(1) 𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄 | d. m

Chapter eighteen

July

After the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, things started to abruptly change. There was an overall feeling of fear and confusion hanging in the air. Rumours started to spread about what really happened up there, all the while we were mourning the death of our dear Headmaster. Everyone had stayed a few more weeks of the summer, in order to attend the funeral and I wouldn't be going back home for another day.

I didn't talk to Draco at all for a good amount of time after our last conversation, and to be honest, I didn't really want to either. With everything that had been going on, I just needed my space to think, or rather find another way to keep my mind occupied. It wasn't an easy task, I admit, and when Neville and Luna asked me how I was doing and if I wanted to talk about it, all I could seem to do was either stay quiet or unconvincingly tell them "I'm fine".

"You know, you really are an awful liar", Luna said, as we were making our way back from Dumbledores funeral. The sun was shining, despite the feeling of grief hanging over our heads. Pretty much everyone who knew and cared about the Headmaster had been there, and even though it seemed as if everyone had a hard time to keep from crying – I wasn't able to. Neville and Luna had clearly noticed my change in behaviour, and were both seemingly worried for me.

I didn't say a thing to Luna's comment , and I think that only verified their suspicions that I was trying not to fall apart completely. I was just staring at my black leather shoes, counting my breaths.

"Okay, that's it–", Neville stopped us both and put a hand on my shoulder, comfortingly yet decisively. "–you are coming with us".

***

The Hogwarts hallways were ghostly cold and echoed with sadness as we walked down the empty corridors on the seventh floor. We passed the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. "Where are you taking me?!", I said nervously, while trying to loosen myself from the grip Neville had around my upper arm. There wasn't a word uttered to ease my mind, instead, we stopped in front of a wall, completely empty of any moving or talking paintings. I was confused, had no idea why we had stopped so abruptly, or what was going on with my two best friends.

"We need a place of comfort", said Neville as he stepped in front of the stone wall. At first, nothing seemed to happen and for a moment I could swear that my friends were complete lunatics, but after a few seconds, the wall started to change, transform, and suddenly the wall that had seemed like any other, had turned into a big, walnut coloured, wooden door with a golden handle.

"What in the world is this place?", I said, knowing full well that this was the Room of Requirement, only thing was, it looked very different to what I had imagined. I had heard stories about a room on the seventh floor, that would magically appear if you were in great need of something. I had never really thought to go discover this place myself, but there was something about it that seemed awfully compelling to me.

As I stepped through the now open door, I was embraced by a sudden feeling of comfort and warmth.  The room was quite small, but had a lot of of elegance to it. The walls were covered in maroon tapestry and at the far end of the room, stood a big sofa. Albeit that these things were all amazing, but they couldn't compare to the extravagant thing that was the glass chandelier, hanging high and proud in the ceiling. I had never seen such a beautiful thing before in my life and it completely caught be off guard the moment I first saw it. It seemed the main focus of the room, and made me completely forget about the question I had asked when we first stepped inside.

"Well, Neville and I have been thinking...", Luna said as she pulled up a chair, seemingly out of nowhere. "We know you've said you're fine when we've asked how you are and all— but, we know that you're not that good an actor...".  I gave her a annoyed look as she fixed her gaze on me, responding to her comment. She knew that the words had baffled me, but also that I was being ironic in the midst of grief, because that was how I had always dealt with trauma. I had warned Luna and Neville from the get-go, telling them of my past the moment we first became friends. "So we decided you needed someplace where you can go to escape, find solitude or whatever", said Neville, trying to comfort me and interrupt our change in glances.