Chapter 71: Rules and Packages
Chapter 71: Rules and Packages
Vitor raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the tapestry, where he saw the bumbling Barnabas.
Every time he entered or exited the Room of Requirement, he would always catch a glimpse of this particular tapestry. Sometimes he witnessed Barnabas forcing the giant troll to dance in a ballet skirt, and other times, the troll would be bashing Barnabas over the head with a large club. The two were perpetually entangled in the tapestry, never speaking or venturing elsewhere.
Initially, he had assumed it was because the tapestry was different from the paintings...
At that moment, the trolls in the tapestry were lying asleep while the wizard sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes clearly fixed on Vitor. With a solemn expression, he spoke.
"S-Sir Barnabas?" Vitor asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's fine, just call me Barnabas, everyone else does," Barnabas replied nonchalantly. "I assume you took something from the Room of Requirement?"
"Yes, I did," Vitor admitted candidly. "But it doesn't belong to the Room; someone else put it there, just like the broomstick I took before."
"It doesn't matter if someone else hid it there, child," Barnabas said slowly. "In this castle, all items abandoned by their owners eventually find their way to this room—when they are forgotten, they become a part of the Room of Requirement. You may take what you need, like the broomstick, but you shouldn't take what you don't need or use the Room to fulfill personal desires."
"Personal desires?" Vitor questioned. "Like what?"
"For instance, taking items from the Room and selling them for profit," Barnabas said, pausing for a moment before adding, "If you truly need money, you can search through the piles of objects and you should find some galleons to suffice for your daily needs."
"What if I took something I didn't need from the Room?" Vitor asked, intrigued.
Barnabas' expression turned serious as he replied, "Then one day, the item you took will return to Hogwarts in a way you absolutely do not want to see. And you will face the consequences of violating the magical contract that governs the Room of Requirement."
His tone was grave and filled with pity, as if he had already foreseen a future where Vitor suffered a terrible death or endured unimaginable torture due to his refusal to heed this warning.
The troll beside him mumbled in its sleep, scratching its backside before turning over and continuing to snooze. Its stinky feet landed right in front of Barnabas, who had to pinch his nose and move to another spot. After adjusting his emotions, he continued to gaze at Vitor intently.
Vitor couldn't help but smile and asked, "What if I found a dangerous Dark artifact in the Room and took it away to dispose of it because I was worried it would harm other students? Would that still be considered a violation of the contract?"
"Oh—oh—I see—"
Barnabas' train of thought was interrupted, and he pondered seriously for a long while before stuttering, "Th-That should be considered doing a good deed—the castle, the castle will thank you—of course, it wouldn't be considered a violation of the contract—"
"Anyway, thank you for the advice, Barnabas," Vitor said, waving his hand as he turned to leave. "After I deal with the Dark Magic on it, I'll return the item to the Room."
As he walked away, Vitor finally let out a soft sigh that he had been holding in.
When the house-elf had first led him to the Room of Requirement, Vitor had wondered: If he wished for a room filled with galleons or a Time-Turner, would the Room provide it?
Or, if he took all the books or alchemy tools from the Room during his studies, would he find an empty room the next time he visited, or would all the necessary items still be there?
After much thought, Vitor finally suppressed the mischievous ideas swirling in his mind and refrained from experimenting to see if the Room of Requirement had such loopholes.
He wasn't the first to discover the Room; countless students and professors before him must have stumbled upon its magical properties. Even Voldemort had hidden one of his Horcruxes here, and the existence of the Room was common knowledge among the house-elves in the castle.
If the items within the Room could truly be taken at will, then surely the students before him would have discovered this loophole? Surely not everyone was as noble as Harry Potter in the original story, never once considering exploiting the Room for personal gain?
Leaving that aside, the young Tom Riddle was definitely someone who could make the most of any resource, and yet he hadn't emptied the Room of Requirement. The only explanation was that he couldn't, not that he didn't want to.
It seemed that Tom Riddle had also received Barnabas' warning back then. Given his personality, he wouldn't have easily believed a tapestry, especially since he was a master of curses himself and a descendant of Slytherin. Perhaps he had tried all sorts of methods, only to ultimately discover that the tapestry was right...
"Room of Requirement" – providing aid to those who truly are in need.
Vitor had long suspected that some sort of invisible contract was formed when one entered the Room, which was why he hadn't attempted anything reckless. But now that his guess had been confirmed, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
Who wouldn't want something for nothing?
Vitor patted his face to snap himself out of it, reminding himself that he had already gained a lot from the Room of Requirement. He needed to curb his desires and not let them cloud his judgment, making him forget what he truly wanted.
...
The next morning, the weather finally cleared up.
After the heavy snowfall and continuous rainy days, the students relished the sunny weather, with many rising early to stroll, chat, and playfully chase each other on the grassy grounds surrounding the castle.
During breakfast, countless owls flew into the Great Hall, delivering packages to the students. Despite the existence of the Friend's Tabula, owls remained the preferred method of delivering parcels, and they continued to soar across the skies of Great Britain.
Ava joined them, bringing treats from Fiona – freshly made candies and sweets. She pecked Vitor's arm in apparent annoyance, seemingly upset that he had left her at home.
Vitor tore off some beef for her, which she swallowed before flying off contentedly, chirping a couple of times as she took to the sky.
Vitor shared the candies and sweets with his classmates and turned to Michael, saying, "Michael—"
"Yeah?" Michael replied, popping a peanut candy into his mouth. "Mrs. Gray's peanut candy is delicious!"
"I'll put the rest in the umbrella room. Help yourself if you like them," Vitor said. "Can you do me a favor and take some pictures later?"
"Sure!" Michael readily agreed. "Did you get a camera?"
"It was a Christmas gift from my father," Vitor explained.
"Take a few shots of me, too, while you're at it! I haven't thought about taking any photos since I got to school."
"Will do."
The two boys were about to finish their breakfast quickly when two more owls flew toward Vitor. One dropped off a letter, while the other delivered a large package.
Michael exclaimed in surprise, "Your family sent you so many things?"
"No," Vitor said, looking at the sender's name on the envelope. "This isn't from my parents."
(End of Chapter)
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