Chapter 28:
"That evil toad!" Alicia hissed angrily
"Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry. There's no other explanation." Hermione believed in agreement
"You think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?" he said, outraged.
"Injuring Hedwig like that…!" Alicia continued
"I'm almost certain of it," said Hermione grimly. "Watch your frog, it's escaping."
Harry pointed his wand at the bullfrog that had been hopping hopefully toward the other side of the table — "Accio!"— and it zoomed gloomily back into his hand.
Charms was always one of the best lessons in which to enjoy a private chat: There was generally so much movement and activity that the danger of being overheard was very slight. Today, with the room full of croaking bullfrogs and cawing ravens, and with a heavy downpour of rain clattering and pounding against the classroom windows, Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione's whispered discussion about how Umbridge had nearly caught Sirius went quite unnoticed.
"I've been suspecting this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs, because it seemed such a stupid lie," Hermione whispered.
"She must have instantly told him in order to have your letters confiscated!" Alicia said and Harry had to rub her back to try and calm her down, though he was angry himself.
"Well, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear you weren't ordering them, so you wouldn't have been in trouble at all — it's a bit of a feeble joke, isn't it? But then I thought, what if somebody just wanted an excuse to read your mail? Well then, it would be a perfect way for Umbridge to manage it — tip off Filch, let him do the dirty work and confiscate the letter, then either find a way of stealing it from him or else demand to see it — I don't think Filch would object, when's he ever stuck up for a student's rights? Harry, you're squashing your frog."
Harry looked down; he was indeed squeezing his bullfrog so tightly its eyes were popping; he replaced it hastily upon the desk.
Alicia hit Harry's hand off her as it had balled into a fist and clutched her robes. She turned to her raven and stared at it as she tried to calm down.
"It was a very, very close call last night," said Hermione. "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close it was. Silencio!"
The bullfrog on which she was practicing her Silencing Charm was struck dumb mid-croak and glared at her reproachfully.
"If she'd caught Snuffle…"
Harry finished the sentence for her.
"He'd probably be back in Azkaban this morning." He waved his wand without really concentrating; his bullfrog swelled like a green balloon and emitted a high-pitched whistle.
"Silencio!" said Hermione hastily, pointing her wand at Harry's frog, which deflated silently before them. "Well, he mustn't do it again, that's all. I just don't know how we're going to let him know. We can't send him an owl."
"Well we could, but use a school owl, how's she to know which one to intercept then?" Alicia wondered as she took a deep breath, thinking about the idea of doing something to trump Umbridge helping her calm down before she turned to her Raven.
"Silencio." she pointed her wand at the raven and when it next squawked nothing come from it and the bird almost looked confused.
"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," said Ron. "He's not stupid, he knows she nearly got him. Silencio!"
The large and ugly raven in front of him let out a derisive caw. "Silencio! SILENCIO!"
The raven cawed more loudly.
"It's the way you're moving your wand," said Hermione, watching Ron critically. "You don't want to wave it, it's more a sharp jab."
"Ravens are harder than frogs," said Ron testily.
"Fine, let's swap," said Hermione, seizing Ron's raven and replacing it with her own fat bullfrog. "Silencio!" The raven continued to open and close its sharp beak, but no sound came out.
"Very good, Miss Granger!" said Professor Flitwick's squeaky little voice and Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all jumped.
"Miss Potter?" Flitwick used her and Alicia poked her bird with her finger and it opened it's mouth defensively but no sound came.
"Excellent." Flitwick smiled "Now, let me see you try, Mr. Weasley!"
"Wha — ? Oh — oh, right," said Ron, very flustered. "Er — Silencio!"
He jabbed at the bullfrog so hard that he poked it in the eye; the frog gave a deafening croak and leapt off the desk.
It came as no surprise to any of them that Harry and Ron were given additional practice of the Silencing Charm for homework.
They were allowed to remain inside over break due to the downpour outside. They found seats in a noisy and overcrowded classroom on the first floor in which Peeves was floating dreamily up near the chandelier, occasionally blowing an ink pellet at the top of somebody's head. They had barely sat down when Angelina came struggling toward them through the groups of gossiping students.
"I've got permission!" she said. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"
"Excellent!" said Alicia, Ron and Harry together.
"Yeah," said Angelina, beaming. "I went to McGonagall and I think she might have appealed to Dumbledore — anyway, Umbridge had to give in. Ha! So I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right, because we've got to make up time, you realise we're only three weeks away from our first match?"
