After a short journey through the corridors of Hogwarts to the seventh floor, Harry, Hermione, Susan, Neville and Draco stood in a quiet stretch of corridor, most of the students still at the feast. Harry and Hermione's hearts pounded as they reached the place that would symbolise a turning point in their war against Dumbledore and Voldemort - revealing to their friends, their allies, that they had travelled back in time.
The idea of it terrified them.
Regardless, however, the couple knew that they needed allies. They couldn't fight this war against two dark wizards alone, and their three friends had the potential to be their greatest supporters in the battles to come. Draco, Neville and Susan needed to believe them...they had to. Meanwhile, the three magicals who didn't know why they had come to the Seventh floor looked around confusedly, wondering why they had stopped in a corridor with very little of anything.
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"Why have we stopped here?" Susan asked, receiving agreeing nods from Neville and Draco.
"Yeah," Draco concurred, looking around, "I don't see this room you mentioned…"
"You will in a moment," Hermione said, before turning to Harry, "do you want to do the honours?" The wizard nodded, before
beginning to pace before the gaudy tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy.
'I need a place to tell my friends the truth,' Harry thought as he walked back and forth, 'I need a place to tell my friends the truth…'
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After his third recitation of the phrase, a doorway seemed to grow across the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry from absolutely nothing, until it matched the size of a broom cupboard door. The entrance to the room's sudden appearance caused Neville, Draco and Susan to gasp in shock.
"What in the name of Merlin…" Neville muttered, staring at the newly formed door in surprise and a little bit of disbelief.
"How is that possible?" Susan asked, alternating between staring at Harry and Hermione, waiting for an explanation. Hearing a perfect setup, however, Harry grinned mischievously.
"It's magic," he replied simply, eliciting a groan from his three friends and his girlfriend, the latter of which then proceeded to smack his arm for his bad pun, "OW!" Harry yelped, rubbing his arm furiously. Hermione merely rolled her eyes.
Discover moreRead BestsellersAnime merchandiseComic book subscriptionsMovie memorabiliaTV show guides"Anyway, ignoring Harry's awful sense of humour," she said wryly, "this is the entrance to the Room of Requirement." Seeing he was getting no sympathy for the brutal attack, Harry threw a playful glare at Hermione before reengaging to the situation.
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"The Room of Requirement is a purely magical chamber," he explained to his friends, "it has no singular form as such, but changes depending on the requirements of whoever is in need of it."
"To produce a room," Hermione continued, "all you have to do is pace before this section of wall thinking about what room you want. After the third recitation of the room you want in your thoughts, the door will appear." Their eyes widened and mouths were agape in awe.
"Whoa," Draco murmured, "that's incredible! How did you find it?" Harry and Hermione shared an anxious look.
"That's one of the things we wanted to tell you," Hermione said tentatively, "but we need to go inside so we can show you." The two wizards and witch shared a look between themselves, before nodding.
Discover moreWatch CartoonsCartoonsRead MangaAnimeFind Rare Comics"Alright," Neville announced, taking a step toward the door, "well what are we waiting for?"
Putting his hand on the doorknob, he clicked it open and walked inside, soon followed by his four friends. The chamber the ROR had created wasn't anything special, merely a circular space with stone flagged walls. However, at its centre, sat upon a plinth, stood a silver-white bowl, filled with a wispy, ethereal white substance. As the door closed behind them, Harry walked over to the plinth and turned to his friends.
"This is how we will show you what you need to know." Harry said, his hand resting beside the bowl. "This object is called…"
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"…a pensieve!" Susan exclaimed, staring at the bowl in awe.
"What's a pensieve?" Draco asked, Neville nodding his ignorance as to the purpose of the device also.
"You know what it is Susan?" Hermione asked in surprise, ignoring the question posed by the two boys. The redheaded witch nodded.
"Yes I do," Susan replied, "my auntie has wanted to get her hands on one of these for the longest time." Looking over to Draco and Neville, she explained. "A pensieve is an enchanted bowl which can be used to hold and show a memory removed from a magical. It allows people who weren't witness to an event to observe proceedings as they happened from inside the actual memory." The two wizards gaped in astonishment as they considered the potential of the item, while Harry nodded in agreement with her description.
