TheFanficGOD
patreon
HP448- Welcome to the Real Room
🕑 Added 2025-06-14 00:19:28 +0000 UTCHarry sat down like it was any other morning, pulling the nearest tray of toast toward him as if he hadn’t just survived the most ridiculous Valentine’s run in Hogwarts history. A jug of pumpkin juice floated his way, Hermione, probably, and he poured himself a glass while chaos brewed all around him.
“Sleep well, Potter?” Pansy asked without looking up.
“Like an Emperor,” he said, cracking the shell.
They collectively rolled their eyes, Luna giggling as she placed a slice of toast on Harry’s plate. “Of course you did. You had an amazing day with your harem.”
Harry laughed, nudging the pumpkin juice towards her. “Amazing is a bit much. Full, maybe.”
Astoria, already perched neatly beside Daphne with her chin tipped just a touch higher than usual, gave a theatrical huff. “Yeah, right. Except me.”
That earned a wave of groans around the table.
“You got a chocolate unicorn and a handwritten note,” Hermione pointed out without even looking up from her planner.
“It said ‘when you are older’,” Astoria replied, flicking a crumb off her sleeve. “I am not a sodding child.”
“You are thirteen,” Tracey said, sipping her tea.
“Thirteen and a half,” Astoria corrected, like that solved the whole issue.
Ginny leaned over from her seat across the table. “If it makes you feel better, I had to kiss him on top of the Astronomy Tower while my arse was freezing off.”
“That does not make me feel better,” Astoria said crisply. “It makes me feel excluded and underdressed.”
Luna passed her a folded paper swan. “Here. Emotional support bird.”
Astoria gave it a long look, then tucked it into her sleeve with something dangerously close to satisfaction. “Fine. But next year I am getting my own slot.”
“Talk to Daphne’s scheduling committee,” Pansy said without looking up from her toast. “She’s got the charts.”
“I do not have a scheduling committee,” Daphne muttered, clearly lying.
“You’ve got colour-coded tabs,” Susan said flatly.
“She’s got rotation notes,” Hermione added. “I saw them. Tuesday meetings, even.”
Harry lifted his cup. “Honestly, I just go where I am told.”
“Shut up, Potter,” came three voices in perfect unison.
He grinned into his tea. “Romantic bunch, aren’t you?”
“More like practical,” Susan said. “We’ve done the maths.”
“Did you factor in hex risk?” Hannah asked mildly. “Because I’m not pulling splinters out of anyone if another bouquet ends up cursed.”
“Noted,” Daphne said. “Flower arrangements go through Tracey from now on.”
“I am not your floral liaison,” Tracey replied, then paused. “Although I do have a catalogue.”
Pansy looked across the table. “We should just start an agency at this point.”
“Oh no,” Luna said. “A dating consultancy. With paperwork.”
Hermione gave a short nod. “We could call it H.A.R.R.Y. - Handling Affectional Rotation & Romantic Yield.”
Harry stared. “That is not a real acronym.”
“It is now,” she said without shame.
Astoria leaned forward, voice clipped. “When I am in charge, I am renaming it. All these names are rubbish.”
“You are not in charge,” Daphne reminded her.
“Yet.”
Harry reached for the jam and spread it slowly, just to buy time. “You lot do realise you are talking about managing my personal life like it is the bloody Ministry, right?”
Ginny shrugged. “Less corruption here.”
“And more snacks,” Luna added, stealing another slice of toast.
Fred leaned round with a dramatic sigh. “Harem management? Proper field, that.”
“Could do seminars,” George said. “'How to Survive Valentine’s Without Dying: A Weasley Guide.'"
Angelina stole George’s juice. “You would be dead before the pamphlets were printed.”
Alicia raised her fork. “Bet hes got charts too.”
“I do not,” Harry said firmly.
Pansy threw her napkin at him. “That is because he doesn’t trust anything written. He’s got hundreds in his mind at least.”
After breakfast, the group drifted out of the Great Hall in staggered pairs and clusters, still laughing about earlier banter. Harry led the way toward the Room of Requirement.
