"Let me show you."
They're eleven, fresh out of their homes, and discovering a castle full of secrets and mysteries. But not just that — they're learning to navigate a school of diversity, of magic, and with Sirius's hand in his, Remus knows he will survive.
They discover the passage behind the one-eyed witch — someone had carved the incantation into the wall, and when they try it, two, three times, it opens. Resisting the urge to explore is difficult, so they do it anyway.
They follow the passage and when they emerge, they are in the cellar or a sweets shop — and Remus is drawn to the numerous boxes stacked high with bars of chocolate, but he knows that would be considered stealing — but it doesn't hurt to take one or two, right? The shopkeeper won't even notice.
They steal more than one or two and escape the way they came, pockets stuffed with sweets, and anticipating the sugar rush. Sirius had not been allowed to eat candy as a child, so this passage is his favorite — he comes back many times to try the different sweets, and Remus comes with him because he's curious too.
The Room of Requirement is next — Sirius stumbles upon it his second year when he causes a potion to explode and is thrown out of the class. He goes to a private corridor to vent his frustrations, and the blank wall doesn't answer until he walks by the third time.
When he opens the door, he discovers a room full of his favorite books and sweets, all meant to soothe him. He spends hours locked in there, and when he reemerges, he goes straight to his friends. He brings them back to this special place, and every time they need to hide or just relax, they go to this room.
They discover most of Hogwarts's secrets by exploring, going past the boundaries, and discover more than they could have asked for.
332 words
Auction - Strangers Like Me - Tarzan (21-2)
