The Welshman
by Hyena Cub
Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and death, especially later on.
Genre: Harry Potter

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CHAPTER 15: The Room Revealed

As it turned out, we found out about the Room before we found out about the coin. It was the middle of February, after an absolutely horrible Quidditch practice. It was beastly frigid out, I had hardly been able to hold my bat, much less use it, and no one was doing very well…Aldora included. She finally had to call of practice when Evin Quigley showed her his hands; they were bright red with the beginnings of frostbite.

I was still in my Quidditch uniform, shivering and clumsy with cold, walking down a draughty, freezing corridor on the sixth floor, and thinking of nothing more than getting up to Gryffindor Tower and sitting by the fire the rest of the day. Sekhmet and Evin had gone to the hospital wing; Quigley because of the frostbite, and Sekhmet because she'd taken a bludger right to the head and had to be revived by Aldora.

I was passing by all the closed classroom doors in the hallway, paying them no mind whatsoever, when a slight creaking noise caught my attention. I stopped, mildly curious, then felt two or three hands on the sleeve of my Quidditch robe. Before I could make a sound of protest, I'd been yanked so forcefully into one of those classrooms that I sprawled onto the floor with a surprised grunt.

The door slammed as I looked around, and was greatly alarmed to see that I was surrounded by a half a dozen people, all of them with their hoods up and some sort of black cloth mask over their faces. Students, I was sure, though a couple of them looked like seventh-years, and they all had their wands out and aimed at me. My heart leapt with fear; I was more intimidated than I would ever have admitted.

I lunged for my wand, but there was no contest; they already had theirs out, and at least three of them shouted, 'Expelliarmus!' I snarled furiously as my wand went flying, and I scrambled to my feet, only to dive once more as several of the bastards aimed hexes at me. I had time only to notice that a couple of them looked awfully familiar in build before one of them shouted, 'Get him!'

My anger turned back to alarm as the lot of them lunged at me, even as I made a desperate tackle-lunge for the one who had stood between me and the door. He dodged aside, and for a moment the path to the door was clear, but then one of them tackled me around the waist, and we both crashed to the floor. I yelled as someone's booted foot sank into my side, and someone else's fist collided with the side of my face, sending stars and pain both blasting behind my eyes. I threw a blind punch, which connected solidly with someone's face, and the voice that yelled in pain sounded a lot like one of the Moor twins – those bastards!

I was at the bottom of the dogpile, which was lucky only in that not all of them could attack me at once, and they were not organized. All of them were trying to get a piece of me, but were getting in each other's way, which meant wasn't getting as hurt as I could.

Which wasn't saying much. I could barely see what I was doing, and every few seconds, something hit me somewhere; a boot, a fist, an elbow…. A fist like a bludger-strike landed solidly on my thigh and I let a cry of pain, fury exploding in my chest as someone laughed. That adrenaline rush suddenly heightened everything: the pain, the yells and shouts, the light in the room… Everything sharpened, the colors brightened. I let a furious roar and twisted violently around, using my feet for leverage, and drove my boots straight up at the person who was cloest to them. There was a strained grunt of pain, and one of my attackers fell away, clutching his stomach and gasping desperately for breath. One of the others turned towards him, allowing me to twist back around and get out of the way of the big bloke was had drawn back his foot to kick my hard in the side.

But it was still five against one, and if I hadn't managed to grab one of their wands, it would've been over soon. I could barely think by the time I saw it; most of them had pocketed their wands in order to use their fists, and one wand-handle was sticking out. I grabbed it, aiming it at the nearest two people and snarled, 'Petrificus Totalus!' Caught completely by surprise, both of them were caught with the spell, their arms and legs stiffening, and they fell over like two mannequins.

The remaining three – I didn't know or care who they were – stopped for just a second, shocked at what had happened. Then they lunged for their wands.

But that brief respite was enough. I lurched to my feet, tromping on the hand of the one whom I'd kicked in the breadbasket, and wrenched the door open. An agonizing pain went through my entire torso as I moved, and I let a low groan of pain, forcing the panic back, embracing the adrenaline buzz in my head.

