Ch. 30 Morning Interactions

Wednesday, October 14, 1992

As the rays of sunlight start to pour through the window, I look over to a sleeping Aurora. I smile at the peaceful look on her beautiful face.

Looking back up to the ceiling, I think over everything that happened yesterday evening.

Finally, being able to use the Room of Requirement was a great joy! The books on soul magic were ones I've never seen before! They definitely are not in the Forbidden Section of the library.

Does the Room 'remember' every book that has ever passed through Hogwarts? Is there a secret library that the Room pulls books from?

The Room's ability to generate what the user needs is an incredible piece of magic.

Furthermore, I have no idea where to even begin to duplicate the effects!

Without seeing how the Room of Requirement was created, I'll never know for sure.

Regardless of how it was created, the possible uses for the Room of Requirement are nearly limitless! I can use it to continue improving my body and increase my magical knowledge.

Maybe even work on molecular manipulation?

If only I didn't have to worry about Dumbledore tracking my movement around the castle.

After experiencing the benefits of the Room of Requirement, thinking about my ability to use the Room is limited by Dumbledore's presence only serves to increases my annoyance!

I would love to freely move about the castle without worry, but I doubt that day will arrive soon. At least, not without a fight.

I have no desire to deal with the hassle or trouble killing Hogwarts' Headmaster would cause, but I have no problem with smacking him around if it's called for.

With all my interactions with Dumbledore, not once have I seen him use the Elder Wand, nor felt the dreadful aura of a Deathly Hallow. I don't doubt he has it on him, so I assumed it was like the Resurrection Stone and only emitted the deathly aura when it was being used.

So, when I was about to knock on Aurora's door last night, the familiar aura of death took me by surprise. It felt just like when I used the Resurrection Stone.

My first thought was the Old Goat returned from the Wizengamot and was sneaking up on me! Honestly, the thought of battling Dumbledore with the Elder Wand sent a surge of excitement through me!

I don't doubt it would be the toughest fight I've had so far! But what doesn't kill me makes me stronger!

Luckily, I restrained my initial urge to strike first. It took me only a moment to figure out it wasn't Dumbledore sneaking up on me, but the owner of the third Deathly Hallow, Harry Potter.

The Deathly Hallows are another thing to think about. Should I even bother to collect the Deathly Hallows or just let them be?

If I chose to take them, I already have the Resurrection Stone, and taking the Invisibility Cloak from Harry would be all too easy. I can forcefully take the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, but that will have far-reaching consequences. Mostly the fact it would be nearly impossible to finish Other Me's mission.

Recalling my brief interaction with the Chosen One, I wonder if it was a bit much; mimicking Harry's heartbeat?

No matter how I look at it from their perspective, it makes me look like some villain. I also wonder who else was under the Invisibility Cloak with him? Was it the comedic moron Ron, or the intelligent and bossy Hermione?

My run-in with the sneaking duo brought up a few things I had been ignoring.

The fact that Harry is sneaking around the castle should be related to the Chamber of Secrets.

I've been forced to put off my own search for the Chamber for the time being. Not having an excuse to be searching for it and not being able to remember exactly where the entrance is located, being the main reasons.

I could always ask which girls' bathroom is haunted by a ghost, but I can't think of a legitimate excuse to be looking for a girls' bathroom. Ginny also hasn't brought the diary to class, so I'm left without a valid reason on why I searched through a first-year girl's items.

Without a valid excuse or a well thought out plan, I would have a hard time explaining my discovery of a Horcrux and a basilisk.

I figure it is better to wait for the cat to be petrified before launching my assault on the Chamber of Secrets. I just hope my interference in the timeline doesn't alter the first casualty of the basilisk.

Thinking of Harry fighting the basilisk rekindles my anger!

Seriously, what the hell was Dumbledore thinking? Was he trying to condition Harry to fulfill the prophecy, or was he actually clueless to Harry's recklessness?

