Chapter Four

She began to slowly back into the shadows, after realizing that she had placed herself in a spotlight. She had heard what sounded like a body landing on a stone floor, and then two different voices, both males. The second was slightly deeper than the first, which sounded more urgent. What they were saying, she didn't pick up, but she had gotten the feeling that they were either leaving or had seen her.

A bit unnerved, Rae turned back around and continued her venture to the seventh floor.

Paranoia had set in on her slightly. She passed a ghost and Peeves, but no solid, honest-to-goodness human beings on her way up.

As she reached the seventh floor, a long stream of moonlight fell across her face. She blinked into the silvery light and continued to the end of the hall. A statue came into her view of several trolls and an old warlock in ballet shoes. The trolls were sitting around the warlock and taking turns poking him with their clubs. Rae shook her head and closed her eyes.

She concentrated as best she could on solitude, while pacing back and forth along the blank stretch of wall in front of the statue. A door appeared not two minutes later.

She smiled and entered it. The room contained a shelf of books along the wall beside a large window seat, a large rack of 8-tracks sat on the wall to the right, along with a magical player, and a small table with a comfy chair sat against the wall to the left. Against the wall beside the door, sat a large squashy couch.

Taking her wand out of her pocket, she removed the Disillusionment charm from herself, and then took two bags of muggle crisps from her cloak and laid them on the table.

Heading over to the 8-tracks, she searched the neatly placed racks for a recording of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Alphabetical order - she went to the V's. There he was - three different tapes. It could only mean that these were the extended play versions, her favorite.

Rae quickly stuck it in the player and turned the volume up. A moment's silence - then the beautiful melancholy sounds of a slow bass and a guitar to put Angus Young to shame filled the small room. She smiled and walked over to the window. It was covered in condensation, so she took her hand and wiped an opening from which she could gaze.

Snow covered the ground, and from the looks of it, the wind was blowing harshly over the trees. The moon wasn't to be seen. Rae supposed it was either too far above her current range of vision, or the clouds covered it. A few stars shone in patches here and there, but they were no longer to be seen across the entire sky.

She suddenly shivered. Standing by the window, it was much colder than she thought it would be. Turning around, she yawned and stretched her arms over her head. The couch was starting to look awfully cozy about now.

Extinguishing a few candles to dim the light, she sat down and threw her feet up. She noticed there was a blanket folded neatly across the arm of the couch, and wondered if it had been there when she first walked in. Probably not. That was, after all, what this room was named for.

Rae snatched it up, shivering again, and hastily unfolded it. Once it was over her comfortably, she curled up facing the back of the couch and quickly dozed off.

The two loose Marauders wandered a few corridors, carefully indulging in mugs of hot chocolate as they went. James was holding the map, while Sirius was holding a bundle of sweet bakery snacks wrapped up in a large linen napkin. James's mind wandered back to the problem at hand.

"Padfoot, do you, er, want to go up to the seventh floor?" The seventh floor meant the secret room of Hogwarts.

"Uh, sure," Sirius whispered. "What for?"

"I- er-" James stuttered a bit "-I wanted to talk to you, and I don't really want to do it out here in the corridor. We might be heard."

Sirius nodded. He knew that James was referring to the school ghosts, other midnight-running students, or Peeves.

They walked up another few staircases and arrived on the seventh floor corridor in silence. Silver moonbeams crossed each other on the wall stones, and danced across the few suits of armor. The wind howled through the cracks around the windows and made a ghastly sound that faintly echoed.

The statue of several trolls and an old warlock drew nearer on the right, and a door stood across from it on their left. James often wondered about the first time they had come across it.

Three boys stood stock still on a staircase that had, quite suddenly, decided to move itself. A few more steps sprouted at the top while the rest of them heightened and widened. The railings on either side grew out a few more feet, and it connected with a landing two floors above.

The shortest boy shook his shaggy black hair out of his face and began to walk again. When he realized the other two weren't following him, he turned back around and motioned for them to come. The tallest boy took a quick look around with a pair of large hazel eyes and slowly took a few more steps up to his friend. The last boy ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and sighed, figuring he had no choice but to follow his two friends. He dearly hoped they didn't get caught.

The sky darkened and thunder rumbled as the three emerged on the seventh floor corridor. The rain that was beating down seemed to be much louder on this level than it was on any of the others.

