravencalw stands as the Gryffindors booed. Juniper swiftly turned to see Charlie moving suddenly. Franky Pott and Bean Conifer aimed a bludger right at the Gryffindor seeker. 

“Wait, Hare and Richards are daring as they attempted to use the Parkin Pincer on a Parkin! Yet Parkin managed to avoid!” Juniper listened to Murphy’s commentary, cautiously keeping up with the game. Her eyes continuously scanning and dodging the other quidditch players and flying bludgers. That snitch had yet to make itself shown. “Hare and Richards have turned their sights to the other Ravenclaw chaser, Cornus, currently holding tight onto the quaffle!” 

Another round of cheers interrupted from the other side of the stands of the pitch, a wave of red dots bouncing up from Juniper’s squinting. Juniper slowly found herself getting bored, flying around for this snitch on the prowl. Twenty minutes into the game, Ravenclaw managed to get twenty points ahead of Gryffindor thanks to Skye’s aggressive tactics and Orion’s leadership, likely rage fueling her from Gryffindor’s attempt to use a family name and create manoeuvre against her. Cornus looked resigned especially with Skye hogging the quaffle constantly throughout the match. They had a good start but Juniper had a sinking feeling Gryffindor will catch up quickly. 

Sorrel Dogwood, the Gryffindor captain and beater, protected the Gryffindor chasers allowing for another score before Skye started scoring three times in a row within quick succession. Juniper noticed Charlie flying around, purposeful in his every move and turns. She began to trail him from a subtle distance, close enough. He flew low to the wooden beams of the audience stand. 

“Dogwood just used a bludger backbeat at Amari! The chances of him dodging were 43.7%!” Murphy yelled. “And wait, did Hare use the distraction and score ten points for Gryffindor? That brings to a tie with Ravenclaw!” 

Juniper quickly turned to the commotion at the Ravenclaw goalpost. Andre looked upset by Addison Hare's swift play. Her eye caught on something shiny at the bottom of the goalpost. On instinct, Juniper dove so quickly on alerting the other players that the snitch had finally been sighted. 

Obviously, this caught Charlie’s attention, who caught up with her very quickly, already behind her. Juniper ignored Murphey as her focus became solely on that snitch. The snitch darted about but followed a trajectory path so far. 

Just as she felt her hand reach out, ready to snatch the small golden fluttering ball, she narrowly saw from her peripheral view a large brown bludger aimed right towards her path. Nothing is stopping this bludger from its goal. Juniper swiftly pulled her broom and stopped when in view of the audience.

“That was a close call for Moss as Dogwood almost managed to hit the Ravenclaw seeker with the bludger.” 

Juniper caught a glimpse of red hair chasing after the snitch. She followed him, but the gap was wide between them. Sorrel Dogwood had managed to at least successfully allow Charlie to gain a lead by a wide margin—literally. Juniper mirrored his movements, but then he stopped. 

“It seems Weasley has lost sight of the snitch. It back to square one and the game shall continue with great suspense.” Murphy commented, his eyes observing carefully. 

Juniper glanced around, searching for that golden snitch hiding itself from the seeker. Skye Parkin was aggressively scoring, but the Gryffindor chasers responded with retaliation, leaving the two teams at ninety points each. 

The sun was gleaming through, shining brightly against the metal hoops. Juniper glanced over at Andre, seeing how he was holding up. Right next to him was something small and flittering. Juniper’s eyes widened as her body instinctively started moving to the sighting. Andre looked at the Ravenclaw seeker, surprised by how fast she was moving forward, when he noticed the snitch just below his feet. Andre moved forward to clear a path for Juniper to catch the snitch and prepare for the Gryffindor seeker to catch up with her. 

The snitch flew above the largest hoop. Juniper was too fast to move up but could use the loops. Juniper aimed at the largest hoop, squeezing the broom tight between her thighs as she let her hands go and held onto the top. With all her power, she swung herself over. The snitch was moving away, but it was alright. Juniper managed to get her trajectory to follow the snitch without having to waste time. 

Charlie was a little behind, having to turn around, but he caught up very quickly. They were mere millimetres away from bumping into one another.

"Weasley and Moss are neck and neck for the snitch, chasing after it like a niffler on the hunt for gold," Murphy announced, practically on the edge of his seat. "There's a 67.5% that Weasley will capture the snitch, but Moss could be the new underdog and snatch a win for Ravenclaw bringing them to 240 points." 

Their brooms edged in closer, dangerously risking their brooms to crash. The snitch blinked back golden beams teasing the seekers. 

Charlie's broom suddenly left her peripheral vision as she heard someone yell to watch out. Juniper barely had time to see a blur moving towards her. It was too late; her vision went dark like a candlelight snuffed out. 

Her eyes felt heavy as she slowly woke up. A sharp pain crept up on the left side of her face. The room was dark, but as she looked closer at the curtains surrounding her. 

Adrenaline kicked as her flight or fight mechanisms were alerted. The urge to get out of the hospital wing overwhelmed her. She got out of bed as the pain continued. 

"Get back in bed, Miss Moss," Madam Pomfrey alerted by her awake patient. "You need rest." 

Juniper tried to argue back, but her left cheek ached more when she tried to move it. 

"I'll get you a calming draught." She left her alone. Juniper contemplated using this to escape, but Madam Pomfrey quickly returned. "Here, take it with a straw. You broke your cheek." 

Juniper almost choked on the draught. She badly wanted to ask the matron what happened and who won. Naturally, Charlie would win. No way she would have caught the snitch, but at least they would have made second place.

She went back to bed as her heart rate slowed down, allowing her to fall into a dreamless slumber. In the morning, she awoke to notice some cards and notes on her bedside table that hadn't been missed. 

Her cheek felt less sore, but a dull pain continued to persist. Madam Pomfrey had explained further that a bludger rammed into her face and knocked her out cold for two days. It broke her cheekbone, fractured her orbital bone and lost a few molars. The adult teeth can at least grow back with a skelo grow potion while her baby molars are permanently gone. Madam Pomfrey assured that she could be released tomorrow. Tomorrow still too long in Juniper's books. 

