A/N: Of course, I own nothing of Harry Potter…

It really was a nice day for a picnic. A brilliantly bright blue sky, with the occasional fluffy white cloud drifting by. Not too warm, with a gentle breeze that made the leaves in the trees rustle in a relaxing chorus. The Black Lake reflecting the light of the midday sun.

Harry glanced towards Caisteal, the small girl who alleviated the loneliness and kept his madness away. Watching as the wind gently blew through her grey-blonde hair as she stared at him. She was watching him with eyes full of concern and worry. She was here, alive, and a wonderful companion all these years.

Looking up at the premier school of magic, his current home, he began to reflect back.

When he returned for the first time since being a first year student, there wasn't much left. The towering spires that made up the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw dormitories were gone, reduced to rubble spread out on the ground. The astronomy tower was recognizable, but was blown open and the staircase to ascend was demolished. Harry estimated that over 90% of the castle had been completely destroyed.

He spent the first couple of days in the small antechamber just off what used to be the great hall. It was a room that was mostly intact, offering shelter from the elements. After finally getting himself settled, Harry started to explore what was left of the school. There were many places and things he could recognize and several oddities.

Over there was the undamaged gargoyle that sat in front of the headmaster's office. The doors to what used to be the great Hogwarts library were on the ground still closed, intact but slightly charred from fire. The trophy case was still standing, glass intact, displaying all the accomplishments of past students. He even found a ring of sinks from a bathroom still standing, and, to Harry's surprise, functional.

The oddest thing to Harry, was the corridor that was still intact, untouched by the cataclysm that befell the castle. What made it even more strange was that this corridor used to be on the seventh floor. Now it was resting on the ground among the rubble. The only reason Harry knew it was from the seventh floor was the painting on the wall. Every student that went to Hogwarts knew of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, the wizard trying to teach trolls ballet.

He smiled and looked over to Caisteal, it was there where he found her.

He was going mad. He knew he was. He'd been alone for so long. Despite his preference for solitude, humans are still social creatures and need the company of others. He didn't realize he had started doing it, but it started small. He'd walk by and utter a simple, "Hey" to the wizard in the tapestry. A few weeks later, he had named the trolls.

Bob and Steve were the ones doing pirouettes. Oz was fully dressed in a tutu, and appeared to be wearing makeup. Gretta and Irma appeared to be attempting to murder Barnabas while he wasn't looking. Finally, there was Jingo the Mighty, Destroyer of all Things, he was sleeping.

Another month after naming the trolls, he started critiquing their ballet, despite himself not knowing anything about the subject. He'd then start arguing with Barnabas about the proper ways to teach the trolls. He became highly agitated during one of his one-sided debates, as the barmy wizard never listened to his advice.

Pacing past the tapestry, trying to get his point across, gesticulating wildly with his arms:

"Bob and Irma should be doing the lifts. You got them in the background being trees!" Harry paused, looked at the picture, shook his head and walked the other way.

"No, no, no! Oz has the least talent, he should be in the background, not in the foreground for all to see. He can't even do a simple plié, by Merlin!" Stopping, turning around again, and listening to the voices only he could hear.

"See! Even Jingo agrees with me. Thank you Jingo, why don't you take a 10 minute break."

At this point, a plain wooden door appeared in the wall behind Harry. After a lengthy verbal attack, exasperated with his failure, and loss of the argument, he turned around.

"Hey Steve, you seein' this? Was this here before?"

….

"Well of course I'm seeing things, Oz, I'm mad, not blind."

.…

"Your concern is nice, but I doubt there's much danger behind a closed door in a ruined castle."

.…..

"Never saw that movie. You know I never got into horror movies, I prefer a good comedy."

…...

"Hahaha, you're right. All I'm missing is the fedora, and a whip."

…

"Your right, it could be fun to recreate that scene. But I'm not going to risk my life running from a 600 lbs boulder for your amusement. Besides, the largest rock we have is like 50 lbs, and its not even round."

…...

"Eww Greta, thanks. Now I can't get that image out of my head. I mean really, assless chaps? PLEASE, for the love of Merlin, keep your fantasies to yourself."

…

"Stop! Just, stop! I'm done talking. Can I go check behind the creepy door now? Yes? Thank You."

Harry slowly crossed the corridor. Approaching the door, he he ran his hands along the wooden surface. It sure felt real enough. He knocked, hearing the echo that signified a large, empty space behind. That surprised him. He knew that there was nothing behind the wall, just open field with rubble strewn about. Many moments passed before he finally gathered up his courage and opened the door.

The room was large, but not overly massive. It was also dark. Harry wouldn't have been able to see the walls if it wasn't for the faint light of the torches affixed to them. Cautiously, Harry entered. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the dim. In the center of the room was a small figure, sitting on a three legged milking stool. He first thought she was a porcelain doll. Her skin was alabaster, and her gray-blonde hair falling to the middle of her back. She was wearing a charcoal grey colored sundress. He didn't think she could've been more than five, maybe six years old. She didn't seem to move, sitting serenely.

