The Chaser's Heart

Year 3: The Vault of Fear

'C'mon, hurry!' Tulip grabbed my upper arm so hard she practically wrenched it out of it's socket the moment I emerged from the changerooms.

'Hang on, we've got time,' I told her, trying to pry her hand off of me.

The Quidditch Cup had been presented, the stands were mostly clear of students, teachers and visitors. The rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had already gone ahead, with the Cup, to celebrate in the common room. I'd waved them all off, and promised that I would be along quickly. We did have time. But not much. I was the youngest and newest member of the team, I wasn't sure how long my presence would be missed.

'I suppose I'll still help you,' Barnaby sighed. 'Seeing as how you beat my house. You did win, right?'

'Um... yes,' I told him as we began walking briskly back up to the castle.

'The massive trophy is a bit of a giveaway, isn't it?' Tulip rolled her eyes.

'C'mon, let's not argue,' I groaned.

I'd changed out of my royal blue Quidditch robes and into my black training tights and a navy hoodie. Even if we did run into Madam Pince, what I was wearing couldn't explicitly come across as suspicious. Term was over, there was no need for robes anymore. I'd also packed a small rucksack with things we may need, like my wand, which was now tucked safely inside my hoodie, Jacob's notebook, Jacob's broken wand and some snacks because I wanted Barnaby to be in top form. He could be unpredictable.

Rowan was with us as well. She'd been the first to volunteer and she would be the most useful in distracting Madam Pince should we encounter her. I'd also known her the longest of our strange little group, I trusted her the most.

The corridors were essentially deserted, I could hear the distant sounds of celebration coming from the Grand Staircase. There were a few students getting an early lunch in the Great Hall, but none paid us any attention and I hoped no one would recognize me out of Quidditch robes. Though, I supposed I'd been infamous for breaking into the Cursed Vaults before I was known as a Quidditch player. People probably thought I'd be more likely to be found sneaking around the castle than on on broomstick on the Quidditch Pitch.

We didn't linger. Rowan led the way, she spent far more time in the library than either Barnaby or I. Though I'd spend a fair bit of time in it the last few months, looking for something, anything, that might be a Cursed Vault. But Rowan still knew it better than I did, and I trusted her when she said she'd never seen anything suspicious.

Which left the Restricted Section.

We arrived at the library and Rowan opened the door slowly, poking her head inside.

'She's here,' she stepped back to look at us warily.

'That's fine,' I told her, though my heart had begun to pound. This would be much easier if Madam Pince wasn't nearby.

But, at least we knew where she was and didn't have to worry about her wandering in while we were trying to break into the Vault.

'We planned for this,' I nodded encouragingly.

'Right,' Rowan said slowly.

Then she straightened up and marched into the library. Tulip, Barnaby and I stayed in the corridor, our ears pressed up against the door even though we could hear Rowan speaking as clear as anything.

'Miss Khanna,' Madam Pince's deep voice called out. 'What on earth are you doing here? Hasn't your House just won the Quidditch Cup?'

'I couldn't stop thinking about that book you were talking about on Vanishing Spells,' Rowan said, feigning exasperation. 'I think I might need to take it out for the summer.'