“Jacob please! Don’t make me do this!” William waved his wand to bring up the shield charm. He looked at his little brother, his eyes desperate for some way to stop him from attacking.
Jacob was twitching, muttering under his breath. “need to stop the ice.. n-need to stop the knight… Need to stop the ice…..” He waved his stolen wand, sending another stupefy at William.
The spell bounced off the shield charm, going off and breaking a tree limb off the tree and crashing it to the ground.
William swore softly. He had to knock Jacob out somehow…! Then he could get him to Saint Mungos and they’d be able to help him…
Jacob was about to run off again.
“Merlins beard- Jacob wait!” William called after him, he couldn’t let him leave. It was only luck he found him here in the first place..!
Jacob froze and didn’t move. William cautiously went to up him, “Jacob..?” He put a hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “What in the world??” He noted it was like Jacob was asleep, but he didn’t do anything, so how-?
“Young Jacob is under a bewitched sleep. My doing.” Dumbledore’s voice made William jump and look around for his old headmaster.
“A-ah professor? How..? Why?” William couldn’t work his words, so he just shut his mouth before looking helplessly at Jacob. “I.. I can’t help him… Professor, you were one of the last to see Jacob before he disappeared… Do you know what happened??”
“It is the vaults. They have done this before, but never to this extent.” Dumbledore said with a sad sigh as he looked at Jacob. “Your little brother, however, hasn’t been charmed like others in the past have… He wants to shut them.”
“So… They’re real?” William said, looking at Dumbledore, who looked him in the eyes behind those half-moon spectacles and nodded.
“They are. We have never really figured out how to close them for good. Even when I was still a student they had opened. All we have done at Hogwarts is… Put a band-aid on them, so to speak. But I do believe there is a way to shut them for good, and I believe that your brother may be the key to doing so.”
“But… what can we do? It’s like he’s not even the same person anymore..” William said, his voice softer.
Dumbledore gave a gentle smile, putting his hand on William’s shoulder. “I will take care of that, William. Your little brother will be safe, do not worry… Go back to Alastor and continue your training. Tell him I will be in contact.” And Dumbledore then turned and put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder and a small ‘pop!’, and they were gone.
William stared at the place they had been just seconds before and ran a hand down his face. He did need to get back to Moody before the other sent someone after him with the thought that he was captured or something. Turning on the spot he apparated out of the forest.







