Babysitting Hogwarts {Book 1}

Room of Requirment

Percy

Now that we were officially apart of 'Dumbledore's Army' or DA for short, we got these special little coins that we could use to contact the other members. The meetings had to be held in private because Professor Umbridge was very much against everything to do with fighting and defending yourself. Other than the first recruitment, we hadn't actually started learning anything. No one could think of a single place to hold the meetings out of the eyes of Filch. It wasn't until me and Harry decided to take a walk around the castle a few days after, when we found a place we could practise.

I decided me and Harry needed to become friends if we had any chance of protecting him, because when he avoided us we could never get close enough. Harry was more than happy because it meant he could take a break from studying for the exams.

"So," Harry said when we stepped out of the common room, "It was nice of you to stand up for Trelawney like that. Although, I don't think Umbridge approved. You could see her staring daggers at you. What did she mean protected by the ministry? It's not the first time she said it."

I looked at him considering what I should say. On one hand, it would be nice to finally tell him, he really was starting to become a good friend. But Chiron hadn't given us the thumbs up to say that we could. You never know who was listening. So, as always, I decided to tell him the half-truth.

"It was the ministry who sent us. Dumbledore suggested that it would be a good idea to bring us and the Minister agreed. Although, Dumbledore doesn't think that Fudge was agreeing for the same reasons that he suggested."

"Which were?"

"Greed. He wants to see how he can use us. He still won't accept that Voldewarts has returned."

Harry burst out laughing.

"What? Was it something I said?" I grinned.

"Volde...warts..." Harry gasped. "No one... ever..." Harry tried to gather his breath. "His name is Voldemort." Harry laughed again and this time I joined in. I was glad we could laugh about these things. Harry was a great guy and I really enjoyed being his friend, and I think he felt relieved that he didn't have to worry about me following Voldemort.

"Well, you Brittish wizards are really bad at names. I mean," I said smiling, "Hogwarts. Isn't that the name of a pig disease?" Harry laughed harder. "And what's your motto? Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus? You do realise that means 'never tickle a sleeping dragon', right?" We both laughed harder. It was so fun laughing and joking with someone who didn't have to worry about being attacked 24/7. Instead of always having to be on edge, I could laugh around with someone who could do the same with me.

"But, in all seriousness," Harry stopped walking. "We need to find a room that we can practise defense without having to worry about someone finding us."

"Dobby knows sir!" A squeaky voice says from behind us. We turn around to see a goblin-like creature who is all dressed up in a jumper and wearing all kinds of socks on his feet. "Dobby heard tell of a room known as the Come and Go room, or the room of Requirment!"

"Why is it called that?" Harry asked.

"Because a person can only find it when they have real need of it! You must be oddly specific. It can be anything! Dobby once used it Sir, to cure Winky when she had too much butterbeer."

"Thank you Dobby." Harry looked at me then broke of into a run. I followed him, weaving though the passageways and soon coming to a stop.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Somewhere were we can do this without being seen." He took a piece of folded parchment paper out of his robes and opened it. "Percy, you can't tell anyone about this, okay?" I nodded and he tapped the paper with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." From where his wand touched the paper, ink spread out and showed a map of the school. I saw little people labelled with their names walking, sitting, talking. Then, on the fifth floor, was two labels with 'Harry Potter' and 'Percy Jackson'. The mini-me and mini-Harry ran up to the seventh floor. Harry folded the map and ran too. I followed him and we soon made it to the seventh floor. Harry opened the map and looked at it again. Mini-us paced three times in front of a banner of a wizard teaching trolls ballet. Words formed on the map saying, Think about what you want. Harry handed me the map and before I could question it, he started pacing. I just watched him go up and down until I saw a door appear in the wall.

"Wow. That's cool." It was all I could say. Magic was seriously starting to rub off on me. Harry walked over to the door and opened it. Inside was a room that was big enough for the DA but still quite spacey. There were dummies in the corner and one wall was lined with bookshelves. I thought about how it kind of looked like the training hall back at camp and a row of swords and weapons appeared on one wall. Harry and I walked out of the room and I wondered how it would disguise itself, when it just disappeared.

"It's still there, I just asked it if it could hide itself."

"Well, it looks as if we found the DA a room to train." I grinned.