"That's exactly right Susan," Harry replied, "I can understand why Madam Bones wants one for herself. The nature of the bowl allows for a person to see things the actual person might have missed and makes it easy to pick out falsified memories. It would be invaluable as an investigation tool." Hermione nodded.
Discover moreRead Sci-Fi BooksShop Kids' BooksWatch Sci-Fi FilmsFind Study AidsLearn a Language"Agreed," Hermione said, "but it also suits our purposes. You see," she paused, "what we have to show you might be…difficult for you to believe. We could just tell you, but using the pensieve adds a degree of legitimacy to our claims."
While she spoke, Harry had pressed his wand against his forehead and closed his eyes in concentration, producing a long strand of white mist from his mind which hung on the end of his wand. Lowering it gently, he placed the strand into the bowl, where it began to swirl gently and glow bright white.
"I have just put copies of a series of memories from my mind," Harry explained, "which will hopefully help us explain what we want to tell you, without us saying a word." Neville and Susan nodded, stepping closer to the bowl, but Draco remained stationary.
"Is all this necessary?" Draco asked warily, eying the bowl nervously.
"It is." Harry replied. "We," he gestured to Hermione, "have decided that you three are trustworthy, so we can tell you our greatest secret." Harry threw a look at the bowl. "The pensieve is just to make what you need to know easier to…accept." Draco still seemed a bit reluctant, but nodded hesitantly.
"Alright," Draco acquiesced after a moment of thought, taking his place next to Susan and Neville. "So," the wizard said, looking at his friends, "how do we do this?"
"We should only have to dunk our heads under the water," Susan explained, "and the magic will pull our minds into the memory." Neville and Draco nodded.
The three readied themselves, steadying their breathing, before one by one, Draco, Susan and Neville held their heads under the silvery water and became still. Harry and Hermione watched on anxiously, as their friends began to witness seven years in the magical world that from their perspective, hadn't happened yet. After a moment of silence, Hermione quietly spoke, as if worried their friends could hear.
Discover moreGet Class SuppliesDiscover Sci-FiFan fiction booksWriting softwareCreative writing courses"Do you think they'll believe us?" Hermione asked anxiously, watching the unmoving figures of their friends just after they bent over and dunked their heads into the pensieve.
"I don't know," Harry replied quietly, "I mean, I hope they do, but there's just no way to be certain." He threw her a troubled look. "They're our friends, but…" he paused, "how would anyone take the knowledge that we're both from the future and have come back to kill Riddle and Dumbledore?" Hermione snorted in mild amusement, overriding her previous worry.
"They'd think we were insane." She replied and Harry nodded.
"Right," he agreed with a smile. "Having said that though," he continued, his amused smile fading, "what they see might explain some things they have been curious about." Hermione cocked her head confusedly.
"Like what?" She asked.
"How we are so good at magic," Harry began, counting them off on his fingers, "how we know the castle so well, why we seem older than those around us…" he went to continue, but Hermione cut him off.
"Ok, ok," she said with a smile, holding her hands up in surrender, "I get it." Harry chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder.
"I think we should just have faith, Hermione," Harry said, "they're our friends – I'm sure they'll believe us." Hermione nodded uncertainly.
"I hope so." Hermione sighed and shook her head of those thoughts. "So, while we're in the Room of Requirement and they are," she pointed at their three friends in the bowl, "busy, why don't we do something?" Harry smiled wickedly and kissed Hermione softly.
"Oh really?" He said, between kisses. "Like what?" Hermione moaned slightly at his embrace, but after a moment, pushed away.
"No Harry, not…that." She said with a blush. "Not that I'd not like to do that," she said breathily, making Harry's heart skip a beat, "but what I meant was talking to Hogwarts." Her boyfriend's eyes widened as he remembered.
"Oh yeah," he exclaimed, "we've made Hogwarts wait far too long. I had forgotten about that!" He smiled lovingly at Hermione. "What would I do without you?" Hermione's cheeks coloured from the intensity of his gaze and she smiled.
