Hey guys!

Here's a new chapter, corrected by my (French) beta reader, feel free to point out any mistake you could find.
I should be able to post a bit more often, but I don't promise anything.
I'm looking forward for your reviews/follows/favs, but for now enjoy!

I sleep almost well, and wake up more quietly than the day before, even if it's still way too early. Six twenty this time, as the Tempus I cast half asleep informs me. This time there's no one hitting my bed, but there's too much light, and something brushing on my curtains. I stand up rather quickly, and when I draw my curtains open to take my clothes I find them on the ground. Yesterday, I left them on my trunk, nicely folded. When I pick them up I noticed they're a bit wet. I try not to get angry, telling myself it was probably an accident, and I get my spellbook to check the Drying charm (that I already learnt a while ago but don't use often). I can hear someone giggle, and I look up to see the kid that opened my curtains yesterday, as well as another, staring at me and sneering. When they notice I saw them, the one I don't recognize says loudly:

"See! The nerd can't survive without a book!"

"She must be too dumb to think!"

I neither listen to what's coming next nor to my anger telling me to smash them. First, I'm pretty sure I would be in more trouble than them, since I doubt that the other girls from the dorm would support me. Second, knowing what I would be able to do to them it would be hard for the adults to believe me when I'd plead self-defense. And well. They're kids. With or without my wand I know I'd be able to crush them. Even without direct confrontation, I could hurt them so badly… But they're not worth the trouble. The anger inside of me has turned into a cold feeling of power, and I know I could destroy them. But I have too much self-control. They didn't go too far, and I don't plan on being here for long anyway. So I ignore them, and dry my clothes in a motion of my wand. I feel like even if they keep on mocking me they're already less sure of themselves. Perfect, if that works… I cast another Tempus before tidying all my belongings in my trunk, except my bed sheets and pillow, just for safety, before going to get changed in the toilets. I take my time to carefully adjust the sheath of my dagger on my leg.

When I come back to the dorm, I retrieve my school bag where I tidy my spellbook and the History of Magic book before carefully closing my trunk. I leave the dorm without letting the assholes around see that I noticed their mocking. No matter how hard I try to keep cool, I'm still annoyed. I want to fight, let some steam out. I walk down some random corridors instead, looking for an empty classroom. Once there, I cast some spells that I know to calm down a bit. At first I'm slightly frustrated, because the spells that I know are not destructive enough for my taste, but it's not really my way of calming down to destroy things. I rather turn my violence towards other human beings or to myself. Talking about it, I cut myself a bit and this helps a lot to calm myself. Once I'm done with it, my spell casting session proves more efficient. My wand works perfectly well with my magic, and I can almost feel the magic flow around me and inside me. I feel the way the magic reacts to my spell, and it appeases me. I focus on those feelings for a few minutes, ignoring the spikes of anger inside me.

After a little while I cast a new Tempus and find out I should be eating right now. I'm not that hungry, so I use the opportunity to wander the castle. I can't keep on sleeping in the dormitory, I need to find a better option. I decide to spend my morning exploring the seventh floor to look for an abandoned spot that I could use as a room. Why the seventh floor? Because according to the books, that's where the Room of Requirement can be found. And well, I like height, and there's a lot of towers around. The best would probably be to find something at the end of a secret passage, or maybe a room accessible only from the outside. But well, for this second option I guess I'd better wait for the Flying course tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to learning how to use my broom, and even if I don't mind learning by myself it'll probably go faster to class. Besides, I have enough to do to keep me busy until tomorrow.

I spend my morning exploring the seventh floor, and end up in front of the trolls tapestry shortly before noon. I pass seven times in front of it, thinking about a safe place, but nothing happens. Maybe I don't remember well how many times one has to pass in front of the tapestry, so I try it with other numbers, but nothing happens. I finally give up, frustrated, and go downstairs for the meal. Maybe it was another tapestry? I found burns marks and scratches in the stone though, and in all the area around, which makes me think that I was at the right spot. Was the Room of Requirement destroyed by the Fiendfyre that has been cast inside in book seven? I will have to find out the answer.

When I reach the Great Hall, most students are already eating. I hesitate briefly at the entrance and see Arthur and Ewald sitting at the end of Hufflepuff table, so I walk towards them. Ewald is the first to notice me, and nods in the direction of a free seat next to him. I sit there, noticing that I'm happy to see them. Arthur smiles at me, and instantly starts talking.

"We didn't see you at breakfast, you must have eaten early! Did you pick a club?"

"A club? I didn't eat, actually, I wasn't hungry."

"Oh… Yeah, since most people have entire free days with the new timetables, since a few years there's a lot of them, like Chess, Potions or Gobstones…"

"We tried the Chess club by the way, but we're both bad and it's a bit of a shame for a Slytherin." cuts off Ewald. "So in the end I went for Potions and Flight clubs."