She squeezed away from them, narrowly dodged an ink pellet from Peeves, which hit a nearby first year instead, and vanished from sight. Ron's smile slipped slightly as he looked out of the window, which was now opaque with hammering rain.
"Hope this clears up… What's up with you, Hermione?"
She too was gazing at the window, but not as though she really saw it. Her eyes were unfocused and there was a frown on her face.
"Just thinking…" she said, still frowning at the rain-washed window.
"About Siri… Snuffles?" said Harry.
"No… not exactly…" said Hermione slowly. "More… wondering… I suppose we're doing the right thing… I think… aren't we?
Harry and Ron looked at each other while Alicia blinked for a minute before she rolled her eyes.
"Well, that clears that up," said Ron. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."
Hermione looked at him as though she had only just realised he was there.
"I was just wondering," she said, her voice stronger now, "whether we're doing the right thing, starting this Defence Against the Dark Arts group."
"What!" said Harry and Ron together as Alicia waited for them to stop snapping at her.
"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" said Ron indignantly.
"I know," said Hermione, twisting her fingers together. "But after talking to Snuffles…"
"But he's all for it!" said Harry.
"Yes," said Hermione, staring at the window again. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all…"
Peeves floated over them on his stomach, peashooter at the ready; automatically all four of them lifted their bags to cover their heads until he had passed.
"Let's get this straight," said Harry angrily, as they put their bags back on the floor, "Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it anymore?"
Hermione looked tense and rather miserable. Now staring at her own hands she said, "Do you honestly trust his judgment?"
"Yes, I do!" said Harry at once. "He's always given us great advice!"
"Hermione, remember what he said 'better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue'. How can you ignore advice like that?!" Alicia demanded of her. "And how can you say you don't trust him? He might have a knack of breaking rules but he's not an idiot!" she snapped at the girl.
An ink pellet whizzed past them, striking Katie Bell squarely in the ear. Hermione watched Katie leap to her feet and start throwing things at Peeves; it was a few moments before Hermione spoke again and it sounded as though she was choosing her words very carefully.
"You don't think he has become… sort of… reckless… since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place? You don't think he's… kind of… living through us?"
"What d'you mean, 'living through us'?" Harry retorted.
"I mean… well, I think he'd love to be forming secret defence societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry… I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is… so I think he's keen to kind of… egg us on."
Ron looked utterly perplexed.
"Sirius is right," he said, "you do sound just like my mother." Hermione bit her lip and did not answer.
"I don't see anything wrong with that." Alicia said and Hermione looked at her "He is cooped up in that house and if that means he wants to live through us then so be it. But he would not agree if it put us in danger." Alicia said to Hermione strongly. "I'm very sorry you feel that way about him. After all, what would you do if you were hiding out while people you cared about were out risking everything?" she asked.
Hermione was silent as the bell rang just as Peeves swooped down upon Katie and emptied an entire ink bottle over her head.
The weather did not improve as the day wore on, so that at seven o'clock that evening, when Harry, Alicia and Ron went down to the Quidditch pitch for practice, and the boys were soaked through within minutes, their feet slipping and sliding on the sodden grass. The sky was a deep, thundery grey and it was a relief to gain the warmth and light of the changing rooms, even if they knew it was only temporary. They found Fred and George debating whether to use one of their own Skiving Snackboxes to get out of flying.
"— but I bet she'd know what we'd done," Fred said out of the corner of his mouth. "If only I hadn't offered to sell her some Puking Pastilles yesterday —"
"We could try the Fever Fudge," George muttered, "no one's seen that yet —"
"Does it work?" inquired Ron hopefully, as the hammering of rain on the roof intensified and wind howled around the building.
"Well, yeah," said Fred, "your temperature'll go right up —"
"But?" Alicia asked
"— but you get these massive pus-filled boils too," said George, "and we haven't worked out how to get rid of them yet."
"I can't see any boils," said Ron, staring at the twins.
"No, well, you wouldn't," said Fred darkly, "they're not in a place we generally display to the public —" Alicia looked at them both with sympathy and horror.
"— but they make sitting on a broom a right pain in the —"
"All right, everyone, listen up," said Angelina loudly, emerging from the Captain's office. "I know it's not ideal weather, but there's a good chance we'll be playing Slytherin in conditions like this so it's a good idea to work out how we're going to cope with them. Harry, didn't you do something to your glasses to stop the rain fogging them up when we played Hufflepuff in that storm?"