"Well, you know what they say," she began, "behind every great man…"
"…there is a woman rolling her eyes?" Harry quipped with a grin. Hermione demonstrated the point and rolled her eyes in reply, swatting his arm in jest.
"Prat," she said, with nothing but amusement in her voice.
"Yes, yes I am," Harry agreed solemnly, before smiling, "but I'm your prat."
"That you are," Hermione giggled. Harry grinned in reply, before his mind back tracked to Hermione's previous suggestion.
"Er," Harry murmured, thinking to himself, "so should I just speak a loud?" Hermione shrugged in response.
"I have no idea Harry," she said, "try it." He nodded.
"Hogwarts?" Harry asked a loud to the chamber. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes Lord Gryffindor, I can."
The distinctly female voice echoed all around them in the chamber, the walls themselves seeming to resonate with her voice. The suddenness of the reply and its volume made Harry and Hermione jump in surprise.
"Ah," he said, "well, er…that's good." Harry paused. "Forgive me Lady Hogwarts, but I-I'm not really sure what to say." The voice of the castle giggled in reply.
"There is nothing to forgive, my Lord," the voice said, "for it was I who asked you here after all." Hermione nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking Lady Hogwarts," Hermione began, carefully choosing her words so as not to be rude, "why did you wish us to speak with you?"
"I merely wished to welcome the new Lord and Lady Gryffindor Ravenclaw to the school and introduce myself." Harry frowned slightly at her answer.
"Forgive my ignorance, my Lady," Harry said, "but are you not the school?" The voice giggled again in reply.
"Not as such, Lord Gryffindor," she replied amusedly, "the years of this fortress serving to house and train young magicals have led to much raw magic being absorbed. It was the founders who first noticed this build-up of magic. Such a concentration of magic in a single structure had never been recorded, so they chose to mould it and organise it into a form."
"Yourself," Harry said unnecessarily.
"Indeed," Lady Hogwarts answered. "The founders created a construct to channel the raw magic into a form which would protect the castle, its students, and their heirs." She chuckled to herself. "They did not realise that a build-up of magic for nearly a millennia would change their construct, nor did they realise that the construct would achieve sentience. However, while I have evolved over time, my purpose has not. I live to protect this castle, its students, and my creator's heirs."
"Incredible," Hermione replied breathlessly, "absolutely incredible…" the castle giggled once more in reply.
Harry meanwhile, while greatly impressed and interested in what she was saying, was getting a headache from the omnipresent voice in his mind and his own confusion in where to direct his replies.
It is difficult to speak to a being while you are sat inside them, after all.
"I'm sorry my Lady," Harry said, rubbing his forehead to stave off a headache, "but is there another way you can speak to us? I am feeling rather overwhelmed by this and I'm not really sure where to speak to…"
"There is, my Lord." The voice replied.
Before Harry or Hermione could ask for more information on this, the space directly in front of Harry seemed to shimmer as something faded into view. As the seconds ticked by, the couple's eyes widened in shock as the disturbance in the air coalesced into the form of a young woman with ruby red hair and blue eyes, dressed in a yellow and green dress. She smiled at them happily, before curtseying and bowing her head slightly.
"My Lord Gryffindor Ravenclaw," the woman said, looking to Harry, before turning to Hermione, "my Lady Gryffindor Ravenclaw. It is an honour to meet you." Harry smiled in return before bowing to her as she had done to him.
"The honour is all mine, Lady Hogwarts," Harry replied.
"And mine," Hermione added, curtseying herself. "It is an immense pleasure to speak with you in person, my Lady."
"Thank you," the projection of Hogwarts said, before returning to the matter, "now as I said I asked you here to introduce myself and offer my assistance to you in your endeavours. As long as you remain within this fortress, you will have the strength and might of my magic behind you. I will serve you in your endeavours in any way I can." Harry and Hermione smiled and bowed/curtseyed.
"Thank you my Lady," Harry said, "I am certain that you will become a valued friend and ally to Hermione and myself." Lady Hogwarts smiled in reply.
