Planning
At breakfast, Sev received a letter from his mother, with the same owl that he had sent her the day before. Ugh… poor thing.It has spent almost twenty-four hours flying and surely Mum has not fed it, because she does not count on feeding owls at home.In summer I will give her one.
He projected to Lauren, "The letter has arrived."
"Brilliant. Save it for the night," she replied.
I'll carry it with me all day, pensó él.
That night he went to bed to study as soon as the Library closed. At ten o'clock Anthony entered their bedroom. "Prince, are you there?" he asked him.
"Yeah."
His friend approached his bed and conjured the Muffliato. "We have found a locked cabinet that we have not been able to open with any spell."
"Oh…"
"Think about what to do and tomorrow we'll talk about it in Arithmancy. We have made a map of the Room of Requirement, take," Anthony passed to him a folded parchment.
Wow… "Brilliant." To check with Lauren, Sev thought.
They met again around midnight. This time it was she who came later.
"Good evening, Severus."
"Good evening, Lauren."
"First of all, I want to apologize for yesterday. I crossed the line, I disrespected you again."
"Bah, don't worry. There's trust, Lauren, we both know what we feel, it's normal for it to come out spontaneously from time to time, holding back too much isn't good either."
"Thank you for understanding. Have you read the letter?"
"No, and besides, there is a more urgent issue.Let's take potion for a couple of hours, if you like."
They took their doses.
"Have they found anything?" she asked.
"Yeah. And they have made a map of the Room of Requirement."
"Wow... We're coordinating so well."
Sev unfolded the map, spanning the width of a parchment, it was very long, and yet the aisles looked tiny, half an inch from each other.
"What a job!" Lauren exclaimed. "And in one day. Who has done it?"
"He hasn't told me."
"I think it was him and Jack. Last night they were sitting together at this table."
"Wow, they counted the aisles as they walked through them, without saying anything to me," Sev said.
"What a great team we make."
They studied the map. In the center of each already covered street ran lines. They had completed the search for almost a quarter of the Room.
"Wow... they've made a lot of progress," she said.
"They are three, Lauren."
"Copy the homework for Anthony this week too."
"I'm already doing it," he said. "I'll give it to him tomorrow."
In the left area, where Deborah had been searching, there was an X.
"And that?" Lauren asked.
"He told me that they found a closet that they could not open."
"Oh… it was to be expected. Who is looking in that area?"
"Deborah," Sev replied.
"And she has not destroyed it with a curse?"
"Well, you can see that she hasn't, they have simply marked it and waited to consult me."
"She is also worth her own, I have to admit it," she said. "Have you thought about what to do?"
"I haven't. I have waited to consult you."
"Ugh, Severus, you have to learn for yourself. In less than a month you are going to deal with Dumbledore, who is going to pretend that he treats you between cotton balls while he plots evil. Come on, think."
Sev thought, If they keep all the books they take from the R.S. there, a single cabinet isn't enough. Maybe that's not the one where the Red Magic is. If we open it with a curse before finding the one that it is in, they can catch us and remove the others. They have to keep marking all the ones that don't open, do it at the same time and keep all the books withdrawn from the R.S., surely there are many of Dark Magic. The Guard have already thought about it, that's why they made the map and didn't destroy the closet, and yet they consult me. "I have it. They have to wait until they cover the entire Room to find all the locked cabinets, open them all at once and move the books to a safe place."
"That's my boy. That's where you're going to have Dumbledore caught."
"It's a lot for me, Lauren. I'm not used to thinking big."
"Well, get used to doing it, because it's what you have to do, it's enough so much modesty. You have plenty of qualities, you just need to believe in yourself and exploit them."
She is absolutely right. Didn't I want to be a powerful wizard? It is not enough to study, it is better that I dedicate myself to sharpen my mind. Overall, even if I don't get the five Outstandings, I'm sure Dumbledore will let me take the NEWT that I want. "You're absolutely right, Lauren."
"Next topic, because I am sure that with so much swotting, you have not yet thought about the organization of the training session on May 15th."
"I haven't."
