The Room of Requirement was buzzing with noise. It was one of those restless Saturday afternoons - well, at least I thought it was Saturday, though I’d lost track of the days quite some time ago - and everybody wanted to cause as much noise as possible. Someone had set off some Weasley Wildfire Whizzbangs and fireworks kept soaring over my head. One sparkler actually landed in my hair and I spent a few minutes trying to blow it out.

I was sitting in my yellow hammock reading Jane Eyre for the billionth time - I hadn’t thought to bring another book here with me and now I practically knew this one off by heart. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been out of this room. It had been months since I’d seen all my friends. Months since I’d had a breath of fresh air. Nothing bad ever happened here, and goodness knows it was better without the Carrows and Snape watching our every move. But… I just wished I could get out of this room.

“Rose?� someone called, tapping me on the shoulder.

I shrieked and fell backwards out of my hammock. “Neville!� I gasped. “I didn’t notice you.�

“No kidding.� Neville helped me up and looked at me curiously. “Why is your hair smoking, Rose?�

“Don’t ask,� I answered, patting my hair self-consciously.

Neville still looked puzzled, but decided to leave it. “Anyway, there’s a girl in your year whose been beaten up by the Carrows, and she wants to come here to stay with all of us, but she doesn’t know how to get in. I’d go get her myself, but she’s a Hufflepuff and I can’t get into your common room. So, I’d like you to do it for me… if you don’t mind, of course.�

“Don’t worry, I’d love to do it! Who is it?� I asked eagerly.

Neville furrowed his brow. “Um, Suki something, I think.�

“Suki!� I exclaimed and almost fell over again. Suki was my best friend in the entire world and I missed her a lot. I hadn’t seen her since I’d taken refuge from the Carrows in the Room of Requirement. I couldn’t believe that Suki would be living here too – things would definitely be a lot more fun with her around.

Neville grinned, told me to be ready at midnight, and went to help a girl whose hair had somehow been tied to a firework and now she was whizzing round the room.

I placed the few belongings I’d brought with me onto my hammock. What should I take? What if the Carrows caught us? What would I need to make sure everything went smoothly? At last, I settled for a small pouch of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, a couple of Decoy Detonators and my wand (which was already stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans). As the clock struck twelve, I pulled on my lucky socks (which have never been washed and are starting to smell) and grabbed my small satchel.

Neville clamped a hand over his nose when I walked over to him. “Rose, you smell like a Venomous Tentacula with indigestion!�

“Er, that’s probably my socks – they’re lucky.�

“Oh, of course,� Neville said sarcastically. “Promise me that you’ll wash those socks when you get back!�

“It’s a deal, but now I’ve got to get going.� I shouldered my bag and started towards the exit.

“Good luck, Rose!� Eleanor Branstone gave my hand a little squeeze.

I smiled at her and headed out the door.

“And whatever you do,� Neville called after me, “Please, don’t do anything stupid!�

* * *

I’d never been around the school so late at night. It felt weird, walking alone through the corridors, without being jostled by students and teachers and ghosts, of them all trying to get to different places at the same time.

Neville had spent about an hour attempting to teach me a rhyme, so that I could find my way to Professor Sprout’s rooms. It was absurd, I’d been here two whole years and never even learnt the way to my Head of House’s quarters!

I brushed a strand of auburn hair out of my eyes impatiently. I needed to focus tonight, I could do all the daydreaming I wanted when I got back.

“Up one flight and down the next,�

That was pretty simple. I climbed up and down the stairs, remembering to jump the trick step, a fabulous achievement on my part and past a dozen sleeping portraits.

“Past the stony, one eyed glare,�

It took a few minutes to find the eye – it was carved into the stone wall with someone’s initials underneath. I crept quickly past it – I knew I was running late, and I hadn’t even got the password yet.

“Find the painting on the wall,
And say ‘Ursine’ to the bear,�

I sighed exasperatedly; couldn’t Neville have just drawn me a map or something? I didn’t even like puzzles at the best of times.
Okay, find a bear, some painting of a bear.

But there wasn’t one.

“Ursine,� I hissed. Nothing happened.

“Ursine!� I said it a lot louder than I meant to and instantly clamped a hand over my mouth.

But at least it had worked! A painting on my left seemed to melt away and left an archway in its place. I hurried through it and it sealed itself behind me.

