In the morning, right after a quick breakfast, I finally set out for a proper exploration of the Room of Requirement. All those hidden objects were just waiting for me. I had already prepared sturdy gloves so that I could go through all those robes, books, jewelry, weapons, and similar nonsense quickly and without excessive caution.
The others didn't mind when I announced that I wanted to be there alone today, in privacy. Everyone obeyed without a word. It also helped that our final exams were tomorrow, so the whole castle was diligently preparing. Aside from breakfast, I hadn't met a soul—everyone was either hoing up in their common rooms or the library.
I, of course, had prepared myself so that I could browse through the items continuously. I was certain that if I flaked on it again, I would find it hard to force myself later to go through everything that had accumulated in the room over the centuries. Dudi had prepared sandwiches for me with butter, ham, cheese, and finely chopped green pepper.
Barnabas was still teaching trolls to dance ballet, something I was already used to... After a moment of pacing, the door appeared, and so, without waiting, I slipped into the room.
Things were exactly as I had left them last time—thank God for small mercies. At the same time, it was only now, on my second visit, that I noticed the room and the objects weren't dusty or dirty at all. It looked as if the magic of Hogwarts eliminated dust and grime. Even though I wasn't an allergy sufferer in this life, layers of dust would have bothered me. I procrastinated for a moment longer, scanning the racks, shelves, and cabinets with my eyes... Then, with a deep sigh, I pulled my black dragon-hide gloves out of my magical pouch.
I stood still for one more second, but then I stepped forward with determination. I decided on a bit of a "speed run"—to rush through everything quickly, inspect every item, and sort them systematically.
Books and diaries without magic in one pile; the same for those with a magical trace in another. I chose the same "drill" for every category: weapons with and without magic, clothing, jewelry... well, you know the drill.
Some things from last time were already at hand... for example, a magical dagger that had an unpleasant trace, so I moved it to serve as the base for the pile of magical weapons. I did the same with a copy of rituals in Old English. I was certain I wouldn't dare perform any of them just like that. Only when I'm older and more experienced in all aspects of magic might I be able to judge their correctness or danger. For now, I moved it straight to the books without a magical trace.
I had to pause and think about the old potions. They shouldn't be spoiled, but as an amateur lacking enthusiasm for this subject, I wouldn't dare even touch them. Perhaps they would serve as a gift for Snape? So, I decided to pile them up in a separate place.
Another pile, of course, belonged to things I was sure were pure junk—like that wig.
I moved the furniture telekinetically. It went without a hitch with the lighter pieces, but I broke a bit of a sweat with the heavy, high-quality furniture made of real oak. One table was fine, but dozens of pieces? It was quite a good workout, so this day definitely wasn't wasted.
I went through the items, sorting them quickly. For a moment, however, I had to stop—not from fatigue, but, so to speak, from excitement. Forget the daggers; on a stand was a real, genuine knight's sword. It was quite ordinary, without runes, without magic, without anything... But let's face it, what man wouldn't draw it and fight off a few imaginary enemies?
With excitement, I pulled it from its scabbard. The steel gleamed in the room, and I gripped it firmly with both hands. It was a two-handed sword and quite heavy. We had swords at the Rosier castle too, but I had never picked one up—out of respect for history and a lack of time. But here? Here, I took a stance and slashed from side to side; I even tried the "falcon stance" from above. I enjoyed it until a bead of sweat ran down my forehead. Then, with a sigh, I returned it to its scabbard. Enough procrastination; I had to continue the exploration and sorting.
I already had several old copies of Charms and Spells by the same author, though some had newer and others older bindings. It seemed that spells had hardly changed over the ages, so after a while, I started tossing those books onto the pile from a distance.
I also came across a "specialty" titled A Guide to Etiquette for Pureblood Heirs, which, of course, I immediately tossed into the junk. I might live for a century; I didn't have time for such nonsense.
I also found several diaries, which I set aside with a certain respect. I didn't have time to study their contents now; if there's something precious in them, I'll be grateful; if just common thoughts, maybe it will be fun. If they turn out to be nonsense, I'll simply burn them.
I also stumbled upon a magical book from which I felt an unpleasant and dangerous aftertaste of magic. Thanks to the gloves, I grabbed it without fear and read the title: A Thousand and One Magical Moulds. I was sure it was cursed and caused the mould itself. It couldn't even be opened—clearly just a fake book with a curse.
I discovered a silver watch with the inscription "Deus Vult" engraved on it. However, it kept time poorly, running five minutes late. Either it was junk, or someone had cursed it. Wizards were essentially atheists; they didn't believe in God because history knows details about many powerful mages whom Muggles mistakenly regarded as deities.
I also found an old pouch with a few Galleons. I, of course, poured them into my magical pouch with the other coins and threw the empty pouch onto the junk pile. There were many broken things here, for instance, a golden cauldron with a hole, which was valuable only for the metal. I set that aside with the precious but currently useless items. Broken broomsticks I threw straight into the junk.
The clothes ended up on the same pile—they were either long out of fashion or damaged. Although I had nothing against second-hand items, I had enough money to wear custom-tailored pieces from Madam Malkin's.
I was getting a bit hungry. I grabbed an old robe from between the shelves, threw it on the ground, and with a simple "Verto!", the fabric turned into a chair in mid-air, landing on the floor with a soft crack.
The chair was austere, plain, and wooden—exactly what I had quickly thought of. I sat down and pulled out the sandwiches, tucking into them with gusto. I don't know how Dudi did it, but the bread was fresh and the pepper crunchy... Literally heaven in my mouth. These were definitely not some dry petrol station sandwiches.
According to my watch, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon, so I had been running around here for quite a while. However, I had the whole day ahead of me and didn't plan to spend it preparing for theory; I had a solid grasp of the spells.