"Well, badly done," she said. "I warned you over a week ago, it's not going to be easy. Do you know how many students there are of Defense NEWT?"
"I don't."
"Well, you should have asked Jack, like who doesn't want to."
"Yeah…"
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of finding out," Lauren continued.
"And how many are they?"
"Thirty-five."
"Whoaah…" Sev exclaimed.
"Have you brought supplies to write?"
"I haven't, but I can Summon them."
"I brought them, just in case, but do it, that way you practice."
Sev Summoned parchment, quill, and inkwell.
"Write down," she asked. "Eleven Slys, seven sixth-years and four seventh-years. Nine Raves, four sixth-years and five seventh-years. Five Huffles, three sixth-years and two seventh-years. And ten Gryffs, four sixth-years and six seventh-years. You got it?"
"The Slys are the majority."
"By little against the Gryffs, although I hope you have the Raves on your side."
"And Remus and Lily can win them over," he said.
"Well, we'll talk about that later. Also annotate all the fifth years who are preparing the Defense OWL."
"Lauren, when do you rest?"
"Come on, Severus. I see them in class every week, it's not that bad. Three Slys, you know who we are, we have had the worst year, but count four, because I don't count but Heather and Fiona do, who will uncover themselves with the Guard and continue training, I have read them. Five other Raves…"
"Wow, the Raves are also combative."
"Of course, they defend their own, we are on the verge of a war. Two Huffles and four Gryffs. You know who, don't you?"
"Yeah. Lily, Remus, Potter and Black," Sev replied.
"You are not going to win those last two over in life, get used to the idea."
"I don't mean to. The farther the better."
"But you need them to protect Lily until she is safe," Lauren added. "Use them."
"Of course."
"Now add all the Raves and Slys, who will surely join you instantly."
"Fifteen Slys and fourteen Raves," he calculated. "Twenty nine."
"And now the Huffles, just in case."
"Thirty-six."
"Plus some fourth-years who are also encouraged, count between forty and forty-five," she continued. "Smaller do not admit. Leave the children of the Guard on the sidelines."
"Ugh... Ariel is going to get frustrated."
"Well, when you reveal the strategy to them, explain it to him, he will understand. Well, on the low side, a minimum of twenty-nine olders. Do you know how many older malefics are at home?"
"Yes indeed," Sev replied.
"Of course."
"Four seventh-years, three sixth-years and five fifth-years."
"And none of them is studying Defense or preparing it, because they count on being trained when they leave school," Lauren said. "There are also three Raves and two Gryffs."
"Oh really?" alarmed.
"Yeah. The Slys aren't the only bad guys. Only those are camouflaged, so they don't count."
"Lauren... have you read the whole school?" he asked, amazed.
"Of course. I've been doing it since my parents filled me in last year, to spot all the bad guys."
But she didn't read me… "Merlin... you are fantastic."
"Don't throw me flowers, I'll speed up later and you know what happens," she said. "Add up the Slys."
"Twelve."
"Against twenty-nine and without training, they will be intimidated. Come on, plan the training."
"By Houses?" Sev asked.
"Mistake. By years, mixed, to be all together. Keep in mind that the seventh-years leave in a month and a half and they also have exams. You must give prominence to the sixth-years. Add up by years, now count them all, Huffles too."
"Thirteen seventh-years, twelve sixth-years and eleven fifth-years."
"Very balanced, and they are groups manageable by a single person," Lauren explained. "You did it last Saturday. Choose commanders."
"Jack for sixth year, of course, but no seventh-year has joined us yet.If I had done it byHouses I would have chosen Lorenz, he is as good or better than Jack and we connect very well, apart from being the first Rave that has joined."
"Well, you have it, let him command the seventh-years, I already told you that you should give prominence to the sixth-years, and it's perfect, because that way the Slys don't become the masters of the roost."
"Sure…" he said.
"And you take care of fifth year. This way you help them for the OWLs, and they will be your classmates in NEWT next year."
"And if fourth graders join?"