"You mean the impervious spell." Alicia said as she jabbed her wand to her robes which were the only ones that were dry in the changing room. "Repels substances, including water." she smiled at them
"Hermione did it," said Harry, taking everyone's attention from Alicia. He pulled out his wand, tapped his glasses and said, "Impervius!"
"I think we all ought to try that," said Angelina. "If we could just keep the rain off our faces it would really help visibility — all together, come on — Impervius! Okay. Let's go."
They all stowed their wands back in the inside pockets of their robes, shouldered their brooms, and followed Angelina out of the changing rooms.
They squelched through the deepening mud to the middle of the pitch; visibility was still very poor even with the Impervius Charm; light was fading fast and curtains of rain were sweeping the grounds.
"All right, on my whistle," shouted Angelina.
Alicia kicked off from the ground, spraying mud in all directions, and shot upward, the wind pulling at her and causing her to drift ever so slightly off course. Alicia kept her eyes peeled for the Quaffle which through the rain she could hardly see until it almost hit her in the face. It got to the point where she could hardly see Angelina or Katie to throw the ball too and Ron even intercepted one of her goals as she couldn't see where he was until it was too late.
The wind was picking up and Alicia, even at a distance could hear the swishing, pounding sounds of the rain pummelling the surface of the lake.
Angelina kept them at it for nearly an hour before conceding defeat. She led her sodden and disgruntled team back into the changing rooms, insisting that the practice had not been a waste of time, though without any real conviction in her voice. Fred and George were looking particularly annoyed; both were bandy-legged and winced with every movement.
"I think a few of mine have ruptured," said Fred in a hollow voice.
"Mine haven't," said George, wincing. "They're throbbing like mad… feel bigger if anything…"
Alicia suddenly hissed and she clapped a hand to her neck as Harry screwed his eyes up in pain and covered his face with the towel in his hands. Alicia dropped her head so her hair moved over her face as her neck seared with pain where her scar was.
"OUCH!"
"What's up?" said several voices.
Harry emerged from behind his towel as Alicia bit her lip and looked up.
"I think something bit me…" Alicia mumbled as she looked at her hand and wiped her neck, not glancing at anyone. The Weasley twins glanced at her before sharing a look.
"Nothing," Harry muttered himself "I — poked myself in the eye, that's all…" the two twins looked at one another though and then to Ron, Harry giving him a significant look that caused him to hang back with Alicia and Harry.
"What happened?" said Ron, the moment that Katie had disappeared through the door. "Was it your scar?"
Harry and Alicia nodded.
"That was worse than ever… other than when he touched you." Alicia mumbled, brushing her scar again.
"But…" Looking scared, Ron strode across to the window and stared out into the rain, "He — he can't be near us now, can he?"
"No," Harry muttered, sinking onto a bench and rubbing his forehead. "He's probably miles away. It hurt because… he's… angry." Alicia looked at Harry. She had felt anger, but not her own. At first she'd thought it was Harry's, after all, she'd felt his anger before along with other emotions.
"Did you see him?" said Ron, looking horrified. "Did you… get a vision, or something?"
Alicia's eyes narrowed in confusion as Ron said those words. Harry was able to feel Voldemort, just as, it seemed, she was able to feel Harry… But she and Harry had a relationship, being twins, he and Voldemort did not.
But Dumbledore had said Voldemort gave Harry some of his powers… said the logical voice in her mind.
But that didn't mean Harry should be able to feel Voldemort's presence, or his anger, or see things…
Her eyes widened. Things like locked doors he'd never seen before…
"He wants something done, and it's not happening fast enough," Harry said as Alicia was both worried and confused all of a sudden. The connection between Harry and Voldemort, from what Harry had said, seemed to be developing, like hers and Harry's? Only much quicker. How could that be?
"But… how do you know?" said Ron.
Harry shook his head and covered his eyes with his hands, pressing down upon them with his palms. Ron sat down beside Harry on the bench and stared at the boy as Alicia watched her brother, her mind racing too much to be able to ask the questions Ron was wondering as well.
"Is this what it was about last time?" said Ron in a hushed voice. "When your scar hurt in Umbridge's office? You-Know-Who was angry?"
Harry shook his head.
"What is it, then?"
There was silence for a second.