The first boy jumped at a crack of lightening, and the other two laughed at him. He smiled sheepishly at them, going a bit red and muttering something about being silly.

Finding a place to explore wasn't exactly hard in this place. They had found the kitchens earlier that month, and discovered the wonders of the house-elves. Now they were set on the upper levels of the castle. Heading out, they had planned on searching the fifth floor, but had gotten ahead of themselves on a moving staircase. The seventh was a wonder in itself.

There were hardly any hidden corridors behind tapestries, and there were very few portraits in between the suits of armor. A door here and there; a few were mere broom cupboards, and others were spare classrooms and staircases that lead to nothing.

And there was a door. A large, shiny oak door with a beautiful metal handle - a new door. The blonde haired boy stopped his companions to point out the new door. Hazel eyes followed light green and he, too, laid eyes on the new discovery. A shaggy head took action.

The door made the faintest of creaks, as it swung inward, revealing a large room with a magical blackboard mounted on the wall. On it, a piece of chalk was dancing, leaving words to form themselves in its trail. It dropped itself, momentarily, and the words stood still enough to be read.

Here, you will find what you greatly desire,

Be it rest, or a puddle of mire.

Maybe you need a treat of lore,

In here, my friend, are many doors.

This room may come, and it may go,

But need it dearly, and it will show.

Welcome to the Room of Requirement!

Eyes wide, jaws agape, the threesome stood in awe. A room that would come and go as it was needed, and could possibly fill itself with whatever you desired?

They decided to keep it a secret. If anybody else found out about this room, it was likely that the secret would be spilled, and the room trespassed upon.

James's mind wandered back to the present. As they approached, his thoughts seemed to fail him with knowledge that the door was a secret. It was already there.

Sirius seemed to have spotted it too, for he sputtered into his cup and stopped in his tracks. They shared a momentary look before one of them spoke.

"There's got to be somebody already in there," James said under his breath. "The door shouldn't be there already."

"I know. Should we go in?" Sirius replied in the same voice.

"I don't know," he said. "How about we just knock, and if we don't hear anything, we'll go in - with the cloak on, of course."

"Sounds good to me."

Three quick raps on the door - nothing from the inside. Wait. A few more knocks. Still nothing.

Sirius handed off his bundle and cocoa to James, and took the Map into his possession. There were his and James's dots. On the other side of the wall to their left was the name Rae Orion. It still hadn't moved. He grasped the handle and pulled on it. The creak seemed much louder than it was in actuality.

Two steps in, they stopped. Nobody was in the room - or so it seemed to James and Sirius.

Movement to their left made James nearly jump out of his skin. Sirius almost fell over when he felt his friend jerk.

A head emerged from under a dark red blanket. James was the first to see it, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was asleep. Sirius poked his head around and felt his eyes grow wide immediately. It was her.

Her black hair was tousled and lay across her face. The parts that lined her face were damp from a cold sweat. Black circled around her eyes and a bit of glitter rested on her eyelashes. Her breathing was soft, as were her features, most unlike the times Sirius had seen them.

Sirius was now bent very close to her, breathing in the faint scent of tangerines. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. Mystery was etched onto her face, and secrets hid behind her closed eyes.

Sirius was pulled back just before the girls forehead collided with his own. Rae sat bolt upright and stared around the room. James and Sirius held their breath.

She let herself fall back onto the couch with a soft thump. Sirius leaned over James again, this time much slower and more carefully now that she was awake. He could see a few small locks of hair around her face were, again, dampening with sweat, and wondered if she had been dreaming.

Rae sighed. She didn't seem to have noticed that two invisible figures were standing over her. James shot a nervous glance at Sirius - how were they going to get out of here?

Sirius seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He bit his lower lip a bit on the left and furrowed his brow. He looked at James and then down at Rae. Her eyes were shut, though they seemed restless. Breathing was not coming in sharp gasps from her anymore. It was now slow and controlled. She was headed back to sleep.

Sirius leaned back to normal standing position. The two stood there for a few minutes just looking around the room. When they thought it was safe, James took another look at her. Her eyes were now calm, and her breathing was just as it was when they had first walked in.

Sirius twisted around and turned the knob as slowly as he could, and then pulled the door open. He motioned for James to go ahead, while he stole one last look at the beauty before him. A smile crept onto his face. Not a grin, as was his usual fashion, but a real smile.

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Thank you, Vanessa and Melissa!