GETTING ALL THE WAY UP to the seventh floor was a hassle. They rushed for the far-left corridor, where they knew the Room of Requirement appeared.
"If it's not here, we're fucked," said Draco.
"There's nowhere else it could be," replied Theo, though he sounded unsure.
"Hogwarts is one of, if not the most, secure places in the Wizarding World. Still, You-Know-Who needed someplace within it that would act like a vault. Hardly anyone knows of the existence of the Room of Requirement. That room that Draco used to repair the Vanishing Cabinet seems to be a popular one, used for centuries, and access is allowed to everyone—as evidenced by the Weasley twins shoving Montague into the cabinet in fifth year. It's the smartest place to hide it within Hogwarts," rambled Celestia.
Her long speech was also trying to assure herself, not just them. If it wasn't in there, she really had no clue where else to look. Perhaps it'd be somewhere in the Ravenclaw Common Room, but she would've thought it would have been found by some student by now.
Walking back-and-forth in front of that empty wall three times felt like it took an eternity. Relief rushed through her as the door appeared. She shared a look with Draco and Theo, and then they moved forward to open the door.
"No splitting up," demanded Celestia.
Regulus was originally meant to come with, but Celestia had felt sick with the idea of leaving Pansy and Blaise so soon. As soon as she'd set her eyes on them again, they were gone. He had offered to go with them and keep them safe. It was a large assurance for her.
The room was large, filled to the brim with trinkets and other things she couldn't be bothered to note. She focused on the sounds around them as she kept her eyes peeled, searching for where the Ravenclaw diadem could possibly be.
"The more I walk around, the more I remember of this place," murmured Draco. "Now, don't hate me for not saying anything earlier, but I think there was some statue of an old man wearing a wig and a diadem . . . I'm not saying it's the diadem, but it's coming flooding back to me."
"Where was it?" asked Celestia, her voice just as quiet as his.
"It was standing on some cupboard. It's around here somewhere. Follow me," he said.
They let Draco take the lead, and Celestia couldn't help but feel an anxious feeling crawling over. She unsheathed her wand from where she was keeping it and knew Theo must've done the same. He reached out and gave her hand a quick squeeze.
They traversed deeper into the room. Her breathing felt ten times louder in the quiet of the large, yet silent room. Turning a corner, her gaze finally caught on a statue. It was just as Draco had pointed out: an old man wearing a dusty old wig and what looked like an ancient diadem.
It should've been surprising that at the same moment they caught sight of it, Harry Potter's hand was reaching out for it. They were accustomed to this sort of thing now, though, unfortunately.
Hey, isn't that your wand he's holding? asked Celestia, easily sliding into Draco's mind.
"Hey—Hold it, Potter!" Draco called out.
"The irrationalism is in the genes," muttered Theo, annoyed.
Harry spun around in shock. While the sight of him wasn't shocking, the fact he was alone was. The other two were bound to be around here somewhere, she was sure. Stupidly, they'd split up.
"That's my wand you're holding, Potter," said Draco, raising her wand to point it at him.
"Not anymore," panted Harry, tightening his grip on Draco's wand. "Winners, keepers, Malfoy. Who's lent you theirs?"
YOU ARE READING
Betrayal of the Black
Fanfiction- UNEDITED The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, Harry James Potter. When Harry discovered that Sirius Black was his legal guardian, his life was flipped around. He finally had a parental figure and Sirius was willing to do anything for him. ...
