Midnight Disaster | Harry Potter FanFiction

Capitulum Quindecim

It was extremely early on Sunday morning when Harry quietly left his dorm room with his small mirror in hand. He remembered Sirius talking about a room in the castle that was hidden, providing someone what they needed when it was accessed the correct way. Harry wished now he had paid better attention to the stories involving this room with the pranks the Marauders set. It had just seemed too impossible to be true but should have known better. Sirius never lied about anything. If he couldn't tell Harry something, he admitted as much.

Sitting down in front of the fire in the Common Room, Harry looked at the mirror and called for Sirius. He waited for a few moments but received no answer. It was still early so Harry figured Sirius must still be asleep. He remembered the last time he woke his godfather early and was seriously contemplating on waiting until noon at least to try again. Sirius always loved to sleep in although rarely got the chance to, something he blamed Remus for since the man was such an early riser.

"Harry?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Harry looked down at the mirror to see not Sirius but Remus. It wasn't that he was disappointed to see Remus but surprised. Sirius had always said he would have the mirror on hand in case Harry needed anything. "Moony, is Sirius okay?" he asked instantly.

Remus smiled. "He's fine," he said. "You know how Padfoot is in the mornings, dead to the world. Since I rise at the crack of dawn, I have the mirror in the mornings and Sirius has it attached to his hip for the rest of the day. Do you want me to wake him?"

Harry shook his head. He knew Sirius would probably overreact the moment Remus woke the canine Animagus up. "I just wanted to ask him about something he mentioned in the stories he told me about the Marauders," Harry said. "Sirius told me about a room here that could provide whatever you needed. I don't remember what he called it or where it was."

"The Room of Requirement," Remus answered with a grin. "If my memory serves me correctly I believe it is on the seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. You have to walk past it three times, focusing on what you need. A door will appear. Open it and enter." He gave Harry a moment to take in everything he said before continuing. "So what do you need that only the Room of Requirement can provide?"

"Er—well—I sort of need to learn to swim before the second task," Harry said uncomfortably.

Remus let out a sigh as he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of course," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Harry. It never occurred to me that you didn't know how although I can't say I'm surprised. I take it the Dursleys never thought of arranging lessons for you."

Harry nearly laughed at the comment. The thought of the Dursleys willingly spending money on him was too ridiculous. "Remus do you remember the clothes they gave me?" he asked. "Those were Dudley's. I wasn't worth the time or money to them." Seeing Remus' face harden at the comment made Harry regret even saying anything. Even though Vernon Dursley was in jail, Sirius and Remus still considered cursing them every time Harry let something about his life with them slip. "Am I doing the right thing?" Harry asked, changing the topic.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked in confusion.

"Should I even be trying to win?" Harry clarified. These thoughts had plagued his mind ever since he had become the fourth champion, brought to the surface again by the article about Hagrid. Somehow Harry was always receiving attention then others deserved it more. "I wasn't supposed to be in the Tournament and I'm in first place. I feel like I'm taking something away from those who earned their spot in this. Cedric should be winning...not me."

Remus stared at Harry sympathetically. "I understand, cub, I really do," he said. "Tell me something...before, during and after the first task did the thought of winning the Tournament ever enter your mind?"