Finding a quiet place in Hogwarts on a weekend, may seem like an easy task. Thomas found the reality was far from it. The library, which Bernard first suggested. Was filled with student doing their homework or fooling around.
Sending the school librarian into a series of angry squawks. Lars thought the bathrooms might be ideal, but they had gain popularity. Due to the Golden Trio, so Bernard called them. This left the three of them in a hallway, thinking on where they could go.
"Can't we do this outside?" Thomas asked again, though Lars had already rejected the idea. Resting his hands on his knees. Looking around for a quiet place was tiring — and it was impossible for them to dodge the whispers and the stares. Gossip travelled fast at Hogwarts. From Thomas could hear — he had struck again. Dining on his own friend.
"Outside is too popular, Asad's hut especially." Lars shook his head. Denying his idea once again.
"Hagrid made the hut popular after the war, and the new Keeper of the Keys — is as likeable." Bernard agreed with Lars with a frown on his pale face. "I do have one other idea, but..." Bernard brought his hands up to his mouth covering whatever he was saying with a mumble.
"What is it?" Thomas said, watching some other firsts years in yellow ties dart pass them.
"Cross your fingers." Bernard said, his voice firm and serious.
"Why?" Lars asked, his eyebrows pinched together in confusion. Thomas felt better knowing he wasn't the only one.
"We need to get to the seventh floor, and who know how many people we'll pass by on the way." Bernard shoulders shook, and his mouth turned into a grim line.
"Is that bad?" Thomas asked. Bernard was quick to nod.
"Bad luck." Bernard pulled his hands deep into his black weekend robes pockets. He shivered again, like he was cold. "We could use some good luck."
"You must hate class changes." Lars said looking at Bernard, with a quirk of his lips — it bared some resemblance to a smile. Not one Thomas would like to see, but really? What did they have to smile about?
"You have no idea." Bernard said bunching his shoulders up with another strong shiver shaking his body.
"I'll cross my toes if I have too." Thomas said, standing upright.
"Let's get to this seventh floor." He crossed all four of fingers on both hands. Thomas even tried crossing the two already crossed fingers, but he couldn't get it to work. His hands were too small.
"You only need to do it on one hand. Don't want to overdo it." Bernard said waving his hand out of his pockets to show his right finger crossed over one another.
"In my right hand the sword and in my left the shield." Thomas thought out loud, thinking of another poem from his late night reading.
"Well, gentlemen shall we banish our swords?" Lars said waving his crossed fingers on his right hand.
"Lets." Bernard nodded, his shoulders relaxing. He only froze once on the stairs up — when they passed an upper class-man. Thinking back Bernard acting like that on the boat ride to Hogwarts as well. Thomas made a mental note — that Bernard got superstitious when stressed.
"Where are we going?" Lars asked once they reached the sixth floor. Thomas wondered why, with all this magic, wasn't there a quicker way to get up to the next floors.
"To check out the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy." Bernard looked around, and spoke with a whisper.
"Who is Barnabas the Barmy?" Thomas asked as they reached the top of yet another staircase.
"He was a wizard who tried to get trolls to do ballet." Bernard said with a straight face. Thomas was baffled. In his head he pictured the monster they faced on Halloween — alive of course. Dancing.
"Ballet is a dance, right?" Thomas asked to confirm his mental image. That of large, ugly creatures wearing pink dresses and leaping across a stage.
"Surly, some of them enjoyed it." Bernard said with a shrug of his shoulders. Thomas grimaced. The mere idea was plain gross, a troll in tights? It was Thomas turn to shiver.
"Don't be like that Thomas. That's muggle thinking." Lars shot him a wink, letting Thomas in on his joke, but the mere idea? Thomas was sure it had some wizards thinking the man was a bit off as well.
"Do tapestries talk?" Thomas asked, trying to fill in the void of why they were heading up this why. Besides to look at a strange piece of art.
"They can move, but I'm unsure of talking." Lars said pursing his lips in thought. "Something to do with the fabric?"
"Here we are." Bernard said stopping them in front of an enormous tapestry hanging off the wall. "Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt." Thomas stared at the picture. There were eight trolls training on it, some even moved. One spun around happy in his pink skirt. Another found pleasure beating the poor wizard on the colourful fabric.