"Last time, it was because he was pleased," he said. "Really pleased. He thought… something good was going to happen. And the night before we came back to Hogwarts…" Harry paused again "He was furious…"
He looked around at Ron, who was gaping at him.
"You could take over from Trelawney, mate," he said in an awed voice.
"I'm not making prophecies," said Harry.
"No, you know what you're doing?" Ron said, sounding both scared and impressed. "Harry, you're reading You-Know-Who's mind…"
Alicia was staring at Harry and even she could tell the horror was apparent on her face. Dumbledore had told her that she and Harry had a connection like no other. And that was why she was able to feel Harry's emotions and see through his eyes. The professor had said it was a build on something deeper than just a twin bond.
Harry and Voldemort didn't have a twin bond. And yet, it seemed they had the same connection.
Had Dumbledore lied to her?
"No," said Harry, shaking his head, continuing as both boys were completely unaware as to Alicia's thought process. "It's more like… his mood, I suppose. I'm just getting flashes of what mood he's in… Dumbledore said something like this was happening last year… He said that when Voldemort was near me, or when he was feeling hatred, I could tell. Well, now I'm feeling it when he's pleased too…"
That's because it's just heightened emotions not just anger. Alicia believed. But she was too stunned and confused to say this out loud to the boys.
There was a pause. The wind and rain lashed at the building.
"You've got to tell someone," said Ron.
"I told Sirius last time."
"Well, tell him about this time!"
"Can't, can I?" said Harry grimly. "Umbridge is watching the owls and the fires, remember?"
"Well then, Dumbledore —"
"I've just told you, he already knows," said Harry shortly, getting to his feet, taking his cloak off his peg, and swinging it around himself. "There's no point telling him again."
Ron did up the fastening of his own cloak, watching Harry thoughtfully.
"Dumbledore'd want to know," he said.
Harry shrugged.
"C'mon… we've still got Silencing Charms to practice…" and he turned to Alicia.
"Alicia?" he said and she, having been staring at where he was sitting look up blinking. Ron and Harry were both staring at her confused. "Coming?" he asked when she said nothing. She nodded mutely and grabbed her cloak to follow the boys.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked.
She nodded again without speaking and proceeded out into the rain, being first to move to the castle.
They hurried back through the dark grounds, sliding and stumbling up the muddy lawns, not talking.
Alicia was first to the porthole and she managed to speak to give the password before walking in through the porthole with the boys behind her, Harry it seemed was in deep thought.
Despite not having any homework Alicia sat down in front of the fire with both Ron and Harry, the latter of which who pulled out his potions essay.
If Dumbledore lied, then there'd have to be another reason Harry and I are connected right? Something that happened that night, fourteen years ago… Alicia believed And if there was, why did Dumbledore lie about it?
Maybe he doesn't know?
Maybe that's his assumption?
Dumbledore's smarter than that though… she believed, arguing with herself as she tried to understand.
Maybe he doesn't trust you… and Alicia looked angrily at the fire before her.
But he told me about Aunt Petunia and why Harry and I are so close. He wouldn't have done so if he didn't trust me. Alicia thought again
But he didn't tell you why he's ignoring Harry, or had him secluded…
But if it's that he doesn't trust us why else would he not tell me?
Perhaps he thinks you're too immature?
Alicia didn't notice that Ron had left nor did she notice the time. Her eyes stayed on the fire and it seemed Harry was too busy stuck on his own thoughts himself that he didn't even notice her, so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't moved for perhaps hours.
Could it have to do with the Order as well? Alicia mumbled. She doubted Dumbledore would tell people about the connection Harry had with Voldemort, even if some could do with the information. Sirius, Hermione and Ron knew because Harry told them. Alicia knew because she felt it.
But you feel it through Harry, you don't have a connection to Voldemort.
Could that be why Dumbledore brought her to the order early and refused Harry to know? Would he exclude Harry because of his uncontrollable connection to Voldemort?
But she, Alicia, had a connection to Harry who was connected to Voldemort? So wasn't that then invalid?
Not if Voldemort couldn't reach through to you?
Who said anything about Voldemort reaching through to Harry's mind?
You do it to Harry?
But Harry doesn't do it back…?
You're both curious as to whether it's possible.
Doesn't mean it is.
Alicia didn't notice Harry fall asleep beside her, nor did she hear the thump of his potions textbook hitting the floor. Her eyes didn't feel sleepy despite the darkness outside and the dying fire before her.