I heard a shout behind me: one of the twins, I was certain of it. My head throbbed as I ran, looking frantically around for a teacher, even a housemate. Anyone! But there was no one in the corridors today; they were all in their warm house common rooms.

I sprinted up a flight of stairs, clenching my teeth as my knee howled in protest; someone must have hurt it somehow, but I don't remember the blow that did it. I heard several shouts from below echo that first one, and knew they'd release the two I'd cursed, and they were coming after me.

With a vicious curse, I sprinted down a blank hallway, hoping to make it to Gryffindor Tower, but I suddenly realized the bastards had split up and were coming at me from both ends of the corridor. I ran back, thinking I might make it to the staircase again, but it was too late. If only I had a place to hide!

What happened next shocked me, and as much as I like to pursue the strange and unusual, I wasn't exactly easy to shock. As I turned around to face the group I judged would break cover first, a movement to my left caught my eye. I spun around, my 'borrowed' wand at the ready, but I could only stare as I watched a door coalesce before my eyes.

I didn't stare for long; I had no clue what lay beyond the door, but it was better than what waited at either end of the corridor! I lunged for the doorknob, wrenched the door open, and sprinted inside.

Once again I was taken by surprise, though not so much that I didn't spin around and look for a key and a lock. The heavy door had both, and I made use of them, locking the door and removing the key. Then I turned back around and gaped.

The room wasn't very big, and it had a very comfortable looking chair and a little fireplace with a roaring fire in it. The entire room was pleasantly warm, and I limped over to sit in the chair…it looked as if the room had been made just for me.

A sudden pounding outside the door made me jump. 'Hey!' cried a voice outside the door. I didn't recognize it and thought it might have been one of the older students.

'Where'd the little bastard go?' came another voice, this one of the twins.

'I know he came in here,' snarled an identical voice from farther away. 'There're no classrooms up here are there? Look behind that tapestry.'

My heart thumped uncomfortably as I listened to several seconds' worth of silence, as I assumed they were searching for me. Hadn't they noticed the door? Was the door still there? It was from my side.

Another pound on the wall, slightly farther down, made me jump again. 'This isn't over, Weasley!' snarled one of the twins. 'We'll get you! We told you, you mess with us, and you regret it! Come on…let's get out of here before someone sees us.'

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as the tension in my body suddenly released, leaving me feeling shaky and exhausted. I didn't leave right away, thinking they might be hoping to bait me out of hiding, and I wasn't sure I could convince my body to stand just yet, anyway. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the pain of the pummelling I'd just taken came back full force, like someone was turning up a knob somewhere in my brain. My entire side throbbed alarmingly, and I only then realized my nose and lip were bleeding. There was a spot on my head that hurt abominably, and though it didn't seem to be bleeding, I could tell it was bruised and raised in a lump.

I don't know how long I waited, but it seemed an awfully long time. After I listened to nothing but silence for several minutes, I bit my lip and very carefully got up out of the chair. It hurt a great deal, and my legs almost didn't want to support me, but I made it to my feet. My hand was shaking, but not that I couldn't get the door unlocked.

The corridor was deserted as I stepped out of the room, and I stood for a moment, getting my bearings. Directly in front of me was the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy…he was getting clubbed by the trolls he was trying to teach to dance ballet. I turned slowly around to see if the door was still there and I was shocked to see that it was not.

In my current state of mind I didn't make the connection. I just noted the spot then began to limp towards hospital.

Faolan met me on the way, having come down from Gryffindor Tower. When he saw me, he stopped short, blinked, then gaped. 'Cripes, what happened, Calen?' he said, running over. 'You didn't fall off your broom did you?'

I was glad to see him; I still had the wand I'd stolen out, and was ready for them to ambush me again…having Faolan there for backup was a relief. I explained quickly what happened as he slipped beneath one of my arms to help me the rest of the way to the hospital wing. Faolan was nearly speechless with fury.