"I need to start paying attention to my surroundings better." Thomas muttered to himself. He should have noticed a giant piece of fabric with dancing trolls on it. He must have passed this on the way to Astronomy class, right? Thomas scrunched up his nose in thought, but came up blank anyway.
"No, you should stay this way — it's cuter." Lars said with a chuckle.
"You sound like your mother." Thomas muttered still trying to pull this tapestry out of his recollection.
"The tapestry isn't why we're here." Bernard said. Taking them both by the arm. "Walk with me and think only about us needing a private room, a safe room. Especially you Lars — need to think carefully…" Bernard nodded to Lars. "I'm not sure what we're doing or what we need."
"Okay." Lars agreed with a slow nod.
"We need to do this three times." Bernard said taking a deep breath.
"Let's go." Thomas thought hard about what they needed. Someplace safe for Lars to read, a soft place to sit or even lay down if Lars needed it. Thomas thought back to the night, Lars had vision in front of him. He thought of the calm energy Lars's mother offered. Of the clothes Lars needed to wipe his sweat. He kept his thought on that. Letting Bernard lead them down the hall, and up the hall and half-way down the hall again. Bernard stopped after that.
"It didn't work." Bernard said with a soft voice. Filled with sorrow, more than disappointment. It made Thomas rubbed his chest in sympathy.
"What was it suppose to do?" Lars asked Bernard, patting his shoulder, much in the way he did with Thomas when he was upset.
"The Room of Requirement is a magical room which can only be found by those who need it." Bernard said looking at the blank stone wall before them. "It's called the Come and Go Room by house-elves. My family wasn't kind, to house-elves — we were especially cruel."
"Not we Bernard." Thomas said, wanting to tell him he knew the difference between a family, and a person. "They. Not you." Bernard kept looking at the wall, his ears not hearing. Thomas looked at the large square stones that made up the cold unfeeling wall.
"The room was badly damaged by a fire, during the war." Bernard said looking down to his feet. "I had hoped it might work for us."
"I've heard of that - vaguely. I don't think anyone has opened it since then." Lars said looking to the same wall. "I didn't know it was here."
"It's not. Not anymore." Bernard wiped his hands over his face. "I thought this would help — I'm sorry." Thomas walked up to the wall. He heard Lars talking to Bernard in the background. He placed his hands on the wall. The stone felt rough on his hands, and dug into his palms. Both strange and familiar — Thomas felt the darkness within him stirring.
His heart started beating wildly in his chest. Tomas was trying not to fight the feeling, he wanted to feel the flow of it, but he didn't want to lose control. Not that he had hurt anybody with the Troll incident, except for the troll.
He had to learn to use it, to become stronger, strong enough to save his friends. Thomas started to pant, his breath running ragged out of his mouth. His palms dragging across the stone wall until it hurt. He had to control this strength. Thomas had to find the way. To help them.
To help Lars — who was so strong, standing up to the pain of his visions. He needed a safe place to practice, and heal. Bernard, trying to help, but struggled under the weight of his heritage. They were the same in that. Thomas knew he loved plants — Herbology was the class Bernard was the happiest in. If not for him, his Mandrake would have died the first week under his care.
Thomas wanted a place he could dive into that love — without worrying about prying eyes. Pipa, Thomas's eyes teared at the corners, blurring his vision. They needed a safe place to find out how to save her. A place they could bring her back to. Somewhere that was theirs, and theirs alone. Where all of them could be themselves, and Bernard said this was the place — then this was the place!
"Open up!" Thomas demanded. Pounding the wall. The darkness came out of him and hit the wall with his next strike.
"Thomas your hands are bleeding!" Lars voice pierced his fog, but Thomas was determined to get through to the magic, and it had to be magic, in the wall.
"Please!" Thomas strength left him, and the darkness coiled back up into an unreachable coil. Thomas dropped to the floor. Bernard was on his knees by his side.
"Thomas!" Bernard grabbed his hands. "You shouldn't have done that." Thomas didn't look at Bernard or hear the beginning of Lars lecture. His hands were fixed on the blood, his blood disappearing into the wall, and underneath it. Grains, thin lines — that Thomas recognized right away.
"It's wood." Thomas whispered, trying to pull his hands free to touch it. To confirm it's real.
"Stay still," Lars said pulling out his silver wand. "Episkey." Bernard held Thomas hands palms up for the spell to work. Any other time Thomas would have loved to witness a bit of magic at work. Especially Lars's magic — who excelled at it so well. Thomas was already distracted by the magic happening behind Lars. The stone wall was turning into wood. A dark wood, worn and cracked with age. It grew large and large the swirling pattern. A slit formed between the circle, that's when Thomas figured out what it was forming.
