Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Year 5

Chapter 2

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.
One of the school barn owls fluttered over to Dani and dropped a letter on her lap. She eagerly ripped it open, thinking that Rakepick was telling her about their first session-only to find nothing but information about information about having to serve detention in the kitchens with the Hogwarts house-elves.

"Put that away, Dani," advised Bill. "Detention is just a bump in the road. We need to focus on R."

"And the fact that one of our members is dying this year," snapped Merula.

"Even more of a reason to get serious," said Bill.

"Yeah, I know," said Dani, hastily stuffing the letter into her pocket. "So what have we found out about the next vault? We have a-"

"DANI!"

Penny nearly crashed right into the Gryffindor table. "It's Bea-she's disappeared!"

"She'll turn up," said Merula and she took another big bite into her toast.

"But I'm worried she's been cursed! Remember what happened to Ben in our second year? Or Tulip last year?!"

Dani sighed. "About time, actually. Alright, we'll help look."
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While most of the other students were in Hogesmeade and Bill and Penny were frantically running around the school, Dani and Merula snuck into the forbidden forest, thinking that there might be clues they'd missed in the last vault.

Deciding to first check out the red cap hole, it seemed just as Dani saw last year-except that there were no more red caps waiting to bash their heads.

"Ugh! Get off me, stupid rat!"

Dani turned around and saw an old rat scurrying on Merula's shoes. She recognized it at once-it was Scabbers, Percy's pet rat.

"Hey, we're taking you back to Percy, all right? He'd be worried."

Scabbers looked up and Dani, then ran off. ("Good boy!" Merula shouted behind him.)

"Nothing?" asked Dani.

"Let's get out of here," Merula pushed her way out.

They went to the acromantulas' lair, where they saw the same acromantula guarding the entrance. "You again?"

"Have you seen another Hogwarts student around here recently?"

"If I had I would've eaten them-and that's what's about to happen to the two of YOU."

"Well, unless you give us a straight answer, I'll remove your legs with the severing charm before bashing your eyes in them," Merula threatened it.

"I'd like to see you try," the acromantula teased.

Dani pulled out her wand. "ARANIA-"

"Don't hurt me, I'm just another ol' spider here!" the acromantula pleaded quickly. "Fine! I haven't seen no Hogwarts students so GET THE F*CK OUT OF MY LAIR!"
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After two days of searching to no avail, after class on Monday, Dani found Penny in the Potions classroom.

"What are you up to, Penny?"

"I'm making a potion, duh."

"For what?"

Penny sighed. "If it works, this potion can help me locate Bea."

Dani sat down next to her. "I-"

"Penny, I've been looking for you!" Merula barged into the classroom. "Rakepick's found your sister!"
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Merula rushed Dani and Penny over to grand staircase, where Rakepick was waiting with Bill next to a painting of a barren wasteland-and Beatrice, hammering on the canvas, desperately trying to get out.

Dani couldn't help but stare in awe for a moment. "Penny..."

Penny burst into tears. "How can I get her back! Open the next vault?!"

"It'd seem so," said Rakepick.

"Remember how we found a portrait in the last vault, Dani? That must've been a clue!" exclaimed Bill in shock.

"But what does it mean?" asked Dani.

As it turned out, there were a lot more to the Hogwarts portraits than the students could ever imagine...