"You are most welcome my Lord," she responded, before her smile faded, "I am aware that you have come back from the future mostly from Mathias, but I do not know how far your knowledge extends. I feel I should inform you of three things: firstly, there is an evil presence within the castle, possessing the form of Professor Quirinus Quirrell." Harry and Hermione nodded in reply.
"Yes, we know of it, my Lady," Harry said, "we intend to remove the evil by the end of the school year." Hogwarts nodded.
"Very well," she replied. "The second is that there is an object hidden within my halls by Headmaster Dumbledore of immense power. I believe that Quirrell is planning to steal it for himself. He has already made several poorly conceived attempts."
"Thank you Hogwarts, but we are aware of the Philosopher's Stone as well." Hermione said, before pausing. "However, we don't know when he will make his next move to steal the stone, or how far he will get. Would you please keep an eye on the Professor and tell us as soon as he tries to steal the stone?" Hogwarts nodded.
"I will, Lady Gryffindor." Hogwarts said with a smile and a bow. "Thirdly, Quirrell is not the only person to make an attempt on the stone." Harry and Hermione's eyes widened in shock at this revelation.
"We didn't know this," Hermione exclaimed.
"Someone else is trying to steal it?" Harry asked in shock. Hogwarts nodded.
"Indeed, my Lord." She replied. "I am, however, unable to tell you who for I do not know the individual, nor can I tell you much of the thief, other than the fact he is male. The person is cloaked in many enchantments which occlude him from my view. I know he is there, but not anything about him. I am unsure whether he is an intruder in these halls."
"How many attempts has this thief made and does he remain within the castle?" Hermione asked curiously.
"He does not remain here, my Lady," Hogwarts replied, "and as yet, he has not tried to steal the stone. He has, however, probed the defences protecting it, likely looking for weaknesses to exploit." Harry nodded.
"Very well Lady Hogwarts," he murmured, greatly troubled by the information that there was a second thief that they did not know of, "if either Quirrell or this mystery thief make an attempt on the stone, please tell us immediately." Hogwarts nodded.
"I will do so." Lady Hogwarts was about to speak, before she shuddered, her eyes closing with the sensation. "Lord Gryffindor," Lady Hogwarts said after a moment, "your friends are about to exit the pensieve." Harry nodded and shared a look of anxiety with Hermione.
"Thank you, my Lady," Harry replied. The projection of Lady Hogwarts smiled and curtsied to Harry, before fading away.
No sooner had Lady Hogwarts disappeared, Neville, Susan and Draco forcibly exited his memories, pushed back by the intensely enchanted magical object. The three panted breathlessly for a moment, as if recovering from holding their breath beneath water. As they regained their equilibrium and drank in their surroundings, the three students had three very different reactions to the memories.
Draco threw a tearful, self-loathing look at Harry, before stumbling toward a nearby wall and collapsing against it, holding his head in his palms; Susan burst into tears, falling to her knees and sobbing into her hands; and Neville stood silently, staring off into space, his face extremely pale and his hands trembling slightly.
Harry and Hermione observed these reactions for a time, letting them vent their frustrations of what they had just seen, before asking the chamber for five comfy chairs, which promptly appeared in a circular seating pattern.
"Guys, why don't we all sit down," he said, gesturing to the seats, "and talk about the memories you just saw."
There was little to no reaction to his words initially, but after a moment, the three moved from their current places and flopped into seats. After a brief silence, Neville lifted his gaze from the floor and looked to Harry.
"Explain," Neville rasped, still clammy and pale from the memories. Harry nodded in reply before beginning to speak.
"I know," Harry began, licking his dry lips, trying to find the right words, "that what you've just seen seems…incredible, and…unbelievable, but…it is the truth." Harry looked to Hermione, silently asking her to continue.
"What you have just seen were Harry's memories of his seven years living as a wizard in the magical world, which, as if you needed telling, haven't happened yet."
"How is that possible?" Susan whispered, wiping her still red and puffy eyes.
