Discovery

52.

With thanks to Dobby, Harry found the location for our first Defense meeting: The Room of Requirement.

At half-past seven Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I left the Gryffindor common room. Harry was clutching a certain piece of aged parchment in his hand.

Fifth years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock, but all four of us kept looking around nervously as we made our way up to the seventh floor.

"Hold it," said Harry warningly, unfolding the piece of parchment at the top of the last staircase, tapping it with his wand, and mutter- ing, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

I realized this was the map Fred and George had gifted to Harry in our third year. I felt a pang of jealousy, even two years later.

"Filch is on the second floor," said Harry, holding the map close to his eyes and scanning it closely, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."

"And Umbridge?" said Hermione anxiously.

"In her office," said Harry, pointing. "Okay, let's go."

We hurried along the corridor until we reached a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for the ballet.

"Okay," said Harry quietly, while a moth-eaten troll paused in his relentless clubbing of the would-be ballet teacher to watch. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."

We need somewhere to learn to fight. . . .I concentrated very hard. Somewhere we can't be found....Somewhere safe from Umbridge...

"Harry," said Hermione sharply. I looked up and stopped pacing, and noticed a highly polished door had appeared in the wall.

Harry reached out and pulled open the door, and led the way into a spacious room. The walls were lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs there were large silk cushions on the floor.

"These will be good when we're practicing Stunning," said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.

"And just look at these books!" said Hermione excitedly, running a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. "A Com- pendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions . . . The Dark Arts Outsmarted . . . Self-Defensive Spellwork . . . wow . . .Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"

And without further ado she slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank onto the nearest cushion, and began to read.

"There's no way Umbridge will be able to find us in here!" I exclaimed. "This room has it all."

Harry was beaming, and I had a feeling he was more excited about this Defense club than he let on.

There was a gentle knock on the door; Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean had arrived.

"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"

Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived, and he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied.

"Well," said Harry nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've — er — obviously found it okay —"

"It's fantastic!" said Cho Chang, and several people murmured their agreement.

"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, Ella? But it was just a broom cupboard then. . . ."

My face turned scarlet, and I remembered the events that had taken place in that cupboard.