Since Lillie started her energy work in Hogwarts, she's felt this small tugging feeling whenever she scans. It changes directions, depending on where she is; but it feels like there is a small rope attached to her brain with someone lightly pulling on it. Like a compass, it seems to be leading her to a certain place within the castle's walls.
At first, the feeling was so slight that she resolved to just ignore it. However, the more she explored the castle's secrets, the stronger the feeling got. Last week, the feeling actually physically pulled her back, knocking her head against the flagstone painfully. She's come to understand it as important, something that could hold the key to protecting the castle. She has no real reason to think this, except her own intuition. She knows better now than to ignore that.
"I need your help," Lillie says to Fred. She's standing at his bunk on her tip-toes, her arms laid along the mattress and her head resting on them.
Fred has bewitched a piece of parchment to take the shape of a butterfly, its paper wings flapping gently as he points his wand around the room, controlling the butterfly's languid path. He looks over at Lillie, smiling lazily and pointing his wand slightly towards her. The butterfly floats down, landing delicately on her head, its tiny paper legs flicking against her fine strands of hair. She reaches her finger up, allowing the paper butterfly to crawl onto it, and sets it on the end of his bed. Fred stops the spell, and its lifelike movements cease, the folds that formed it collapsing into a wrinkled sheet of parchment.
"Lil, I already told you, I won't help you make the love potion for Flitwick. It's unethical."
Lillie laughs, happy that his usual joking, flirty personality seems to be returning, "But Fred, I love him!"
He laughs too, "What is it, then?"
"Come on, I'll explain on the way," she says.
Fred gets up, needing no further explanation; he's just happy he gets to spend time with her.
"Have her home by midnight!" George calls from the bottom bunk. Lillie laughs, and Fred ignores him.
"So," Lillie begins as she leads them down to the Great Hall, "I have to conduct an... experiment of sorts."
"Right. What are we blowing up?"
"Nothing, I don't think. Since I got here I've had this feeling, kind of like a compass, whenever I scan. It's pulling me somewhere in the castle."
"Cool, a secret magical mission."
"The problem is," she continues, "I can only feel it when I scan. And scanning requires deep concentration, almost like sleep. So if I'm gonna follow the feeling, I can't really do it alone. I need someone to guide me."
"Ah," Fred says, "I see."
"So basically I'm gonna go into scanning mode, but I'll be walking as I follow the feeling. I can see with the energy fields I'm using, but I'll probably trip if someone's not there to look out for, like, rocks and rugs and stuff," she says.
"Sounds easy enough," Fred says, nodding his head.
"Yeah, and you don't have to lead me anywhere, or anything. I'll just walk towards... well, wherever."
They arrive in the Great Hall, where Lillie figures is the best and most central place to begin. She stands in the middle of the room and grabs Fred's hand, then sinks into her scanning state. As always, she choses a happy memory on which to focus on. This time, she relives her and Fred's hug from a few weeks ago. The corners of her mouth tick up in a small smile.
The room around her becomes clearer and clearer in her mind, the image strengthening as her 'hands' reach out and feel the energy currents around her. She realizes she feels a warmth in her chest that normally isn't present while she scans; when her hands reach Fred standing next to her, she understands. His warm, dappled light yet again casts a strange sheen over the room, illuminating the scintillating currents of energies the way sun illuminates dust motes as it streams through a window. Where her fingers are locked with his, the energy swirls up her arm and all around her. Even in her state, she realizes the peculiarity of this, but enjoys the feeling anyway.
The feeling Fred gets whenever he's around Lillie when she scans returns, this time stronger than he's ever experienced. He figures perhaps touching her is heightening the bliss he feels, pushing away any anxiety he might have felt. He realizes the feeling isn't going away, as it normally does. Instead, it stays with him, coating his brain and thoughts in a syrupy, cloudy sweetness that makes his arms prickle with goosebumps.
Suddenly, as the room takes full form in Lillie's mind, the tugging feeling returns, stronger than she's ever felt. It pulls her forward harshly, and she stumbles, not yet ready to begin walking. She barely hears Fred curse quietly and catch her. She begins walking, very slowly, as if she were asleep. Fred follows just behind, his right hand holding her right hand and his left gingerly placed on the small of her back. He finds himself zoning out repeatedly, sinking into the warm feeling Lillie's touch emits. He has to remind himself of the task at hand, and refocuses on scanning the ground for trip-able objects.
