Make me Hate You - Matteo Riddle

Chapter 11 - the Room of Requirement

Aurora ran through the 7th floor hall. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream but nothing came out. She just wanted to hide. That was when she stumbled upon a room, the door appearing right in front of her out of thin air. The Room of Requirement.
She didn't think it really existed, she had heard about it from her parents, who told her how this was the room where Dumbledores army trained years back. But this room - it never showed up to her before. In the dimly lit expanse of the Room of Requirement, Aurora found herself enveloped in a world of forgotten dreams and hidden desires. The space seemed to stretch on infinitely, filled with an eclectic array of objects that hinted at the untold stories of those who had sought refuge within its walls. Books and statues all over the place. Dusty tomes lined the shelves, their weathered pages whispering secrets of bygone years, while forgotten relics of forgotten times lay scattered across the floor, each holding its own silent tale of longing and loss.

'This is the room Draco told me about, huh. The place where he fixed that weird cabinet and let all the Death Eaters in to Hogwarts. He told me all about it but I never thought I'd get to see it in real life.'

A worn-out couch, its once vibrant upholstery now faded and frayed, beckoned from the corner, offering a semblance of comfort amidst the chaos. As Aurora sank into its welcoming embrace, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, the weight of her troubles momentarily lifted by the room's serene embrace. She closed her eyes, allowing the rhythmic ticking of an old grandfather clock to lull her into a troubled slumber, her mind swirling with unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Hours passed as Aurora just stared at a wall of books, thinking, the secret room offering her a sanctuary from the turmoil that raged outside its walls. Yet, even in the depths of her subconscious, Aurora could not escape the relentless echoes of the past, the haunting voice of an unseen presence calling out to her in the darkness. She decided to lay down and try to sleep. Maybe she could sleep until everyone finally left for their holiday break.

"Where are you, Aurora?" a voice whispered in her mind as she drifted to sleep, a faint echo in the recesses of her mind. "Where are you hiding?" Her head started to hurt, the presence of this voice in her mind sent a feeling of uncomfortableness through her skull.

With a heavy heart and weary soul, Aurora could only offer a silent reply, her words lost amidst the tangled web of her thoughts. "Room of Requirement," she murmured in her head, the answer barely a whisper as she fell to the embrace of sleep, the room enfolding her in its protective embrace until the light of dawn chased away the shadows of the night.

...........

Aurora's eyelids fluttered open to the soft touch tracing her cheek, the sensation pulling her from the depths of sleep. As consciousness dawned upon her, she found herself face to face with Matteo, his expression a mix of amusement and something she couldn't quite place. Confusion clouded her mind as she sat up, a frown forming on her lips.

"What are you doing here, Matteo? How did you find me?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of suspicion.

Matteo's smile widened, his fingers retracting as he leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on her. "You told me where you were," he replied casually, as if discussing the weather.

Aurora's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" she inquired, her mind struggling to make sense of his cryptic words. A sudden realization washed over her as memories of the Room of Requirement flooded her consciousness. "You... entered my thoughts?" she ventured, her tone a mixture of incredulity and accusation.

Matteo nodded, his demeanour unapologetic. "Yes. I can enter people's thoughts," he confirmed, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

"And your mind practically begged to be read by me."