Defense Against The Dark Arts

It's Like Narnia, But Not

30th September 2022 (Why does September go on for so long?)

WHO'S EXITED FOR THE NEW SOLANGELO BOOK! MAY 2023!!! the plot is progressing! As always, if you want to suggest any ideas - or songs, or vague vibes or something super random you want me to incorporate, you can comment, or message me :)

It isn't until two weeks later that Hermione stays behind after the lesson to tell us that the first meeting will be held tomorrow evening at 8, and that it will be on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She rushes out of the room quickly after that, leaving Percy and I to figure out what on earth she had just said.

"A defence club is being held along a corridor? That doesn't seem like a very good meeting place."

I shrug. "Maybe they will lead us to the actual place from there? I dunno though."

We go there anyway, to see Ron, Hermione and Harry pacing the hallway. I raise my eyebrows in confusion, which only grows as a door appears where there was most definitely not a door before. It's like Narnia, but not.

"Oh, hello!" Hermione says. "You guys are the first - well apart from us- to arrive, you want to help set up?"

We nod, and go in after them, after a few suspicious glances at the door. (I mean, who wouldn't be suspicious of a room that can magically appear? What is in the space when the room is't there? Is the room always there, and you just have to ask for a door? Why does nothing in Hogwarts make sense?)

As soon as I enter, however, I wince, and press my hand against my forehead. The unfortunately familiar sensation of an unrelenting pressure against my skull makes me realise two things:

One, that there is a horcrux in here. And two, it's most likely from the same wizard that put the one in Harry and the locket.

The walls are lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs, there are large silk cushions in a bland shade of blue. A set of shelves at the far end is covered in weird objects, the sort that you would expect to see in the attic of the Big House. None seem to be giving off the same energy as the other horcruxes. Percy turns to me, as if to say something, and then tilts his head. "You alright?" He asks quietly in Ancient Greek.

I somehow manage to nod and shake my head at the same time. "There's a horcrux in here," I reply just as quietly. "I don't know how or why. But the feeling isn't as strong as it had been in Grimmauld Place - it must be hidden somewhere."

He blinks and then there is a long stream of profanities. "Great," He exhales eventually. Somewhere in Percy's swearing rampage, Harry, Ron and Hermione realised we were no longer listening to them.

"You guys okay?" Hermione asks, slowly getting up from one of the cushions and putting her book down.

"We can't tell them there's another horcrux in here. They'll panic, and then cancel the meeting," I say in Ancient Greek. Percy sighs and nods.

"Yeah, we're fine. We were just wondering, how did you find this room?"

Harry's expression brightens, as he starts this huge explanation that really could have just been summed up in a few words. Someone should have told him it is unnecessary to mention Dumbledore's toilet adventures.

Me and Percy slowly look at each other as he continues to explain how it turns into any room you want. "Fabulous. We have to trawl through an unlimited amount of possible rooms that someone could have used," I mutter, and we both share a look of despair.

The others don't seem to notice our predicament, and instead start greeting Gryffindors as they start trickling in. Harry begins to explain what the room is once more, but more people start coming in, and so he has to keep going back to the start of the explanation. Using this distraction to our advantage, me and Percy go the the far wall to speak more privately