They continue through the castle like this, Lillie following the feeling and Fred supporting her at her side. They walk up and up, through the stairwell, the hundreds of portraits who once bore witness to the pair's antics watching as they climbed the moving staircases, passing no one at this late hour. Lillie stops at the 7th floor, almost floating through the doorway that leads to the left corridor. The tugging leads her to what looks like an empty wall, save for a dusty old tapestry she never noticed before. Realizing there is no door through it, she continues down the hall, turning right to find an entrance to the room. She knows the room she is looking for sits to her right, but as she walks, no doorway appears. The hallway turns to the left, veering away from what she knows sits behind the stone. She stops suddenly, causing Fred to stumble in surprise and stand beside her, confused. She turns slowly, Fred orbiting her, and begins walking the way she came.
She stops in front of the tapestry, breathes deeply, and tries to see beyond it. Her vision is difficult to describe, but it is always clear and precise. She has never had trouble seeing when she scans, even through walls as thick and as strong as Hogwarts'. She plunges her hands through the wall, and her sight immediately becomes blurry and disoriented. She struggles to make out shapes, and the room beyond feels like it's changing; as soon as she feels like she gets a grasp on the details beyond, she loses them again, the room morphing and jilting. The whole experience is overwhelming and confusing; she's never felt so out of her depth, her abilities rendered basically useless. The spinning feeling beyond the wall is nauseating, and she feels herself lose her balance.
Fred stands blissfully staring at the tapestry that he, too, never noticed, Lillie's hand still sending waves of euphoria through him. He is smiling vacantly at a man, dressed in wizarding clothing of the Middle Ages, dancing giddily with a gnome playing a flute. He's wrenched from his reverie when he feels Lillie crumple, her hand slipping from his as she lands on her hands and knees. Fred shoots down immediately, his heart racing.
"Shit, Lillie, are you okay?" he says, slightly frantic. His hand is on her bent back, and he dips his head, trying to see her face, obscured by her hair.
"Yeah," she laughs lightly, sitting back. "Weird wall."
"What happened?" he asks, relieved now.
"I don't know, really. Whatever's behind there is definitely enchanted, I got all turned around when I tried to look in," she looks around, "Where are we, exactly?"
Fred frowns, "The seventh floor. I reckon that's the room of requirement, unless it's moved locations since I last used it. You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was super focused on following the feeling, I just wasn't paying attention to where we were going. That was your job," she says. She gets up, placing her hand against the rough hewn stone. "The room of requirement, that makes sense. It wouldn't have a real form, because it's always changing."
"Right, okay." Fred is not really sure what she's talking about.
"I think what I've been looking for, the chink in the castle's armor, is in that room. I think that's where the castle is most vulnerable. You've been in before, right?"
"Yeah," Fred nods, "When I was in Dumbledore's army. Once, when I was with Angelina, it turned into a broom closet, and--"
"Fred!" Lillie scolds, "How do we get in?"
Fred laughs, "Well, you just kinda ask it, I guess? It's--"
"Room of requirement, please let me in," Lillie says, loudly and importantly.
"No," Fred says, chuckling, "I was going to say you ask it by thinking about what you need the room for."
"Oh," Lillie says, slightly embarrassed. She nods and closes her eyes, concentrating on what she needs. I need to find whatever is leading me to that room. She pauses, considering her request. Please, she adds, just in case.
Nothing happens. She looks at Fred, whose eyes are also squeezed shut in concentration. He opens one slightly, checking to see if the wall has given way; when he sees it hasn't, he closes the eye again and goes back to concentrating.
Lillie huffs, "We don't even know what's beyond that wall. What we're asking for isn't specific enough."
"Yeah, you're right," he pauses, "What do we do?"
"Do some investigating, I guess. See what we come up with."
The pair begin walking back to their quarters, a much shorter walk than the meander that lead them to the seventh floor.
"Maybe we should talk to Harry, see what he knows. I know we're not really supposed to be telling him anything, but this is important--what?"
Fred is stopped in the middle of the hallway, his brows furrowed and his gaze contemplative. He looks concerned, confused.
"What is it?" Lillie asks, walking back to where he stands.
"Well, I'm not sure if it's anything, but... Harry mentioned a while back that Malfoy's been sneaking off to the room of requirement all the time. He thinks they've recruited him to fill Lucius' place."
Lillie is quiet as she considers this. "That feels like something."
"Yeah, I think so too," Fred says, "Do you reckon we should tell someone? Dumbledore? Kingsley?"
"That's a good question," she says, "I think... we're better safe than sorry, right? It might be nothing, but Dumbledore trusts my abilities. I'll go talk to him, do you think he's still awake?"
"Probably, yeah. I don't think he's getting much sleep these days," Fred says.
"Ok, I'll head there now. Bunks are on the way, want me to just drop you off?" she asks.
Fred does not want that; in fact, he wants to spend as much time near her as possible. He knows, however, that refusing this offer would sound strange, so he agrees.