She looked through the get-well cards. There were peppermint toads from Rowan, as well as several chocolate frogs. Penny, Tonks, Ben, and some of her teammates have also sent their regards. Juniper picked up a piece of old parchment which read; 

Hope you get well soon. Sorry that you took the hit instead of me.

It was signed by Charlie as a blush crept on her face. The note was mostly filled with a dragon. It only had two limbs and was quite ugly, in Juniper's opinion, but she deeply appreciated the sentiment. 

"Juniper, you're awake!" 

Juniper was pulled off her thoughts and beamed through the pain as she saw Rowan. Behind her were Ben, Penny and Tonks. 

"Hey, guys." 

Tonks made herself comfortable on the bed while Penny grabbed some chairs nearby. Ben just stood there, rubbing his arm. 

"How are you feeling?" Rowan asked, lines forming on her forehead. 

"I'm alright, just hurts to talk," Juniper winced slightly. 

"You need to stop giving me these frights," Penny looked relieved at her. 

"Did nae mean to scare everyone. What even happened? I mean I ken about the bludger but the rest is all a blur," Juniper blinked. 

"A bludger came smashing in your face and knocked off your broom," Tonks said. "Luckily, the Professor were quick to stop your fall and took you to the infirmary." 

"And who won?" Juniper inquired, sitting further upright. 

She caught Penny and Rowan's glance. Something was unspoken between her friends. No one wanted to say the match's outcome, which confirmed her initial thoughts.

"Gryffindor won, didn't they?" Juniper just smiled to reassure her friends that she wasn't upset by the outcome. 

"Yeah," Penny confirmed. "You almost did but-" 

"Hey, is there room for one more?" Another voice chimed in. Juniper recognised the purple scarf anywhere. Andre had a grim look. 

"More the merrier." 

Two years ago, she couldn't imagine having any friends, let alone five, visiting her in the hospital. Juniper had never felt so comfortable inside a hospital, even with the calming draught. 

"Sorry for interrupting," Andre acknowledged to Penny. You guys were part of what happened." 

"Yeah, you almost caught the snitch but of course the bludger." 

"Naturally." 

"And Andre had to quickly step in and took over for you as seeker." 

"Weasley never caught the snitch when I was hit?" Juniper looked at them, surprised. 

Andre shook his head. "Nah, Charlie was a good sport. He said he wouldn't be fair to use your injury to his advantage. He would rather that another seeker play against him so the match was won fair and sqaure."

"How chivalrous of him," Juniper raised a blue eyebrow, but she was intrigued by the Gryffindor seeker. "I'll have to thank him once I get out." 

"I could introduce you to him," Andre offered. "You could join us in one of our practises." 

"I'll consider the offer," Juniper said. "But enough about that, what have I missed since I've been knocked out for three days." 

"The house party," Ben piped in. "It was so loud. I couldn't get a wink of sleep." 

"Skye's very mad about losing." Penny mentioned too. 

"No surprise there," Juniper muttered. Things were still awkward, and her injury probably made things worse than they already were. 

"And I tried to leave detention by morphing into Professor Snape. You should have seen his face when he saw his doppelganger," Tonks said, which caused everyone to chuckle. She was always good at brightening a drab mood. 

Juniper's friends helped Her finish her chocolate frogs and sweets. They stayed with her until Madam Pomfrey literally chased them out. Rowan left her notes for Juniper to catch up on missed lessons. The second-year exams were coming soon, and Juniper definitely didn't want to see any low scores. 

Most of them visited her whenever they could. Rowan and Ben stuck around the most. She was so relieved when Madam Pomfrey gave her a pass on her health. 

On her way out, Juniper bumped into Skye, exactly like they had met after her first hospital visit for the tryouts. 

"Hey Skye," she awkwardly reached out. 

Skye grunted and then turned to give Juniper the cold shoulder. Juniper felt helpless, her guilt held in her stomach up to her throat. 

"Hey Skye, how are you doing?" 

"I'm pretty sure me ignoring you should give the hint, or haven't I made myself clear enough?" Skye snapped as she turned on her heels, her clenched fists by her side. 

"You aren't ignoring me now," Juniper tried to joke, but her tone was subdued. She avoided Skye’s burning glare. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that, and I really want to make it up to you."

Her nostrils flared up. "Well, maybe I don't want you to. Just leave me alone, Moss," she spat out her name. Her blue-tipped hair whipped around as she left. 

Juniper tried but couldn't shake off the uncomfortable knot that wrapped around her even more tightly. She looked up as the knight statue watching indicated to her to move along.

"Well that's awkward," Andre announced from behind her. His robes were embroidered with a fine royal purple dainty design at the cuffs, which matched his scarf. "You and Skye still haven't made up? That's going to be bad for the team especially next year."  

"I'm trying, Andre," Juniper said. Andre learned about her master move with the Slytherin attack shortly after Skye did. Disappointed was an understatement of a term for Andre, but he was one of the few who didn't show hostility. Instead, he wanted to know why she had done it. While he understood her actions, the outcome didn’t change. She didn't deserve it but was thankful that Andre was sticking by her but did lecture her on being reckless.  

"I know but you know how the team feels about you. Though some have soften because you saved them from the cursed ice." 

"Except Roan Smith," Juniper snorted. "Apparently leaving him longer in the cursed ice was all my secret ploy to take his position as seeker according to him." 

"Mmm, unlikely since you're a Ravenclaw for a reason rather than a Slytherin." 

"Though I did get close to being sorted to Slytherin." 

Andre looked at her surprise before it was replaced with amusement. "It's probably best if you keep it to yourself. It would make it worse for you." 

Juniper noticed that Andre was heading toward the Hogwarts ground. She knew that both of them continued to take flying classes despite them no longer being mandatory. 