"There's a Flight club?" I ask, really interested, while a little voice in my head says "Rule number one: you don't talk about the Flight club."

"Yes, why? It could interest you? It's mostly Quidditch exercises to be honest, but sometimes we also go for small tours or races above the Black Lake."

"Sure! I've never tried flying before, but I'm sure I'll love it. So do you play Quidditch, or are you just flying for fun?"

"I'm the seeker for Slytherin."

"And he's even good, even if he seems not to care. Well anyway, I've been doing Potions since last year, it's on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I tried to start a Climbing club. Since no one was really motivated we just do it whenever we have time, just Ewald and me." says Arthur.

"You'll have to show me how you're doing it, by the way. When is the next session?"

"Maybe we could go this afternoon? The teachers will be busy, we just need to find a place that is not too visible."

"That would have been cool, but I already have something planned. Tomorrow afternoon? If you have time?"

"Yeah, I think so, we only have classes in the morning."

"I have my flight course at 14, but the rest of the time I'm free!"

"Let's do this then, you're fine with that plan Ewald?"

"Sure."

"It's settled then. What are your plans for the afternoon?" asks Arthur

"Homework. And I need to read Hogwarts History, I have to check something."

"You're pretty serious for a child." points out Ewald

I want to answer "Well that's because I'm not a child, dumbass!", but I don't, because it would be useless. He must feel my annoyance, because a smirk crosses his face. Oh, so he was messing with me. I spontaneously nudge him and he pretends to be hurt, teasing:

"Arthur, watch the kid, she's violent!"

Since he has a survival instinct, my Hufflepuff pet ignores us and changes topic.

"So what is that mysterious thing you want to check?"

"Not sure if you can help me, but I'm actually looking for the Room of Requirement. I thought I had found the right spot, but no door opened for me… Do you know if it was destroyed in the war?"

Arthur trades a look with Ewald before answering.

"No, it hasn't been destroyed. It just changed its location, because it wasn't a secret anymore. My theory is that it's shy! But after the war, everyone was going in, it was always busy. So one day, suddenly, it was gone, and now no one knows where it is anymore. At least those who know don't tell…."

I wince, I really would have liked to go. But Arthur isn't finished:

"If you want, you can join us at the Potion club labs after doing your homework, it's in the sub-basement, close to the Trodd painting. We may have something interesting to show you."

And after that he goes back to his meal, ignoring my questions. Does he know where the Room of Requirement is? I shrug before finishing eating quickly, if he thinks being mysterious is funny, what can I say… I leave the Seven Years to go to the library where I read the History of Magic book pages that the teacher asked us to before answering the questions she gave us as homework. So far, nothing new to me. It starts with a short text introducing Voldemort and talking about the two civil wars. The questions are more than child's play. I keep on reading the book, my interest growing as I read further. What comes next is about how the Wizarding World learnt about the Harry Potter books. I'm reaching an interesting section, named "The impact of the "fanfictions" writing on the evolution of the Wizarding society" when someone sits at my table, forcing me to leave my book. It's Scorpius with his usual group of friends. They greet me and I politely smile before putting a bookmark where I stopped reading, realizing I've already been through over half of the book. I cast a quick Tempus and find out it's already 3:30pm. The group came to do their homework, and Scorpius suggests to use the fact that I'm there too to prepare our presentation for MWS. I'm a bit surprised to see them motivated for their homework, but I guess that they must be under some pressure, knowing who their parents are. Anyway we manage to be effective and use the time to do some research together on a spell that could make our feet slippery as if we were skiing or ice skating.

It's Albus that eventually finds something in an old Prank and Tricks book and we leave the library to try it out in a deserted corridor. The move set is a bit complicated, but after about ten minutes I find myself on the ground, surprised by an unexpected success. We barely are starting to have fun when Severus has a… Dynamic encounter with an armor, making it fall in pieces in the whole corridor with a lot of noise. Almost instantly, a door opens at the end of the corridor, setting free an infuriated Filius Flitwick from his classroom, and we owe our salvation to our quick escape. I use the distraction to leave my mates and go looking for the Potions Club labs.

I'm still smiling, remembering Flitwick's outraged face, and I promise to myself to keep on practicing the sliding spell, maybe to even organize a "ski" session, that could be fun. Once in the dungeons I get a bit lost, but a fifth year Ravenclaws gets me back on track. I knock at the door he shows me, but since no one answers I open it up myself. I discover a room with a high ceiling. The walls are lined up with potions ingredients and different sized cauldrons, constituted of different metals. At the center of the room a handful of seemingly older students, including Ewald and Arthur, scrambling around some smoking potions. Ewald is currently bottling up his, but Arthur looks like he's still in the middle of the brewing process. The Slytherin is the first to notice me, and gestures that he's joining me so I leave the room to not disturb the potionists that are now for most of them tidying and cleaning the room.

