The towering piles of objects stretched on forever as Alayna and Professor Weasley walked through the narrow path between them. Alayna couldn't tell if they were moving any further into the room given its endless nature. She wondered where all of these objects had come from. Professor Weasley claimed they simply showed up in the room, but did the Room create them or steal them from places around the world or just in Hogwarts?
Eventually they came upon a border of towers more organized than the rest. The objects were arranged to form walls in a boxed room. As they entered, they were forced to dodge flying objects coming from a sloping mountain of random items piled on one side of the room. Standing on the pile was a house elf. He was looking through the objects in the pile and tossing away ones that did not interest him. At the sound of their approach, he turned around.
"Ah, there you are! Deek was looking through what new items had appeared in the Room." The house elf, Deek, slid down the pile holding a bag that reminded Alayna of a doctor's traveling bag. He wore a red and green tartan patterned dress and had a short grey beard and bushy eyebrows.
"Deek, this is Alayna Donellan. Alayna this is Deek. I've asked him to help you use the Room to its full potential during your studies," Professor Weasley introduced them.
"Oh, thank you. Although, I'm still unclear on how the Room will help me," Alayna admitted.
"The Room of Requirement will respond to your needs and change to suit them. All you need do is focus and think about what it is you need to help you with your studies," Deek explained. "Close your eyes and focus." Alayna was a little hesitant, but did as Deek instructed. She wasn't really sure what it was she would need for her studies, what she could use. Hogwarts offered a lot already. If anything, what she needed was space. Having to share a room with three other girls meant there was little space for privacy. Not to mention the common room and library were all shared spaces. There was nowhere she could really be just by herself.
The room shifted and Alayna opened her eyes in time to witness the towering piles around them begin to move. They drew away and in their place slid actual walls which closed them in. High above settled in a domed glass ceiling that looked out into a beautiful starry night sky. The lighting faded to match the dim hours of night. On the regal wooden walls appeared paintings and other decorations on the lower half and on the upper were bookshelves. To the left and right were two alcoves with statues in them. Behind them was a short hallway that led to a door. And below them appeared a black and white tiled floor. The rest of the space was fairly empty.
It was overall a beautiful space that felt homely, Alayna thought as she gazed around. The perfect place for her studies, where she could feel comfortable and not worry about peering eyes.
"How marvelous!" Professor Weasley commented. "You'll have plenty of space here to work with. Do you remember those Conjuration spellcrafts I had you get while in Hogsmeade?"
"I do, I wondered what those were for," Alayna nodded.
"While most of Hogwarts does not allow for Conjuration magic, the Room of Requirement does. You'll be able to conjure all sorts of useful items as well as decorate the space to your liking," Professor Weasley explained.
"Oh! So those spellcrafts are so I can practice brewing potions and growing magical plants?" Alayna remembered that the spellcrafts had been for a cauldron station and potting table. Not that she really needed the practice, but it would be useful for completing homework if she didn't want to make a trip to the Potions or Herbology classrooms. She could just do it all here instead. Perhaps she could conjure a dummy too to practice spells on.
"Exactly!" Thus began their short lesson on how to conjure and vanish objects within the Room. Professor Weasley also taught her how to alter the appearance of the objects she summoned to better suit her tastes.
"You'll have a lovely decorated space in no time," Professor Weasley stated at the end of the lesson.
"Thank you for showing me this place, professor. And you too, Deek." Alayna smiled down at the house elf.
"I've asked Deek to help you out whenever I am unavailable. He probably knows more about the Room than I do."
"Deek spends a lot of time in the Room. It has many uses! Deek is certain you will find everything you need here."
After Deek and Professor Weasley left, Alayna spent a little more time in the room to get it the way she wanted. A cauldron station for potions, a few potting tables for some of her plants. She was able to conjure a desk where she could work on homework as well as some cushioned seating in case she wanted a place to relax by herself. There was more she could be picky about, but that would work for now.
Another day brought two new classes: Divination and History of Magic. Alayna was not too sure about Divination. She wasn't sure she believed fully in predicting futures and such, though the class was taught by Natty's mother so she was looking forward to finally meeting her.
Professor Onai was as kind as her daughter with perhaps a flair for the dramatic given her subject. She knew how to make the class interesting or at least it would have been if Alayna found herself really believing in any of it. Staring into a crystal ball and waiting for some vision to appear sounded like a lot of bogus to her.
On her way out of the classroom, Sebastian bumped into her and smiled.
"Hey, meet me in the DADA tower after your next class. I want to show you something," he said as he joined her in walking down from the tower the Divination classroom was in.
"What is it?" Alayna asked.
"You'll just have to come and find out." Sebastian winked and took off at a faster pace down the stairs. She did not appreciate the crypticness, but she apparently did not get a chance to say no. And of course she was interested to know what he had to show her.
History of Magic was next. She was looking forward to the class since she knew very little of wizarding history. It would be good to learn more about the world she lived in. As she entered the classroom and looked for a place to sit, she saw Ominis currently sitting by himself towards the front of the room.
"Ominis, is this seat taken?" she spoke softly in the hopes of not startling him with her sudden appearance.
