So, who's surprised this story was updated at all? *Raises hand* Who never doubted it? *Crickets* Yep. That seems to be a pattern in all my longer stories. I do apologize, but hey, I never promised constant, quick, and great updates. XD

As mentioned on my profile, basically, all stories are on hold. ^^" I'm just not that into this anymore. I still write fanfiction, but more DBSK fandom, and not on FFN so... But if things go well, who the hell knows?

I do want to thank all of you for reviewing and for those of you are do still suport this story. I hope this is a good update and can lead to more sometime in the future. :D More support?

Chapter Seven

'Well... this might come in handy at least...'

'Damn it!' Harry thought in frustration. That had been the last book on Occlumency in the library. 'How am I suppose to learn to shield my mind with obscure definitions that are repeated throughout each book?' "It's like they're trying to make this difficult for me," Harry murmured in foul irritation. Closing the book, Harry sighed deeply and he dropped his head into his awaiting arms. Six hours! They had been here for six hours and he had yet to come up with anything!

The boy-who-lived groaned as he tried to bury himself farther into the depth of his arms. This was useless. What was the point of mentioning a subject if the book hardly gave any written material about it?

"You all right there, Harry?" asked Neville. Harry could immediately detect the hidden undertones of concern.

"Of course Neville," Harry replied, gracefully pulling himself into a sitting position. He stood to pick up the first stack of books he had brought out for his search when he paused. As if annoyed, Harry rubbed his temples before sighing and sitting back down. Looking to his companion, Harry surveyed Neville for a bit.

A pure-blood, yes, but lacking any grace or confidence. He looked awkward in his own skin. Gangly limbs and a slightly chubby face, he wasn't what witches would call attractive. And as far as he'd heard, the Longbottom's weren't rich. They held a seat in Wizengamot, and had a few properties and vaults, but nothing substantial. Come to think of it, Harry realized that he might have higher standing than the Longbottoms.

Putting that stray thought aside, Harry decided he would need to look up more information on wizarding society before he jumped headlong into it.

This boy was putting his future in his hands. That wasn't something that was easily come by, Harry knew. If he was going to trust Neville, it would be best to have the other's trust in return. The best way to do that is to tell him the truth.

After another moment of silence, Harry watched as Neville shifted uncomfortably underneath his unblinking and penetrating stare. Drawing himself into action, Harry shook his head. Making his choice, Harry said, "Actually Neville, no. Not really."

The boy looked up startled.

"I need better information that what's in these books." He gestured to the fifteen or so books littering their hidden table.

"You've read them all already?" The boy asked in astonishment, still on his first book about the Devil's Snare.

Smirking at his companion's choice of reading material, Harry nodded. "I've already read a few of them before and I skimmed the rest. None of them hold the information about Occlumency I need." He frowned as his gaze traversed the piles. "It's like all the information is the same."

"Well, Grans sometimes tells me that Hogwarts library is lacking."

Harry's eyes shot to the boy in surprise. "Is that so? I've never found that." It was left unsaid that Hermione had been the one to find their books and he had only recently gotten into his self study.

Neville only shrugged, his mind once again caught by something in the book. "For course material, no. But if you were looking for something not on the curriculum, it's hard to find anything worth wile," he spoke dismissively.

Harry leaned on his elbow while his free hand began lightly tapping the surface of the table as he thought. 'Interesting.' "Do you know why?"

"Hm? Not really."

The boy-who-lived was quick to note how comfortable the boy became while talking to him. 'It's amazing what a person could become when he wasn't pressured or suppressed.' Harry grinned when he realized that that particular statement also applied to him. It wasn't an innocent smile by any means. It was wicked with a cruel kind of edge to it. 'We go leaps and bounds when the chains are released.' Harry smirked.

"Gran said it's because of Dumbledore. That when he became Headmaster, he took away hundreds of books because he feared what some of them contained." Neville continued, unaware of his friend's train of thought. "She likes to tell me every time I mail for a book that the restricted section has more than doubled since her years at Hogwarts."

Harry didn't register his fists tightening until he felt them crack and tremble with the lack of blood circulation. 'Meddlesome fool! What right does he have to take away knowledge that belonged to the students?' It seemed that no matter where he turned, he met a wall that was erected by that deceitful and manipulative man. 'Bloody hell.'

Standing up abruptly and causing the other to suddenly drop his book onto his lap, Harry swiftly turned and made his way out of the library.

"Where are you going?" he heard the worried and still shocked whisper of Neville.

"Somewhere beyond his reach." he responded before he was out of earshot. Dumbedore had a lot to answer for and Harry would make sure that he paid for his mistakes- every last one. He had a lot to learn, he knew, but this was only the beginning.

~0~

Walking down a long and deserted hallway identical in many aspects to others before it, Harry thought in silence with only the constant sound of the clicking from his shoes to keep him company. 'The man runs all of Hogwarts. I'd have to go outside. Not far thought. I can't risk having people spot me leaving nor being outside the wards.' Mentioning wards brought up a sudden shift in his thinking that he was all too ready to follow.