Mr Jacey wasn't entirely thrilled when he caught sight of me. He also assumed I had gotten this way practicing Quidditch, and began one of his famous rants about dangerous sports and stupid broom stunts. I smiled a little as Faolan helped me over to a bed.

'He wasn't hurt in practice, Mr Jacey,' said Faolan, stopping Jacey in mid-rant.

'Then how?' asked Jacey, helping me (carefully) to take off my Quidditch gear. It took a bit longer than normal because Quidditch involved a lot of protective garments, like the leather gauntlets and forearm guards, and leg guards and boots…. Then the thick outer robe and my jumper.

I explained as I disrobed, clenching my teeth every time a sore part was moved badly. 'They didn't use any magic,' I said as I held onto Faolan so I could remove my breeches. 'Hell, they didn't need to.'

'Good,' Mr Jacey murmured, all anger gone from his voice. 'That'll make it easy to heal. Let me just have a look at you before I do anything…hold still just a moment.'

'Blimey, you look grotesque,' said Faolan, still looking appalled.

'Thanks,' I said dryly.

'They didn't pull their punches, did they?' asked Mr Jacey as he began healing the injuries. First the side, which a great relief. Aside from the pain, it had scared me. I'd never felt pain like that before, and it made me think something was seriously damaged.

'No. And I am sure I know who two of them are but I can't prove it,' I said bitterly.

'Well, we'll talk with the Headmaster,' said Jacey, holding my head still as he fixed a gash on my face, my split lip, bloody nose, and bruised eyes. 'I'm afraid your face will be fairly colourful for a few days around your eye – magic can take the swelling, pain, and actual damage, but it's not so easy to get rid of the coloration.'

'That's okay,' I said, feeling a little shaky yet once Mr Jacey was done. 'Thanks.'

'Go on up and get some rest,' said Jacey. 'I'll speak with the Headmaster.'

I was far too tired to argue.

I had to tell my story yet again to Ke'koa and Peter, and through the two-way mirrors, Arcturus. They all expressed their rage and astonishment that they would stoop so low.

'Yeah, well,' I said, lying down on my bed. 'It's the Moor twins. You know how they are. They make vengeance into an art form. They were probably just pissed off about winning at Quidditch, and that time they tried to take my mum's letter and got points off of Slytherin.'

'And that fight in Hogsmeade,' Arcturus added.

'Still, that's pretty serious, what they did,' said Peter worriedly. 'They beat you up…who knows what they would've done if you hadn't got hold of the wand?'

'Wand!' I exclaimed with an angry hiss. 'Damn it…they've still got mine…unless they left it in that room.'

'We'll look for it, mate,' said Ke'koa. 'Meanwhile, keep using that one.'

'All right…thanks.' I sighed, looking unhappily at the wand I'd taken; I didn't know what it was made of, but it was a darker coloured wood than mine. Elder wood, maybe. Mine was ash.

I hadn't meant to drift off, but the next thing I knew, I was being shaken gently awake. 'C'mon, Calen, it's time for breakfast.'

There was maybe a full minute of disorientation as I figured out exactly where I was and what happened, but as my mind cleared, I remembered the fight the day before. I winced a little, stretching; I was sore, despite Mr Jacey having healed all the actual injuries. I'd overexerted myself fighting those curs, and right after a strenuous training session, too. 'Did…did you guys find my wand?' I asked, rubbing my eyes.

'Well…kinda,' said Faolan, and I frowned, looking up.

Faolan sighed and reached over to my bedside table, picking up five smallish pieces of wood, and I realized with horror that it had once been my wand. I gaped at the piece in Faolan's hand, feeling a sort of warm heat creeping over my chest and brow. 'Those…bloody…bastards,' I hissed, taking the pieces. I was very fond of my ash-wood wand…it was wrecked beyond repair. Wands weren't made to be broken into half a dozen pieces.

'Yeah,' said Faolan. 'Yeah, they destroyed it, all right. I dunno how you're gonna get a new one…you're supposed to be there when you buy a wand so you get the one that's best suited to you.'