I found myself at a fork with two corridors leading away in different directions. I groaned inwardly. What should I do now?

“The place you seek is to the right,
But dangerous, past the Carrow’s lair,
If instead, thrice to the left you turn,
Though slower, it will take you there.�

I’d be faster to go right, but I’d risk being seen by the Carrows. If I went to the left, I’d be late to go pick up Suki.

Oh Suki... of course, if she were here she’d tell me to stop acting like a baby and get a move on. I took a step to the right.

But I didn’t want to get another dose of torture from the Carrows. I stepped to the left instead.

‘You’ll be late for Suki!’
‘But what if you get caught?’
‘You’ll be late for Suki!’
‘But what if you get caught?’

Oh great, now I was talking to myself - again. And it wasn't exactly speeding me up.

I finally decided to veer left and walked very quickly, so that I didn’t have time to turn back again.

At the end of the corridor there were three doors in a row. Which was I supposed to go through again?

I hit myself on the head – trust me to forget something when it’s actually important.

I was debating whether or not to toss a knut when I heard a loud bang from the other end of the corridor. I jumped, startled, and began to hammer on the nearest door.

“Let me in, let me in!� I shrieked - I really should learn to keep calm in a bad situation.

The door swung open, I stumbled inside and then the darkness swallowed me up.

* * *

I shut the door and collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. I lay still for a while, straining my ears for any sign of footsteps. When I was finally sure the Carrows weren’t going to burst in through the door, I got back up again.

I could hear Professor Sprout snoring in the next room – I obviously had to do this alone.

“Lumos,� I whispered and looked around me.

It was a small, cosy room with a tattered yellow armchair in the corner and a narrow bookshelf beside it. To my right was a large mahogany table covered in plants. I bent forward curiously to examine a strange orange plant covered in pulsing boils. Beside it was a worn piece of parchment with ‘Passwords’ written on it in black ink.

I held my wand up to the parchment, but there was nothing else written on it. I flipped it over – absolutely nothing. I kicked the chair in frustration and ended up hopping around in pain for several minutes.

When my foot had stopped throbbing, I gazed at the plants again. I noticed they all had a label attached, each one showing a date – I would need the name of the plant for the password. I searched the table until I found the one with this week’s date scrawled on it.

It was a small and green and shaped like an onion. It looked strangely familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it before. There was a tag tied round the base that read ‘Gulping Plimpies ward’. What on earth were Gulping Plimpies? It sounded like some sort of horrible disease.

I sat down on the chair with my head in my hands. I didn’t know the answer to the riddle. I was well and truly sunk now. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks – typical, the going gets tough and what do I do? You’ve guessed it – I bawl my eyes out.

I sniffed and looked up again. All that was in this room were the plants and the chair and the... THE BOOKSHELF!

I jumped up again, almost upsetting a glass of water, and ran a finger along the spines of the books until I found what I was looking for: ‘Common Plants and Animals of Britain & Ireland’. At first I looked for Gulping Plimpies but there wasn’t anything there – not that I had expected there to be. It sounded like something Luna Lovegood would make up.

Instead of doing the sensible thing and checking the index, I flicked through the book till I found a picture of the plant.

Gurdyroot. The picture was captioned. A green, onion-like plant which can be used to ward off Gulping Plimpies. Commonly found in English mountains.

I punched the air triumphantly and quickly scribbled Gurdyroot on my hand (I didn’t want to forget the password – it sounded just like something I would do).

I smiled and opened the door quietly – I didn’t want to disturb Professor Sprout.

I had a good feeling about this.
After all, what could possible go wrong?

* * *

I closed the door quietly and hurried as quickly and silently as possible towards the Hufflepuff Common Room.

I knew that I should be worrying about being too late or getting caught but I couldn’t help smiling as I crept through the corridors.

I had done it. I had solved the puzzle. And, for once, I hadn’t asked for someone’s help. Wait until I told everyone about that.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I was already halfway down an empty hall before I heard it.

“Mieow!�

The sound was unmistakable – the caretaker’s cat, Mrs Norris.

“Smell them out my sweet, sniff out their fear.� Filch was with her too, exactly what I needed - not.

I felt my heart drumming a loud rhythm against my chest as the sounds got closer. Why was I still standing here? I would be caught for sure.

“What’s that, Mrs Norris? Are they round this corner?� They were coming closer, and I was still frozen on the spot.
I needed to move – now. Or never see the light of day again.

