Chapter 595: The Secret of Room 7
Chapter 595: The Secret of Room 7 (Requesting Votes)
In the following days, the school newspaper, The Wall of Mysteries, sold out.
The most popular article in the first issue was titled "How to Surprise a Professor?" On the back page was another article, "Room 7: The Treasure We've Overlooked."
Just a day later, "The Students' Backing—Room 7" became the new hot topic. Mafalda successfully interviewed several memory fragments, and they—unanimously—were more than willing to cause a bit of trouble for their original selves. They reminisced about their school days and revealed some secrets.
For example, Hogwarts students learned for the first time that both the Heads of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had embarrassing moments during their Sorting. Professor Mcgonagall made the Sorting Hat hesitate for five and a half minutes, wavering between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, before finally placing her in Gryffindor House.
The Sorting Hat also faced a similar dilemma with Professor Flitwick. Although it didn't take as long, it did consider carefully before making the opposite decision and placing the young Flitwick in Ravenclaw House.
"How fascinating! If the Sorting Hat had a momentary slip, we would have two Heads of House in reversed positions", Padma Patil from Ravenclaw exclaimed.
"The Sorting Hat doesn't have hands", her twin sister, Parvati Patil, who was sorted into Gryffindor, reminded her.
"Are we getting a new Head of House?" Luna looked around.
"They're just joking", Ginny said.
The professors were taken aback. Initially, they turned a blind eye to the students' activities, allowing them to harass the memory fragments in Room 7—after all, it was still time spent on learning. But after the secret was out, the professors became more cautious.
They each approached their memory fragments, giving them a stern warning not to reveal any personal secrets.
One evening, Felix saw Dumbledore sneaking into Room 7 on the Marauder's Map during curfew. He grinned, put the map away, and started playing the latest version of Wizard Cards with Valen. This card game was created by the "Chocolate Frog Card Battle Club", founded by a Ravenclaw student, and Professor Flitwick proudly showed it to them during a tea time.
Felix remembered this day clearly.
It was April 15th, and soon after, the Weasley Twins caused a big commotion.
"Chirp! (No cheating!)" Valen grumbled, clutching a handful of cards.
Felix slapped a card on the table, "Multiplication Spell! When this card is in play, all my attacks are doubled."
"Chirp!!" Valen's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the card's illustration.
"Why not?" Felix argued. "You've seen me do it." Valen, frustrated, wanted to throw the Slytherins at him.
"Chirp!"
"Alright", he reluctantly put away the makeshift card, "I'll suggest they add this card... It's your turn."
Valen blinked guiltily, showing his hand one by one:
Felix stared at "Niffler's Cloak", "Niffler's Wand", "Niffler's Treasure", "Niffler's Piggy Bank", and the most significant card, "Niffler's Ace: Summon the Dark Overlord", for a moment.
He pouted, "You sure are enjoying being the investor."
...
After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Room 7. The corridor leading to the room was bustling with activity. The three of them were pushed to the front of the crowd, where they saw Angelina talking to Alicia in low tones.
Harry suddenly realized with horror that both were in their seventh year, and with Fred and George Weasley, the team would lose four players next year!
"Harry!"
Angelina waved at him, "Over here—" She grabbed Harry and pulled him over before he could react. Then she rummaged through her bag, asking, "Where's Ron?"
"Here!" Ron puffed, pushing his way through. Hermione followed, carrying her bag.
"Great, take a look. This is the new strategy I've been working on. Our opponents will be either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. According to the current rankings, we still have an advantage, but we can't be complacent—"
Before Harry could respond, the door to Room 7 opened.
"Let's leave it at that. Go over it at home. We'll use it in the next practice", Angelina said quickly, then rushed into the room with Alicia.
"I'll see what's going on", Ron muttered, pushing his way in with Harry and Hermione.
They had been to Room 7 many times in their fourth year, but the place left a shadow in their minds. Even though it was open to students in their fifth year, they rarely came, preferring to hear stories from adventurous students who used it as a second common room.
"The weather is still so strange", Ron grumbled. Harry agreed, noting that the gentle sunlight inside contrasted sharply with the twilight outside. The warm light caressed their faces, and the soft, glowing earth under their feet felt almost magical.