"The last moment you saw," Harry said, answering the question, "was my demise at the hands of Voldemort," Draco, Neville and Susan shivered, "during the battle for Hogwarts in the Second Blood War. However," he paused, "that was not the end. Hermione and I," he smiled at his girlfriend sadly, "found ourselves on the precipice of passing on to the next great adventure. Yet instead of passing on as normal, we were met by an immortal being who told us the truth of the last seven years. We," he gestured to Hermione, "were manipulated and controlled by someone who we used to trust." Draco nodded in thought.
"Dumbledore," he stated, thinking back to the memories. Harry and Hermione nodded.
"Yes," Harry said unnecessarily. "He moulded and groomed me into a weapon who would sacrifice himself to defeat Voldemort," more shudders, "for the greater good."
"Because of these manipulations," Hermione took over, "and the fact that we actually managed to succeed despite everything, that immortal being gave us a second chance, to go back and fight the war on our own terms, saving as many people as we could."
"Including my Aunt?" Susan asked hopefully, having been horribly distraught when she'd heard of her Aunt Amelia's death through Harry's memory. To her relief, Harry smiled and nodded in reply.
"Yes Susan," he said reassuringly, "we want to try and save as many people as we can." The witch smiled brightly before rushing over to hug the duo. After she had released them from her tight hold, Draco seemed to reengage to the situation.
"Looks like you aren't just hoping to save the dead," Draco muttered, shuddering when he thought back to the arrogant, blonde haired ponce who shared his likeness in the memories he had seen. Seeing his descent into self-deprecation, Harry stood up in a flash and knelt beside his armchair.
"That wasn't you Draco," Harry said firmly. "Malfoy was a cruel, hateful, jealous, spiteful individual, created and moulded into that shape by his bigoted parents." Harry smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Now, Draco…he is a much better person. He is kind, trustworthy, brave, tolerant, loyal," he squeezed his shoulder, "and a damned good friend, if I do say so." A large, genuine smile started to grow across the face of the previously despondent wizard. "Malfoy is gone. He will never exist. And that, is because you became your own person and showed the world who Draco Granger is." Draco's chest swelled with pride from Harry's words and he pulled his brother in all but blood into a hug.
"Thanks Harry," Draco rasped, unable to say anything else.
"I don't understand," Neville muttered, returning to the discussion of the pensieve memories Harry had provided, "why did you show us the memories and tell us about all this?"
"Because we need help," Harry said firmly. "There is no way we can do this alone. In our past life, we were working alongside Dumbledore and his Order, and since we didn't know of his manipulations, we trusted them implicitly. Now, however, we are not only going up against Riddle but against Dumbledore. We can't do this alone."
"But why us?" Draco asked. "I mean, Neville and Susan I could understand, but in the previous timeline, I was a bad guy!" Hermione smiled in reply.
"It's true that we chose to trust Neville and Susan partly on our knowledge of the future, but for the most part, we have based our decisions on the impressions of the three of you that we have garnered during this current year." Harry nodded.
"Draco, you have easily proven yourself to us," Harry chided gently, "you have shown yourself to be trustworthy and loyal, which I value greatly in a friend." He smiled. "You have proven yourself worthy of our trust." Draco smiled and nodded.
"Ok Harry," Draco replied, "you and Hermione trust me, so I'll trust you in return. I believe you and I'll help you anyway I can." Neville and Susan nodded in agreement.
"I'll help too," Neville said confidently.
"And so will I," Susan added.
Harry and Hermione shared a look, grinning happily. This had gone better than they had ever hoped possible. Their friends knew the truth about them being from the future, believed them, and even wanted to help them.
"Thank you guys," Hermione exclaimed, pulling the three of them into hugs. "We're so glad you believe us." Neville shrugged with a smile.
"You've not lied to us before," he said, "so the way I figure, and with the memories you showed us, we should trust you."
"Thank you regardless," Harry said, clapping Neville on the back.
"Now," Hermione began, sobering from the happy mood and becoming serious, "there is much we will tell you in the coming weeks." Harry nodded.
"We will share with you all of our knowledge of the future," Harry offered, "but first, we need to be certain that your minds are well protected."
