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Chapter 1017: The Room of Requirement
Chapter 1017: The Room of Requirement
Upon returning to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade, Harry found himself plagued by insomnia once more. Aside from the recurring nightmare, his thoughts were occupied by Qiu, further distracting him.
Harry knew Hermione was right; he had no chance with Qiu unless she broke up with Cedric. This thought frustrated Harry immensely, especially when he saw them walking arm in arm in the corridors. He often felt the urge to separate them, and as a result, he had been relying on Calming Draughts more frequently lately.
Harry couldn't help but resent Hermione for bringing up the topic, as sometimes, willful forgetting could be a blessing.
"When do you plan to start?" Harry asked, turning to Hermione. He needed to divert his attention to other matters, and investing his energy in Quidditch practice was a good option. But ever since he started studying The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, he had been eager to find a place to practice magic.
"Everyone's free on Thursday," Hermione said, glancing around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. She lowered her voice and continued, "Fred and George promised to take me to their secret base today."
"Can we come too?" Ron interjected.
"I don't see why not," Hermione replied.
Just then, Umbridge's furious shriek echoed through the Great Hall, interrupting them.
"How dare they!"
The sound of a newspaper being torn to shreds followed, along with a chorus of whispers. Everyone turned to look at the staff table, where Umbridge sat, her face contorted with rage.
"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked, puzzled by Umbridge's outburst.
"You haven't seen today's newspaper, have you?" Ron managed to hold back his laughter as he handed the Daily Prophet to Harry.
"Is the toad in the paper again?" Harry quipped as he took the newspaper and spread it out on the table, ready to read the front page.
"No, it's the Daily Prophet itself that made the headlines," Ron clarified. "Their headquarters in Diagon Alley was bombarded with Howlers."
This incident had become a hot topic in the British wizarding community. Some speculated it was due to dissatisfaction with the paper's false reporting, while others believed it was a protest against their positive portrayal of Umbridge.
"I happened to be passing by, and it nearly scared me witless!" said a witness, according to the article. "I've never seen so many Howlers going off at once."
At the time, someone had been setting off fireworks, and a large number of magical fireworks had flown into the Daily Prophet's headquarters, creating a spectacular scene.
But that wasn't the end of it. Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the Howlers and the fireworks, Umbridge's head appeared, floating in the air, and she began to sing—the very same toad song that had become well-known throughout the school.
There was no denying that Umbridge had become a notorious figure. The nickname "Pink Toad" would likely stick with her for the rest of her life.
It was no wonder that Umbridge was furious. Regardless of the intention, this incident seemed like the work of Hogwarts students, especially since the toad song had originated from Hogwarts.
"...Anyone providing valuable information will be rewarded with 100 galleons," Ron mumbled, considering the possibility of reporting Fred and George. Although there was no evidence, he suspected they were involved. "That's quite a hefty reward..."
"Do you really think someone will claim that reward?" Fred and George appeared out of nowhere, glanced at the open newspaper, and scoffed. "Those rewards are as good as hot air. If they don't want to pay, they'll just drag their feet and never give you a knut, even if you provide solid evidence. It's all for show. Don't look at me like that, Ron. Remember when the Ministry refused to pay Albert the 10,000 galleon reward for capturing Pettigrew? And you think you stand a better chance than him?"
"The Ministry owes Albert 10,000 galleons?" Harry and Hermione were both surprised by this revelation. "When did this happen?"
"When we turned Pettigrew in to Azkaban," Fred explained. "The Ministry found an excuse to back out of the reward, not a single galleon was paid."
"Was it because there wasn't a reward offered for Pettigrew?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"No, the 10,000 galleon reward was for capturing Sirius. It had nothing to do with Pettigrew," George clarified. "Now you see the kind of scum the Ministry is?" He waved Hermione forward. "Come on, let's go."
Harry and Ron exchanged glances and followed suit.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked.
"Shut up, Ron," Fred hissed as they entered the secret passageway. "Do you want the whole school to know what we're up to?"
"What are we doing here?" Ron grumbled, clearly unhappy.
"You should've shut your mouth in the first place instead of preparing to blabber about it," Fred retorted. Both twins drew their wands and gave the three a light tap on their heads. A cool sensation spread throughout their bodies.
"It's the Disillusionment Charm," Hermione recognized the spell.
"Keep quiet and follow us," Fred instructed.
Fred and George led Harry, Ron, and Hermione to the Room of Requirement, located across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and his dancing trolls on the seventh floor.
"Make it quick, there's no one around," Fred urged.
After walking past the tapestry three times, a smooth door materialized on the blank wall.
"Here we are, come on in!" George pushed open the door and stepped into the Room of Requirement, revealing a spacious chamber.
"I can't believe there's such a great place hidden here," Hermione marveled, looking around in awe.
"This is the Room of Requirement," George explained, spreading his arms wide. "We stumbled upon it by accident during our first year's Halloween feast. Later, Albert figured out how to use it. This is one of the most magical places in Hogwarts, and only a handful of people in the entire school know about it. Umbridge definitely doesn't, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to get in. Once someone is inside, no one else can enter."
"Dumbledore must know about it," Harry added, recalling Dumbledore's mention of a room during the Christmas ball. "He talked about a chamber pot with Karkaroff."
"Of course, there are others who know about it," Fred and George didn't dwell on the matter. "This used to be our practice space for magic. I remember hiding behind those columns and casting spells at each other to improve our accuracy."
"This place is amazing, but it might be a bit tight for space," Harry remarked, having been assessing the room since he entered. It would be challenging to accommodate two dozen people for magic practice.
"Don't worry, the room can expand to meet our needs," George reassured him. "Just think, 'We need a place to practice dueling,' and the Room of Requirement will transform accordingly. Even if the entire school wanted to come, there would be enough room."
"Let me tell you a secret," Fred whispered. "Albert has always wanted to uncover the Room of Requirement's secrets, but he never succeeded."
(End of Chapter)
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