Aside from knowing that the Room of Requirement was hidden behind an ordinary stretch of wall, and that if you walked past it three times while focusing on what you needed it would appear—not to summon a dragon, but to summon the Room itself—
Harry knew absolutely nothing about its actual location.
(Note from Luobei: This is from my memory.)
Although Harry had always been curious about it, the past few months had been spent entirely on searching for the Mirror of Erised. He hadn't had the time to look for the Room of Requirement.
Now that he thought back, Harry suddenly realized something:
He could have used the Room of Requirement to help him find the Mirror of Erised!
What a blunder.
Harry silently berated himself.
But on second thought, he realized there was something important he had overlooked.
He wasn't some clueless first-year who thought the Room of Requirement could do absolutely anything.
Sure, magic was incredible—but something that functioned like a cheat code? That was a bit much.
If the Room were truly omnipotent, it would easily be the most powerful thing in the entire wizarding world.
Voldemort wouldn't be hunting the Philosopher's Stone or unicorn blood—he'd be after the Room itself.
Everything would revolve around it.
Dumbledore: I want to bring my sister back to life.
Snape: I want to resurrect the woman I loved.
Voldemort: I want the power to rule the world.
Harry: I want to know how to defeat Voldemort.
…
How would the story even go from there?
In Harry's mind, the Room of Requirement couldn't grant wishes that involved items of immense magical power.
Like the Mirror of Erised.
After all, the mirror was already a legendary artifact. Its magic probably exceeded what the Room could handle.
But—if Harry already knew the mirror's precise location, then the Room could help.
For example, if the mirror had been placed in his dormitory, and Harry stood before the wall and wished, "I want to go back to my dormitory," then the Room would become his dorm.
But if he wished, "I want to find the mirror," it might not respond at all.
It all came down to the way you phrased the wish!
Of course, this was all speculation—but Harry was fairly certain he wasn't far off the mark.
Now that the Mirror of Erised had been taken by the Headmaster, there wasn't much point in thinking about it anymore.
Still, finding the Room of Requirement was something he should start taking seriously.
…
Harry and Cho Chang hauled their cauldrons and other supplies into an abandoned classroom above the library.
A single Scouring Charm did the trick.
The dust and scraps vanished instantly without a trace.
The two of them rearranged the crammed-together desks to the sides of the room, and just like that, it looked clean and organized.
They set up the boiler and placed everything else where it needed to go.
By then, night had already fallen.
Potion brewing would have to wait until tomorrow.
They closed the door and headed downstairs.
Tonight felt livelier than the past few evenings—after all, it was Christmas Eve. Most students were probably busy talking about tomorrow's celebration.
Harry had gone to Diagon Alley that morning to buy gifts, then spent the entire afternoon running around. He was completely exhausted.
Even at dinner, he barely had the energy to eat.
As he was leaving, he reached for the gift he had prepared for Cho, but decided not to take it out.
Christmas presents were all about surprise.
Giving it to her now just didn't feel right.
Much better to hand it to her in person tomorrow.
"Bye-bye," Cho said cheerfully, waving to Harry.
…
…
At dawn the next morning, Harry was woken by a booming thud, thud, thud—the unmistakable sound of Hagrid.
Still wrapped in blankets, Harry peeked out toward the window.
It was barely light outside—just a faint glow, made brighter only because of the thick layer of snow on the ground.
"Hagrid, what are you doing?" Harry grumbled.
A dark silhouette outside paused, then Hagrid's booming voice echoed back, "Happy Christmas, Harry!"
"I'm not feeling very happy right now," Harry called back.
Why was it that, in winter, the moment you woke up, your blanket suddenly felt cold? Harry couldn't understand it.
Thankfully, he had a little cat curled up with him, radiating some warmth.
He hugged the fuzzy bundle tightly and wrapped himself even more snugly.
Hagrid let out a hearty laugh. "Sorry for waking yeh! I'm gettin' food ready for tonight's feast."
Harry tried to lull himself back to sleep with sheer willpower, but the more awake he became, the more obvious it was—he wasn't going back to sleep.
Truth be told, the warmth in his bed had already seeped away, and the cold made it impossible to stay in any longer.
He got up and washed with hot water.
When he pushed open the door, the sky was still a deep shade of blue, nearly black.
Hagrid stood nearby, though it was hard to see him clearly.
On the snow-covered ground were two large, unfamiliar creatures. Hagrid was hacking at them with an axe, blood splattering across the white.
Hagrid explained, "Wild warthogs. The house-elves in the kitchen said they couldn't handle 'em, so they asked me for help."
Then he brought the axe down again, severing a leg.
Well, now that he was up… what should he do?
Stand there and awkwardly watch Hagrid butcher animals?
A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
Harry grinned.
He had the perfect idea—one that would make sure Cho saw her Christmas gift the moment she woke up.
"Hagrid, I've got something to take care of. I'm heading back to the school!" he called out, then bolted.
Whether Hagrid heard him or not, he kept swinging that axe.
Bit by bit, the two wild beasts were reduced to chunks.
Luobei: Happy Lantern Festival, everyone!
We're not allowed to set off fireworks where I live—the ban is pretty strict—so I hardly get to see any these days.
What about where you are?
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⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter
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