'What else? All of Hogwarts is warded but what about the inner parts of the school? Isn't that how teachers detect rowdy students or restricted magic?' "Damn it!" Harry scowled. 'Much like the marauder's map, what if Dumbledore can locate me at any moment?' That's not good. Harry needed to find a place away from the old coot.

"Your lacking the usual Humbdingers today Harry," came a serene voice.

Head shooting up at the sudden voice, Harry spotted a girl with silver-white hair sitting on the edge of an open window, her legs draped casually on the inside, an upside down Quibbler in her hands.

Embracing the nagging feeling in his head, Harry recalled having met her before. 'What had Hermione called her? Loony? No, that's not it...' "Your... Luna Lovegood, correct?"

The girl only hummed softly, neither confirming nor denying the claim, but he knew he was right. She had yet to make any moves. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was soft and whimsical, giving off the naïve and out-of-it vibe that many must have associated with her. Yet something about her drew him closer; a feeling he wasn't about to dismiss without any investigation.

"Well," he responded neutrally, yet finding it slightly friendly. He frowned even as he found himself walking to stand opposite her.

She lowered the magazine revealing crystal blue and silver eyes that looked unseeing and far off as if she wasn't actually focusing on him.

'Hm. It does appear as if she's off in her own world.'

"That's good." She appeared cheerful and even smiled slightly at him. "The Humbdingers are known to bring down their prey emotionally and even sometimes physically, though the later only during their mating season."

"I-... I'm sorry, but, what?" His brow furrowed as he stared at the girl. He only realized as he became level with her that he had joined her. Sitting with her was odd, simply because he didn't know her, yet he felt as if it wasn't odd at all- that it was natural.

She titled her head. "The Humbdingers. They've been surrounding you since the first moment I saw you."

Deciding to humor the girl, he smirked as he leaned back against the cool stone. "Really? And when was that?"

"Since I first started here- four years ago."

At this, the boy-who-lived frowned. 'Four years?'

"And this year too. I'm surprised that you got rid of them though. They are particularly stubborn creatures." She was staring at him without really seeing him, almost as if she was seeing right through him.

Harry suddenly felt chills at her look even as he felt entranced by her stare, or more specifically, her eyes. They appeared too large for her face and revealing as well as innocent. They appeared as if she saw a make-believe fairytale world, yet she also saw her surroundings. 'How interesting,' Harry thought, tilting his head slightly so to get a different angle of perspective. Harry felt himself giving into the pull to be closer to her even as he leaned forward on arm to look closer at her.

He knew to any onlooker, he gave off an arrogant and confident posture as he smirked at her, his chin held in the palm if his hand, his elbow resting against the leg not casually splayed over the edge. On the inside, however, he was captivated by this fairytale this girl seemed so wrapped up in. He had already spotted her Ravenclaw robes, so he knew she wasn't stupid- or by any means loony. As she sighed dreamily and her eyes began to drift to some point above his head, Harry thought, 'Well, at least not completely loony.' He felt a genuine smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Is that so?" He murmured softly. Harry found himself quite taken with the little fourth year. She was entertaining at the least. Humoring her couldn't hurt.

Luna only hummed once more before her eyes focused back on him- or focused as much as was apparently possible with Luna Lovegood anyway. "I'm glad you succeeded Harry. You look refreshed."

Tilting his head a bit more, Harry let loose one small smile in response, his eyes shinning ever so slightly with happiness. Something about her was very captivating and calming. She was like a whole knew breed of person and atmosphere. "Thanks."

Giving her one more smile, Harry stood and brushed off his robes slightly. "It was lovely speaking to you again Ms. Lovegood and I hope to run into you again soon." He bowed teasingly and gave her a cheeky grin before turning to leave.

He only made it a few steps and was about to turn the corner when he heard, "Oh, and Harry? You might find what your looking for actually in the castle. Magic is a wonderful thing, you know."

When he turned around abruptly as her comment registered, he spotted her already making her way down the corridor, a sweeping dance-like pace in her steps. 'How did she...' She couldn't possibly be talking about a secretive location, could she? But how would she know...

Shaking his head in bemusement, Harry turned and continued on his aimless path throughout the castle. 'She's a strange one that's for sure. Yet refreshing,' he thought idly.

~0~

He'd been walking through the castle for over an hour, simply thinking. He followed his feet without intentionally traveling anywhere and found himself in another abandoned corridor. 'Damn. I'll never get anywhere like this,' Harry thought irritably.

'I need a place to be alone; undetected. A place to study and practice magic without having to worry about being spotted, followed, or interrupted. Where would-'

Harry was suddenly cut of but a load groaning sound to his right. Movement from the corner of his eye had Harry turning to see large, black double doors forming from the wall. They nearly reached the ceiling, making them at least twelve feet high. Although wood, they were engraved with silver steal designs and looked... well, they looked damn intimidating. 'What is this?' wondered Harry as he unfolded the Marauder's Map from his back pocket. Taking his eyes off the door for only a moment to assess where he was, he saw his dot standing... in front of a wall.

Rearing back in confusion, Harry drew his eyes brows together in confusion. Looking back to the still standing doors, he checked again. 'Nope.' But that made no sense. They had to lead somewhere. Especially since they appeared out of no where. Wouldn't the Marauders have added this in? 'Not if they didn't know about it,' a voice added.