"Deborah, or some other Rave sixth-year, preferably a girl," she answered. "There are two, balance. And by organizing by years and not by Houses, it's easier for some Gryff to encourage, because you should win them over before Potter and Black start the NEWT. They'll try to turn their whole House against you, they'll get the upper hand on Lily and Remus until they can reveal themselves."
"Of course."
"Be very careful with those two when you come out into the open, they still have a lot of hatred for you even though they no longer see you with Lily, and they are not afraid of you like the malefics, they are very emboldened by all the years they have spent harassing you, and when you gain prominence they are going to come after you, to make a fool of you."
He snorted. "At the same time that they will be protecting Lily and that idiot Potter, believing that he has finally won her over."
"That is. But you know it's not like that, that should be enough for you, Lily will never leave you for him. I have already told her everything I just told you about them and she has very, very clear ideas. Last details. In the Great Hall, the four commanders in front, not just Jack and you, let there be Raves and girls too."
"Of course."
"And if the miracle of a Gryff joining happens at that very moment or during training, let another sixth-year take care of the fifth-years and dedicate yourself to them, to win them over immediately, so go thinking about another alternative commander," she added.
Sev had written down all of Lauren's suggestions.
"Politics, Severus."
"We have dreamed for a while."
"You are already ten older, a third of twenty-nine. Another two for each remaining weekend, fourteen, a half."
"I have thought something else," he said.
"Tell me."
"That day we will train only in the morning. People do not resist so many hours in a row."
"Sure," she agreed.
"It would be nice to repeat on Sunday."
"Bravo! You see? You alone. That way you have the afternoons free to study."
"And maybe also on Friday afternoons, if you don't mind stopus meeting," he said.
"I was counting on that, Severus. We can't keep risking being seen together once you come out. Later we will continue, when the danger passes, in the Room of Requirement. In fact, I think we should stop it right now. On Sunday you have training and on Saturday you must take advantage of the malefics' outing to Hogsmeade to prepare the sleep potions. So let's not meet this Friday, I have plenty for the OWLs in that regard. We both will take advantage of it to study."
"Sure…" What a pity not to return to the Forest together. Sev's eyes misted over and he lowered his gaze.
"Don't be sad…" Lauren leaned across the table to take his hand. "Maybe we can also demand a Forest to the Room of Requirement."
Hasshe read me? He looked at her. No, she's almost crying too.She has just thought the same thing as me. "Next time I go I'll try it." Tomorrow.
"All right. And you tell me."
"Of course."
"And now, hot topic," she said. "Your mother's letter. Have you read it?"
"I haven't."
"Neither?"
"You told me to keep it for the night," Sev replied.
"I meant after dinner. Go ahead, open it."
They read carefully.
Severus, dear:
Thank you very much for the gift, you don't know how excited it has made me, you are quite an artist, I will never take it off.
"How was it? You didn't show it to me," Lauren asked him.
"Because I summoned it just before I sent it to her, yesterday morning. A jade serpent came out, coiled in itself, with onyx eyes, she is dark-haired and with black eyes like me. The setting and the chain were silver, like yours."
"Sly."
"Sure," Sev replied. "Let's keep reading."
As for your question, yes, I knew Tom Riddle at school. He was three years older than me, a very good wizard, but a very bad person.
"True."
Although he was highly appreciated by the teachers, he surrounded himself with a gang of which he was the leader, very bad people, and there were many rumors about them.And about him in particular I remember two.The first, that he was an orphan, and that's how it must be, because he always stayed at school for holidays, and the second, much more serious.I don't know if you know that around that time a girl died at Hogwarts, the last person to have done so, they nicknamed her 'Moaning Myrtle' and she appeared petrified in a bathroom on the fourth floor.
"The ghost I told you about!" Lauren exclaimed. "I know her."
"Let's continue."
Riddle could have had something to do with it, since it was rumored that he was the one who accused Hagrid, who was also a student at the time, as I told you, of being responsible for releasing Salazar's monster. They found that he was raising an acromantula and expelled him as a student.
"Aragog! Hagrid brought it to the Forest, that's why he loves it so much," said Sev laughing.
