Stronger for You

Chp. 15 Make-over, Hogwart's Style

“If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated.” – Victoria Moran

Chapter Fifteen

I am so bored. How does one turn blue? Why did the chicken cross the road? Can men have P.M.S.? I am so bored! My mind was going crazy as I wait for Ginny to get back from the feast. I wanted to know what was new around Hogwarts. I knew the security was ten-fold from the walk up here. I barely got through! For once, I owed Filch and his love for cats a favor.

“Tigress?” Ginny whispers as she hurries through the door. She looks pale and frightened, but otherwise okay. I mew loudly to draw her attention to the bed where I sit. “The other girls will be here soon. Everything has changed. We have several death eaters for teachers, the disciplinary actions are crueler than even Filch wants them to be, and they’ve taken away practically every club and sport. And Jacky, they’re threatening to take away the Sorting Hat next year. All the first years this year are terrified. Any that didn’t get put into Slytherin were jeered at and humiliated. It was purely awful. Even the ones placed in Slytherin looked horrified.” She spills in nearly one breath. I blink slowly at her. “Neville wants to hold a D.A. meeting on Saturday to assess the situation and to see what needs to be done. Are we going to fight against the new regime or just play along, what the bloody hell are we going to do? Anything we try will not be able to be done safely.” I tap my paw against her covers, stealing her attention. “What do you want?” She snaps, stressing out. I slink over to her wand and swat it from where it hangs in her robe pocket. She pulls it out and shakes her head.

“I can’t change you back here, it’s too dangerous.” She protests. I growl at her, shaking my head up and down insistently. She stares at me, unsure, before pointing her wand at me and muttering the familiar incantation.

I gasp as the magic courses through me, the unpleasant stretching running through my limbs. I hide a yelp as my tail snaps back into a tail bone and rub the area as I stand up straight. “Ow, I hate that part.” I grumble.

“What are you going to do now?” Ginny asks as I take my wand from my sleeve, a plan already formed in my mind. I twirl it about my head, chanting the charm.

“It’s something I’ve gotten good at from pranking the twins.” I explain even as I tap my head hard.

“The Disillusionment Charm, excellent.” She compliments. I hold up my arm, seeing it reflect the wallpaper of the dorm. Her eyes follow the movement with her Quidditch skills, but she soon loses me.

“Yes, very effective. Not a hair can be seen. Where are heading now?”

“Room of Requirement. I have some scheming to do. Consider the D.A. back in order, Gin. Send out the word via coin. No matter the new rules of this place, we’ll need battle training.” I warn her. “Consider me the new strategist for the D.A. You and Neville will have to lead.” I stop her before she can protest. “Luna is the only other one that has actually faced off against death eaters. Both at the ministry and the battle last year. Seamus and Dean helped, yeah, but you and Neville are the most stable leaders we have left. Quite honestly, the trio were never the leaders anyway. They were forming a rebellion. We’re forming an army. So, without further ado, I shall summon you tomorrow if need be. Thanks Ginny.” I peck her cheek and run out, avoiding the girls on the staircase.

The common room is unnaturally quiet and rather depressing, but I keep going. I have some major planning to do and if I was to succeed then I would have to work fast. I ran all the way to the RoR without meeting anybody. My footsteps made barely audible taps against the stone as I rush past the wall three times, chanting in my head.

When I open my eyes, I see a steel door that is plain and unadorned. It was sturdy and exactly as I imagined. I press my galleon that signified my membership to the D.A. to the door to gain entrance. The door’s outline flashes red before turning translucent, allowing me to pass through. It returns to its solidity as soon as I’m through.

“Wow” I breathe as I take in the room. You know in those muggle movies about the Middle Ages or the Medieval Times? Where their churches or the grand castles’ great halls are just a massive room with gigantic ceilings tiered with gothic architecture? Shrink that about ten times, and there you go. The ceiling was about thirty feet high, and the arches were made out of what appeared to be granite and white marble. They twisted around each other like various wild animals tussling in mid-air. The ceiling was blank except for in the very center, where a giant Hogwarts crest was engraved in the stone, encrusted with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and citrine gems coordinated by house.

Windows from floor to ceiling lined the walls down the aisle, paned with plain black lining. At the far end were two walls that arched out to make the room become a V at that point. A six-foot gap lay between the two points, where a brightly lit room could be seen. I would look later.

Immediately to my left was a slight alcove, still paned with windows, but they were blocked with giant bookcases that were mostly filled. On the right was a bigger alcove like an amphitheater that went about ten benches down until it flattened out for a medium sized stage with a giant wizard’s board that was generally used to show Quidditch tactics.

I began walking down the aisle, very slowly to take it in. Sunshine filtered in the fake windows, even warming my face. I stop by the nearest window next to the amphitheater, at the top bench. “You’ve outdone yourself, Hogwarts. Let’s try for more. Tracking board.” I ask/command. The blank stone ripples, even shortening the width of the window so that a giant bulletin could appear, complete with a general map of England. WANTED posters of death eaters from the past appeared on the map before shriveling into little green dots and moving about the map. My mouth drops while my mind whirls.

If I weren’t so rash, I would have been put into Ravenclaw. So many possibilities were rushing through my mind and I closed my eyes before opening them again. A palm-sized marble basin lay before me on a pedestal. I deposited my plans into the pensieve before looking to my left. The bookcases were labeled, which made my heart melt. I think Hermione would never need a man if she had these bookcases. There was one that had instruction books and theoreticals for muggle-styles of fighting. Martial arts, weapons, building attacking devices, pyrotechnics— the RoR must know Seamus will be here. There was a bookcase for Defense spells like shields and protection and such. A section for Herbology, charms, transfiguration. I pause.

“Hey, what about potions? There’s healing spells also.” I protest. An audible sigh goes through the room as two new bookcases appear, also mostly filled. I grin and place my hand against the stone wall. “Thank you” I murmur, closing my eyes. After a moment I look up and breathe deeply. This room alone gave me hope. If the right minds gathered here, our army would flourish and be unstoppable.

I turn and walk down the aisle, basking in the sunlight as the gems on the ceiling cast amazing kaleidoscope images onto the white, marble floor. I move past the opening in the point to come upon a wonderful sight.

It was where I would be living during my human time while here. A queen-sized bed complete with sheer white hangings stood against the right wall, with crimson sheets and lion feet as bedposts. A roaring lion’s head carved from some type of dark wood took the place of the headboard. A Hogwarts’ issue vanity and room heater stood on the other side of the bed, and a door that I assumed led to a bathroom was directly across from the opening to the room. Along the left hand side stood a Shakespearean style writing desk, complete with a fresh stack of parchment, bottles of ink, and perfectly sharpened green quills.

Oh, I wanted to live here for the rest of my life. I breathed out a sigh of relief and took out my shrunken trunk from the pocket of my jeans, setting it against the end of my bed and putting it back to normal. With a casual flick of my wand and a quickly muttered charm learned from Mrs. Weasley, my clothes had settled themselves into the dresser attached to the vanity, my morning stuff on the vanity itself, and my old school books and Dark Arts fighting objects collected on my own mini-book case beside my desk. The door to the bathroom opened as my bathroom products flew inside.

“I love magic.” I breathe out as I stow my wand back into my arm sheath. I take in a great gust of air, smelling the scent of old parchment and a brush of peppermint. I scowl at the ceiling before letting it go and walking back out.

“If you want to learn how to fight, cub, I suggest getting out your wand.”