"We don't have a flying lesson today? Or did I miss the memo for that too?" Juniper joked. 

"No, I'm actually meeting up with Charlie to practise," Andre answered as she blocked the sun from his view. 

"Charlie Weasley? Wait you mentioned that to me yesterday. How long has that been going on?" Juniper playfully nudged Andre. 

"We've been practising together since first year. We help each other with our flying techniques," Andre answered. Juniper looked from the shadow that flew above. That same copper hair from the match flashed in the sinking sun. She watched how he landed his broom gently to the ground. 

They approached each other, and Andre shifted to the middle, starting the introductions. Charlie greeted her with a welcoming smile. Like Bill, he exuded a comforting warmth presence. She wondered if the Weasleys were naturally warm quilted blankets wrapping around everyone, though Charlie always was the more free-spirited of the two. 

"Charlie, meet our resident curse breaker, Juniper Moss." Andre pointed to her before pointing back to Charlie. "Juniper, this the Gryffindor's best seeker, Charlie Weasley." 

"Nice to meet ya. Well, we have seen each other around but I don't think we've ever properly met." 

"Nice to meet you too." Charlie gave a firm but friendly shake of her hand. "Yeah, I we have charms and flying classes together. Sorry again for you taking the hit of the bludger." 

"It's away with the water. These things just happen in quidditch when a bludger is involved, you ken." Juniper shrugged it off. Taking a closer look, she noticed the orange freckles splattered on the Gryffindor's face, which was highlighted copper by the sunlight. “I appreciated the note though, the one witht he dragon.” 

He looked a little relieved, with his ears burning red. "Yeah, thanks."

"Also, what kind of dragon is it? It seemed very specific." Juniper remembered

Andre's eyes darted between the two with some sort of excitement. Charlie awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "This dragon just reminded me of you." 

Juniper tilted her head in confusion. What ugly dragon does she remind him of? She was curious to know what this dragon was and reminded him of it. Andre quickly inserted himself back into the conversation. "Anyhow, why don't we get our brooms and determine the best seeker."

"Sounds like a plan," Juniper grinned. "I'll go quickly grab my broom and be right back." 

Juniper grabbed her clean sweep. On her way back, she debated whether she should ask her mum if she could get a better model. However, that meant asking her father for the money to buy a better broom. Despite having the extra money, he would dismiss it and call it a barbaric sport. She saw Charlie and Andre huddled on closer approach, talking about something. 

"Hope you guys didn't miss me already," she jokingly inserted herself back. 

"I was about to say, it took you long enough," Andre sarcastically mentioned, to which Juniper rolled her eyes playfully. 

"I guess we can get started," Charlie said, climbing onto his own clean sweep. It looked even more ancient than her own borrowed one, miraculously held together by a bandage. "Race you guys to the astronomy tower." 

"You are not getting a head start before us," Andre said, prompting both him and Juniper to climb on their brooms.

"Whatever happened to good sportsmanship from earlier?" Juniper raised a blue eyebrow.

"I only save that for quidditch," he bared a toothy grin. 

Juniper swiftly caught up with Charlie's five-second head start. The chilly spring blew blue strands in her face as she tried to pull them back. Andre laughed, "It's been nice knowing you both, " as he pulled up ahead of them. 

Juniper and Charlie knew that a comet was better than any cleansweep models. They shared a look of comradery to beat Andre. 

"Let's distract him a little," Juniper yelled over the sound of the wind. Charlie nodded with a grin, "I take right, you take left?" 

They split off on opposite ends and circled round the towers to pass each other by infront of Andre. He screeched to halt on his broom with a flabbergasted look.

"That's not fair!" 

"Sorry, Andre, but as Charlie so well put it, good sportsmanship is saved for quidditch." Juniper pulled off a cheeky grin. She took this chance to race to the astronomy tower. The boys followed suit, and the three raced to touch the tower's roof. It was a close tie between the three of them.

"I think it's fair to say I won," Andre said.

"No, actually my hand touched the tower before, a second before you," Juniper argued to wipe off Andre's smug look.

"Or we could call it a three-way tie?" Charlie suggested. Though, that didn't settle quite right among them. 

"How about another race to the training ground," Juniper suggested. Charlie and Andre shrugged in agreement. 

"Last one to the training ground is the loser," Andre said before he quickly set off. 

Their evening continued like this, back and forth. Once the sun was setting, they retired their flying and headed inside to grab their dinner. Flying made her feel better and allowed her to think clearly. She had to accept that she might have lost a friend in Skye. It might take a while to repair the trust that Juniper has ruined. On the bright side, she did gain a new friend in Charlie.

Previous chapter: chapter 19

Next chapter: chapter 21

[usernoneexistent]

Thanks @mizutoyama for the tag. I mean...this is a vibe and I'm here for it.

I tag (no pressure) @hystericalqween and @whatwouldvalerydo

you are going on a blind date that pinterest set up for you, find out who will be the lucky one and how the evening will end 💌

on pinterest search the following topics and post the first pin that will show up in each category

fictional character. date night. gift. outfit. dessert. love quote.

tysm lyssy for the tag this is so pretty!! @bloodstainedsapphic

Npt 🏷️@moonpascal @thatdammchickennugget @obsessedwithceleste @acourtofchaos @leona-hawthorne @gibsluv @ur-local-wizard @riddlesrizzler @dearmisshoney @musingsofahufflepuff

[usernoneexistent]

Thank you and I love your name and understanding the story behind it. Also why did my brain not make the connection chocolate rain?

My name came about when I was setting up my tumblr, I like the idea of kinda like this person is classified/deleted and is roaming the Internet but unknown kinda like a glitch which I know does make my account looking a like a bot at first haha. This stems from my love of crime and spy thrillers especially involving the Internet and needing to solve who this unknown person is.

Tagging @mizutoyama and @lifeofkaze if you guys want to play.

