𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟏𝟐 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

A few days had passed since the meeting in Hog's Head and you were finally feeling like yourself again. Umbridge hadn't issued any more detentions since then (at least not to you) and the wound on your hand was just starting to close up. Even though you knew it would leave a nasty scar for maybe years to come, you made the most of the small accomplishment. 

It was Friday afternoon and you were walking aimlessly around the castle. Without detention, you found yourself with a sudden block of time on your hands, and you were overwhelmed with the possibilities.

As you passed by the Great Hall, you saw Mr. Filch on his ladder in front of the double doors. You cupped a hand over your eyes and saw that he was hammering yet another Educational Decree onto the wall. A few other students clustered together in small groups, whispering to one another as they pointed up at the new addition.

You squinted your eyes to try and read what it said. "All student organizations are henceforth disbanded. Any student in noncompliance will be expelled," You mumbled, reading the plaque out loud. With eyes wide, you stepped back and began tiptoeing away from the corridor and in the direction of the Gryffindor house. 

 You needed to tell Harry that Umbridge was suspicious of your new club.

As soon as the wall of plaques was no longer in sight, you picked up the pace until you were full-on sprinting down the corridor. Your bag thumped against your side and the people you passed shot you strange looks but you paid it no mind to either. The only thing on your mind was warning Harry and the others.

Just as you were about to turn the corner, a flash of pink caught your eye and you jumped back, flattening your spine against the wall. Umbridge had been standing further down the corridor, scolding a pair of Hufflepuffs who appeared to have been snogging on one of the benches. You could hear her squeaky voice and winced almost instinctively. The last thing you needed right now was another detention to sour your good mood.

Spinning back around, you saw that there wasn't really a place you could hide. You could try and run to the other end of the corridor but chances were that she'd catch you before you rounded the corner and get you in trouble for running in the halls.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," you whispered and began fast-walking away from the sound of her shrill voice. 

 You were about halfway down the hallway when the quiet sound of shifting stone made itself known in your ears. Unintentionally, your steps slowed into a walk and you looked to your left to see a large door frame appearing out of the wall. It looked almost as if it was carving it's way out of the wall, pressing forward against your outstretched hand.

Your attention was swayed from the door only by the sound of approaching footsteps. A familiar set of kitten heels began clicking louder and louder as they drew nearer. You didn't think twice before pushing open one of the double doors and quickly slamming it shut behind you.

From within the room, you pressed your ear to the door and listened as Umbridge unknowingly waltzed past you while humming a shrill tune under her breath. A deep sigh fell from your lips as her steps retreated. "Thank Merlin," you exhaled in relief, pulling away from the door to inspect the room you had just barged into. For all you knew, a class was in session and you had just disrupted it.

It was unlike any room you'd ever seen in Hogwarts before. The four long walls were covered in a mirrored glass surface and as you walked deeper into it, you caught your reflection on one of them. The floor underneath your feet was a grated metal and made hollowed noises when you walked.

Stationed throughout the room were training dummies that took the shape of Death Eaters. There was a dormant fireplace in the back corner and the entire space was illuminated by a massive overhead tiered chandelier. You were abruptly reminded of Harry's request, that everyone should keep a lookout for a place to conduct club meetings.  

 A giddy smile made its way to your lips and you did a little jump, shaking the grated floor beneath you.

 It only took a half hour for you to round everybody up, including Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the twins. The six of you lingered in the doorway and you giggled proudly at their initial reactions. 

"You've found it," Hermione gawked, obviously impressed. "The Room of Requirement."

 Harry stepped deeper into the room and did a 360° turn. There was a twinkle in his eye as they landed back on you and he chuckled, walking closer and suddenly pulling you into his arms. You laughed loudly as he swung you around in the air. "It's brilliant, (Y/N)," he said. "You're brilliant. It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back."

"Don't mention it," you replied jokingly to hide the butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. "Just doing my part to put Umbridge in her place."

 It wasn't until the next day, Saturday, that everyone who put their signatures on the sign up sheet were filed into the Room of Requirement. It was late after curfew, but in all fairness it was the only time you could travel in large groups without being seen by either Filch or the wicked witch herself.

 Harry was quick to establish his role as a teacher, instructing you to form a single-file line down the middle of the room. You peeked over Neville's shoulder to see Harry wheeling out one of the dummies.

"Alright, Neville," he stepped back and gestured to the Death Eater-shaped dummy. "Give it all you've got."

 Neville looked between Harry and the dummy before licking his lips and slowly raising his wand to chin height. "Expelliarmus!" He exclaimed, weakly. Before you knew it, Neville's wand was shot out of his hand and flew backward, smacking you square in the face.

Someone gasped behind you but you were still too frozen in shock to register the blunt pain. Blinking twice, you watched as Neville's face turned beat red in mortification. He bent over to pick up his wand off of the floor. "I-I'm really sorry, (Y/N)," he stuttered.

"I'm alright, Neville," you assured, though the stinging pain in your face said otherwise. With a heavy sigh, he turned back to Harry and slumped his shoulders. "I'm hopeless," he groaned.

Harry shook his head. "No, you're just flourishing your wand too much. Try it like this."

You and the others watched in awe as he readied his wand and effortlessly cast the Disarming Charm on the dummy. The fake wooden wand flew out of its hand and it teetered backward. A few people clapped and everyone else, you included, just stood there with your mouths open. You never doubted Harry's abilities for a second but seeing them up close and in person (other than in the tournament last year) was truly a sight to behold. It gave you new faith in the cause.

 With a newfound determination, Neville nodded to himself and made his way to the back of the line as instructed. The open space beckoned you forward and you took a single step in front of you. Harry flicked his wand and the wooden stick flew back into the dummy's outstretched hand. "Alright (Y/N)," he said. "Your turn."

You swallowed, shifting your feet nervously. As if sensing your unease, Harry beamed encouragingly and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks. "It's alright, take your time."

As he stood back, you raised your wand into a defensive stance. Your eyes narrowed into slits as you glared at the dummy. It was tall and intimidating. You found yourself imagining your father's face behind it's dark mask and a wave of red-hot anger boiled in your chest.

"Expelliarmus!" 

 Not a second later, the dummy began to spin like a top, it's wand cast out of its hand and onto the floor. Harry grinned and pumped a single fist in the air.

"Perfect," he complimented. "That was absolutely perfect."

A few more people congratulated you as you moved to the back of the line so Luna could take her turn. As you came up behind Neville, he slumped his shoulders and looked down at you. He was at least two heads taller than he had been last year but his height somehow suited him. "T-That was amazing, (Y/N)," he stuttered.

You blushed and fiddled with your wand in your hands. "Thank you, Neville." 

 (A/N: Ok so funny story I put on Little Women so I could listen to something as i edited a few chapters but I got so invested in the movie that i forgot to actually work on this book so now it's 1AM and I...yeah. I'm gonna be working on this for a few more hours tho cause I can't sleep. Enjoy!)