As Filch and his cat rounded the corner, I flung open a cupboard door and climbed inside.

It was pitch black inside the broom cupboard and I was sitting on something wet – I hoped to Merlin that it wasn’t vomit, or something even worse.

Crack.

I jumped, startled, and hit my head on the closet’s low ceiling. Where had that noise come from? I hadn’t made it.

I realized that there was something lying across my legs. It was a very heavy, oddly shaped something. I also noticed that there was a horrible smell in the cupboard and I held my handkerchief up to my face.

“Lumos,� I whispered and pointed my wand at the thing lying on top of my legs.

If I hadn’t been holding my handkerchief to my face, my scream would have woken the whole castle.

I had to rub my eyes several times to make sure that this wasn’t some sick nightmare.
It was my baby brother, Gethin, lying unmistakably dead at my feet.

His face was waxy, his eyes sunken and blank, his head lolling like a toy doll. There were large, poppy-coloured bruises all over his body and he was clutching his Teddy, whose stuffing had been ripped out, like it was dead too.

“Gethin?� I shook his shoulders frantically. “Gethin, wake up!� I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. “Gethin, please wake up.� I begged, hugging him close to me.

It took me a little time to realize that we were both soaking wet. I tore my eyes away from Gethin’s grotesque features and pointed my wand at the floor.

What I saw scared me even more than my dead little brother.

The bottom of the broom cupboard was covered in water – that was the wet substance I’d been sitting on – and it was filling up very, very fast. I hated water, ever since my dad first took me swimming and dropped me by accident. I couldn’t even look at the sea without feeling sick.

While I was reminiscing about my water nightmares, the water had reached my knees.
I began to panic, my heart pounding, my breath coming out in shallow gasps. Neville hadn’t said anything about this. I weighed my options while trying to keep Gethin’s head above water – as if it would actually help.

Option one: I could stay here with my dead brother and wait to drown inside a cramped little cupboard. I’d be late to get Suki too, though that wasn’t one of my major concerns at the moment.

Option two: I could get out of this horrible closet and go and face Filch and his cat. I’d be tortured again – if not killed. And I’d be late to get Suki.

Option three: I was just dreaming, one of those horrible nightmares and I’d wake up at any second.

I really wished it was option three – but I couldn’t imagine anything so painful, so real.

And then I knew what I had to do.

I kissed Gethin’s forehead. “I love you Gethin, and I’m coming back, I promise.� I whispered.

Then I kicked the door open and water came spilling out before me. I stood up, my legs weak, and began to run.

My baby brother was dead, and I was going to make sure whoever had done that was going to pay.

I was ready.

* * *

I sprinted down the corridor, my legs threatening to buckle underneath me at any moment. I needed to get as far away from that cupboard and my dead brother as fast as possible. I could make it. I would make it.

I heard Filch wheezing behind me as he chased me down the hall.

Keep running, Rose, just keep running.

A dark brown streak flashed past me and stopped at the end of the corridor. Mrs Norris had passed me by, and now she was blocking my path. Her yellow eyes glistened maliciously.

“Aha!� Filch wheezed when he finally caught up to me. “Out of bed? Oh, it's off to see the Carrows now. Come along.�

I didn’t bother arguing, there was no point, they would just catch me again. Filch grabbed my wrist and started to pull me through the corridors. I dragged my feet and walked as slowly as possible – trying to come up with a plan before we reached the Carrows.

And then it hit me, Filch was taking me to the Carrows. The Carrows lair was in the same direction as the Hufflepuff Common Room! If I could find a way to break free, I would be able to get to Suki.

Of course, I wasn’t free yet, I needed to escape first. I would have to distract Filch somehow. I crossed my fingers. I would need all the luck I could get to get me out of this disaster.

Don’t worry, Suki. I’m coming to get you, even if it’s the last thing I ever do.

* * *

Filch continued to drag me down the corridor. I still had no plan.
What was I going to do? We were only minutes away from where the Carrows slept.

Come on, Rose, you need a plan! Think!

“I am thinking.� I murmured angrily to myself.

“Eh?� Filch wheezed.

“Er...nothing. I was just –� I was saved the trouble of having to explain myself by a loud crash that echoed in the distance.

“Peeves!� Filch roared, and began to pull me towards the source of the noise, swearing under his breath. I listened closely to him, despite my better judgment; Filch knew even more curse words than Suki did.