Ewald soon leaves the room as well, and lean back lightly on the wall next to me, careful not to make his clothes dirty.

"Arthur still needs about ten minutes, his potion is not completely finished."

"What is he brewing?"

"An ointment to treat burns."

"And what did you prepare?"

"Baruffio's Brain Elixir. I'm building up a stock now, I'm selling them shortly before the exam. That's good practice and a way to earn some money as well."

"You want to work on the Potions field?"

"Maybe, I'm thinking about becoming a Potionist."

I find nothing to answer and the silence between us streeches. I'm quite nervous at first, because I realize it's the first time I'm finding myself alone with him, and I still feel like he's dangerous for me. Eventually I manage to progressively relax. Well, as far as I'm able to relax of course. I'm always on my guard. He belongs to the group of people who don't feel the need to break the silence at all cost, and it's pleasant.

Five minutes must have passed when we hear some voices in the corridor, and two sixth or seven years Gryffindors cross our vision field. They're apparently arguing about the compared qualities of some race brooms. As they pass in front of us, one nudges the other and they stop walking. The one that stopped his friend call me:

"Hey kid, follow me please!"

I leave the wall and make one step in their direction, wary of what they want from me.

"My name is Vivian. What do you want from me?"

"Relax, we're not here to hurt you, just come."

I shrug and follow them, slightly curious. We move about three or four meters away from Ewald, who still haven't moved, and the Gryffindor that called me starts talking again.

"Don't take it wrong, okay, but you're in first year and from my House so I prefer to warn you… You should watch the company you keep."

"Which means…?" I ask, trying to conceal annoyment from my voice.

"Your Slytherin mate, here, he's an unsavory person. His dad was a Death Eater, you know what that is?"

I nod, slightly surprised but already angry.

"Yeah, so careful, okay? I don't want a kid from my House to run into trouble."

I remain speechless for an instant, then have a fugitive smile. I found the perfect reaction. I go down on my knees in front of the Gryffindors who don't understand anymore what's going on and answer, rather loudly:

"Oh thank you Sempai for all those precious tips! Thank you so much! A thousand times over!"

The older students trade a confused look and one of them mutters:

"She's a freak, right?"

Then they hurry to leave, looking slightly annoyed. I dust my knees, going back on my feet before turning to Ewald, trying to calm down. Why do they think they can judge who people spend time with? Even if the information surprised me, who cares who his dad is… People are dumb. My pet Slytherin watches as I lean back on the wall again and raises a distinguished eyebrow, probably waiting for an explanation to what he just witnessed.

"They thought they could tell me who to befriend, and they mentioned your dad. Next time I see them it's likely that a dramatic accident will happen to them, I hope you don't mind?"

"An accident? What do you.."

At this moment the door opens, interrupting Ewald, and Arthur comes out of the Potion room with the other members of the club. The Hufflepuff joins us and we start walking without further comments, even if I can see the Slytherin observing me with a curious look for some more minutes. We start by walking down some brightly lit corridors, and we walk past the entrance of Slytherin's common room (Ewald indicates that to me in a neutral tone, and I wonder: isn't the location of the common rooms from the other Houses not supposed to be a secret?). Eventually, we reach a way less traveled corridor after an additional five minutes of walking. Once there, Ewald casts an Homnius Revelo, then Arthur blows the closest torch before taking it out of its socket and pushing it to a small hole at the bottom of the wall that I would have never noticed on my own. A whole section of the wall rotates, and Arthur puts the torch back into place before lighting it up while Ewald steps into the newly opened secret passage. I follow him, and as soon as Arthur joined us the wall closes again with a quiet noise.

We are now in a corridor too narrow to walk as two side by side, and it soon turns into a very tight spiraling staircase going up. We don't speak due to the arduousness of the way, and for once my mood changes more deeply than it usually does. In general my wraith, like my joy, only changes the surface. Only the pain is deep for me. And the self-hatred. But in this situation, I must admit that my excitement lessens some of the fog that perpetually smothers my feelings. I'm in a secret passage! It's awesome! I take the time to look around while climbing the stairs. The walls diffuse a very dim light, I don't know how, but it spares us the trouble of having to light our wands. The ground is quite clean, without the dust and spider webs I would have expected to find here.

Thankfully for us, the stairs come to an abrupt end after only two minutes in the passage, and Arthur, who leads the way (or the steps, since we're in a staircase) whispers:

"I will open the door, be quiet, we're close to the teacher's bedrooms!"