I stared unhappily at the remains of my wand, feeling suddenly like I wanted to cry. Ke'koa, who seemed to have just woken up himself, looked over from his bunk and mumbled something vaguely threatening towards the Slytherins, but I didn't catch what it was.

'Well…I'm gonna talk to Professor Miller later,' I said. 'I'll see…see if he'll let me get to Ollivander's somehow, or…I dunno. I guess I could just use this one. I'll figure it out.'

Faolan nodded and went to gather the books he'd need for that day's classes, and I began getting dressed.

We met up with Arcturus outside the Great Hall, and I saw that he looked as if he'd had a rough night himself. When Faolan asked what happened, he said he'd gotten into a duel with the Moors about what had happened to me. 'I had to go see Mr Jacey,' he said. 'Cuthbert levelled some kind of hex on me I'd never heard of; tore a huge gash in my arm. They both got fifty points each taken from Slytherin and three detentions. All I got was a detention for duelling.'

'We've got to do something about them,' said Faolan.

As we walked into the Great Hall and passed the Slytherin table, I glanced over, looking for the Moor twins. I slowed down, an idea occurring, and took my new wand out of my pocket, holding it up and waving it a bit so that they could see it. Neither twin changed their expression much, but one of the seventh-years snarled, and I smiled a sort of humourless smile. That must be the former owner of my wand. I decided that when I got my new one, I'd snap his in about a dozen pieces, see if he liked it.

During breakfast, the Headmaster came up to me, tapping me lightly on the shoulder. 'Good morning, Mr Weasley,' he said with a bit of a smile. 'I'd like to see you in my office after you're finished with breakfast, if you don't mind.'

'All right,' I said, figuring he wanted to ask me about the attack. I assumed Mr Jacey had already spoken to him.

Mr Miller nodded his head and went back to the staff table, and I ate a little bit faster so I could get the conversation over with.

'I hope he expels the bastards,' said Ke'koa vindictively.

'Me too,' I said. I doubted it, though; I had no proof, and all they had to do was to deny it. Still, I could hope. We were all sort of quiet as we ate; it seemed no one was in a great mood that morning.

When I finished eating, I made my way up to the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, wondering how I was supposed to get up there. Normally, you had to have a password to get inside. But a moment later the problem was solved; I had beaten the Headmaster here, and he came walking up a moment later, smiling a little. 'Ah, Mr. Weasley,' he said. 'Good morning.'

'Good morning, sir,' I said.

Mr Miller turned to the gargoyle and said, 'For the Good.' For some reason, the words gave me a little chill of trepidation, so subtle I barely noticed it. I couldn't think why the phrase seemed so ominous, but it did. I reckoned it was probably just leftover feelings from the attack yesterday.

I followed Mr Miller up the moving spiral staircase that led to his office, wondering if it looked any different now than it had when Mr Ryan had it. When he opened the wooden door that opened onto the office itself, I had a look around.

Mr Ryan's office had been kind of boring, to tell the truth. Books, files of parchments, some uncomfortable furniture, and little else besides the portraits of former headmasters. There was a very fat wizard on a throne-like chair who waved amiably at him. There was a very old man with a beard and hair down to his waits…I think his hair was even longer than mine. A snotty looking wizard in green clothing, and round-cheeked witch… I had the urge to just stay up there was hours on end, asking them all about life at Hogwarts when they were the heads of the school.

Mr Miller's version was a bit more interesting. There were a few pictures here and there of castles and lighthouses, all of them moving in some way. There were some strange instruments here and there whose purpose I couldn't figure out. The Sorting Hat sat on its own shelf behind the Headmaster's desk. A couple of wooden trunks sat on a bookshelf along with some fat books. An owl sat on a perch and opened one eye to glare at me as I walked in. I smiled at it. 'Hello.'

'That's Winston,' said Mr Miller, stroking the bird's back.

'He's nice.'

'Thank you. Now…I have heard tell from Mr Jacey that you had a bit of a run-in with some persons unknown yesterday?'

My smile faded, and I gave a nod. 'Yes, sir, after Quidditch practice.'