They were on a winding path, reminiscent of Diagon Alley, but without the cobblestones. Wooden signs stood along the path, each leading to a different fork. They could only see part of the path, and the deeper parts were shrouded in mist.
Harry squinted, trying to see further. In the mist, he thought he saw some small houses. He guessed that Mr. Scamander's Magical Creatures Garden, Professor Sprout's Wild Greenhouse, and other buildings were likely there.
"Maybe the path leads to a younger Professor Mcgonagall?" Ron pointed to the nearest sign, which read "Transfiguration." "It's possible", Harry said, finding it intriguing. He ran to the other side, where he and Hermione examined a crooked sign.
"This must have been written by Hagrid", Hermione said confidently.
Harry looked at the wild handwriting, with two letters misspelled, and grinned.
"Who else could it be?"
Students who entered before and after them soon disappeared down the forks.
"Let's hurry and pick one", Hermione urged.
"How about Transfiguration?" Harry suggested. "I need more practice with cross-species transfigurations."
"The Owl to Telescope Spell?" Ron whispered. "You did well. When I looked through the lens, it winked at me. Seamus said he always felt something staring at him..."
"Probably because you didn't see them tuck themselves in when they got ticklish", Harry said gloomily.
They turned back and took the "Transfiguration" path. Harry was increasingly convinced that this was designed by Professor Mcgonagall's memory fragment. The plants on either side of the path were meticulously maintained, the bushes trimmed neatly, as if measured with a ruler.
Harry thought of Privet Drive and shared this with Ron and Hermione—Ron laughed, while Hermione just huffed. They soon reached the end of the path.
Harry looked around.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Before us—some people chose this path, but they're not here", Harry said, spreading his arms. As he spoke, three doors appeared before them.
"They must be waiting for us", Ron said. The three of them exchanged glances and each picked a door.
Behind the door was an empty classroom, with no one in sight.
Harry walked around the room and returned to the spot, only to find that the door had disappeared. He cleared his throat and called out, "Is anyone there?" He held his wand tightly, wary of summoning a group of fire dragons.
A mirror-like object suddenly appeared in the air, its surface rippling with a golden glow. Harry saw a blurry image—someone was there! A red envelope was then thrown out.
"Wait!" Harry shouted. "I see you."
The golden ripple paused, and after a few seconds, a hand appeared, followed by a graceful face—young Professor Mcgonagall. She pursed her lips, revealing only half her body, which looked quite eerie. "It's Harry", she said flatly.
The red envelope started smoking, and painful memories flooded back. It was a Howler. Harry tried to back away, but his feet seemed rooted to the ground.
"Professor Mcgonagall?"
"Oh, you mean that? That's Felix's design. It's useless, purely for scaring people", young Professor Mcgonagall said dismissively. The half-sized mirror turned into a door, and she stepped through. With a wave of her hand, two beautiful chairs appeared in the room.
"Let's sit and listen. There have been some changes here recently."
Harry and Professor Mcgonagall sat down, and the Howler—or rather, a Howler disguised as a manual? Harry wasn't sure—opened its mouth and began describing the functions of Room 7.
"...A great helper for students... A unique experience... Ahead of its time..."
Harry listened with interest, but after five minutes, he realized it was mostly fluff. It only got to the point near the end.
"Here, the student's will is paramount. You can choose to study alone, in a class setting, or with a group of friends. Yes, complete freedom... You'll find that the biggest difference from a regular classroom is that we don't tell you what to do."
"In other words—you must figure out what you want! No one can help you with that."
The Howler started burning, and Harry feared it might explode, but Professor Mcgonagall just waved her hand, and it disappeared.
"Do you understand now?" young Professor Mcgonagall asked.
"Um—" Harry thought, glancing at the elegantly dressed Professor Mcgonagall, whom he mentally referred to as "Ms. Mcgonagall." "This means that Room 7 is different from regular classes."
He realized he had just said a cliché.
"We hope they complement each other—classes and Room 7, professors and memory fragments", young Professor Mcgonagall corrected. "What else?"
"Um, I can learn whatever I want?" Harry guessed. Ms. Mcgonagall smiled, "Within the realm of Transfiguration, yes, you're right."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about Ron and Hermione? Did they also go through the 'Howler' ordeal?" Harry asked, imagining Ron's reaction to a similar Howler manual.