Tag game🎉

Tag your moots and ask them where they got the idea for their tumblr accounts name!

For my name it was a nickname I was giving back in middleschool! One of our teacher had a system where we worked with 'wifi' eachtime we talked in class we lost a bar of the "wifi" (was a weird joke and we never held count on that) All the kids usually joked if they needed 'wifi' , they would borrow mine if they wanted to talk more. (I was incredibly shy in middle school, I only talked to like 3 people at school;^;)

They called me Ms. Wifi because of that. I just thought it would be funny if I put 'miss' instead of 'ms' because of my terrible actual wifi connection I have at home lol.

That's my story! Now moots, only if you guys want to, tell us your story.

Tags-> @slipping-lately @firequeenofficial @noagskryf @twinklstarrrr @halfbakedspuds @polterwasteist @rokushi-san @mygedagtes +anyone that sees this and wants to do this as well

[usernoneexistent]

letterpress postcards by Pottering Cat, Japan

[usernoneexistent]

I know its been a million years but its finally here. With Bill's aid and another friend, Juniper is ready to face the ice vault for a final time as everyone else at Hogwarts tries their best to stop the spreading of the cursed ice.

Warnings: Mild violence, Injuries

Ominous, dark clouds covered the stars. A shadow darkened the clockwork tower. Some cursed ice had afflicted parts of the stone structure, glimmering even in the dark. Even the fountain was frozen as the ice spread to the castle's water system. Earlier today, a student partially froze from the water out of the loo. It shuddered Juniper to think about how nowhere was safe.

Bill looked around her like he was looking for someone. "Why didn't you bring your friends?"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about," Juniper said. "With the cursed ice causing problems at Hogwarts, we can only take one with us. Hogwarts needs all the help they can."

"Any thoughts on who you will be taking along with us?" Bill asked.

"I'm thinking of asking Ben Copper. I know he was trapped in the ice, and I won't force him if he doesn't want to, but he's really good at casting powerful charms." Juniper explained.

She had thought long and hard about who to take. Penny was most willing to help even if it frightened her, but her potions and personable skills meant they were better suited to help out with the hospital wing along with Chiara Lobosca. Rowan was terrified about freezing up again in the ice vault, which Juniper understood, and her talents lay best in organising help she already had been helping. Ben was the best candidate. He had one of the most powerful spell-casting skills, but his one weakness was his fear. 

"I remember Ben. Charlie shares a dorm with him and has talked about him," Bill recalled. "Charlie actually said the same thing, that Ben was one of the most powerful wizards in your year. He just needs some encouragement."

"I'll get him, and then we'll meet at the forbbiden corridor."

"Okay," Juniper was ready to find Ben, but Bill had another thing to say. "Juniper, we better defeat this curse for Hogwarts."

"We will." Juniper confidently said before leaving for the great hall.

She was more confident that they would defeat the forsaken snowflake in some parts. Another part was nervous as everything was riding on her to stop the cursed vault and subsequently stop the cursed ice. The staff needed more time to find the source and stop it themselves.

Juniper quickly found the sullen boy helping out near the hospital wing.

"You know what I'm going to ask."

Ben looked at her with a defeated look.

"You're going to ask me to join you in defeating the cursed vault again, aren't you?"

"Aye, was I a tad obvious?" Juniper tried to joke, but her smile faltered. "Look, you ken I would nae be asking if I was nae important." Her expression turned serious and calm. 

"I know," Ben sighed, his fears barely hidden beneath his words. "But I'm worried I'll get hurt, or you or Bill will get hurt, and I can't do anything to help. I'm too scared." He tried his best attempt to place a brave face but failed. 

"I'm scared too," Juniper admitted. "This entire year, I blamed myself whenever Rowan, you, Bill, or anyone else got hurt. But Bill made me realise that we can be less scared if we are prepared."

"That's why you got us to train."

"Aye. We are all trained to be ready even if we are all scared. So what'd you say and we tackle this vault?"

"Fine." Ben reluctantly agreed. "Only because it's you." The corners of his lips twitched ever so upwards. 

All the staff were far too distracted by the ice to notice the students sneaking down the forbidden corridor on the fifth floor. It's the only good thing that came from this mess. Bill was already waiting for them, all dressed up in winter clothes.

"Hey Juniper. Hey Ben," Bill nodded to the younger Gryffindor.

"Hi Bill," Ben meekly nodded back.

"Are you both ready for this?" Juniper adjusted her scarf. 

"Ready as I'll ever be. I'm excited to be back again.

Ben gazed uncomfortably at Bill, feeling out of place with the adventurous two. Like them, he tried his best to put on a brave face. However, unlike them, his knees looked ready to buckle at any time. 

"We better survive this," Ben said like a prayer. Juniper saw he was mentally praying for their imminent success. 

After climbing up the stairs, they reached the entrance. Juniper could swear that it had gotten colder. The chill was reaching her bones even with the gloves, layers of jumpers, and scarf.

They stood at a safe distance from the snowflake guardian—wands at the ready.

"Everyone, prepare to cast incendio at the door," Juniper warned. She hoped the third time would be the charm.

"Spread out and be ready to dodge when the door blasts it's freezing charm."

"Right," Ben's voice was a little shakey. Juniper put her hand on his shoulder. "You've got this, Ben."

Juniper found her breath slightly shaky. She replayed every good memory of Jacob she had. His wry smile always looked like he was telling an inside joke to only himself. She wondered now if, behind that smile, Jacob had been about the curse vaults all along. They approached carefully closer, unsure how close they needed to be before the snowflake became more aware of their presence. 

“Let’s count to three and we cast the charm together.”

"Incendio!"

Barrages of flames blasted the door. It remained stubborn and immediately spat out ice. Juniper managed to dodge it, rolling on the floor, but it only caused a small tear on her jacket. That can be fixed later.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bill and Ben doing right. A second round of fire hitting the door seemed to be working. A puddle was forming at the bottom as water trickled down.