We rounded the corner and I discovered what must’ve made the noise – a heavy suit of armour had toppled over. A strange groaning sound came out from underneath, and I gasped in horror when I realised that somebody was trapped under it.

Filch attempted to hoist up the suit of armour – while cursing – several times. He kicked it in frustration and tried to disguise his yelp of pain as a hacking cough. It was obvious that the amour wouldn’t budge without magic – something Filch wasn’t capable of.

He had clearly forgotten all about me as he dashed back in the direction of his office, muttering about levers or something. Mrs Norris followed dutifully, not even glancing my way.

“Thank you!� I whispered to the ceiling – someone up there must like me. I shouldered my bag and was just about to sneak down the hall when the person trapped under the armour turned to look at me. I gasped again.

It was Draco Malfoy.

I couldn’t help like seeing the usually arrogant Slytherin so humbled. I smiled and began to creep down the corridor, when I heard him groan behind me.

“Help me,� he whimpered.

I froze and turned to face him again. What had he just said? The supreme, all-knowing Draco Malfoy was asking me for help?

Okay, I needed to think logically here, I was wasting time.

My Dad had always told me and Gethin to do the right thing... but what was the right thing? Malfoy was in league with the Carrows, everyone knew that. But did I have the guts or the lack of conscience to leave him here, his lungs half-crushed? If it was me trapped under the suit of armour, would Malfoy stop to help me?

I had no idea of the answers to any of these questions, and time was running out. Filch would be back in a second – what was I supposed to do?

Draco looked up at me; pain clear is his stormy grey eyes. “Please Rose, help me.�

My mouth fell open. “D-d-did you just s-s-say my name?� I stuttered.

My head was spinning. How did he know my name? Wasn’t I just an awkward, Muggleborn Hufflepuff who jumped at loud noises?

And then I made my decision. The right thing to do had been staring me in the face all along.

“Wingardium Leviosa,� I murmured, and the suit of armour rose back into a standing position, setting Malfoy free.

I smiled tentatively at him. “Well, erm, there you go.�

“Er...Thanks.� he smiled back weakly, embarrassed by at being rescued by a second year, no doubt.

“No problem.� I replied hurriedly – I was seriously late. “You should probably get out of here – he’ll be back soon.�

And with a flutter of pale fingers, I was gone.

* * *

I hurried quickly down the stairs that led to the Hufflepuff Common Room. I couldn’t believe that everything was almost over, this night seemed to have lasted an eternity, and now it was finally drawing to a close.

I rushed past several paintings – including the one that led to the kitchens, which reminded me how very hungry I was – until I reached the end of the underground passageway I’d been walking through.

I had arrived at a large painting of shiny red apples held in a wicker basket. I reached out and knocked gently on the frame.

“Password?� one of the apples squeaked in a high, quivery voice.

“Gurdyroot.� I smiled half-heartedly, remembering all the trouble I'd gone to to get the password, and the painting swung forward to let me in.

I slipped through the hole and landed lightly on the thick golden carpet.

The Common Room hadn’t changed a single bit since the last time I’d been here – the cosy armchairs, the badger statue in the corner, even the fire was still crackling merrily.

“Suki?� I whispered, looking around the room. No reply came.

I clenched my fists. I’d gone through all that trouble to make sure I got here on time, and Suki was late. I grumbled something about punctuality (and Suki’s lack thereof), before creeping into the darkest corner – I wasn’t sure if somebody might come upstairs from the underground dormitories – and waited.

I hadn’t noticed how much rubbish there was in this corner when I had chosen it as a hiding spot. I kicked a crumpled-up potions essay out of the way – extremely irritated now – and then something caught my eye.

It was some sort of gold sparkle lying on the floor where the essay had been a few moments ago. It was just so pretty – the way it glittered in the darkness. I stretched a hand out to touch it; after all, there was no harm in that. My fingers brushed lightly across it.

And then, the entire world flipped upside-down.

* * *

Oh no, please no!

My feet were stuck to the alleged ‘ground’, like someone had covered them in super glue. The hard, stone ‘ceiling’ was a very long way underneath me – if I fell, I certainly wouldn’t be getting back up again.

I could feel the blood rushing to my head, making it even harder for me to breathe. This was far more terrifying than the water, even scarier than Gethin’s dead body. I could tell I was going to die here, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Which would I rather do? Stay here and die from suffocation or fall from here and plummet to my death? These options made drowning in the cupboard seem positively fun.