And yet, she could feel herself drifting off under her racing thoughts and emotions. She did not understand how these connections were possible.
But one things for sure, they all relate back to that one night when Voldemort disappeared…
Alicia found herself walking down a corridor with no windows and her footsteps echoing. The door she recognised was at the end as usual and she felt excited as she reached out for it.
"Harry Potter, sir!"
Alicia jumped awake and her head hit something hard as her seat was jolted when she moved. She rubbed her head uncertainly and looked around to see darkness, a very low burning fire, barely glowing was sitting before her and a dark shadow was there as well. Something moved beside her as a voice sounded, reminding her she wasn't along.
"Whozair?" said Harry, sitting upright in his chair. Alicia didn't realise she'd fallen asleep, let alone done so in the common room and realised Harry must've done the same as well.
"Dobby has your owl, sir!" said a squeaky voice.
"Dobby?" said Harry thickly, peering through the gloom toward the source of the voice.
"How can he see anything…?" Alicia mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her head. She assumed she's fallen asleep on Harry's shoulder and bumped her head on his chin or something when they'd been awoken.
"Alicia?" Harry asked
"Mmhm." she mumbled with a yawn before her eyes finally adjusted and she managed to see Dobby before them.
Dobby the house-elf was standing beside the table on which Hermione had left her half a dozen knitted hats. His large, pointed ears were now sticking out from beneath what looked like all the hats that Hermione had ever knitted; he was wearing one on top of the other, so that his head seemed elongated by two or three feet, and on the very topmost bobble sat Hedwig, hooting serenely and obviously cured.
"Dobby volunteered to return Harry Potter's owl!" said the elf squeakily, with a look of positive adoration on his face. "Professor Grubbly-Plank says she is all well now, sir!"
He sank into a deep bow so that his pencil-like nose brushed the threadbare surface of the hearthrug and Hedwig gave an indignant hoot and fluttered onto the arm of Harry's chair.
"That's good." Alicia said, smiling in her sleepiness.
"Thanks, Dobby!" said Harry, stroking Hedwig's head and blinking hard. Alicia was looking at Dobby before her with both amusement and surprise. The elf was also wearing several scarves and innumerable socks, so that his feet looked far too big for his body.
"Er… have you been taking all the clothes Hermione's been leaving out?"
"Oh no, sir," said Dobby happily, "Dobby has been taking some for Winky too, sir."
"Yeah, how is Winky?" asked Harry.
Dobby's ears drooped slightly.
"Winky is still drinking lots, sir," he said sadly, his enormous round green eyes, large as tennis balls, downcast. "She still does not care for clothes, Harry Potter. Nor do the other house-elves. None of them will clean Gryffindor Tower anymore, not with the hats and socks hidden everywhere, they finds them insulting, sir. Dobby does it all himself, sir, but Dobby does not mind, sir, for he always hopes to meet Harry Potter and tonight, sir, he has got his wish!" Dobby sank into a deep bow again. "And Dobby heard sir, that Alicia Evans is actually Alicia Potter!" he turned to her with a beam "Dobby is thrilled to know Harry Potter has a family and is thrilled it to be Alicia Evans."
"Thanks Dobby." Alicia smiled and Dobby bowed lowly to her before turning to them
"But neither Alicia Potter nor Harry Potter seem happy," Dobby went on, straightening up again and looking timidly at Harry. "Dobby heard Harry Potter muttering in his sleep. Was Harry Potter having bad dreams?"
"Not really bad," said Harry, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "I've had worse."
"It's really just confusing." Alicia mumbled
The elf surveyed Harry out of his vast, orblike eyes. Then he said very seriously, his ears drooping, "Dobby wishes he could help Harry Potter, for Harry Potter set Dobby free and Dobby is much, much happier now…"
Harry smiled.
"You can't help me, Dobby, but thanks for the offer…"
He bent and picked up his Potions book. Alicia guessed he'd gotten no where if he'd fallen asleep, probably as absorbed in his thoughts as Alicia had been. He closed the book and as he did so the firelight illuminated the thin white scars on the back of his hand — the result of his detention with Umbridge.
"Wait a moment — there is something you can do for me, Dobby," said Harry slowly.
The elf looked around, beaming.
"Name it, Harry Potter, sir!"
"I need to find a place where twenty-eight people can practice Defence Against the Dark Arts without being discovered by any of the teachers. Especially," Harry clenched his hand on the book, so that the scars shone pearly white, "Professor Umbridge." Alicia looked surprised.