"Keep on going, we are hitting it where it hurts!" Juniper shouted.

"Let’s get this door!" Bill excitedly said.

Their bombardment finally caused the snowflake to fall off, crashing down to the icy ground and turning into smithereens. Just before it came down, it spit out a few weak, freezing charms. One hit Juniper's side, but it formed a thin ice layer on top of her jumper.

The cold was worse than Juniper had anticipated, but she continued to put on a brave face. She was so close that she felt her stomach twist in knots in anticipation behind that door.

Before Juniper could even get close enough to the door, a loud clanking of metal rattling grew closer. It sounded like footsteps.

"Guys, do you think that door is not to stop us from coming in." Bill's voice squeaked a little

"But rather, it's keeping something away from us," Ben finished, shivering and growing pale.

A gush of ice and metal blew in their faces, new layers of ice forming everywhere, even crawling up their faces. The door was wide open when Juniper looked up from the arm protecting her face. A rustic smell filled the air. A knight covered in patches of ice held a lance.

"I don't think he's on our side." Bill said, eyes wide.

"Who knows, he could be a friend?" Juniper said, unconvinced. Deep down, she knew Bill was probably right, but her only option was to remain calm. The piece of metal couldn’t be any worse than the snowflake. 

"Ben, you alright?" Juniper noticed the silence of the other Gryffindor.

"I think I'm frozen," Ben said. She quickly glanced down to double-check that he wasn't frozen.

"I think that might be your fear actually," Juniper replied.

"Guys!" Bill warned, but the ice knight whipped his lance. The older boy shoved Juniper aside, causing her to stumble into Ben.

Like last time, Bill froze in a block of ice. This time, the ice was sharper, making the freezing more vicious. His wrist was frozen in place, holding his wand. He tried wriggling it around, but any rotation was impossible. All around him were daggers, making it impossible for anyone to get close to him without drawing any blood themselves. 

"Bill! I'll get you out of there as soon as I can." Juniper scrambled up immediately, casting another fire-making spell. The knight immediately deflected her spell. Ben ducked far enough for the tiny stay hairs to be singed off. 

"Fire doesn’t work on him!” Bill quickly yelled to Ben. Quickly thinking, Ben cast Flipendo. The bright yellow light pushed back the knight only. Juniper felt her fingers grip more tightly around her wand. Any more, and it would likely snap in her hand. Juniper yelled another charm, depulso, similar to Ben’s, but hopeful the difference between knockback and banishing would make a world of difference. Juniper watched as the white light dispelled from the tip of her wand to hit the chest plate. The knight stumbled back. 

The spell did nothing to stop him. 

Internal panic started to kick in. What spell could stop these monstrous parts of metal? Perhaps Bill was right. Perhaps the snowflake was protecting them all along from the true enemy of this vault. Each heavy thud grew louder as Juniper and Ben cast every random spell they could easily say aloud. 

The lance was held up, ready for another attack. It was coming. Juniper instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the ice cast. When she lifted her head. Ben was not so fortunate. That viscous ice covered the whole lower half of his body. 

Instead, he approached closer, slowly with heavy this when taking each step before hitting Ben with a freezing charm, too. Delete this later.

"Juniper, deal with the knight first and then free us," Bill said again. Ben agreed.

It weighed heavy on her. This all rested on her shoulders now. Ending the curse. If Juniper doesn’t finish what she said she would accomplish, she will be a failure. A failure to Hogwarts. A failure to her friends and, importantly, a failure to Jacob. Every spell she would make had to work and calculated. Fire and knockback spells are ineffective. 

Juniper cast another spell, but the knight spun his lance to form a protective shield. Juniper threw out another, which the knight dodged. 

She made a glance around her surroundings. The ice knight stopped spinning his lance and held it, ready to whip out ice. An idea quickly formed in her mind. It was silly, but it might work in this situation. 

"Juniper, he's going to do it again." Bill warned, his voice higher than normal. 

"Tarantallegra!"

Juniper dodged the ice, a small graze against her arm. She winced, dropping her wand. Before she could react, her wand started rolling away under one of Ben's spikes. Even if she fell to the floor and crawled close enough to reach for it, she would likely lose an eye. 

The knight’s feet stopped before it started to move in what could be described as dancing. It was stiff and forced. The ground shook with every jump the knight took, and a loud metallic clang echoed. While now distracted, which was better than getting attacked, the spell could only last so long. 

“What do I do now?” Juniper said in a low voice. 

"Don’t worry, Juniper,” Ben assured from behind. For the first time, there was a bold look in his eyes. “I’ve got it. Expelliarmus!” 

A red glow spread to the knight’s hand. The lance forced out and fell, gliding down the stairs. This was her chance. Juniper rushed up and grabbed the lance. It was the heaviest thing she had ever carried. She never knew how grateful she was for all those degnoming the pitch sessions, and some determination helped lift the heavy weapon. Her once puny arms carried the weapon as she ran with all her might and rammed the lance in the gap in the neck. Whatever magic held, the knight stopped. Bringing the ice knight down to its knees before the different parts of the metal armour banged against the floor, leaving a heap of armour parts.

"G-g-good God..." Ben said, chattering through his teeth.

"Blimey, Juniper. That was bloody brilliant." Bill said, stunned. A wide grin grew on his face. 

Juniper only now realised how out of breath she was. Yet every part of her body was tingling, like the immediate aftermath of a sharp, freezing sensation of exhilaration. She had just defeated the ice knight. 

The ice started quickly melting away, the cold leaving along with it until there were only puddles of water scattered around the floor. Bill was freed first, forcing his way out before removing his coat and wringing the water out. Ben waited for the water to melt off of him completely. 

"Ben, here," Juniper said as she finally got out of her head to help Ben out of the ice. He was shivering nonstop, and the ice melted away, leaving his trousers soaked with cold water, so Juniper took off her jacket and wrapped it around him. Ben was far too weak to swat her away. The Ravenclaw held his hand between hers, keeping it warm for him.