Regardless, there is no reason to allow a child to think they must put themselves in danger for the safety of Hogwarts!

Granted, Harry can probably handle most obstacles better than Lockhart. But Harry should have felt he could rely on the other Hogwarts Professors!

I'm not sure if I'm more upset about the blatant child endangerment or the fact a child thinks he needs to protect me?!

Fucking Dumbledore and his greater good!

The gentle rustling of Aurora brought me from my thoughts.

Turning towards my bed partner, I find her staring at me with her mischievous smirk. "Were you just growling?"

Aurora's comment catches me off guard. Keeping my wit, I reply with a sophisticated, "Huh?"

Aurora's smirk grows a bit more. "Your entire chest was rumbling. You were definitely growling."

Was my rising anger causing me to unconsciously growl?

I push the thought away, "I was probably just snoring."

With a snort, Aurora shakes her head. "You've never snored before, and that was definitely a growl."

Aurora tilts her head to the side as she looks into my eyes. Aurora's smirk suddenly returns. "It suits you. You are quite the animal."

With that cue, I follow my animal instincts and attack my prey to the joy-filled laughter of Aurora!

*************

It's an hour later before, I step out of Aurora's apartment.

That woman is simply amazing.

By this point, I no longer have trouble traversing the halls of the castle. I know I've not explored the entirety of Hogwarts, but I've memorized the location of every key area.

I come to a stop as I enter the hallway leading to my apartment.

Looking to my right, I notice an awkward part of the wall. "Good morning, Mr. Diggory. Your Disillusionment Charm has improved, but the subtle hint of honey leads me to believe you rushed through breakfast. Unless you're normally a messy eater?"

With a shimmer, the image of a smiling Cedric Diggory clarifies. As he steps away from the wall, "Good morning, Professor." Looking down at the small run of honey on the front of his robes, Cedric looks back up with an embarrassed smile. "I may have rushed a bit to get into place."

"Of course," I said while returning his smile.

"How can I improve my spell, Professor?" Cedric gave me his complete attention.

This is beginning to turn into a regular routine for us. Cedric puts forth an incredible amount of effort in my classes, and from what I hear, he puts in just as much energy for his other subjects.

He consistently speaks up during class debates. Also, he listens to counter-arguments with an open mind even if they come from other students!

He attempted to volunteering during the last Dueling Club meet, but I'm not rushing the students' advancement in dueling.

Cedric is quite clever, hardworking, and truly cares for his friends and House-mates. Lately, he has started to regularly seek me out for clarification and suggestions on his magic.

Working with him the past few weeks explains how a sixth-year was able to become Hogwarts Champion during the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

If I was being honest, he's my favorite student.

"There are no mistakes in your spell casting. The mistake is with your application." As I explain, Cedric is listening attentively. "The Disillusionment Charm does not make you invisible. It would be more accurate to say it camouflages you to your surroundings.

"A keen eye will be able to easily notice your silhouette or outline if you stand in front of something with straight edges, like a brick wall."

"More like a chameleon than a Demiguise," Cedric said while nodding in understand. "Professor, where should I focus if I wish to expand my ability in the field of stealth?"

"In the library," I said with a smirk. I enjoy the look of agitation at his failure to obtain a more specific answer.

That is one of the traits I enjoy about Cedric. While he often seeks me out, he will not come out and directly ask for the answer. He only wants to be directed on the path that allows him to find the answer.

I believe he places a higher value on things he has to work for. I assume it makes him feel like he's earned it.

Suddenly looking back up with a smile of his own, Cedric quickly looks me over. "You are up very early, Professor. Why, if I didn't know better, I would say you're actually, RETURNING, to your apartment. Perhaps, after spending the night with another professor?" The roguish smirk plastered on his face, screams of victory.

Graceful in defeat, "Point to you, Mr. Diggory." The crafty little shit takes a bow as I walk by him. "The spell you should seek is labeled as a hex," I call over my shoulder.

Yup, I'm pretty sure he's my favorite student!