"That's right…" she mumbled "Dobby you live here and clean the castle, you must know of a place." she thought, surprised Harry had remembered something like that in the midst of everything.
To both twins surprise, Dobby gave a little skip, his ears waggling happily, and clap[ed his hands together.
"Dobby knows the perfect place, sir!" he said happily. "Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he came to Hogwarts, sir. It is known by us as the Come and Go Room, sir, or else as the Room of Requirement!" Alicia looked surprised before she beamed
"Of course!" she said earning a confused look from Harry
"What?"
"The Room of Requirement." Alicia nodded "That'd be more than perfect!"
"Why's it called that?" Harry asked her, looking also at Dobby.
"Because it is a room that a person can only enter," said Dobby seriously, "when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. Dobby has used it, sir," said the elf, dropping his voice and looking guilty, "when Winky has been very drunk. He has hidden her in the Room of Requirement and he has found antidotes to butterbeer there, and a nice elf-sized bed to settle her on while she sleeps it off, sir… And Dobby knows Mr. Filch has found extra cleaning materials there when he has run short, sir, and —"
"— and if you really needed a bathroom," said Harry, suddenly remembering something Dumbledore had said at the Yule Ball the previous Christmas, "would it fill itself with chamber pots?"
"A weird thing to think of…" Alicia mumbled
"Dobby expects so, sir," said Dobby, nodding earnestly. "It is a most amazing room, sir."
"You knew about it?" Harry asked Alicia
"It's in one of the books I read ages ago! But where it is located isn't." Alicia said "But the idea had completely slipped my mind! The best part about it is that groups of people can only find the same room if they're thinking and needing the same thing. And the room vanishes even when people are inside it so outsiders can't go wondering in." she said grinning "And because it's always equipped for the seekers needs it'll be big enough for all of us and might even have equipment to use for spell work." she continued
"How many people know about it?" said Harry, sitting up straighter in his chair.
"Very few, sir. Mostly people stumbles across it when they needs it, sir, but often they never finds it again, for they do not know that it is always there waiting to be called into service, sir."
"It sounds brilliant," said Harry, his heart racing. "It sounds perfect, Dobby. When can you show me where it is?"
"Anytime, Harry Potter, sir," said Dobby, looking delighted at Harry's enthusiasm. "We could go now, if you like!"
The twins paused.
"Oh…" Alicia looked at the clock within the room while Harry had stood halfway out of his seat, obviously more than excited to go now. Alicia grabbed his arm and sat him back down.
"Even if we could go now." she began "It's reckless with Umbridge about and," she looked at the clock again "We should probably sleep…" she admitted and Harry eyed the clock himself.
"Not tonight, Dobby," said Harry reluctantly, sinking back into his chair and agreeing with his sister. "This is really important… I don't want to blow it, it'll need proper planning… Listen, can you just tell me exactly where this Room of Requirement is and how to get in there?"
"It's on the seventh floor sir. Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls." Dobby said
"And you open it by thinking about what you need?" Alicia said and Dobby nodded
"But you have to walk past it three times as you think it." Dobby admitted.
"Dobby you are absolutely fantastic!" Alicia said and the elf beamed.
"Thank you Alicia Potter. If Dobby can say, Dobby really likes the sound of that." he smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Me too."
"She's right Dobby you're a life saver." Harry said.
"Thank you sir. Dobby is just happy he can help Harry Potter sir."
"We'd better get some sleep." Alicia said "I don't know about you but I'd like to have this first meeting as soon as possible." she grinned "I've been thinking about it a heap." Harry nodded
"We should do it tomorrow."
"You mean today." Alicia smirked and he rolled his eyes
"How about about eight?" he asked
"You tell Dean and Neville and I'll tell Parvati and Lavender. We can spend tomorrow telling people and getting them to tell others." Alicia said and the boy nodded.
"What about practice?" Harry asked and Alicia turned to the window in which a gale was storming outside. She looked back at Harry who just nodded knowing that she assumed Angelina would call practice off, especially after the previous session.
"Plus it's late enough that all practices should be over." Harry nodded in agreement.
"See you latter Dobby." he said
"Keep in touch." Alicia said and the Elf beamed "But remember, don't tell anyone!" Alicia said grinning and Dobby nodded quickly.
"Dobby promises not to tell anyone miss." and Alicia grinned as the two got up, collected their things and moved towards the staircases.