Barnaby Lee x Reader - Year 6

The Black Lake

The next morning, Dumbledore held an announcement in the Great Hall. He explained that every student was to stay close to the castle in order to be safe from the escaped wizard and the statue curse. Lana was annoyed, as she couldn't continue searching for Rakepick or the next vault as openly anymore, but she was still determined.

She'd just finished a lesson with Bill and her other classmates, learning the sea-urchin jinx.

"Lana, Merula, Ben, and Charlie, do you mind staying behind?" Bill asked once the lesson was over, "It's about the cursed vaults."

"Sure." Lana smiled.

"Make it quick." Merula added.

"If it's about the cursed vaults, then I'll join you. I want to do whatever I can to help." Rowan piped up.

"Me too!" Barnaby added.

"It's probably best if we keep this between those of us who went to the buried vault, for your safety." Bill said.

"I understand." Barnaby sighed.

"Alright, I'll see you all later." Rowan said.

Barnaby gave Lana a quick hug before walking out of the classroom with Rowan, when the door was heard shutting, Bill continued.

"Anyway, now I can tell you that self-defence isn't the only reason why I picked the sea-urchin jinx today. My mind lately has been on the sea, specifically the merperson trident we found in the buried vault. I'm even more sure than I was when we found it that it's a clue that the final cursed vault is underwater."

"You're not the only one dwelling on the trident." Lana said, "When I was eavesdropping on Pince and Binns, I learned that Rakepick was interested in the history of merpeople."

"And you're now just telling us this? Typical Riviera." Merula scoffed.

"Knock it off Merula! Or—" Ben hissed.

"Stop it! Fighting isn't gonna help us break this statue curse and save Hogwarts." Charlie interrupted.

"Now more than ever we need to focus on finding the final vault. Charlie told me about Dumbledore's new rule requiring students to stay close to the castle." Bill said, nodding over at his brother, "Why don't you turn this 'setback' into an opportunity to research the exact location of the vault?"

"Only if I don't have to do it with you lot." Merula said.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea, Merula. Splitting up would allow us to cover more ground."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see what I can dig up at the library." Lana said.

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After researching possible locations of the last vault in the library, Lana was lead to the Black Lake. The Black Lake is home to a colony of merpeople, and Lana thought that the behaviour of the grindylows could have also been a clue. After saying goodbye to Cedric in the library, Beatrice came up to her from her hiding place and demanded to go with Lana to the lake.

Lana met Beatrice at the lakeshore and approached her looking out over the water.

"This is it! We made it." Lana grinned.

"Sneaking out of the castle was such a rush!" Beatrice added excitedly, "Like we're gonna let some old people tell us where we can and can't go, right Lana?"

"I'm not breaking Dumbledore's rule for the sake of rebelling, Beatrice." Lana told the younger girl.

"I know, I know. You're looking for clues that the cursed vault is nearby. And it 'could be dangerous', blah, blah, blah. You don't have to be such a spoilsport." Beatrice rolled her eyes, "Speaking of which, are you gonna tell Penny I snuck out here with you?"