Chapter 13: Nervousness!

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"Oh, but...uh, don't you have to meet up with Harry and Ron? You said you would when we came back." Yeah, that's a pathetic argument, I know.

"No, they can wait." The stubborn set of her jaw told me she wasn't going to give this up.

I scratch my head to think. "Okay," I say, coming up with an idea, "I'll just go back tomorrow." I turn to the Fat Lady. "Balderdash."

"It's about time..." the portrait says with an eye roll.

Hermione eyes me suspiciously, but follows me in. I sit by Harry and Ron near the fire, even though I'm not particularly cold.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Harry asks.

"Well enough," I say. "Got a potion, fixed me right up."

"No, you have to take it easy tonight, too," Hermione says bossily.

"Sorry for your luck, mate," Ron mutters. I understand he's not talking about my magical exhaustion. Unfortunately, so does Hermione. "Ow!"

"What about your thing with McGonagall, did you ever get to her office?" Harry asks.

I love you, Harry. My eyes widen. "Oh no, I forgot!" I say, standing up.

"I'll go with you," Hermione says, joining me.

"I know the way," I say, "but thanks..."

Hermione glares. Damn it!

"Leave the man alone, Hermione," Ron says, then, "ow!"

"Hermione, can you help me look over my Charms essay?" Harry asks. "I'm not real confident in the part about effects of overdoing the Cheering Charm."

Hermione turns her glare on Harry, who looks back innocently. She relents at Harry's pathetic attempt at puppy dog eyes. "Fine."

"I'll see you guys in a bit," I say, walking back out of the common room.

Making my way back to the seventh floor corridor, I wonder if Luna will be up there again to catch the sunset. I make a full loop, but to my disappointment I don't see her.

With just over an hour left, I have to hurry if I want to get anything done. I head back to the corner with the tapestry and begin pacing, holding the image of the room in my mind.

"There you are." I freeze as Hermione's voice carries across the corridor.

Inanely I wonder if she's talking to somebody else, a notion which is quickly disabused when she marches up to me.

"Uh, hey Hermione..." I say.

What should I do? Can I really show her the Room of Requirement?

Damn it, I'm running out of time! She's not supposed to find out until next year. Will it change too much?

Will she report me? It will definitely seem suspicious that I know about a secret room in a castle I'd never set foot in before yesterday.

"What are you doing up here?" Her voice drips with suspicion.

I try my best to look innocent. "Enjoying the sunset, see?"

"I don't believe you." The finality in her voice, her eyes, and her stance come through quite clear...nothing I say is going to convince her.

Damn. I bury my face in my hands, slide them up my face and through my hair, then lock my fingers behind my head.

Okay, she's going to find out anyway, right? Will it change anything if Harry and Ron find out about it already?

I quickly evaluate various scenarios, and the worst thing I can think of is if Crouch/Moody finds us.

Crouch is probably hiding, though, from his awkward demeanour at the Feast, the impostor wouldn't want to be seen too much at the beginning, lest he be discovered.

"Okay, but you have to swear not to tell anybody."

Her eyes widen and her mouth opens, but closes without responding.

I look directly into her deep brown eyes. "Do you swear?"

She bites her lip. "What about Harry and Ron?"

"We'll show them later. This can't..." I falter, trying to think of a cover story. "This can't become public knowledge."

"What about the teachers?"

"Especially not the teachers. I'm serious, Hermione. Especially not them. That could be...catastrophic. Not even Dumbledore knows."

Hermione's eyes turn fearful, and she backs up a step. "You're scaring me..."

"Hey, no, I promise it's nothing scary," I say, deliberately avoiding the insinuation that she's scared of me.

"Here, take my wand." I don't mention the fact that, apparently, I don't really even need it.

She makes no move to take it.

"This castle has many secrets, I think," and she makes a choking sound.

Damn, that was definitely not the right thing to say; in her experience a secret chamber does not mean good things. "But this one has to be one of the coolest," I say quickly. "Watch."

I set my wand on the floor and turn to face the entrance. Clearing my mind, I picture the room from before and walk back and forth three times.

A strangled squeak followed by the grinding walls tells me I've been successful. I pull open the door and stand beside it. "Come on, check it out."

I'm glad she's a Gryffindor, otherwise she might have taken off. Instead she tentatively steps forward, trying to peek through the doorway.

The comfortable sitting area is immediately inside the door, for which I'm thankful. The practice dummies could be a bit freaky. "What is it?"

"It's called the Room of Requirement. I found out about one like it at my old school, and I found information that said it was based on one here," I lie. "I never thought I'd see the original. I found the entrance earlier and asked it for a place to train, and this is what I got."

"You...asked it?"

"Yes, it only appears when the person needs it, and it changes to meet the person's needs. Come on, I'll show you...we don't have much time before curfew."

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