"Are you alright, Ben?" Bill came over to check on the second year.

"Yes, thanks to Juniper." Ben mumbled, his face flushed as he pulled back his hands. At least his fingers were no longer blue. "Thankfully, the knight is now just a heap of metal."

"Or it could magically come together." Juniper dryly mentioned.

"Don't say things like that, Juniper," Bill said, his smile faltering slightly as a flicker of concern crossed his face. 

"Then we better get inside the vault before it does," Ben added, his voice still edged with anxiety, though there was a steadiness now that hadn’t been there before. He swallowed nervously, his shoulder squared with a conviction he hadn’t had before. Juniper had pride swell up inside him. 

"Then let's hurry," Bill said, but Juniper was ahead. She ran inside, almost slipping on the remaining wet ice on the stairs through the white fog.

A musky aroma filled the vault, dimly lit by the golden glow in the middle. Ben and Bill followed inside as they looked around the vault. Statues of knights stood up high like they were watching the intruders inside.

"This is amazing," Bill said in awe, his blue eyes wide with amazement. Even Ben looked impressed and surprisingly calm, even though he was inside a cursed vault.

Juniper was a moth drawn to the light. A small voice inside her head telling her to touch it.

"Let's see what's inside."

"Is it safe?" Ben asked, worried.

"We'll see."

Her fingertips pressed lightly against the warm, erect, glowing column. Instinctively, she pulled it back once she heard a click and moved back. The column split apart, opening up like a Russian egg. Inside, a dark, snapped wand and a frayed leather notebook floated in a golden light.

"Just a broken wand and a notebook? I thought we would find a treasure." Bill tried not to sound too disappointed.

"Treasure or not, this has to be clues to finding my brother." Juniper reached out to grab the items. Her fingers ran across the wooden grains until, at the handle, she felt a small nick. The same one when Jacob almost chopped his wand while helping their mother with cooking. 

In a warm embrace, her vision turned to a golden light. This was unlike the dark and foggy blackouts she had experienced in the dingy storage room. Fresh pine from home hit her as she opened her eyes to find herself alone in the forest they had grown up in. A black sky above her, hollow without the stars and the moon.  

"Find the other vaults, Pip...find my room..." the voice said in a thick Scottish accent. It was her brother calling her again. This time, he called her Pip, his little nickname for her.

But what does he mean by his room? The attic? Does he mean his dorm room? 

“Jacob?” Juniper managed to call out. “Where are you?”

"You can't let her get there first! Hurry!" He warned, ignoring her call. 

Suddenly, she was pulled away from her forest and stared at Bill's sky-blue eyes, his red eyebrows knitted with worry. Her name, being called out frantically, was getting louder. 

" Juniper! Thank goodness, you're awake." Bill's voice strained a little. "You gave me and Ben almost a heart attack."

"I think I actually had one," Ben muttered. His hands gripped his chest. "You sort of blanked out, and then your eyes rolled back in a terrifying way before you fainted."

"You muttering about something too. You kept saying Jacob’s name. What happened?" Bill inquired as he helped her get up.

"I heard my brother's voice to find the other vaults and his room." Juniper was a little groggy but managed to focus. "He also said to make sure not to her get there first."

"It totally doesn't sound ominous at all," Bill said. "Let's get out of here and continue our discussion later. Besides, I want to be away from this cold."

"Agreed." Juniper was ready to leave with Bill, but Ben was standing still. His face looked serious, but there was no sign of worry or fear, which was unusual for him.

"You two should go," Ben said. "I'll cast the obliterate charm to cover our tracks and reparifarge to hide the stairs."

"Sounds like you know a thing or two about hiding evidence." Bill raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Juniper, too, felt it was too eerie for Ben. Something had been off since his recovery, but she couldn't place her finger on it. He was always the kind and nervous Ben she had known from the first year, but simultaneously, he was different. Perhaps staying on the cursed ice for a whole semester might make someone more cautious. 

Juniper looked at the knight closest to the exit as they were about to leave. There was a carving that caught her eye. “Wait, guys!” 

"Is something wrong?" Bill asked patiently, waiting for her.

“Look at this.” Juniper pointed to the crest on the knight statue’s shield. A lock with an eye in the hole.

“There’s another one here.” Bill looked to the next knight next to the first one. The crest on the shield is a completely different design, a dark fetterlock with a lighter droplet in the centre of the square. Juniper scrambled to find some parchment in her pockets but only found a pen. Luckily, Bill had spare parchment in his pockets as she doodled all eight crests down. Ben was starting to get more antsy, but Juniper had her focus on these symbols. 

“Okay, you guys go.” Ben was practically shoving them out of the vault. While Juniper didn’t want to argue, something was unsettling about his behaviour. Last year, Ben would have never suggested destroying evidence. He would have bolted out of the vault any chance he could get. Yet Juniper could excuse it away as Ben’s courage has grown over the past year. It was the nicer version in her mind. 

They head for the West corridors, where they depart, agreeing to rendezvous tomorrow. Juniper snuck through, praying that Chester and Heather were busy with cursed ice, which should be disappearing. Theoretically, at least everywhere she was walking, the ice was disappearing into puddles. 

"Coming back from another late night excursion, Moss?"

The fire highlighted the silhouette of the Ravenclaw prefect. Juniper froze on the spot. Had she not just defeated the ice curse half an hour ago, she would have blamed the cursed ice. 

"Chester! What are you doing up so late?"

"Waiting for the person who stopped the cursed ice." She noticed the hot chocolate in his hand.

"So the ice has finally stopped spreading? Am I in trouble?" Juniper was relieved. Her lungs had room to breathe properly again.

"Yes and no."

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it until tomorrow. Get some sleep, you're going to need when the Professors will already have realised it was and your friends."

Chester let her sip on her warm mug of hot chocolate and left as she entered her room; Rowan, Tulip and Badeea were up and waiting with snacks.