He walked back and forth three times, thinking about what they needed... a place to talk, fit everyone, and keep things private. The door appeared like it always did, plain, solid wood with an iron handle. He pushed it open.
The inside had shifted again. Now it looked something like a cross between a Hogwarts study room and a comfy den. Low bookshelves lined the walls, thick rugs softened the floors, and wide sofas and cushions were scattered around like someone had raided half the castle’s common rooms. A kettle bubbled on a nearby table, next to a tray of biscuits, and the air smelled faintly of spiced tea.
It was already familiar to some... Daphne, Hermione, Tracey, and the rest of the usual suspects... but for Cedric, Cho, Su Li, Lavender, Parvati and Padma Patil, Angelina, Alicia and Megan, it was the first time inside.
Cho stepped in behind Cedric, looking around with quiet curiosity. “This... isn’t part of the castle plan, is it?”
“Nope,” Harry said, dropping onto the nearest cushion. “It doesn’t even exist on the Map.”
Lavender spun in a slow circle, her plaits swinging. “This is wicked.”
Su Li ran a hand over the spines of one shelf. “Is this why you lot vanish sometimes?”
Tracey grinned. “One of the reasons.”
As everyone found spots—some on chairs, others sprawling on rugs... Hermione stood and pulled a long roll of parchment from her bag.
“Alright,” she said, smoothing it out on the low table in the centre. “Before we get too comfortable, I need everyone who hasn’t been here before to read and sign this.”
Parvati leaned forward. “What is it?”
“Binding secrecy agreement,” Hermione said briskly. “No sharing the Room’s existence or functions with anyone not already cleared. That includes teachers. Especially teachers.”
Angelina raised a brow. “It’s that serious?”
Harry nodded. “It is not just for hanging out. We’ve used it for planning, training, hiding cursed objects. The usual.”
Each of the newcomers took their turn reading, then signing. Cho wrinkled her nose slightly but didn’t argue. Fleur studied the parchment like it was a Ministry contract, then signed in a precise, slanted hand.
When everyone was done, Hermione rolled the parchment back up and tucked it away. “Good. That is sorted.”
As that got out of the way, Harry stood, stepping forward to where the table and parchment had been cleared.
“Right,” he started, glancing at the newer faces scattered around the room. “As most of you know, whether you’ve heard it from a howler, a whisper, or Prophet, Voldemort is back.”
That got a few exchanged looks from the new lot... Lavender straightened up, Su Li leaned slightly forward, and Megan paused mid-sip of her tea.
Harry carried on, “There is no pretending he stays quiet for long. Sooner or later, war is going to land on our doorstep. And I don’t fancy the idea of sitting on my hands waiting for it.”
He crossed his arms, eyes scanning the group. “Which is why, with full approval from Madam Bones, yes, Minister herself, I’ve been given leeway to run training inside Hogwarts. Technically under the umbrella of the Duelling Club. But this-” he gestured around at the Room, “-this is the real version.”
“Since the start of term,” Harry continued, “we’ve been going well beyond what’s taught in Defence classes. Spellwork. Tactics. Field testing. Situational drills. Anything we can fit in between classes and curfews.”
He turned slightly, eyes landing on Cedric and Cho first. “This is your invitation to join. It’s not mandatory. Stay, and you train. Or don’t stay.”
Cho gave a short nod. Cedric didn’t flinch, just leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. Lavender looked like she’d half-regretted not bringing a notebook. Parvati and Padma both exchanged looks. Angelina smirked faintly, elbow resting on her raised knee, and Alicia crossed her arms, already scanning the space like she was assessing it for cover. Megan didn’t say anything, but Harry noticed the slight edge to her grip on the mug.
“I don’t hand-hold,” Harry said next. “If you can’t manage spells on the fly or think you are going to coast through with your House badge, save yourself the embarrassment and bow out now.”
“Charming as ever,” Pansy muttered from her spot near the window.
“I try,” Harry shot back, and some of the tension in the room eased.
“But,” he added, glancing back at the new crowd, “if you’re willing to show up, pull your weight, and not be useless... then you’re welcome.”