"A door." Thomas whispered. Lars spun around, and backup as he say what he saw. A door, now rapidly fanning out from the circle where Thomas had pounded his hands. Bernard stood up and walked to the wall in a daze — unable like either of them to believe what they saw. Once finished, a large door had been formed out of the stone wall. Complete.
Thomas could see black charring on the doors surface — like it had survived a bad fire. Over-top of the wood laid an eccentric metal work design that Thomas couldn't describe. It was stunning, and old, much like the rest of the school. A creation of magic.
"The Room of Requirement." Bernard whispered — then he snapped to action. "Hurry inside!" Bernard whipped his head around — there was no one else in the hall. Lars was the first to react. Dragging Thomas to his feet, while Bernard pulled open the door. Tumbling inside, Thomas had to skip a few steps to keep himself upright.
"So, this is the place?" Lars said looking about. Thomas took the chance to look about himself.
"Wow," Thomas mouth dropped open, stunned silent by the space. Not only in sight, but in smell and feel of the space.
"Smells like your place, Lars." Thomas took in a deep breath of the sharp lavender. That always reminded Thomas of clean bathroom of the O'Sullivan home. Unlike the scent of the orphanage bathroom, which Thomas rather not remember. Bright orange, and other sweet scents mixed into an earthy blend. Leaving Thomas feeling very relaxed.
"Our place." Lars corrected, "but, yes it does." Lars walked into the room. His steps going unheard. Thomas looked down to see dark, vibrate wood — the most beautiful Thomas had ever seen. Well laid- if Lars's silent footsteps were anything to go by.
"This is bloody brilliant." Bernard stepped forward himself, drawn into the room.
"Ah!" Bernard rushed forward in a swirl of black robes. Thomas looked to see Bernard rush around a large round wooden table. To a long sweep of dark cherry wood cabinets. Covered, in green, and pots. It looks like the school's greenhouse had shrunk to a miniature collection on the back wall. Lars had disappeared to the left. Where a large fireplace caught Thomas's eye.
It took the entire wall there. Inside was a roaring fire. In front was a rich and flamboyant purple rug. That flickered a shimmering gleam from the firelight. Lars looked above to the various crystals, handing from fin gold chains. They glowed dark rainbow's — that bounced off each other and light up the seating underneath them. Lars ran his hand on the velvet fabric on the couch, that Thomas could see was soft and comfortable from here.
After admiring the cherry wood that matched the cabinets that Bernard was still admiring. Thomas turned to his right, and walked around the table. Ignoring the whatever laid in the darkness under the loft. Thomas headed straight to the black metal spiral staircase. Walking up it in slow steps.
Thomas felt a fluttering in his chest at the sight at the top. Towering bookcase made up the walls. Volumes, upon volumes of books sat on their shelves. Not only that — but boxes as well. Thomas walked over to them brushing his fingers along the leather spines. They were smooth and worn from being well-read over the years. He wondered — where did they all come from? Old glass vials, Thomas recognized them right away as potions ingredients.
"Amazing." Thomas picked up a small navy box in front of him. With gentle finger he lifted it's edge to peek inside. "An egg?" Thomas tilted his head, "maybe a stone?" Holding the box in one hand. Use the other to confirm, that it was an egg. It was warm to the touch. "Could it still be alive?" Thomas tilted the box, rolling the soft brown egg into his palm.
"Thomas, come back down!" Lars called from below.
"Coming!" Thomas rolled the little egg back into it's box. Closing the lid, Thomas went to put it on the shelf — where he found it. Something stopped him. "It might be alive." Thomas looked down at the navy box. Pipa would take care of it, if she was here; Thomas validated to himself. Pocketing the box, egg and all into his robe pocket.
"Thomas?" Bernard called up. Darting back to the stairwell. Thomas spun around the steps, working his way down. Bernard and Lars were over by the fireplace.
"What is this place?" Thomas asked once face to face with his friends. "It's amazing!"
"Room of Requirement." Bernard said the name once again — like it meant something to Thomas. Thomas turned his head to Lars for answers.
"I don't recall hearing about this room." Lars shook his head, Thomas blinked — huh, it was unlike Lars not to have all the answers. "I don't know everything." Lars said, reading his mind.