"Let's go on, let's go on…"
But you know that Dumbledore later took him into his service, for which I think Hagrid wasn't responsible at all, it was surely Riddle himself.
Give Lily lots of kisses from me and continue to take care of your friend.
Your Mum who loves you
Eileen Prince
"Take that! She has recovered her maiden name," Sev said. "Wow…"
"How glad I am. Did you talk to her about me?"
"I did.The subject arose as a result of the Magic of the Moon, I needed to trust someone.I still didn't know that Lily was already aware, but I didn't tell her anything compromising, I didn't even tell her your name," he lied.
She smiled charmingly at him. "Whoah... Severus, your mother is a mine of information.She revealed the Ancestral Magics to you and now she ties up all the loose ends for us.Riddle was not an orphan, but disowned as a half-blood, like you, that's why he hates Muggles, he grew up in an orphanage.And if he released Salazar's monster he must be his descendant, legend says that it can only be controlled by his descendants.That explains why his middle name is an old wizarding name that is no longer used, he is of a very old lineage."
"Oh…"
"And he surely used it instead of his second surname because the male line of Salazar died out," Lauren added.
"Of course, no one is called Slytherin."
"And not only that. The only known maternal-line descendants squandered their fortune and lived miserably, the Gaunts, so he too must be ashamed of his magical origins. Surely his mother ran away from them or was disowned by them because she married a Muggle, he abused or abandoned her and she was forced to leave him in an orphanage. Many, many similarities to your story."
"The legend also says that the descendants of Salazar speak Parseltongue," Sev said.
"Yes, and that is how he surely controlled the monster, which, of course, must continue right here, in the castle. He freed him to murder Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom where she is staying. Surely it is there that the entrance to the place where the monster lives is located and he controls it in Parseltongue. It must be a reptile, of course, being Salazar's monster."
"Which petrifies, a basilisk."
"Booah…" she exclaimed. "Dumbledore surely doesn't know, he wouldn't let a basilisk inhabit the school. Tomorrow I'll go there and inspect everything well, maybe I'll find the entrance."
"No, Lauren, don't even think about it."
"Don't worry, I won't try to open anything, surely the spell is also in Parseltongue, and I'll try to talk to her, maybe she remembers her own death."
The next day, in Arithmancy, Sev returned the map of the Room of Requirement to Anthony and gave him the homework he had copied for him. "You all are doing great, keep up like this, cover the entire Room marking all the cabinets closed."
"That's what we thought too," Anthony answered. "Since we have training on Sunday, we will take advantage of Friday afternoon and the entire Saturday, which will surely give us time to train there the next day."
"Great, then I'll also give you the homework of the whole week when we meet, don't worry about it. Have you already chosen the next two candidates?"
"Yes, there will be three, they are reliable. The remaining Sly sixth-year girl, who dates George, and Lorenz's girlfriend, the Rave, and her friend, who are also taking the NEWT."
"Wonderfully, it is important to include Raves and witches," Sev agreed.
"Of course, to be more plural."
"Great, then we would already be thirteen older." Almost half of the twenty-nine, and we already outnumber the twelve malefic Slys, Sev thought. "Tell Jack that we'll meet in the Room of Requirement on Saturday after dinner, to open the cabinets and plan the next day's training in case it can be used. Don't tell anyone else it's the Room of Requirement."
"Sure, Prince. Otherwise, everyone would use it for anything."
As I am doing every noon, Sev thought.
"Do we go too?" Anthony asked.
Better change the demand to hide the books so only Jack and I know about it for now. "Only if you haven't covered it all yet. We will do it between Jack and me, we have two hours ahead of us, with the map we will have enough time, we will run through the Room."
"Okay, Prince. You rule."
Sev told Lauren everything by projecting her in the Great Hall.
"Wonderful, I see that you are taking initiatives by yourself, and very successfully," she said. "Later you will be distributing the books according to the theme. Be very careful, the Gryffs can catch you. I'll ask Lily to keep Potter entertained."
Ugh… Sev dropped his head onto his hand and Lauren saw him.