"Our minds?" Susan asked confusedly. Hermione nodded.
"There are certain individuals in this world," Hermione began, but was interrupted by Harry coughing loudly, which sounded suspiciously like 'Dumbledore and Snape', "who are powerful Legilimancers…can read minds," Hermione elaborated upon seeing the confused expressions of their friends. "Obviously, we can't allow Dumbledore to become aware of our memories of the future, nor of the fact we are working against him."
"So what is your solution?" Draco asked, already knowing his adoptive sister had one.
"Normally, you would have to learn Occlumency to properly protect your mind," Hermione began, "and we will be teaching this to you in due time. For the time being, however, we have a more immediate solution." Harry took over.
"During the time we've been back in the past, Hermione crafted…"
"…with Harry's help," she interjected with a smile. Harry smiled back in return, barely skipping a beat.
"…a new spell which will provide a good, basic level of protection for your minds. It's called the 'False Mind' spell."
"Basically," Hermione continued seamlessly, "it creates a barrier of magic around your inner mind, protecting it from intrusion, while projecting the illusion that your mind is unprotected, distracting them with unimportant surface thoughts." Susan's eyes widened in realisation.
"So anyone reading our minds wouldn't know that our minds were undefended, being able to see our surface thoughts, so would not know to try and break through the barrier!" Harry and Hermione beamed in response.
"Exactly right!" Harry replied with a smile. "The spell relies entirely on disguise and misdirection to function as a defence. This is what makes it such an effective defence to mind readers." His smile faded and he became serious. "This does mean, however, that if the attacker is aware of the protection, they will be able to bring it down eventually with a direct, forceful mind attack." Neville, Susan and Draco shared a worried look at the addendum that Harry had attached to his explanation. Hermione, however, was quick to soothe them.
"Remember though, that it is a brand new spell," Hermione pointed out at their unsure expressions, "a prospective attacker won't know what to look for to prove it's a deception, or even that they should look to begin with."
"Is it safe?" Susan asked unsurely.
"We wouldn't offer it as an option if it wasn't," Hermione said reassuringly, "all we ask that you trust us." Harry drew his wand in preparation and looked between them.
"Who will go first?" He asked.
The three students shared a look of anxiety. Each of them knew they trusted Harry and Hermione implicitly and the idea of having someone rooting around in their thoughts and memories on a whim made them uneasy. But they were understandably nervous of having a newly created spell put on them. However, after a silent debate among the three, one of them took a deep breath and spoke up.
"I'll go first," Neville said determinately.
His steadfast bravery surprised Harry and Hermione for a moment. They both realised, however, they were thinking of the wizard from the original timeline, not the more confident, sure version that stood before them. With a nod, Harry aimed his wand at Neville's temple.
"Simulata Mente!" Harry incanted loudly, giving his wand a small flick as he did so.
Neville shuddered slightly in discomfort, as he was overcome with unusual sensations, which he likened to having his head dipped in an ice cold bucket of water. The coldness seemed to seep into his brain and even deeper, into his mind. However, after a few minutes of these unpleasant sensations, the coldness began to ebb and his eyes shuddered open, him not even realising he had closed them.
"How do you feel?" Hermione asked. Neville blinked a few times, clearing his eyes, before focusing his gaze on Hermione.
"I feel…fine," he replied confusedly. Harry nodded with a smile.
"That's good," he replied, "now, do you mind if I try to read your mind to see if the spell worked?" Neville shrugged.
"Go for it," He replied.
Upon performing Legilimency on the willing Neville, Harry concluded that the wizard's mind was well protected from minor attacks, and nothing short of a full scale bombardment on his false mind would shatter it, revealing his true, inner thoughts.
Having seen Neville come through the spell unscathed, Susan and Draco had no qualms about allowing the spell to be cast on them. And so, about half an hour later, all three of their friend's minds were protected.
"There," Harry announced happily, "now we can be sure that Dumbledore won't be able to gleam anything from your thoughts."
"That's good," Susan agreed, "I'm still shocked that he would cast that on children!" Harry shrugged.