"Pretty much, but they didn't see me", Ms. Mcgonagall said, "It was a spontaneous decision." She added quietly and then waved her hand. Two blurry images appeared in the air, and Harry saw Ron and Hermione.
Ron was being chased by a group of round objects, while Hermione was deep in thought in front of a wall covered with hundreds of books. She walked back and forth, occasionally stopping to pretend to flip through a book, which obediently turned the pages.
Harry was amazed. How could there be such a difference?
Is it divided by intelligence?
"They chose different learning methods", Ms. Mcgonagall explained. "Ron prefers to learn through games, so I had a group of plates chase him. He won't stop until he successfully transfigures them all into mushrooms."
Harry silently prayed for Ron.
"As for Hermione—she's more interested in thinking. Honestly, I think she's a bit Ravenclaw", Ms. Mcgonagall said.
Harry remembered the rumors he'd heard over the past few days. He gathered his courage and asked, "Ms. Mcgonagall—did you really have a hat-wobble?"
"Yes."
"Was Professor Flitwick the same?" he asked cautiously.
"Oh, sometimes—between our original selves—we do tease each other", Ms. Mcgonagall said. "I have those memories. But Filius wasn't exactly a hat-wobble, just a bit of hesitation. I can't stay long; there are many students these days, and I need to keep an eye on things. Others help, but—"
She muttered something about not wanting to trouble them.
"Sometimes I appear for class sessions—not to teach, but to answer questions. It's quite nostalgic", she said. "One thing you should know: here, your desires will be met."
"Imagination is key." She demonstrated by drawing a door in the air and then pushed through it, leaving Harry behind. The door vanished, and he stood there for a moment, wondering, "Can I change the environment? To a forest, perhaps?"
The air around him began to vibrate, and the shadows of tall trees and shrubs appeared. Within seconds, they became real. Harry marveled at the transformation, almost thinking he was in Professor Lupin's mind room. He then tried various environments: the Black Lake, the Great Hall, a bridge, a clock tower, and even the Shrieking Shack.
After playing around for a while, Harry remembered that Ron was still being chased by the plates. He asked, "Can I go to Ron? Ron Weasley, with red hair and freckles—"
A line of small text appeared: "Requires the person's consent." After a few seconds, a blurry image appeared, and Harry leaned in to see more clearly. He saw Ron running toward him.
Ron swung his wand, and mushrooms sprouted on the nearest plate. Turning around, he saw Harry. He exclaimed, "Harry? I saw a line of text just now, thought it was a hallucination—"
"Watch out!" Harry shouted.
"Bang!" Ron passed through the blurry air, and the two collided hard.
Harry's vision blurred with stars, and he fell backward, tears streaming down his face. After a while, he pushed Ron's leg off his chest and struggled to his feet. His glasses were askew, and his vision was blurry. He adjusted his glasses and saw the plates rolling around them.
When Harry stood up, the plates seemed to receive a signal and rolled toward him. Harry sat back down, pulling Ron down with him.
The plates stopped.
"Can we use other spells?" Harry and Ron discussed their options.
"No", Ron frowned, "Let me show you." He cast a Stunning Spell, but it passed right through the plates. "I think they only react to Transfiguration."
Harry scratched his head, imagining the practice of turning owls into telescopes.
Maybe he should try Hermione's method next?
...
Deep within Room 7.
This was the absolute core of Room 7, surrounded by a dense network of magic circuits and magic nodes, like underground pipes, wrapped in layers of protective charms.
Theoretically, this place was undiscoverable, even by memory fragments. When Dumbledore built it, he used the Headmaster's authority—similar to the Room of Requirement—to connect Room 7's magic supply to the entire castle.
Felix now stood in this "non-existent" place, surrounded by jars and vials. Invisible magic acted on these containers, and every so often, star-like lights flickered from the bottle mouths.
Felix clapped his hands and stood up.
"Let me think: happiness, anger, fear, sadness, curiosity, disgust, guilt, pride, calm, confusion, desire, and love and hate—what else? Never mind, we can refine it later."
As the final battle drew near, everyone was making their preparations.
(End of Chapter)
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