"Congratulations on curse breaking your first vault," Tulip bared a wide grin. "I would have gotten us some pumpkin juice to celebrate, but the kitchen froze up just before you broke the curse."

Juniper glanced at Badeea to make sure she was comfortable, but she remained visibly neutral.

"It wasn't just me who helped break the curse," Juniper explained. If it weren't for Ben, she wouldn’t have known what she had done next. She removed all the winter gear and dressed into her cosy pyjamas.

"So what happened?" Rowan inquired. "Was it the same? Did you find something? What was inside the vault? How did it smell like?"

Juniper told the girls what exactly happened, including her fight against the ice knight and how she pierced the armour with his lance, but Heather, their prefect, told them to be quiet before she could even finish. She finished the story once the footsteps were far away enough and whispered the rest.

They managed to settle down one or another, but Juniper couldn't help but cocoon herself in her duvet as she felt chills go through her body. All the events replayed in her mind, especially Jacob's voice.

When Juniper woke up and dressed for breakfast, Chester pulled her aside and told her to go to Professor Dumbledore's office.

She was in trouble, so much for hiding evidence and wanting to explain the rest of what happened.

Outside the office, a tabby cat had circles around its eyes. Juniper gulped as she immediately recognised the transfiguration professor. The cat turned into the tall figure of Professor McGonagall. 

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Juniper felt her heart racing. "Are you here to see me?"

"Yes, this is not the first apperance of cursed ice at Hogwarts, Miss Moss." The professor remarked. "This is also not the first time it has suddenly disappeared."

"So it's completely gone from Hogwarts?" Juniper had a quiet sigh of relief.

"Like the previous instance, it seems to have appeared when someone tampered with a cursed vault and disappeared when the door opened," Professor McGonagall answered. Her lip stiffened. "I'm sure you can guess who was responsible for opening the door the last time. We don't yet understand how the vaults reappeared, or who first tampered it this time."

"So you don't know much either?" Juniper inquired, as it seemed the staff were just as in the dark as she was.

"Truth be told, there is still so much we don't understand about the cursed vaults."

The professor noticed the young Ravenclaw's frightened state. At this point, her heart pounded as Professor McGonagall's stare went right through her.

"I won't bother asking if you're responsible," Professor McGonagall stated.

Juniper found herself shifting her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Miss Moss, both you and I know that your the only student who has shown the interests, recklessness and talent to do such a thing."

It was pointless lying to the head of Gryffindor and Transfiguration professor. Juniper's heart was ready to burst from the anticipation.

"Fortunately for you, we have not been able to discover any evidence of your direct involvement, so I will not take any house points from Ravenclaw." Juniper accidentally breathed an audible sigh of relief, but her worries were still gone. However, Professor McGonagall determined, "You will discuss the matter with Professor Dumbledore immediately. He may not be so forgiving..."

"Thanks, Professor," Juniper politely said. Her mind ran through every possible scenario as Professor McGonagall gave her access to the headmaster's office.

The bronze eagle statue turned, and spiral white stone stairs popped out. Juniper went up the tower. The stairs weren't as much like the ones in the Ravenclaw tower, but she felt more out of breath.

Inside, the office was enormous and dark yet not gloomy. It was more like an office belonging to an eccentric wizard with eclectic items. Up the stairs, the headmaster was occupied by writing at his desk. Sitting next to him was a handsome red bird—Regal yet bold, with its feathers shimmering gold in the light.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

He didn't respond; his eyebrows furrowed inwards, and he mumbled. Juniper approached at the foot of the stairs.

"Professor?"

"I will be with in a moment, Juniper." The headmaster finally looked up at her. "I'm sure you can understand why I have pressing matters to address but feel free to look around."

Juniper did so, looking curiously at the paintings of the previous headmasters. She made eye contact with one of them. Sneary eyes, black hair, and his clothes indicate somewhere in the last century.

"Another Moss?" She heard him say.

"Got a problem with that?" Juniper turned to face him.

"I'm just surprised that your family managed to live this long, considering the Mosses curse of misfortune," he said snarkily.

"I would rather call a series of bad luck than misfortune," Juniper countered. She saw that term slapped across the front page. Everyone said they were cursed; even her mum would mutter it when she was dazed.

Beneath the portrait read Phineas Nigellus Black. Phineas snorted, "yet how curious that it has lasted for centuries. A Moss is never destined for a long and easy life."

Juniper walked away, glaring at him, "I'll show you."

Professor Dumbledore finally put down his quill and looked at the girl curiously. The glint in his blue eyes was still there.

"I take it you had an interesting conversation with Phineas Black?" He mused.

"Nothing I haven't heard before." Juniper huffed before taking a seat in front of him. "Professor McGonagall said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, it seems you have discovered the source of the mysterious cursed ice," Professor Dumbledore said. "You revealed a vanished staircase, explored long-forgotten corridors of this school...and broke an ancient curse on a vault that many refused to believe existed despite overwhelming evidence."

"I'm sorry that I entered even though you expressly said not to," the Ravenclaw said. But I saw the cursed ice and my brother's voice."

The headmaster showed no surprise or emotion, so she couldn't tell if he was angry.

"Visions like the one you have described are very rare indeed. You might ask yourself whether what you perceived is something else entirely." Professor Dumbledore's face stiffened ever so slightly. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Juniper didn't like this. She knew what she saw and heard and didn't like someone questioning her reality.

"Who created the cursed vaults? And why?" She asked instead. The headmaster was always someone Juniper had seen as the most knowledgeable of all people, someone who had the time to learn every part of the castle and its students carefully. Surely, he must know if her family was involved in some way. 

"There are many theories. Some say they were crafted by one of the founders; others say a paranoid headmaster built them," Professor Dumbledore vaguely said that most speculation is too dangerous and implausible to indulge until we know the truth. I've been attempting to locate someone who may have the answers."