He triggers the opening with a mechanism embedded on the left of the door after checking that the path was clear through a crack in the wall. We discreetly leave the passage one after the other. We find ourselves in the middle of a large deserted corridor that must be about twenty meters long. We follow Arthur to the end on our left. I'm the most sneaky, but the others are not too bad. We stop at the corner to check if we're still alone, then walk for a little bit longer until we find ourselves between two armors holding two huge shields. Ewald steps closer to the wall and walks back and forth three times in front of the wall. Upon the third time, a small door appeared and opened. He graciously holds the door and I follow Arthur who hurries inside.

I discover a medium-sized room (about fifteen square meters I'd say) with three comfortable-looking armchairs regrouped around a lit fireplace. The walls are covered in wood panels and hold a small library and a shelf with a chess board on it. We quietly sit on the armchairs and I ask, unable to wait any longer:

"Thank you so much for bringing me here! How did you find this place?"

"We spent our three first years looking for it, but we never thought about looking around here, since the teacher's apartments are close. But one day, Ewald accidentally found it."

"In fact, a seven year guy was dating a pupil-teacher, and I saw him once opening the secret passage we took. Since I didn't know it yet, I explored it the day after, but I wasn't aware it would lead me to the teachers' floor. I had just passed the armors when I heard noise. I wanted to go back into the passage, but there was someone on this side as well, and when I tried to go in the opposite direction I heard another teacher. I accidently hit an armor, I heard the teachers were coming for me, but that's when I saw a door appearing in the wall. I went in without thinking, and it's only once inside that I understood that I had found the Room of Requirement."

We remain silent for some time, then I get the conversation started again by asking Arthur if he too plans on becoming a potionist. That's when I learn that he rather thinks about becoming a Healer or a Mind Healer. He explains with a slightly embarrassed smile that it helped him a lot back then. Ewald knows what happened, I suppose, but I feel like it's difficult for Arthur to talk about it out loud in front of us two, and that's better anyway. We never talked about it again, and I don't really know what scars he keeps from this event, what he thinks about it now. The mention, even indirect, of this particular summer makes me go deep in my thoughts, and I kinda lose track of the conversation while my two mates talk about their today's classes and the homework they have to do. Eventually, Ewald casts a Tempus and tells us we should leave soon if we want to eat and not get stuck by the teachers leaving the feast. Arthur asks the room to make us a small peephole in the wall to check if we can leave and I think to myself that the location of the Room is not really handy. The only moments when it's "easy" to reach it are during class time and in the middle of the night. To add to the difficulty, since one of the entrances of the secret passage is close to the Slytherin's common room, I'd also have to watch for other students if I want to use it…

I eat quickly at the Hufflepuff's table with my two mates before heading back to my dorm. I'll need to find a new place to sleep tomorrow… At least that day wasn't wasted. The Room of Requirement… That's really great to know where to find it. I will surely go back there, even if the location wouldn't be good for my future room. I change clothes fast, ignoring the kids trading mocking comments on my way. I make sure to lock all my stuff inside of my trunk before lying down in my bed.

I sleep very poorly, I feel on edge, something inside of me is making me feel weird but I don't know what, and in addition to that I'm even more on my guard than I usually am, since I have to share my dorm with those kids. Who knows what they could invent to bully me… I cut myself, but I feel empty. Will I even learn something that will explain why I'm alive? Will it really be worth it..?

Je me change rapidement, et j'ignore les gamines qui échangent des commentaires moqueurs à mon passage. Je prends soin de bien enfermer toutes mes affaires dans ma malle avant de m'allonger dans mon lit.

xxx

« Parfois, je me sens toute puissante. J'ai l'impression que je pourrais faire n'importe quoi, devenir n'importe qui, j'ai tellement de potentiel ! Mais bien vite, je me sens vide à nouveau, trop consciente de ce que j'ai perdu, de ce que j'ai raté et de ce que je ne suis pas. Je n'ai pas d'ambition, je n'ai pas de rêve, je n'ai pas d'avenir. Le travail, c'est une prison. À quoi bon vivre tous ces jours vides. Je ne sais même pas si un jour j'ai regardé l'avenir avec expectative. Mais à présent, tout ce que j'attends, c'est la mort, et le seul bienfait que m'apportent les jours écoulés, c'est de rapprocher de moi cette échéance. »

x

"Sometimes, I feel all-mighty. I have the feeling that I could do anything, become anyone I want, that I'm so full of potential. But soon enough, I feel empty again, way too aware of what I lost, what I failed and what I am not. I don't have any ambition, I don't have any dream, I don't have any future. Working is a prison. Why living all those empty days. I don't even know if I once looked upon the future expectantly. But now, all I am waiting for is death, the only blessing that the days passing by are bringing me is to bring the end closer to me."

-Extract from a notebook belonging to Aurore Berger, kept by Quentin Lemage after her death-

And that's it!

What do you think of what I did with the Room of Requirement?
And about the revelation about Ewald's dad?

See you