Chapter 20- The Room of Requirement
"So where is this place?" Edward asked as he followed Harry through the hallways of Hogwarts, "You said it was secret, but Dumbledore undoubtedly knows the entire castle, not to mention the caretaker and other teachers. Do you hide it with magic? It can't be easy shielding dozens of people throwing jinxes and counter curses around—"
"Hey Ed," Harry interrupted in humor, "Your scientific mind is showing. You don't have to analyze everything, you know," he joked, "I'll tell you where it is."
"Sorry," Edward said sheepishly, more embarrassed than looking to apologize, "Sometimes I let my intellect take over…"
"More like all the time," Harry corrected, "Anyway, we use a room called the 'Room of Requirement'; it's a place that only appears when you walk past it with what you need on your mind. When you do, a door appears and the room accommodates your wishes," Harry explained.
"Hey, I've used it before," Ed realized.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, when I first got here," Ed told him, "I got lost and ended up shouting that I needed a map. Next thing I know, a door had appeared and inside I found a map of Hogwarts."
"Huh, neat," Harry said, "Oh, we're here."
Ed looked around, but couldn't see how Harry could tell this hallway apart from the scores of hallways just like it; there was no distinct indication that another room existed behind these walls. That is, not until Harry walked past a certain spot, muttering under his breath. Instantly, a door grew out of the wall, not ceasing to amaze Ed, even though he'd known what to expect.
"Hold on…" he said suddenly, an idea coming to him, "You said it gives you whatever you need, right? So…couldn't I just walk past this room and ask for the missing pages to that book? Or better yet, the Philosopher's Stone?"
"I dunno…" Harry replied, "The book perhaps, but I doubt you could get the Philosopher's Stone; it doesn't exist as of now. It was destroyed, remember?"
"Right…but I'll still check it out," Ed concluded, his mind millions of miles—worlds—away from where he was standing.
Harry shrugged and they went in. A few people had arrived by now: Luna, Neville, Seamus and Ginny, but the rest were still on the way. Ron and Hermione arrived six minutes later, at the proper interval the members had decided upon. The plan was to enter in pairs every ten minutes, but because Edward and Harry had delayed, the plan had been disrupted a little; it didn't matter since no unwelcome being showed up.
Once everyone had arrived, Harry was pushed unwillingly to the front of the room to make a speech, but about what he had no idea. Therefore the first few seconds of his being in the spotlight were silent.
"Uh, is everyone ready to start?" he asked finally, a bit lamely in his opinion.
He was met with a collage of answers, all of which were affirmative. Harry nodded and tried to think of something intelligent to say next.
"I don't know if you noticed, but the room's a bit different tonight. That's because this meeting we won't be needing our wands. Ed here is going to be teaching us something that could save our lives from now until…Christmas probably. So, uh, keep an open mind."
He nodded to Ed, who took his place at the front of the room, wondering how he should start. 'With a demonstration, I guess,' he thought.
"Does any of you know what you'd do if you lost your wand in a battle," he asked as an introduction, "and a powerful curse, say the killing curse, was coming straight for you?"
He was met with a roomful of silence; the members of the DA shifted uncomfortably and some cleared their throats. A few muttered, "Dodge it," but Edward shook his head.
"Dodging a curse is tricky because if the wizard is paying attention, he or she can direct the attack. So it's valid to say each and every one of you would die if that happened."
Many of the members gulped at this blunt realization. Ed knew it was harsh, but he wasn't here to teach sensitively; alchemy wasn't for the faint of heart. He decided now was the time for the demonstration, so he took his wand from his robes, showed it to everyone briefly, and then tossed it aside.
"You," he said, pointing to Neville, "Throw the worst curse or jinx you know at me."
"Are you m-mad?" the boy stuttered.
"Pretend I am the enemy. Would you hesitate to harm the enemy when he or she is open? Or would you let them gain the advantage and do you in first?" Ed asked sternly.