She sank into the chair, slightly disappointed. His answers remained vague as usual. Juniper will have to look out for this new person. If they dared to tamper with anything, she would have to ensure they didn't get there first.

Dumbledore gave a small, warm smile. "I'm awarding you fifty house points for your heroism in breaking the curse, and once again ridding Hogwarts of the cursed ice."

Juniper was surprised as she had expected a punishment. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank me by leaving the search for your brother and the remaining cursed vaults to me. Enjoy this precious time with your friends." His smile faded and remained that way.

"Of course, sir."

"Now focus and enjoy your classes. I don't want you missing your studies."

"Thank you again, sir."

Juniper left, relieved to know she wasn't in severe trouble. However, she knew she wouldn't stop searching for Jacob now that she was faced with the new mystery of her family's ties to the cursed vaults.

Previous chapter: chapter 18

Next chapter: chapter 20

[usernoneexistent]

Thanks to @leaping-toadstool-caps for hosting this amazing event!

When Winona heard about the yule ball she knew she would be attending even if that meant sneaking in. She knew her older and uptight brother, Glenn would be attending to his Prefect duties there so Winona did as she could by putting a dress newly gifted to her by her great aunt and casting colovera to change her plain brown hair into a bright blonde. While many had to take double glances at her, Winona managed to escape Glenn's attention instead having fun with her friends, Astraea Morgan and Io Gordon as they danced together though Winona's gaze lingered often longer at Io and Astraea's watchful eye picking up on it but is keeping her mouth shut for now.

Astraea belongs to @mizutoyama and Io belongs to @drinkyoursoupbitch

[usernoneexistent]

Belle could compare to Astraea's dress. It is so freaking gorgeous!

The Belle of the Ball

Dress | Boots | Necklace | Earrings | Bracelet | Hair comb | Gloves | Fan

My HPHL OC Astraea Morgen will wear this at the 1892 Winter Yule Ball, which she's attending with her bestie Io Gordon (OC of the ever-so-talented @drinkyoursoupbitch ). This is for the event organized by @leaping-toadstool-caps

Astraea will wear this breathtaking evening gown that embodies the romantic opulence of the Victorian era. The dress features a stunning combination of golden silk and delicate lace overlay adorned with intricate floral embroidery in soft pink hues. The bodice is masterfully structured with a tight-fitting corseted waist, complemented by ethereal cap sleeves trimmed with exquisite cream-coloured lace.

The skirt is a masterpiece of Victorian design, cascading in elegant golden folds with an elegant bustle and train. The overlay of sheer, embroidered lace creates a dreamy, dimensional effect with its delicate patterns. The dress is accessorized perfectly with period-appropriate golden boots, an ornate decorative fan, and stunning jewelry, including a golden pendant with pink stones, floral diamond earrings, and an elegant hair comb that would have sparkled magnificently in the ballroom lights.

[usernoneexistent]

I love the girlies together! Likely gossiping about other people's dates and how clueless Glenn is for not noticing his sister sneaking in during his prefect duties despite constantly looking over at Io to make sure she was on her best behaviour.

I've been cursed to lose my digital pen, so until I find the damn thing, doodles shall have to suffice. For @leaping-toadstool-caps fantastic event!

What do you suppose they're gossiping about?

Astrea and Io are attending the ball together because Merlin preserve us if the whole school found out about their respective secret courtships.

Winona is looking particularly stunning in that shade of blonde. Hopefully, her brother doesn't find her out before the night is over. Honestly, Glenn would volunteer for prefect duty on the night of a ball.

Winona belongs to @usernoneexistent and Astrea belongs to @mizutoyama

[usernoneexistent]

Winona is gladly sneaking in, theres no way Glenn will let her in. She decided to give a hand to making a polyjuice potion and took the hair of a older student stuck but her practise run showed maybe she shouldn't. So she gets to the next best thing, using colovera for a hair change and some makeup so she can dress up pretty.

She will be very nosy about who are Io and Astraea's dates are, especially Io as she wrangles her unrequited feelings for her but decides she just wants to have fun and maybe get some scoop for the Hogwarts Herald. Also avoiding Glenn as he is on Prefect duty to make sure no sneakers come in and everyone is on best behaviour.

HOW TO ENTER (just in case my invite isn't clear enough)

step 1- reblog!

step 2- comment which your MC's name and partner! If they are attending with an NPC, they can bring one who has already been mentioned by another person, it doesn't have to be a new one! If they are attending with another user's MC, tag that user! If they are attending with an OC, please mention their name!

e.g. [MC name] will be attending with [npc name/oc name/ @.......]

step 3- create your outfit! this is completely up for interpretation, you can draw, mod, edit, anything you'd like to do! You're all so talented in this fandom, i know you'll be able to make something awesome! Enter this outfit either via a new post, using the tag and tagging me (@leaping-toadstool-caps), or reblog this one! Everyone will get some form of fanart in return, and my I will crown a the monarch and their partner at the end (deadline is the 30th of December, please note king and queen here are used as gender neutral terms!)

step 4- HAVE FUN! This is completely relaxed, there is no pressure to enter, and above all, have fun! Maybe your MC will make some new friends too!

(hcu taglist: @accio-bagel @theladyofshalott1989 @espressoristretto-patronum @acslytherpuff @ps-cactus @sallowstallgirl @girl-named-matty @savingsallow @ravenwind-75 )

[usernoneexistent]

Fancy a sunset walk in the Forbidden Forest? You're safe with a certified magizoologist

[usernoneexistent]

Book Bill, Charlie, and Percy reacting to their movie selves.,

Book Bill: I think you would have no idea who I am? I mean I have a few scenes in the 7th movie. And I just get a wedding but you don’t feel anything because I’m not really there

Book Percy: I mean, my character arc is fucked. Like I just show up randomly with umbridge and have a few lines in the first few movies

Book Charlie: AT LEAST YOU GUYS ARE THERE???

[usernoneexistent]

sleepy toothless

[usernoneexistent]