Curious despite the raging need to be cautious, Harry took a step towards the door. When nothing happened, he reached out and barely touched the handle before rearing back at the sudden shock he felt. There was only a moment of silence before there was a loud reverberating groaning sound as the doors began to open. Wand in hand and posture defensive, Harry waited for an attack. Perhaps it was one of the twins left over pranks or a cruel joke someone wanted to play. When the doors opened enough for him to see inside, however, he felt... awe.

Harry felt his eyes widen as he took in the sight before him.

An enormous library with columns and columns of books, each reaching a ceiling as high as the one in the Great Hall. They towered over him, filled to the brim with hundreds of thousands of books, all different in color and size. The smell of paper- of knowledge had Harry inhaling sharply, almost overcome with the abrupt feeling.

He hadn't even realized he had entered the room until the sound of the doors sealing shut behind him rand around the silent room. The clicks of at least ten different locks sounded and Harry felt... at ease. Although he probably should have been worrying if he would ever get out again, he was too hypnotized by the beauty of the room.

The stacks of identically massive shelves seemed to run on endlessly, giving Harry the knowledge that the room was even bigger than what should be possible to keep hidden.

Had he been in his right mind, he would have masked his amazement and longing as he stared at the books and walked through the center isle. "I love magic," he said in near ecstasy, his voice only a whisper.

Sunlight warmed him at it touched him through the windows he knew shouldn't exist and his eyes closed in bliss. This place... it burned with magic and knowledge. His breath came out shakily as he felt his body nearly shudder. This... this is what he had wanted.

When he opened his eyes once more, he saw a large gap in the usual repetition of stacks. Tilting his head to the side ever so slightly, Harry went to investigate.

Once passed the the eight lines of stacks, they room gave way to a large circular opening with a long rectangular table centered. Light landed on the table, lightening it up naturally. It had several empty, cushioned chairs but was bare otherwise.

Or so he thought. Upon closer inspection, happy spotted a stack of papers sitting innocently on the surface. Biting his tongue in apprehension, Harry cast a few revelation spells, approaching only when they came up with nothing.

Picking up the obviously warn yet sturdy papers, Harry started reading. He got past the first few sentences before gaping like an idiot. They were notes from Ravenclaw and Slytherin!

"...with the idea to be a private library. No one should be kept from knowledge and only so much can be placed in the official library. Restrictions are beginning to grow with the Ministry's growth of power. Salazar suggested a magically safeguarded room. There are so many things wrong with that, but at the same time, my mind tells me I cannot let knowledge be denied to those who seek it. It isn't right."

The first few pages read more on the initial idea and only under several more papers did Harry see the writing change, become more masculine. There were hand drawn outlines of the room and pages upon pages of spells and enchantments.

"In it's completion, the Room of Requirement will be a forever, self-expanding library of magically copied texts. With every book to enter Hogwarts, an identical copy will appear and fill the shelves. I cannot stand the idea of power being taken away from our students. Godric and Helga agree of course, but little can be done. The less that know of this project, the better. Besides, if the Ministry caught wind of this, it would be better to keep them safe and unaware. Rowena and myself were the best at Occlumency after all."

The papers were unconsciously placed back on the table as Harry's mind became a whirlwind of thought. He tried to grasp and settle them, surprised by the complexity and secrecy of the room. Two of the founders of Hogwarts had created this room. They intentionally created it to keep knowledge open. They respected knowledge and understood it to mean power. Even Dumbledore couldn't have known about it- could he? He would have gone to great lengths to destroy or hide it, wouldn't he?

It didn't matter, he realized. He would make use of it.

Smiling, Harry breathed in the scent of books and sighed, feeling lightheaded. Strength and safety were in these books, he was sure of it. Raising a wand, Harry cast a locator spell. "Occlumency..." he whispered reverently, a smirk of satisfaction rising to his lips when he felt himself tugged in a distinct direction. "Oh, Dumbledore, just wait."

~0~

Harry sat on his bed, several special books laid out in front of him, his curtains spelled shut around him. A light hovered above his head as he made notes in the margins of Mind Magic- Untested Boundaries. These books covered everything from theory to medetation to incantations. Harry had made a split second decision when he found that the light never changed as time passed outside the ROR.

He grabbed the more important books, leaving the others open and in place on the table and left, intent to see if the books he took from the library would be copied too. The Ravenclaw's notes didn't say anything about that, but if they copied themselves, he could sooner rather than later make his own library from the rare and priceless tombs in flawless condition. Of course he would have to limit himself because so many books would be too hard to hide...

Then again, maybe not.

Grabbing a free a piece of paper and some ink, Harry made quick work of a letter requesting a new and enlarged, lightweight trunk that would be locked through spells. He could hide all important books he wanted to take with him in his trunk until he left the school. They'd be safe from inspection that way too.

Putting his finished draft away and hiding his books in his current trunk, Harry got ready for bed, easily falling into a comfortable sleep with a light smile on his face.

'Things might actually be getting better...'

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! ~*Hearts*~