"Come on, Severus, you can trust her, and she is eager to collaborate and help us, we are a great team. Remus and Cecile will also be with them, appearing to stick together. This way they prepare for the crucial moment. Talk to her now and tell her about the Guard, then we'll talk to each other."
Sev did it.
"Ugh, Sev, the trio can catch you," Lily told him.
"Well, yes, it's possible."
"Don't worry, we'll keep them entertained between the three of us, we won't let them leave the Common Room."
She alone has thought about it already, he thought.
"Don't worry about that either, you know you can trust me like I trust you," Lily continued.
She is absolutely right. She was willing for me to hook up with Lauren these two months. "Thanks love. Of course I do."
"That's how I like it."
"Talk to Lauren for a while," Sev said.
"Okay."
Lily projected to Lauren, "Hello, Lauren, has Sev told you the news?"
"Yeah. They are very good, but they will be in some danger," the brunette replied.
"No, I'll take care with Remus and Cecile to keep the other three entertained."
"Brilliant. What a great team we make."
"Finally I can do something useful," Lily said.
"You always have, sweetie, keeping Sev's hopes. Keep talking to him for a while."
"Okay, we'll tell each other at dinner."
Sev and Lily continued to talk through lunch and she made him feel much better about Potter. At halftime he went up to the Room of Requirement, as he had been doing since Monday, to practice the piano. My best moment of the day, when I relax and forget about problems. He had not met Cecile nor had he appointed her. She's also at risk meeting me, she understands that and she's holding back from coming.
Before entering the music classroom, he demanded a suitable space in the forest to practice Duel between two, near the pond. He came in. Wooow… we can also demand outdoor spaces. He walked through it, soon arriving at the pond, and very close to it, he found a wide space totally clear of trees, with a very soft ground of good earth and thick grass. To avoid hurting ourselves with falls, it's perfect.And the back can't be seen, it will also serve us to walk. He did it, that day he dispensed with the music classroom.
In Transfiguration he told Lauren.
"Wow… how wonderful," she replied. "I also have news for you, but I'll tell you in Charms, attend to the class, our dear Minerva has her eye on you in a bad way. She is surprised that you have advanced so much in a few months and more since last week she admonished you twice. She already smells something strange, you will have to win her over too, although she will abide by what Dumbledore decides."
And we may need her in the future to become Animagi, Sev thought. Well, that, to show interest, politics. So he pretended that he needed help on a couple of occasions to perform the spells, humbly, to establish contact with the teacher, who assisted him without losing her strict disposition but very politely and correctly, demonstrating her great vocation for teaching and helping any student who needed it. I could have handled the subject right from the beginning if I had asked her for help much sooner.
In Charms Lauren projected to him, "Very well done, Severus.She also noticed at Christmas that you were sitting with Ariel in the Great Hall and she suspects that you are on the good side, but she will let Dumbledore have his way.She will not meddle and will help in whatever he asks of her.You have her in your pocket."
Good! I no longer need the Transfiguration Outstanding, Sev thought. "Tell me what you found out."
"Myrtle doesn't remember her death, but it happened in the bathroom itself, as we already suspected. I have checked everything thoroughly. Since it's for girls and you've probably never been inside, you don't know it, but there is a large space with a structure around which the sinks are located, eight in total. A snake is engraved on one of the taps. I tried to open it…"
"Lauren!Are you crazy?" he exclaimed very alarmed.
"Calm down, nothing has happened. I already told you that the spell must be in Parseltongue. No water has come out and all the others have. What I'm telling you, that faucet opens in Parseltongue and probably makes the whole structure move, which must be the entrance to the place where the basilisk lives. Lots and lots of information, Severus. You don't know what I would give to be in your first interview with Dumbledore, his face is going to be a poem. You won't need to read him, you're going to put him in your pocket, but don't blurt it out all at once, let the exchange be mutual, ask for everything you also need."
A Time Turner, he thought.
On Friday, Sev did all his homework in the afternoon, went to bed early, and got up at dawn to do two dictation copies, one that he left at endemism for Lauren and one that he would save for when he saw Anthony on Sunday.