And then I thought of something. What would happen if I moved my foot? Would I be pitched from the ‘ground’ and sent falling to my death? There was only one way to find out – but was I brave enough to do it?

You can do it Rose! Keep going!

I took a deep breath. “I can do it, I can do it,� I whispered to myself. I wasn’t going to let everything I’d done tonight go to waste like this – I was going to get myself out of this, or die trying.

I lifted one shaking foot and moved it forward the tiniest amount possible. At once, the world reversed back to its normal state and I landed on the ground with a loud thunk.

“Who’s there?�

I froze.

There was somebody here, and I’d just given away my position. I gulped.

“Rose, is that you?�

How did this person know my name? Oh no, after all this, would I be turned over to the Carrows? After everything I’d done tonight, fate had decided to kill me now? I made a strained gurgling noise and fumbled with the catch on my bag – perhaps I could use a decoy detonator to distract them.

“Lumos!� the person hissed and held their wand up high.

I gasped – I couldn’t believe I hadn’t known who it was until now – I could recognize that frizzy black hair anywhere.

“Rose!� Suki swept me up into an extremely tight hug.

“Can’t – breathe –� I managed to pant out.

Suki laughed. “Sorry, it’s just so good to see you! Everything around here is just plain boring with you gone.�

I smiled weakly. “I’ve missed you a lot too.� I stood up, feeling the blood flow back down to my feet.

“Can we go now? I got so bored waiting for you that I went back to bed.�

I rolled my eyes. “You may not have noticed, but I’ve been a little busy, Suki. Oh, and I definitely need to get some different books before we go.�

*~*

Ten minutes later, we were standing outside the Room of Requirement – I’d slowed us down by insisting we take my whole book collection - after all, who knew when I’d be outside the Room again? We'd also steered clear of the fourth floor - Filch's shouts echoed throughout the castle, and I didn't fancy having to meet him again.

“Okay.� I turned awkwardly to face Suki, attempting not to drop Wuthering Heights in the process. “All you have to do is walk past this wall three times, and think about how much you need the room.�

Suki stifled a yawn. “No problem, I’m exhausted – I need to go to bed!�
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and began to walk along the wall.

I sighed, not even bothering to mention that I had gotten much less sleep than she had, and joined her.

The third time we rounded the corner, a door materialized out of nowhere.

Suki punched the air triumphantly. “Lethal! Did we do that?�

I nodded – half-exasperated, half-amused – and opened the door.

The roar of noise that greeted us threatened to burst both of my eardrums.

“Rose!� Neville yelled, and treated me to a bone-breaking hug.

And suddenly, we were surrounded by everybody, wanting to clap me on the back, to shake hands with Suki, to hear my story.

Euan Abercrombie kept shouting “They did it! I told you they would! Rose did it!� every three minutes, and nobody bothered to shut him up.

More than a hundred different students gave me exceptionally tight hugs, and even Laura Madley, a moody third-year girl came over to give me a high-five.

After a while, Eleanor Branstone called from over the crowd. “What took you so long, Rose? Did Filch catch you?�

And then I remembered it. How on earth had I forgotten? I was standing here celebrating my triumph, while my little brother was lying dead in a broom cupboard somewhere in the castle.

“Gethin...� I whispered and I felt my feet give way from underneath me.

Firm hands steered me through the crowd and set me down on what I guessed was my hammock.

“Rose?� Neville’s voice was anxious now. “Are you alright? You’ve gone very pale.�

I burst into tears and managed to tell the whole story to Neville between my sobs. He didn’t say anything until I had finished, and when I had burst into renewed sobs.

Neville looked like he was going to laugh. “Oh Rose, I didn’t know you’d been through so much – you should have said. But don’t worry about your brother – Gethin, isn’t it? That was just a boggart, it shows you illusions of your worst fears – for you, it must be water and Gethin being dead.�

“Oh.� I laughed shakily. “I didn’t know that.�

Neville grinned at me. “Well done Rose, you were amazing tonight. Do you want to tell everyone what you did?� he gestured at the roaring crowd - who had eaten way too many pumpkin pasties at this point.

I smiled back. “Maybe in the morning. I’ve been through a lot tonight,� I turned to grin at Suki, who waved back brightly. “And frankly, I’m exhausted.�

Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose.