The Unknowable Room
Arthur was struggling over the next week as to how he could finally persuade Slughorn to hand over the true memory.
To help him try and figure it out, he'd pore through the Prince's potions book, just as a way to make his mind work.
"You won't find the answers in there." Chrys told him late on Sunday evening.
"I know that, I'm just trying to get my brain working." He told her as he sat with her, Mike and David by the fire in the common room.
The only other people there were fellow sixth years. There was a buzz of excitement from earlier after dinner when the saw on the noticeboard when their Apparition test would be conducted, which was the twenty first of April, but only people who are seventeen on or before that first test date. This meant that Mike, David and Chrys can go, but Arthur can't, not that he cared, since he can Apparate. David was in the middle of writing an essay for Snape, which the others have completed. Arthur expected to get low marks on his for the fact that he disagreed with Snape on how to best deal with Dementors, but he didn't care, because he knew he was right.
As he pored through the book, he came across an incantation: Sectumsempra. It was scrawled above the words 'For Enemies'.
Deciding to test it, Arthur grabbed a log from the pile for the fireplace, he aimed his wand at it and said the incantation. He, Mike, David and Chrys were shocked by the results as there were gashes and slashes in the log, all of which were in sync with how Arthur moved his wand.
"What the hell was that?" David asked in shock.
"A spell the Prince invented." Arthur replied, showing the spell in the book.
"Thank God you didn't try it on a human. That would've been deadly." Chrys said.
Hearing her say those words, Arthur recollected Snape's memory from nearly a year ago. He remembered that the young Snape had cast a spell that left a bloody gash on his father's cheek.
This was all he needed to know: Snape is in fact the Half-Blood Prince. And now that he came to this conclusion, it explained why he felt the handwriting was familiar, because he saw Snape write in his O.W.L. test. And it fits, since he's great at Potions, as well as the Dark Arts.
"I think Snape's the Half-Blood Prince." He said to all three of them and they were stunned as he explained why he came to this conclusion.
"Yes… that makes sense. And since that spell is marked 'For Enemies', Snape would create such a spell against those that he hates, especially your dad and his friends." Chrys said.
"Imagine if he learned that you're using his old potions book." Mike said, shaking his head.
"Oh, he won't. I'm keeping this book safe and I'll make sure to use Occlumency whenever I'm in the same space as him." Arthur said.
That was when he looked around and saw that they were now the only ones left in the common room as Seamus had just gone up to bed cursing Snape and his essay. All that can be heard now is the crackling of the fire.
Arthur was about to close Snape's old book when crack.
Chrys jumped back in shock while David rolled backwards as Arthur said "Kreacher!"
Said house elf bowed low and addressed his own gnarled toes.
"Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing so Kreacher has come to give -"
Crack.
Dobby appeared alongside him, his tea cosy askew.
"Dobby has been helping too, Arthur Pendergast!" He squeaked, giving Kreacher a resentful look. "And Kreacher ought to tell Dobby when he is coming to see Arthur Pendergast so they can make their reports together!"
"What's going on?" David asked.
"I told these two to follow Draco for me." Arthur replied.
"Night and day." Kreacher croaked.
"Dobby has not slept for a week, Arthur Pendergast!" Dobby said proudly as he started swaying where he stood.
"Oh, Dobby…." Chrys said, so concerned for him.
"Dobby, from now on, make sure you sleep when you need to." Arthur said. "Anyway, have either of you found out anything?"
"Master Malfoy moves with a nobility that befits his pure blood." Kreacher croaked. "His features recall the fine bones of my mistress and his manners are those of -"
"Draco Malfoy is a bad boy!" Dobby squeaked angrily. "A bad boy who - who -"
He shuddered from the tassel of his tea cosy to the toes of his socks before he ran at the fire, ready to dive into it. David caught him instantly and held him while the house elf struggled until he went limp.
"Thank you, David Merlon." He panted. "Dobby still finds it difficult to speak ill of his old masters."
David then released him; Dobby straightened his tea cosy and then said to Kreacher "But Kreacher should know that Draco Malfoy is not a good master to a house elf!"
"Moving on, where has he been going?" Arthur said.
Kreacher bowed with a furious expression before saying "Master Malfoy eats in the Great Hall, he sleeps in a dormitory in the dungeons, he attends classes in a variety of -"
"Dobby, has he gone anywhere he shouldn't" Arthur cut Kreacher off, seeing that he isn't really helping.
"Arthur Pendergast, sir…" Dobby squeaked, his orb-like eyes shining in the firelight. "...the Malfoy boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he is still keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students, who keep watch for him while he enters -"
"The Room of Requirement." Arthur concluded, grinning upon having confirmation of where Draco goes. "Were you able to get in and look at what he's doing?"
"No, Arthur Pendergast, that is impossible." Dobby replied.
"How?" Arthur frowned.
"Remember when Draco got to our Headquarters last year? That was because he knew how we were using that room, thanks to Maretta blabbing. He needed the Room to be the Headquarters for the DA, so it did. But we need to know what the Room becomes when Draco goes in there." Chrys explained.
"Then we'll just have to figure that out." Arthur replied. "You did well, Dobby. You two can go now. And make sure you go to sleep, Dobby."
"Thank you, Arthur Pendergast, sir." Dobby squeaked happily while Kreacher made one last deep bow before the two Disapparated.
"Hold on, what did Dobby mean by 'variety of students'?" Mike asked. "You don't think that Draco has a lot of people in on what he's doing?"
Arthur and the others were thinking this over.
He recollected how he'd sometimes see Crabbe and Goyle standing still in deserted corridors and tried to connect that with those two girls he saw accompanying Draco on the day of the match against Hufflepuff.
Then he remembered a certain potion during their first lesson with Slughorn
"That's it!" He said, snapping his fingers. "He nicked Polyjuice Potion from Slughorn and has Crabb and Goyle use it as his lookouts. They're dumb enough to do as he tells them, even if he doesn't tell them what he does."
"Then… that girl whose scales I repaired -?" Chrys said with horror on her face.
"Was either Crabbe or Goyle. Draco must've been in the Room at the time. They dropped those scales as a way to tell Draco not to come out, since we were there!"
"Yikes. That explains why they've looked miserable these days." David cringed.
They all went to bed afterwards, now confident of getting closer to exposing and figuring out Draco's plan.
Arthur told the others that he'll be using his free period before Defence Against the Dark Arts to see if he can enter the version of the Room of Requirement that Draco enters. Chrys reminded him of persuading Slughorn for his memory, but he told her that he hasn't figured that out yet, so he'll use his time to figure out Draco and the Room of Requirement.
"Hold on!" She said as she read the Daily Prophet and as Arthur was about to go. "It seems that Mundungus has been arrested and sent to Azkaban. He apparently attempted to impersonate an Inferius during an attempted burglary. And someone named Octavius Pepper has vanished. And… a nine year old boy was arrested for trying to kill his grandparents. He may be under the Imperius Curse…."
With that grim note, Arthur left as Chrys went for Ancient Runes and both Mike and David headed for the common room.
Arthur made his way to the seventh floor and to the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls how to do ballet.
He was glad that Crabbe and Goyle weren't there when he arrived.
He closed his eyes as he approached where the doors to the Room were concealed. He then concentrated with all his might, thinking I need to see where Draco goes to three times, just as many times as him walking past the door.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and was disappointed to see that the wall was still blank.
"Okay, that doesn't work…." He muttered to himself.
He then pondered before he set off again with his eyes closed and concentrating as much as he could.
I need to see the room Draco uses.
After three walks with this thought, he opened his eyes and saw that there was still no door.
"Great." He sighed in annoyance.
Deciding that he'll come back and try again later, he went off as he realised that it was nearly time for Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Arthur joined up with the others in time and sat in the candlelit classroom with their books out.
"Before we start, I want your Dementor essays." Snape said, waving his wand carelessly, making twenty six scrolls of parchment soar through the air and land in a neat pile on his desk. "And I hope for your sakes they are better than the tripe I had to endure on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, if you will all open your books at page - what is it, Mr Finnigan?"
"Sir, I've been wondering, how do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the Prophet about an Inferius -"
"No, there wasn't." Snape said in a bored voice.
"But sir, I heard people talking -"
"If you had actually read the article in question, Mr Finnigan, you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher."
"They're supposed to be allies, yet he's not so fussed that he's arrested." Arthur muttered to the others.
"But Pendergast seems to have a lot to say on the subject." Snape said, pointing at the back of the room, his black eyes fixed on Arthur. "Let us ask Pendergast how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost."
Everyone looked at Arthur.
"An Inferius is a reanimated corpse, done by a Dark wizard, while a ghost is an imprint of a soul from a once living witch or wizard." Arthur replied.
Snape narrowed his eyes at Arthur for a moment.
"Pendergast is indeed correct. Now open your books at page two hundred and thirteen and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse…."
The class was as tense and unbearably grim as usual, making the four so grateful to leave when the bell sounded, indicating that the lesson was over.
David ended up pulling Arthur and Mike into the boys' bathroom, which struck them as odd.
"What is it?" Mike asked.
"I'm just worried that I'm not getting the hang of Apparition." He told them.
"David, you must go on with these new sessions in Hogsmeade." Arthur said. "Besides, you just might find it better to try when not trying to get into a hoop. Besides, if all your brothers can Apparate, then so can - Myrtle, this is a boys' bathroom!"
The ghost of a girl rose out of the toilet in a cubicle behind them and now floated in midair, staring at the trio through her thick, white, round glasses.
"Oh. It's you three." She said glumly.
"Who were you expecting?" David asked.
"Nobody." Myrtle said, picking at a spot on her chin moodily. "He said he'd come back and see me."
"Shouldn't you be living in the girls' bathroom?" Mike asked.
"I do…" She replied with a sulky shrug. "...but that doesn't mean I can't visit other places. I came and saw you in your bath once, remember, Arthur?"
"Very much." Arthur groaned, noticing a frown on Mike's face.
"But I thought he liked me." She then said plaintively. "Maybe if you three left, he'd come back again… we have lots in common… I'm sure he felt it…."
She looked hopefully towards the door.
"Like living in an S-bend?" David asked, very much amused.
"No." Myrtle said defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. "I mean he's sensitive, people bully him, too, and he feels lonely and hasn't got anybody to talk to, and he's not afraid to show his feelings and cry!"
"A boy cried in here?" Arthur asked curiously. "Is he the same age as us?"
"Never you mind!" Myrtle said, while her small, watery eyes were fixed on David. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and I'll take his secret to the -"
"The sewers?" David snorted.
This made Myrtle howl with rage before diving back into the toilet, making water slop over the sides and onto the floor.
"Yeah… you're right. Might as well continue the streak of Apparating Merlons." He then said with a grin.
The following weekend, he joined Mike and Chrys as well as other sixth years that would turn seventeen in time to take the test in a fortnight.
Arthur felt some jealousy at the fact that they can go to Hogsmeade, especially to do so on a nice spring day with a clear sky, like today.
But he decided that he'll try to enter the Room of Requirement again.
Arthur pulled out the Marauder's Map and his Invisibility Cloak from his bag. He first concealed himself before he revealed the map, scanning it carefully.
Since it was a Sunday morning, almost all the students were inside their various common rooms, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws in their towers, the Slytherins in the dungeons and the Hufflepuffs in the basement near the kitchens.
He'd see the odd person meander around the library or up a corridor… there was a small number of people in the grounds… and alone in the seventh floor corridor was Gregory Goyle.
There was no sign of the Room of Requirement, though Arthur wasn't worried about that; if Goyle stood guard outside, then the Room of Requirement was open.
With this, he sprinted his way up the stairs, slowing down when he reached the corner into the corridor, where he crept slowly. He then saw the very same girl that Chrys helped repair her scales, which she held.
Arthur quietly got right up behind her and bent low, whispering "Hello, pretty one."
This caused Goyle to scream in terror in a high pitched voice before throwing the scales up in the air and sprinting away before the sound of the scales smashing stopped echoing around the corridor.
Laughing for a second, Arthur turned to consider the blank wall behind him, knowing that Draco had to be frozen, aware that someone unwelcome was right outside, not daring to make an appearance, giving Arthur some power.
For the next half hour, he tried different variations of his request to see what Draco was up to, but the wall still remained blank.
Arthur felt so mad that he ended up kicking the wall, which he regretted instantly.
"OW!"
He knelt down as he held his foot, hissing in pain, hoping he didn't break his toe.
He was so focused on his foot that he didn't realise that his Invisibility Cloak slipped off.
"Arthur?"
He finally noticed as he turned and was surprised to see Tonks, who walked towards him like she frequented this corridor before.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Arthur asked as he got to his feet and grabbed the Cloak.
"I came to see Dumbledore." She said. Arthur noted just how terrible she looked. She looked thinner than normal and her mouse coloured hair was lank.
"Then why are you here when his office is on the other side of the castle?" He asked, confused.
"I know. He's not here. Apparently he's one away again."
"Do you know where he goes?" Arthur frowned at this revelation.
"No."
"Why did you want to see him?"
"Nothing in particular." She said, picking at the sleeve of her robe, unconsciously. "I just thought he might know what's going on… I've heard rumours… people getting hurt…."
"Like that little kid trying to kill his -?"
"The Prophet's often behind the times." Tonks said, though it seemed she wasn't listening to him. "You haven't had any letters from anyone in the Order recently?"
"No. They don't write to me anymore. Not even Lupin." Arthur replied.
He then saw that she was crying, which caught him off guard.
"Are you alright?" He asked, now concerned for her.
"What?" She said blankly, like she didn't hear him. "Well… I'll see you around, Arthur."
She then abruptly turned and walked back down the corridor, leaving Arthur to stare after her, his concern for her growing.
Now having lost all his will to continue trying to enter the Room of Requirement and so he put his Invisibility Cloak back on and left the corridor.
He met up with the others in the Great Hall, who were halfway through an early lunch.
"I'm getting there!" David said with a huge grin on his face.
"Great. And you two?"Arthur said to Mike and Chrys.
"We did it perfectly." Mike said, making Arthur give him a well deserved kiss.
"Have you been trying to enter the Room of Requirement again?" Chrys then asked.
"Yeah, but guess what? I ran into Tonks there as well."
"Tonks?" All three repeated, looking surprised.
"She said she came to visit Dumbledore…"
"I'm worried for her." David said after Arthur explained how their conversation went. "She's losing her nerve."
"She's supposed to be guarding the school, why would she abandon her post to visit Dumbledore when he ain't here?" Chrys asked.
"Not to mention that she's been like this since after what happened at the Ministry." Mike added.
Arthur thought about it until the clues all point to one conclusion.
"I think she's fallen in love with Lupin and he's trying to push her away." He said, making all three stare at him.
"What makes you think that?" Mike asked.
"She was crying when I mentioned his name and there's the reaction Lupin made when Martha mentioned Tonks on Christmas Day. He hasn't been in contact due to him being undercover with the werewolves." Arthur explained.
"You're right. She must've thought that Lupin was in trouble and wanted to make sure if he was okay. But why would Lupin push her away?" David replied.
"Isn't it obvious? Because he's a werewolf. He doesn't feel like she should be in love with someone like him, given the dangers that come from people like him." Chrys said.
"Well, he's being stupid. He's causing her to be miserable for no reason other than because he's insecure." Mike shook his head.
Arthur agreed with him. If the wizarding world can accept people who are gay, bisexual etc…, they can accept relationships with werewolves.
Things are becoming more and more interesting.