"You know enough," Thomas said with a smile, he was still suspected Lars could read minds — or at the very least. Read his.
"It is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. Three seems to have some effect on its appearance. When it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs." Bernard said sitting down hard on the couch. "Though I brought us up here, I really did not think it would open. I hoped, but..." Bernard trailed off.
"So, if you were lost... would it help you get to class?" Thomas asked, trying to figure out the space. Bernard shrugged.
"Its more of a room, to place things, or to hide." Bernard said, killing Thomas short lived short-cut theory. "It would turn into a restroom, at least it did once."
"Once?" Lars asked, sitting down beside Bernard.
"The entire room was turned into a sea of flames, no one has been able to accessed again since." Bernard said rubbing his hands up and down his pants.
"Was it in one of those books you-" Thomas swallowed hard, struggling to say Pipa's name out loud. "That you, and Pipa found."
"Maybe, it would be there." Bernard let out a harsh laugh that made him sound like a much older man. "My Great Grandfather, he helped destroy this room. He helped cause the whole battle held here at Hogwarts." Bernard squeezed his robes between his fingers until they turned white.
"That must be hard for your family to deal with." Lars said, keeping his hands to himself. Both him and Lars watch Bernard — he seemed so fragile, yet so angry.
"Ha!" Bernard spat. "The family manged to endure — to thrive!" Bernard's hands shook and his eyes turned red — with what Thomas thought were tears of both anger, and sadness. "My father is rather proud of it." Bernard lips turn into an ugly sneer. "You can imagine his delight if he found out this room was back, and I had access to it."
"Don't tell him." Lars said his voice firm and confident. "He'll never know."
"I've never been able to hide anything from my father," Bernard face went pale, and he stared off into the distance. "Nor mother or even my younger sister — and she'll be here next year." Bernard dropped his face into his hands. "I wish I never came here — then I could deny it."
"It's not like he'll ask you about it directly." Lars said in a slow steady voice, reminiscent of when Thomas had first meet Lars. It was his calm tone he used to keep him, and now Bernard from drifting into panic.
"I can no more lie - than Thomas." Bernard said lifting his face, he looked to Thomas. "How do you do it?" He looked hopeless, and Thomas wasn't sure he was one who should be giving answers.
"You said the Room of Requirement, gives you what you need?" Thomas asked, dodging the question, and thinking of how to avoid the threat of an little sister. "Could we ask it not to let anyone in but us?" Thomas felt a wave of air, and Lars and Bernard did too. Both sitting up straighter and looking around.
"Um, thank you?" Thomas said outwards to the room.
"Who are you thanking?" Bernard asked looked at Thomas with wide eyes.
"The room?" Thomas said looking around. "I think it'll keep our secret." Thomas felt a rush of warmth from the fireplace. "Yeah, I think it will." Thomas nodded feeling confident.
"Then it's settled." Lars said looking around the room with weary eyes. "Thank you." Lars thanked the room as well. Thomas's nodded, it felt like the right thing to do.
"I can't say I understand- about your family, Bernard." Thomas wouldn't even touch that subject, he was the worst kind of liar — has he simply couldn't do it! "What I do know — is that you are my friend. Not your sister or the rest of your family, unless you care... why should I?" Thomas said getting down on the floor, on the other side of the table, that sat in front of the couch. The heat of the roaring fire felt warm on his back.
"It's not that simple." Bernard said leaning on his knees to talk to Thomas. "I wish it was."
"Your great grandfather was a bad guy, right?" Thomas asked, Bernard nodded.
"Not only them." Bernard whispered, the picture of misery.
"You are not, right?" Thomas asked moving his robes, to place the pocket, and it's contents to the safety of his lap.
"No, I would never!" Bernard shot up from the couch.
"Then, what's the problem?" Thomas asked looking up at Bernard with a frown. He was confused, Bernard looked no better.
"What Thomas is trying to say, Bernard." Lars pulled Bernard back onto the couch by his elbow. "Is that we are your friends, and that we will never judge you by your family, and when your sister comes. We'll deal with her — together."
"Isn't that what I said?" Thomas asked looking back and forth between the two.
"No." Both Bernard and Lars said together, making the pair laugh. Thomas sighed, he was sure he did, but since Bernard felt better, and for now they had a safe place — so, he let the matter drop.