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Jacob's sibling: "Who created the Cursed Vaults? And why?"
Albus Dumbledore: "There are many theories. Some say they were crafted by one of the Founders, others say they were built by a paranoid Headmaster… As far as why, most of the speculation is too dangerous and implausible to indulge until we know the truth."
Jacob's sibling talks to Albus Dumbledore about the Cursed Vaults[src]

The Cursed Vaults were five vaults at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that contained treasures such as gold, prophecies and various other powerful magical artifacts. Every vault was shielded by a different curse placed on it. Their origin is uncertain, and it is possible that they dated back to before the founding of the school. Before Jacob proving that they truly existed, most believed them to be just a legend.

History

The origins of the vaults have been forgotten, although many theories have been circulated over the centuries. According to Albus Dumbledore, (who might have been intentionally vague to discourage Jacob's sibling from getting further involved with the vaults), stated that theories would have it that they were created by the Hogwarts founders themselves or a Headmaster who suffered from paranoia. The house ghost of Gryffindor HouseSir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, however, later explained to the same student that since Hogwarts Castle was always meant to be a safe place, the school came to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding and protecting that which were dangerous from falling into the wrong hands, and carrying the burden of the job remarkably well despite the fact that subsequent heads of the school and members of the faculty came to recognise how it to some extent compromised the security of the castle. 

The knighted ghost believed that while there was a general consensus among those who believed that the Cursed Vaults were real that they were most likely originally made to protect something dangerous by people wanting to take advantage of the school's ever-changing floorplan to make their locations more difficult to find, it was also possible that the vaults were created around something dangerous that could not be moved. Over the centuries, numerous individuals had been overheard discussing the Vaults by Sir Nicholas throughout his time as a spectral resident at the castle. Among them were the Professors Fortinbras and Bartholomew, who were involved in the creation of a 'circle of trust' consisting of a group of teachers and students who all worked together researching the vaults with the intent of putting an end the threat they posed to the safety of the school. Ultimately unsuccessful, both of the aforementioned teachers left behind the fruits of their work for those who came after, hoping that they might succeed where they failed and solve the mystery.

During her school career, Patricia Rakepick did research into the existence and reportedly tried to warn her teachers of the existence of the Cursed Vaults, to no avail.

At some point during his magical education, a student named Jacob went looking for those vaults, endangering the whole school in the process, for which he was expelled.

The vaults may have a connection to cursed ice found in the school. During the 1984–1985 school year, the ice that had been securely contained within a locked room in the fifth floor of the castle, which once nearly spread throughout the school, broke free from the room and began to not only spread once more, but also turned out to have become impervious to the Knockback Jinx, which previously had been sufficient to shatter it. Minerva McGonagall believed this was because someone tampered with the vaults.

Vault of Ice

Main article: Vault of Ice
VaultOpening

Jacob's sibling, Penny Haywood and Bill Weasley open the vault

One of the vaults was located at the end of the Vanished Stairs hidden by a wall on the fifth floor. The magical door was covered in ice, and attacked those who touched it or tried to use the Fire-Making Spell on it. After Jacob's sibling, Bill Weasley, and a friend made their way into the vault using the Fire-Making Spell and defeated the Ice Knight, they found a broken wand and a book inside.[1]

Jacob's sibling heard a warning from their brother which was spoken through the vaults, which the other two could not hear, telling them not to let "her" find the other four vaults. The book only contained drawings and scribblings.[1]

Vault of Fear

Main article: Vault of Fear

Another one of the vaults, the Vault of Fear, was found by Jacob's Sibling and their friends in the 1986–1987 school year.[2]

Vaults and locations

Behind the scenes

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 2, Chapter 10 (The Vault of Ice)
  2. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Chapter 9 (The Vault of Fear)
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