"I-I'd get them when they're open," Neville answered, sounding unsure.
"Good. I'm not about to get any more open than I am now, so hit me," Ed ordered.
"B-but you're not—" Neville started.
"Your parents are decedents of Snape! Now hit me!" Edward interrupted.
"B-bu—"
"You're a little mama's boy with no backbone! I've plucked hairs that are smarter than you from the back of my neck! Are you going to let me insult you like the pussy you are, or are you going to attack me!"
"F-fine! Stupefy!"
The spell sped toward Edward in a bright red beam. The alchemist let the blast come as close as he dared to impress his audience, then dropped to the floor with a piece of chalk in his hand, etched a rough transmutation circle into it, and activated it within seconds. By the time the attack was a foot away, a stone wall shielded Ed from harm. The blast hit the rock block and bounced off, lodging itself somewhere in the ceiling. The astonished faces of the occupants in the room caused Ed to grin as he stepped out from behind his creation.
"That is how you stop an attack when you are wandless," he said, "It is a science called alchemy that follows a strict set of laws, the first and most important of which is the law of equivalent exchange. You cannot create objects out of nowhere; the ingredients have to be present to make alchemy work. Is that clear?"
Nods went around the room, most of which were hesitant. Ed sighed, knowing he failed to get the point across.
"Where did that come from?" he asked, pointing toward his block.
"It came out of the ground, right?" Hermione asked.
"In simple terms, yes. The stone I used to form this wall came from the stone surrounding it. See how the floor is curved upward at the bottom? That is the proof that equivalent exchange is present. However, what would have happened if I made the wall too thick, or too tall?" he asked next.
This time he was answered with shrugs. He could see that Hermione had the answer, but he motioned for her to keep quite and let the others figure it out.
"Would…the floor would collapse," Neville spoke up.
"Correct. The wall would be too heavy for the floor to support, or it would use too much of the floor for it to handle. Either way, the point of the block is eliminated by you dying from the fall. Therefore, when you perform a transmutation, you must not only think of what you are trying to create, but also about your surroundings. Now, I want all of you to break into pairs; by the end of the meeting I expect you to have accomplished this simple transmutation."
While Ed turned his back to his audience to draw the transmutation circle he had used on the chalkboard, he heard mutterings about how his transmutation "sure didn't look simple". He frowned subconsciously; it was going to be a long night.
During the duration of the lesson, Edward couldn't help noticing certain patterns among his students, namely that the more powerful wizards of the class were more successful at alchemy. It made him wonder if alchemy on this side of the Gate was powered by magical energy instead of death energy; he excited at the thought that perhaps alchemy drew from magical power in Amestris as well.
As he mused, Ed walked around the room and helped those who needed it, having to repeat many times that one had to concentrate when performing a transmutation. Twice, the floor nearly gave out, but Ed was able to fix it before any lasting damage was done. He refrained from clapping his hands and transmuting though, not feeling up to explaining the story behind it.
Amazingly enough, by the end of the meeting, each and every DA member had lived up to Edward's expectations and returned to their dorms feeling a lot more confident about winning a duel.
When everyone had left, excluding his friends, Ed let his eyes skim over the uneven floor in front of him. He had instructed everyone to return their creations so that the floor looked unharmed, but it was difficult to reprimand them when they'd tried their best. With a sigh, he clapped his hands and smoothed out the wrinkles.
"There's something I don't get," Ron spoke up, "You said transmutation circles were necessary, yet how come you don't use them?"
"It's because I've seen the Gate," Ed replied shortly, "and the truths of alchemy that lie behind it."
"How do you see it then? 'Cause it'd be much easier to clap hands—" Ron began.
"Don't try," Ed warned, "It's not worth it. The only way to summon the Gate is by means of human transmutation, which is strictly and justly forbidden."
"Then, when you…" Harry insinuated.
"Yeah," Ed replied in understanding.