After a quick lunch, I continued sorting the room. I stopped at one book, though; although I felt no magic from it, the title caught my eye: Pseudo-Elementary Spells by Septimus Smythe. I flipped through it quickly—among the spells were Glacius, Fiendfyre, Confringo, but also Protego Diabolica and others. Some had their origin and incantation listed, while others only had interesting facts and warnings. I put this book straight into my pocket, planning to read it later. Since I was a water mage and was trying to master ice through water, pseudo-elementary spells could be an interesting read, and Glacius could help me in my refinement.
I continued browsing through items until another magical object stopped me. It was a gilded key. I felt a distinct magic from it, but it didn't seem dangerous. I didn't know exactly what it did—maybe it could unlock or lock absolutely anything. I took it to the pile with the other valuables. I moved a few potion scales either to the junk or to the rare pieces, depending on their appearance.
"Hopefully, I won't get rid of something truly precious," I thought, but with a shrug, I moved on.
I also came across a brass telescope covered in runes. Magic radiated from it, so I carefully moved it to the correct pile. Personally, I didn't need it and couldn't imagine it being useful to me in the coming years, so it would go straight for sale. Besides that, there were plenty of ordinary pieces of jewelry—silver, gold, with and without gemstones. There were also golden goblets and similar trinkets.
For a while, as I went through the shelves, racks, and aisles, I found nothing rare or useful. When I felt a slight compulsion, however, I was sure it was coming from the Horcrux. I could sense it calling to me, but of course, I ignored it and continued sorting. I approached the diadem unhurriedly.
It seemed Riddle had hidden it among total junk. It gleamed, perched on a bust—it was truly a beautiful piece; Rowena had taste. I considered for a moment whether to take it, but in the end, I rejected the idea.
Possessing pieces of his soul would mean a strategic advantage in the future if I needed to trade with him or blackmail him. But it was a powerful artifact, disgustingly defiled by filthy magic. To a magically sensitive person, it was literally nauseating. If I took it among students without Occlumency, they would succumb to it very easily—and my friends were pure amateurs in mind magic.
The only option would be to order a special container from Master Vane. After all, the diadem isn't going anywhere. With one last look, I continued my exploration, even though the diadem kept calling to me.
When I was done, it was almost evening. I felt a sense of satisfaction that I had finally gone through the entire room and sorted everything exactly as I had planned.
I returned to the beginning of the room to the sorted items. Junk made up maybe 98% of the content; it was a huge amount. While I had stacked the furniture neatly to the side, the junk remained thrown in one pile.
"Shall I burn it, or just move it along?" I wondered aloud.
Before I could decide, Hogwarts itself gave me the answer. A massive open fireplace with black marble cladding slid out from the wall near me. It was interesting that while I was inside, I couldn't change the room at will—but here, the castle itself had expressed its opinion, clearly wanting to get rid of the layers of old stuff. The junk lay a short distance from the fireplace, so I quickly kicked it closer and with a simple Depulso, shot it directly inside.
I aimed my wand and called out: "Incendio!"
A fireball burst from the tip exactly as I had imagined and ignited the pile. Old robes caught fire immediately, but the rusty steel and other solid waste didn't burn as I had pictured. I didn't have to say the incantation aloud, but with a shout, the magic was more powerful and easier to focus. However, it exhausted me significantly more intensely than my own element. But I wanted to oblige the castle, so I shouted again: "Incendio!" and added much more magical power.
A massive but narrow stream of fire shot from the wand, which I kept alive by constantly pumping magic. One would expect the room to fill with foul smoke from the burning junk, but it didn't happen. Hogwarts extracted the fumes itself. After a while, when sweat was already running down my forehead, I cut off the stream of fire.
The only thing that remained was glowing, melting metal. After a moment, it disappeared along with the entire fireplace, as if it had never been there. I felt as if the magic of the castle itself embraced me gratefully, but it might have been just a delusion caused by exhaustion. The magical flow of a foreign element had brutally drained me.
I quickly packed the valuable items into my magical pouch, which still had sufficient capacity even after all those captured objects. I also took the old potions for Snape; it would be a final gift for him and perhaps a bribe for the future for me.
The most valuable, however, were still the books and diaries, which I kept for myself. The other items would likely bring me a profit that would come in handy in the future, although I was sure Vespera would help me solve my finances this summer.
Starving, I finally headed to the kitchen. Even though it was dinner time in the Great Hall, I craved a bit of privacy. I was far too hungry to be able to eat in a socially acceptable manner.
Tomorrow, we had final exams and tests in various subjects. That didn't worry me, though; it was enough for me just to pass them. Vespera wasn't particularly interested in my grades either, as long as I sufficiently mastered the practical side of magic.
The end of the year was inexorably approaching.
***
Author's note:
I wrote this chapter while I was pretty much starving, and writing that part about Dudi's sandwiches was honestly a struggle. I'm currently on a "Lean Gains" protocol (16/8 Intermittent Fasting) since summer is just around the corner and I need to get back in shape. If you're looking to get shredded, I highly recommend it!
The Room has finally been explored, and later on, we'll dive into the contents of the books, diaries, and so on... and of course, a visit to Borgin is a must. Summer is almost here!
***
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(14):
55. The Underworld Gambit
56. The Boy Who Sponsored
57. The End of the Year
58. VR: The Warrior of Durmstrang
59. The Mind of a Rosier
60. The Lioness and the Black Blood
61. A Rosier, Not a Goyle
62. The Babel Charm and the Emperor's Dagger
63. Business and Bloodshed
64. Cruelty for Cruelty
65. Adopted by Fate
66. The Scent of Darkness
67. Socks, Sandals, and Sorcery
68. From Peaks to Plates
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