He spent almost the entirety of Saturday, not going down to lunch, in the Haven, brewing the large amount of sleep potions that they were going to need, with four cauldrons at a time, which luckily, he was already perfectly capable of Summoning. He put everything away in the closet, taking only the vials he intended to give to Cecile when they could meet again.
At night he met Jack in the Room of Requirement. "Have you succeeded?" Sev asked him.
"Yes, in the afternoon. There are five closets." Jack showed him the map.
Three are on the left, two of them very close to each other, one in the center and one on the right, Sev counted. "Okay, I'll take care of the ones on the left."
"Keep the map, I already control where the other two are, they are all marked," Jack said.
"Brilliant. What a great team, Jack."
"All Deborah's idea."
"Oh…"
They rushed over, hexed them open, tied up the contents of each cabinet, dozens of books, and levitated them to the entrance of the Room. Sev must made three trips, but his closets were closer to it, so he arrived shortly after Jack.
"We are going to demand 'Provisional Library for the Classification of Forbidden Books'," Sev said.
"Very good, complicated enough so that it doesn't occur to anyone."
"Yeah. And it's not proper Deborah and Anthony know it either at the moment, just you and me. Afterwards we will classify them, ordering them according to the theme and creating other spaces to study them."
"It seems perfect to me, Prince, because there are a lot of Dark Arts," Jack agreed. "Can we handle all at once?"
"Better in two batches, the Gryff trio watches."
They undid the five packages and rearranged them into four. They levitated two of them to leave the Room. "Let's go there."
They went out, walked around and demanded. A medium door appeared and they entered. Shelves on three walls, with the themes already classified, and in the center and next to the windows, enough benches for about forty people and also everything perfectly lit by candles and torches.
"Wow… we'll have plenty for now," said Jack.
"I suppose that the Room counts on that there will be many more in the future. We are going to place them on any shelf, and we will order them later. We have to talk about training."
Sev went to a small closet there. He opened it. "A file to classify them, and inside the drawer, writing material. Perfect, it will also help us to plan strategies. Let's go back to the storage room for the rest."
They did it. When everything was in order, they still had almost an hour until curfew.
"We have to plan tomorrow's training," Sev said.
"Sure, Prince."
"If they are reliable, tell them already it's me and the Malfoy letter's thing. Don't set them up, let them choose."
"Of course."
"As it no longer matters that Dumbledore knows that we have discovered the Room of Requirement, we will train here and we will all come back for lunch so that the malefics do not smell it," Sev continued. "Dumbledore will understand the move and that we're taking cover. There is less than a month left for the letter to arrive."
"Sure. Shall we bring the little ones?"
"Yes, no problem, but we should leave them aside when we uncover ourselves."
"I already thought about it, we will prepare Ariel," Jack agreed.
"Good. If these three join, we should think of another strategy for the key day. We'll talk about it tomorrow when we finish training."
"You are right, we are no longer going to fit at the tables."
"That is," Sev said. "By then bring up a count of all warriors who are taking Defense NEWTs. I already know how many are preparing OWLs."
Jack looked at him understanding, Sev smiled. They both thought. It's going to be historical.
"Arrive in three batches of four or five, ten minutes apart," Sev went on, "First you five, then the Raves, to give you time to explain, and then the rest of Sly, all the snakes through the passage from the third to the seventh floor. Nine forty, nine fifty and ten. I will arrive last, at ten past ten, we will have two hours until lunch. You have to demand 'Defense Training Room'."
"So easy?"
"Yeah. It no longer matters that Dumbledore finds out, better if he does. Do not tell anyone else that it is the Room of Requirement or explain how it works."
Jack had written it all down. "No, of course not, we already knew that. Perfect, Prince. Anything else?"
"No."
"Then I'm leaving now. I have arranged to meet Lorenz to talk if I had time."
"Superb coordination," Sev said. If you only knew how little time we have left... It's the penultimate secret training.
Sev took advantage of that time to go back to the piano classroom and relax before going to sleep. The next day he had to win over three more warriors.