"Oh, Alayna. Not at all," he patted the spot beside him on the bench for her to sit on. "I hope you've prepared yourself for this class."
"What do you mean?" Alayna asked as she sat down.
"Professor Binns is frankly, a major bore and puts everyone to sleep in his classes," Ominis explained.
"What? It can't be that bad." Alayna blinked. There was no way everyone fell asleep in his class.
"Everyone. You'll soon find out." Ominis turned away with a slight smirk on his face, which on him honestly terrified her a little bit. Sebastian's smirk was playful and fun, but Ominis's was...dangerous.
Professor Binns entered the classroom by floating through the wall. Literally, because he was a ghost. Alayna hadn't realized Hogwarts had a ghost teaching classes. And as he began lecturing she did indeed find out why everyone fell asleep in his class.
"In today's lesson, we will cover a truly thrilling event: The Goblin Rebellion of 1752, and all of its triumph and tragedy," Professor Binns began speaking in the most monotone and boring voice Alayna had ever heard in her life. It was so uninteresting and she had nothing else to do to keep her mind from simply deciding it was time to sleep. Glancing over, she saw that Ominis already had his eyes closed and was leaning his head on his hand. As the class wore on, the students around her dropped like flies. She did her best to remain awake, but even she found her eyes growing heavier until she was forced to rest her head on the table in front of her.
"Alayna, wake up," a soft voice filled her ears as she came back to the world. She sat up, briefly forgetting where she was until she took in the classroom around her.
"Ah! I didn't fall asleep I swear!" Suddenly, Alayna was sitting straight up expecting that it had been Professor Binns waking her up. Instead, she turned to her right to find Ominis smiling. "Oh, it was just you Ominis."
"I did warn you before class started. Everyone falls asleep."
"I didn't think it was possible, but...it's really that bad," Alayna sighed. Although she had to admit, taking a short nap had actually made her feel a bit better. She felt like she had more energy now. After all of the recent events, she had been losing sleep thanks to the stress of classes and trying to figure out ancient magic. Normally, she wouldn't have the time to take a nap. The only bad thing was if she was sleeping during class, she wasn't learning anything and she needed to do well on her O.W.L. at the end of the year. Which meant she was going to be spending more time outside of class studying.
"Unfortunately, yes. I have no idea whose bright idea it was to give Professor Binns the job," Ominis shook his head. "Anyway, now that you're awake I am going to get going. I will see you around." Alayna sat and watched him leave with his wand guiding him. Looking around at the other students, there were a few still asleep who hadn't woken up once class was over. She was glad Ominis had woken her up and not just left her there. She reached her arms up into the air and stretched to wake herself up more. Now that class was over, Sebastian had asked to meet her in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower. She wondered if it had something to do with dueling if they were meeting there.
It wasn't hard to spot Sebastian in the tower. Alayna's eyes seemed drawn to his presence. She silently told her mind to settle her feelings. There was no real evidence Sebastian liked her and she had known him for only a short time so it could not be possible. At least, that's what she thought. She had read stories of love at first sight, which wasn't quite what this was, but she didn't believe someone could fall in love that quickly. Not to mention it sounded terribly foolish to rush into love like that. Time was needed to get to know a person before a decision could be made.
"Hello," Sebastian smiled as she approached, folding his hands before him, "how was your day?"
"I had History of Magic," Alayna replied.
"Ah, so that's why you have a little crease right...there," Sebastian pointed a finger to the corner of her eye with a smirk. Alayna lifted a hand to rub at the spot. Sleeping on her arm had probably left a mark there. "Sleep well did you?"
"Stop it," Alayna batted his hand away with a laugh. "I can't believe a class could possibly be that boring."
"Believe it. It's too bad we don't have it at the same time."
"What so you could mess with me while I slept? I think I prefer our schedules the way they are," Alayna could only imagine what kind of shenanigans Sebastian pulled in that class. Sebastian put a hand to his chest pretending as if he had been mortally wounded by her words. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to show me?"
"Come this way, around the corner." Sebastian beckoned her to follow him to a space next to the stairs leading up to the DADA classroom. The only thing there was a fancy looking clock.
"Tap the face of it with your wand," he instructed her. Alayna pulled out her wand and tapped the face of the clock. The hands spun around wildly before clicking into place and the front of the clock swung open. There was a small open space inside.
"There's nothing in here," Alayna looked over at Sebastian.
"Just trust me? Step inside."
"What?"
"Trust me!"
"Okay, but you don't have to be so cryptic you know." Alayna gave him a look as she stepped into the small space. The door in the clock swung closed and then she suddenly felt the ground beneath her moving. It felt like she was being lowered. Only a few moments passed before the movement came to a stop. She spun around as a metal gate lifted to reveal the hidden space under the clock. A room the size of one of the school's classrooms mostly empty besides some dusty crates and barrels. Four thick columns split the space while candles and braziers hanging from the ceiling magically lit as she stepped into the space.
As Alayna looked around the hidden space, the metal gate lifted behind her again to mark Sebastian's arrival.
"See what I tell you?" Sebastian flashed a grin as he put his hands on his hips.
"What is this place?"
