𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐱 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈

Chapter 9 - the Room of Requirement

Some time had passed.

Adeline had finally succeeded in locating the Room of Requirement. It hadn't been all that difficult, since she already knew the location from reading the Harry Potter books. She remembered it was somewhere on the 7th floor.

She did have to be very careful—if a Gryffindor were to see her sneaking in, then they'd immediately assume she, a Slytherin, knew of their plans, knew of their secret army, and assuming she, the infamous Malia Beaumont, would be the one to rat them out to Umbridge.

Adeline's plan was not to rat anyone out—she was set on not making any changes to the story willy nilly.

Adeline stood in front of the wall where she knew the door to the Room of Requirement would appear. With her mind focused on her need to uncover the truth about Malia, she visualized the room in her mind—her desperate search for answers guiding her thoughts.

As she concentrated, each second passing by, making her feel more and more anxious, the door finally materialized before her eyes. A mix of apprehension and excitement flooded over her, and she quickly stepped through before anyone managed to notice her.

She had done it.

She found the room.

The door closed with a soft thud, and as it vanished behind her, Adeline took in the surroundings. Instead of the dusty old room she had read about in the books, one filled with ancient trinkets, books, and boxes, she instead found herself in a vast, grassy expanse surrounded by tall trees. The room had transformed into a lush, verdant forest, and the ground was a carpet of soft grass. The scent of earth and leaves filled the air, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees.

"Wow," Adeline whispered, marvelling at the room's unexpected transformation. She realized that the Room of Requirement had tailored itself to her specific needs. Determined to find what she was looking for, she began walking down a narrow path that wound through the forest.

'Why would the room think I need to be here?' Adeline wondered. 'Why has it changed into this? There are no objects, no books, no cabinets... just trees and paths.'

As the girl kept walking, the forest seemed to shift and adapt.

She wasn't sure how long she had been here. If felt like only a few minutes yet somehow days.

That was before something else appeared. The room kept shifting before presenting the girl with various challenges and clues designed to guide her toward something. A goal she did not see or understand.

The first challenge appeared in the form of a large, twisting bramble blocking her path. Adeline, gripping her wand, yelled, "Reducto!" casting it to clear away the tangled thorns, allowing her to proceed.

'Ah,' realization dawned upon her, 'this is not a random clearing, is it?' A knowing smile graced the girl's lips. 'This... this is a test. I have to take this path, follow where the room is leading me. It's seeing if I get through all the challenges placed in here. Maybe it thinks I'm Malia. Did she place the tests here? Or was it the room itself?'

Continuing along the path, Adeline came across a series of enchanted puzzles—ancient runes that required her to solve riddles to unlock hidden pathways. Each riddle she solved revealed a piece of the path forward. It took her quite while, she did not understand the riddles at first.