"Yeah, uh, sure."
"Cool," she says, and they walk the short route back. They stop in front of the door to their sleeping quarters, facing each other.
"Hey, thanks for helping me out today," she says sincerely.
"Oh, yeah. No problem at all, really. I like helping you with that stuff."
"Really?" Lillie says, disbelieving.
"Yeah, I dunno. This weird thing happens to me, when I'm around you and you're doing your scanning thing," he says cautiously.
"Huh," Lillie says, "Like what?"
Fred glances at the clock across the hall and frowns, "Uh, I'll explain it to you later. I'm pretty tired, and I'm not sure how much longer Dumbledore will be up."
"Okay," she says, smiling skeptically. "Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight," he says, pulling her into a hug. Certainly not as intimate as the one by the Black Lake, but indulgent all the same.
***
Dumbledore grasps Lillie's right hand in both of his, shaking it gently and smiling kindly, his eyes crinkling with sincerity. He is always happy to see Lillie. Lillie returns his greeting, her eyes wandering around the room quickly. She sees a pensieve, brought out from its usual storage in an ornate golden cabinet. A blueish, silvery glow emits from the undulating basin.
"Miss Wenlock," he says, "I was wondering when you'd next visit me. I was beginning to worry your search was... plateauing."
"Well, to be honest, Professor, it was. But, I think I may have found something today. Or, I almost did."
"Please, sit," he says, gesturing to the leather chair that sits across from his desk. Instead of taking his own seat, he leans against his desk, his gnarled hands gripping its edge. Lillie's eye wanders to his blackened hand, much bonier since she'd last seen it. She frowns, but doesn't bring it up.
"So, what have you found?"
Lillie takes a deep breath, "Well... it's hard to explain exactly how I know, so you're just going to have to take my word for it," she pauses, gauging his reaction; his face doesn't change, "But I think what you've had me searching for is in the Room of Requirement."
Dumbledore's face remains unchanged, the stark shadows that outline it unmoved. However, Lillie catches a small glint in his eye, a moment of understanding. He looks almost mischievous.
Lillie speaks again, unnerved by his silence, "And, well, the problem is I can't really get into the Room of Requirement without knowing what it is I'm looking for, or what I need."
Dumbledore sniffs and turns, walking behind his desk and sitting down. He takes off his half-moon spectacles and rubs them with his robe, smiling slightly.
"I must say, Miss Wenlock, every day I grow more impressed with your abilities," he says.
"Oh," Lillie says, confused, "Uh, thank you, professor."
"I should have known the greatest danger to the security of this castle might lie in the Room of Requirement," he says, "But alas, my mind is on other matters." He gestures to the pensieve Lillie noticed as she walked in. "Which is why I have you here."
She smiles lightly, "There's another thing. I'm not sure if Harry has come to you about this, but he says Draco Malfoy has been coming and going from the Room of Requirement often."
"Ah," Dumbledore says understandingly, smiling still, "He has. Harry has always been distrustful of the Malfoy boy."
Lillie nods, "Professor, he says he thinks Malfoy is a Death Eater. Newly recruited in his father's place."
Dumbledore does not look surprised by this claim. He hesitates before answering, "Yes, Harry has come to me with his concerns," he pauses, sighing quietly, "So I will tell you what I told him. I can personally assure you that we are keeping a close eye on Draco Malfoy, and we have no reason to suspect that he is doing anything to endanger the welfare of Hogwarts students nor faculty."
"But Professor, what is he doing in the Room of Requirement? It can't be a coincidence--"
"I don't know about you," Dumbledore interrupts, "But I can think of many reasons a teenage student might be sneaking off to the Room of Requirement." His eyes crinkle with laughter, "I am happy you have found something, but Draco Malfoy is a dead end. Unfortunately, I cannot offer you any tips on getting into the Room of Requirement. The magic is ancient and finicky, as old as the castle itself. All I can tell you is to keep trying, Lillienne. I have great faith in you and your abilities. You will figure this out, in time."
Lillie sighs, looking at Dumbledore dejectedly. This meeting was practically useless, and didn't result in any information she could use to protect the castle. She supposes she's happy that Dumbledore knows, at least.
"Alright," she says, getting up from the leather seat, "Thanks anyways, Professor. I'll let you know if I have any breakthroughs."
"Please do. Have a good night, Miss Wenlock." He walks her to the door, shutting it heavily as she walks down the staircase spiraling around the bronze Phoenix. As she walks through the empty hallways of Hogwarts, sconces of fire lighting her path, a feeling of unease creeps over her. Though she trusts Dumbledore, more than anything, she knows in her heart that there was something he wasn't telling her.