"We call it the undercroft. Ominis is the one who named it, he learned of it from his family and then he showed it to Anne and I. We used to come down here all the time to hang out," he explained.
"How fitting," Alayna smiled. "I would have never suspected something like this was hidden behind that clock."
"There's hidden places all over Hogwarts. Ominis knows about a lot of them. Just um, don't tell him I told you about this place okay? He gets a little sensitive about his family secrets. And don't tell anyone else about it either."
"Alright, I guess."
"Anyway, it's also a great place to practice spells. I figured it was about time I taught you how to use Confringo. It's my personal favorite." Sebastian folded his hands in front of him as he spoke. Alayna's eyes lit up at the mention of the spell. Of course, she had been dying to learn that spell after seeing him use it so many times. It really seemed quite useful.
"Absolutely! I've been meaning to ask you to teach it to me!" Alayna spoke eagerly.
"Great, then let me show you." Sebastian walked her through the wand movements and the incantation. Alayna followed them precisely as a mistake with this kind of spell could be disastrous. When he felt she was ready, he cast a spell on the nearby braziers to put the fire in them out.
"Have a go at those for practice," he instructed her before taking several large steps back. Alayna eyed the distance between them suddenly more worried for her own safety than his, but he just gave her a thumbs up and a smile. She shook her worries off and turned her attention to the extinguished braziers.
"Confringo!" The fire that erupted from her wand was so hot that she recoiled from it instinctually and covered her face. But she did at least hit the brazier and it relit in a small explosion. Alayna laughed at the power she had felt in casting that spell and the potential hair singeing fire.
"Nice! I nearly burnt off my eyebrows the first few times I tried it," Sebastian chuckled at the memory. "You're a fast learner."
"So I've been told quite a few times actually. I suppose that's a good thing since I started school so late." Alayna cast the spell again at the second brazier Sebastian had extinguished for her, bracing herself this time for the heat of the fire. She would have to get used to casting the spell, but at least she could cast it. "This would have been so useful against those dugbogs I fought."
"Dugbogs?"
"It's a long story," Alayna shook her head. "Thank you for teaching me though."
"Of course! And feel free to use the space as much as you like. Since Anne isn't at school, I haven't come down here as often." Sebastian's face fell as he talked about his sister. It was obvious how much he missed her.
"It sounds like you three are all really close," Alayna spoke of him, Anne, and Ominis.
"We are, so it really hasn't been the same without Anne. If you think I'm a troublemaker, you should meet her!" Sebastian laughed. "In fact, I was also going to ask if you would like to join me the next time I visit her."
"I wouldn't want to intrude," Alayna felt a little awkward accepting his invitation. Going to visit his home with him felt like a huge step and she had no idea how his sister would feel about her visiting.
"Not at all. I'm certain Anne would love to meet you, especially after all I've been telling her. I may have written her a few letters about the new fifth year."
"Really?" Alayna laughed a little wondering what exactly he had said in his letters. She hoped he hadn't embellished too much. "If you're sure it would be alright. I would love to meet her."
"Of course! I'll let you know the next time I plan on going to Feldcroft." Sebastian decided he was going to spend some more time in the undercroft, so Alayna told him goodbye and headed back the way she had come. The clock chimed as she arrived at the top and the door swung open to let her out. She was about to continue on her way when she saw a figure standing a short distance from the exit. A figure she recognized. Ominis.
"Ah Sebastian, there you are. Or- wait, you're not Sebastian. Alayna?" Ominis's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out who it was standing before him. Alayna froze, unsure what to do or say. "What are you doing coming out from there?" Sebastian had told her not to tell Ominis he had shown her the undercroft, but there was no way he would believe her if she said she stumbled upon it herself. It was such an unusual entrance, chance would not help her.
"Um, Sebastian actually showed me the undercroft..." Alayna admitted quietly. "But he made it perfectly clear to keep it a secret."
"That rat." Alayna blinked, shocked to hear Ominis speak in such a way about his friend. "You breathe a word about this place to anyone and not even your precious Professor Fig will be able to help you. My father is friends with the headmaster and I'm not afraid to exploit that connection if. I. Need. To."
Compared to how Ominis had spoken to and treated her before, this was a completely different side to him. When Sebastian said he was sensitive about the undercroft, she hadn't been expecting this. All of that kindness he had shown her, treating her as an equal, seemed to vanish.
"You don't need to threaten me, Ominis. I'm not going to tell anyone." Alayna's voice sharpened as she responded. "Sebastian was being a kind friend and trying to help me out. You shouldn't judge him for that."
"I don't need you to tell me about my oldest friend, thank you very much. Sebastian gets himself in enough trouble as it is, he doesn't need your help." Ominis's words were harsh and Alayna could feel the fury building in her chest. That heat rising and threatening to spill out of her like dragon's breath.
"I thought you were a good friend, Ominis. I thought you saw me as an equal. But apparently, you're just as awful as all the other Slytherins." Alayna stormed past Ominis, purposefully shouldering him as she passed. She only saw the beginnings of his expression changing as she passed and what she thought might have been regret on his face. Whether that was what she had truly seen, she didn't stick around to find out.