As he approached, her eyes shot open, looking right into his. He stood, shocked at the sight of her irises. They were a kaleidoscope of colors, beautiful in their complexity, no one color more prominent than another, constantly shifting. They were a stark contrast to her grayish hair and dress. Looking into her eyes he could almost feel her gaze upon him, judging him, deep into the depths of his soul.

In his nervousness, he squeaked out, "Hi." Clearing his throat and trying to sound more manly, tried again. "Hello, my dear."

Her answer, in a melodic voice that would become the balm to his madness, simply answered, "Hello, Father."

It was at that point, Harry saw no more. He had fainted.

Harry awoke confused. He was laying in a four-poster bed, with curtains blocking his view past that. He couldn't remember how he got into a bed, or even where there was a bed. He had made the floor of the antechamber as comfortable as he could, but you could only do so much with grasses and leaves. He slowly sat up, trying to gather his thoughts. He eye shot wide once his mind was in order. Tearing open the drapes, he saw the stool, empty.

"Feeling better?" That same melodic voice asked next to his left. Startled, Harry flew off the bed, arms and legs flailing in the air, landing on the stone floor.

"Wha? Wh-how? Wha? Who?" Harry asked eloquently. The girl started giggling at Harry. "Ok, i know i've gone a bit 'round the bend'. But I appear to have completely circled it. I walk through a door that should lead to nowhere, only to find myself in this room, with," his eyes following the girl as she walked around the bed to stand next to him. "You. Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you survive? Where are your parents?"

She offered her hand, and helped pull him off the ground. "Relax, Father. I will answer your questions as best I can." She pulled him over towards the center of the room, her stool no longer there. As they moved, two leather, high back chairs materialized, facing each other. She guided him to the chair on the left and she sat in the chair to the right. "Now that we are settled, I will answer."

"Ok, I guess I'll start with the easy one. Who are you?"

"I am Hogwarts"

He stared at her, he wasn't expecting that. "Huh?"

She giggled at him again. "Father, I am the personified body of Hogwarts castle." He was still staring.

"You're Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Father"

He was still staring at her. "What do I call you?"

"I am Hogw-" "Stop!" he cut her off.

"Stop. I get it. You are Hogwarts,' Harry rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger, "But Hogwarts is a castle, you are a little girl. You are not a castle. I'm not going to call you Hogwarts, okay?" Taking a deep breath to settle himself, "Do you have another name, something else people call you?"

She though for a bit before answering, "I have vague memories of The Originals calling me 'an caisteal' before naming me Hogwarts."

"The Originals?"

"I believe you would call them the Founders. Four amazing witches and wizards. Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin."

Harry's eyes drifted up in thought, "Alright, I like Caisteal. I guess I could call you that. Does that work for you?"

"If it pleases you."

Harry thought about it, nodding, "It does. It does seem to fit you." He paused and gave the newly minted Caisteal a quizzical look. " I don't suppose Caisteal means anything?"

"It's Gaelic; it means castle."

Harry was dumbfounded at that revelation, before facepalming. "Of course it does. Why wouldn't it. Alright, moving on. Where are we? What is this place?"

"We are inside me." He blanched at her answer.

"STOP, please stop! You mean we are inside Hogwarts?" He held up his hand to stop her answer, "Yes, yes, we got it, you are Hogwarts. How about going forward, we refer to to the brick and mortar of the castle as Hogwarts, and we keep you Caisteal. Can we please keep them seperate.

"I can do that, Father"

"Ok good. Next question, why do you keep calling me Father?"

"Because you brought me into being. You are my father."

This answer caused Harry to roll his eyes, "Well that makes sense, about as much sense as my buddy out there teaching trolls ballet. Could you elaborate on that a bit?"

"This room is the one of the greatest achievements of the Founders. Rowena and Godric did the most of the charms and transfiguration work. Helga and Salazar did the mind work." At this point, Harry's eyes started to glaze over. "Let me explain what this room is. The house elves called it the 'Come and Go Room.' Godric wanted to call it 'The Useful Room.' The other three laughed at him. Salazar thought it was too simple. Rowena decided on 'The Room of Requirement. ' All three agreed on that. Basically,this room can become whatever you want."

"Wow! That's amazing. How does it work?"

"You walk past the tapestry three times, thinking about what you want the room to be. The Room is then created based on the image in your head."

Ideas on what he could use the room for left Harry sitting there, mouth agape. "So that's how I get the room to work, how does the room get the image from my head?"

At this question, the little girl frowned and looked down. "I don't remember. I used to have that knowledge, but my… Hogwarts' destruction has taken the knowledge from me. I do know that Salazar imbued the tapestry with basic legilimency to take the image from your mind, but the actual magical process is lost to me"

"I don't understand. If you can't remember how it works, how do you know what the Founders did to create it?"

