Stumble - A Fred Weasley Fanfiction

Chapter 24: 252 Days Before

Addie had never heard of the Room of Requirement before that day. She followed Fred and Professor McGonagall up to the castle, listening as they chatted about how Fred had been involved in something called the DA a few years before, and the way the Room of Requirement had met their needs. Addie had never seen Professor McGonagall as animated as she was talking with Fred as they walked up to the castle. Addie was soon lost in the conversation and tuned them out, looking up at the looming castle and remembering her days there.

Unfortunately, Thomas featured prominently in her memories of Hogwarts, and thinking of him after he had turned them away so easily and let them be attacked by aurors was painful. They walked through the front doors into the Entrance Hall, and Addie peeked into the Great Hall, her heart swelling at all the memories that room contained. She remembered early mornings before going to watch a Quidditch match, and the excitement that had been in the air. She remembered trying to cram for an exam as she crammed food down her throat. She remembered the laughter that always seemed to fill it, and the way the floating candles lit it up at night. It felt like a million years since she had entered that room and sat down to eat.

They turned away from the Great Hall and up a marble staircase, passing through corridors and up more staircases until they ended up on the seventh floor. Fred and McGonagall stopped in front of a blank piece of wall, and then silently, Fred began pacing up and down it. Addie watched in confusion as Fred walked down the length of the wall once, twice, and then a third time. As he passed by that final time, a door appeared in the wall, and Addie nearly jumped at its sudden appearance. Fred swung the door open, motioning for Addie to enter first.

The room inside was exactly what they needed for the next couple of days. Two four-poster beds stood at either end of the room, one with yellow hangings and the other with red. On the back wall was a large fireplace, and surrounding it were plush armchairs. A table held a wizard's chess table, and bookshelves on either side of the fireplace held enough books to keep them entertained for a couple of days. "How does this work?" Addie asked, her voice filled with wonder.

"Its designed to create the exact room you need for your purpose," Fred explained. "When I was pacing in front of it earlier, I was asking for a place to stay hidden for a couple of days. And the room created this for us."

"That's amazing. How did I not know about this?"

"The Room of Requirement is one of Hogwarts' best kept secrets," McGonagall said. "Only a select few have ever heard of the room, let alone found it and used it." McGonagall made her way back to the door. "I best return to my office now. I will send Madam Pomfrey up to look at both of your injuries, and I'll also send a House-Elf up with some food. Tomorrow, Headmaster Snape will be away, so you are free to roam the castle. After tomorrow, professors and the Headmaster will return to Hogwarts for the coming school year, so I suggest you stay hidden."

After she left, Addie plopped down on a couch by the fireplace, tucking her legs up underneath her and leaning back, allowing her eyes to fall shut. She yawned, her mind quickly shutting down as she finally relaxed for the first time in two days. "I know you're tired," Fred said, shaking her shoulder lightly so she was snapped out of her doze. "But I really don't want to wake you once Madame Pomfrey comes. Just try and stay awake for another hour, okay?"

She nodded sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. She forced herself to sit up straighter, trying to mentally shake herself from her tired state. "I can't believe we've come so far in just two days. It feels like it's been forever since we broke into the Ministry."

"Funny how that works," he said as he sat down in the armchair beside her. "I still can't believe we were almost sent to Azkaban."

Addie shuddered at the thought. "I don't like to think about that." She remembered something McGonagall had said earlier. "Although it's not like we're safe now. McGonagall's right, we're fugitives now. We can't exactly go home and continue our lives like normal. What are we going to do?"