'Ah. Well, have a seat, and tell me about it, Mr Weasley.'

I looked around and spotted a rather comfortable looking, straight-backed chair and sat down, going into the story of what had happened, and how I got away from them. 'They all had their faces covered,' I said disgustedly, 'and their school robes on…I guess. They were just plain black ones.' I brought out the wand I'd taken and showed it to Mr Miller. 'This is the wand I took. They snapped mine in half, and then some.'

I scowled darkly, remembering Faolan holding out the pieces of my wand.

'That's unfortunate,' said Mr Miller, frowning rather moodily at the wand in my hand. 'You say you recognized some voices?'

'Yes, sir, the Moor twins. You know, Gideon and Cuthbert Moor?'

'Yes, I am familiar with them,' said Miller. 'Unfortunately, there's no way to prove their involvement.' He sighed, rubbing a hand alongside his cheek. 'Well. You'll not get into trouble for your actions in escaping them, so don't worry about that. I will have Professor Melville keep a close eye on the Moors and their classmates—we'll do what's necessary to prevent a repeat of this incident.'

It was no less than I had expected, but far less than I had hoped for. I sighed, standing up. 'Yes, sir, thanks,' I said.

'I know…if I had my way, I'd expel the pair of them, but unfortunately, the Board of Governors wants evidence, proof…at least an eyewitness. I assume you made it to Gryffindor Tower once you'd got away from the group?'

'Oh…no, actually, I found this weird room…across from that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and those mountain trolls?' I looked up at Miller, to see if he had any idea what I was talking about, but he only looked puzzled. So I explained what happened, and that I was absolutely sure that the door hadn't been there a moment before. 'I think it's this room that Professor Forrester asked me about a few months ago,' I finished.

A strange sort of look came over Mr Miller's face, so quickly I might have imagined it. Wide-eyed surprise, or maybe eagerness, I wasn't sure. And then it was gone, mostly, leaving only the sort of gleam I saw in Faolan's eyes when he heard something that very much interested him. 'A secret room, you say? Professor Forrester asked you about it?'

'Yes, sir,' I said, watching his face carefully. 'He said it was….' I frowned, trying to remember; how had he put it? 'Something about a room that appeared for people who really needed it. I'm not sure how it works, exactly, though, I really needed a way to get away from those miserable goons, and there it was.'

'How very interesting,' said Miller slowly, leaning back against the wall behind his desk. 'How very interesting, I may have to look into that. Well then…thank you for your time, Mr Weasley. I very much hope this doesn't happen again.'

'Yeah,' I said with a sort of humourless laugh. 'Me too. Bye, Professor.'

'Good day.'

I took one more look around the office before leaving it and riding the spiral staircase down to where the gargoyle stood. I watched it spring back into place, then headed back towards the Great Hall. However, the class bell rang just as I reached it, and I cursed; I was late for Defence. I ran and looked for my bag of books, but it wasn't where I had been sitting, and I hoped Ke'koa or one of the others had grabbed it. I sprinted back up the marble staircase and ran for Professor Blake's classroom.

The entire class looked at me as I entered the classroom, looking a bit harried. 'Sorry, Professor,' I said as I came in, breathing hard from my sprint.

Blake looked mildly amused. 'It's all right, Calen, Mr Miller told me you were in his office. Go ahead and have a seat.'

'Yes, sir.' Relieved I wouldn't lose points, I flopped down into a desk next to Ke'koa. I saw he had indeed brought my things, and thanked him quietly.

I wasn't sure just what Mr Miller said to the Moor twins, but they left us alone for the next several weeks; we didn't hear so much as a taunt from them. Most of us were smug, but Arcturus said that the twins had been acting very strangely since that day; more arrogant than usual, and making all sorts of sinister remarks to him in the dorms. I had to admit their sudden cessation of hostilities was a bit suspect. It's not as if they ever let a scolding stop them being a huge pain in our arse before.

I didn't find out the reason for their quiet behaviour anytime soon, either. But it wasn't long after that I had a lot more to think about than the Moor twins.