"To explain that, we have to go back to the creation of the castle itself. Once they finished the main structure, the Founders wanted to make sure the castle would be safe, last, and be as self-sustained as possible. They each created a room. Inside each of the rooms, they hid a rune stone and tied it directly to one of the seven ley lines that converge under me, er, Hogwarts. After completing their own tasks, they again pooled their resources and knowledge to the main ward stone. Despite what it sounds like, this stone was not used to power the wards around the grounds, instead, the Founders used it to power Hogwarts itself."

"How does that work? How do you power a building? You don't mean powered, like with electricity?"

Caisteal paused a bit at that question. "I guess a little bit like that, and yet, so much more. In creating the main rune stone, the Founders used every bit of magic they knew. This included blood and soul magic." This proclamation shocked Harry. He was told those branches of magic were dark, but here, Hogwarts herself was explaining how they were used in her creation.

Harry felt the conversation was moving away from what he wanted to know. He abruptly cut her off, "What does this have to do with powering the castle? With you?"

"By specially using those two branches of magic, the Founders were able to give the castle a basic, awareness, if you will. Also, a bit of their personalities bled into the fledgling consciousness. Godric's playful nature resulted in the moving staircases. Rowena's wonder created the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. Salazar's cunning left us with all those hidden and secret tunnels and passageways. Helga's nurturing persona provided the castle with an aura of comfort. Her nature is the reason none of the children ever felt homesick. As far as how that relates to me, they passed their memories, their hopes, and their dreams of what they wanted the school to become, those things became a part of me."

"What happens to those dreams now that the castle is gone?"

Caisteal gave Harry a look that make him feel dumb, "Father, Hogwarts is not gone."

Feeling like he needed to defend his point, "But the castle is destroyed. There's not much left."

With a knowing smirk, she replied, "And that is Hogwarts' biggest secret. The greatest achievement of the Founders. It is how the castle survived for over a millennium. This isn't the first time the castle has been damaged, but it is the first time it has taken so long to repair itself."

Getting confused, all Harry could come up with was an eloquent, "Huh?"

"Oh, wizards helped putting it back together, but they never noticed that things were fixed without their assistance. That is what I mean by 'so much more' when it came to powering the castle. The main rune stone uses the power of the seven ley lines to ensure the castle can endure. This is the third time the castle has been reduced to rubble. What makes this time unique, is that the ley lines themselves have been damaged and are in a state of flux. It is limiting how much magic the rune stone can pull out and use. Once the ley lines settle down, the castle repairs will be more noticable."

Realization dawned on Harry, "That's why the astronomy tower is standing! It's being rebuilt."

Sheepishly, with a bit of a blush, Caisteal nodded, "It's my favorite room. I enjoyed listening to the professors talk about the stars, planets, and galaxies that exist beyond this world." Feeling like she needed to explain, she continued,"Father, I am a castle, sentient, but stationary. Until your need for companionship while walking past the tapestry, I had no form. This is the first time I am able to move, to interact. I find the experience both terrifying and exhilarating."

While contemplating another revelation, Harry watched as Caisteal began to yawn. "Maybe we should call it a day and get some rest. You appear to need it. Sleep will do us both some good, and I could use some time to go over some of the things you've told me."

Proving he wasn't done being surprised, she replied, "I'm looking forward to sleep. I've never done it before. I haven't had a body that needed it."

Harry stood from his chair, muscles a bit stiff from sitting so long. He reached out and helped Caisteal from her chair, both disappearing once no longer needed. Getting a new thought, he asked another question, "What are the limitations of the room? I only ask because I'd like to take a shower and stop 'going' in the woods."

Behind Harry, tiled walls appeared with a door in the center. Caisteal spun Harry around, and with a giggle, gave Harry a push. "The room can provide you with anything you need except food. Conjured items; however, cannot exist outside of the room. Anything created in here, must stay in here. Now, go enjoy your shower, maybe take a bath? Just go, relax. I will be here when you are finished."

Harry entered the tiled room to see a full bathroom. A large shower that could easily had room for five, a sunken tub that would seat eight, and a wardrobe that contained large fluffy towels and a set of pajamas. After a 10 minute shower and a 20 minute soak in the bath, as well as handling other necessities, Harry exited the bathroom. His shock, this time, did not come from the changes in the room, but more for the lack of changes. The bed he woke up from earlier was still there, with Caisteal sitting on the edge, obviously waiting for him. "Come Father, the land of Nod awaits you."

Her words were like a spell. As soon as Harry heard them, he realized he was exhausted. While the conversation was not taxing physically, the mental toll took its effect. By the time his head hit the pillow, he eyes were already half closed. Just before he completely drifted off, he felt a small weight settle in the bed next to him, and a quiet voice whisper, "Rest well, Father. There is much to do if we are to fix everything."