"He's a bastard and a dark lord," Harry said, "I doubt there is much he wouldn't do." His girlfriend sent him a weak glare and swatted his arm.
"Language Harry," she chided, to which he rolled his eyes, which she in turn ignored. "Now, I think that's everything we wanted to tell you today…"
"Not quite Hermione," Harry interrupted, drawing a confused look from Hermione. "Do you think we should tell them about," he pointed to the ceiling, "you know…" her eyes widened and she nodded.
"Yes, we probably should," she replied. Harry nodded in return, before turning to the other three students.
"Guys, there is someone we would like to introduce you to." Harry said, before looking to the ceiling. "Hogwarts," he called, drawing confused looks from his friends.
"What are you…" Draco trailed off in shock as the projection of Hogwarts faded back into view before them.
"Yes my Lord Gryffindor?" Lady Hogwarts answered. Harry smiled at the projection, before laughing at the agape faces of his friends.
"Guys, this is Lady Hogwarts," Harry introduced, "she is a sentient magical being that inhabits and protects the castle." Hogwarts turned to the three students and smiled.
"You are my Lord and Lady's friends," she observed, before curtseying. "I very pleased to meet you all."
The three remained silent for a very brief moment, before snapping out of their stupors and bowing/curtseying to Lady Hogwarts in return. Susan was the first of their number to formulate a reply.
"It is an honour to speak with you Lady Hogwarts," Susan breathed in amazement, "I had read that Hogwarts could be communed with, but I never imagined…" her voice began to trail off, "just…wow!" Hogwarts giggled in reply.
"It is an incredible honour to speak with you, my Lady," Neville replied, mirroring Susan's response, before bowing once more to the projection.
"Agreed," Draco said, he too bowing again, "I am an incredibly fortunate individual." Harry and Hermione smiled at their replies.
"Lady Hogwarts has offered her assistance to us in our fight against Dumbledore and Voldemort," Harry said, "and has informed us of a number of threats in the castle." They nodded in understanding.
"You were aware of these threats though, yes?" Draco questioned.
"Some of them, yes," Hermione replied, "however, Hogwarts told us of another thief who is trying to steal the stone."
"And you don't know who it is?" Susan asked in surprise.
"No," Harry continued, "there was not another thief in our original memories. There have been some changes to the timeline, so this may simply be a reflection of that. We must not, however, dismiss this, which is why we have asked Hogwarts to watch the third floor corridor and any who make an attempt on the stone."
"I will inform you the moment anyone crosses the threshold of the third floor," Lady Hogwarts said in reply, before fading from view once more.
Instead of leaving the Room of Requirement, having finished Harry and Hermione's explanations of their past/future lives, the five students remained, sitting in the comfy chairs, chatting amiably. Time ticked by and the five friends barely registered the fact that their curfew had come and gone, deeply engrossed in their conversation.
As the time ticked over to midnight, a grandfather clock materialised in the far side of the room, courtesy of the Room of Requirement's magic, and chimed the hour. All five immediately snapped their gaze to the newly arrived clock and shared a simultaneous gasp at the late hour. Harry rubbed his eyes and glanced down at his wrist watch, confirming that the clock was in fact correct.
"I can't believe its twelve!" Harry exclaimed with a chuckle. "How didn't we notice?"
"You know what they say," Hermione replied with a smile, "time flies when you're having fun!" They all shared a quiet laugh.
"Well," Neville said, "we should probably be getting back." They all nodded in agreement and stood up, ready to leave. However, before they got far, Lady Hogwarts rematerialized once more.
"My Lord Gryffindor, I know you were about to leave, but I must inform you that there are two others who are trying to enter this room to speak with you." Hogwarts said, receiving curious looks from all five students.
"Who wants to speak to us?" Hermione asked confusedly.
"More to the point," Harry interrupted, "who knows that we are here?"
However, before the castle could answer his question or they could suppose on the identity of the two, the air around them turned frosty and a light fog curling around their ankles. They all shivered at the atmospheric change, but froze upon hearing a new voice.
"We do." A cold, chilling voice replied.
Ooh, cliffy!