Note To Self

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September 22, 1990, Third Floor, Charms Classroom, 3:05 PM

*

School, for the most part, was going well. I had made sure to keep up a scheduled day, so I didn't fall back into old habits of procrastination and so far, it seemed to be working.

I had ample time to myself thanks to covering the first half of the year's content during the holidays.

Not that it was difficult. I doubted that the school expected anything more than memorisation from eleven-year-olds anyways.

Despite the solid start to my new life, I couldn't seem to erase the uncomfortable gnawing in my stomach. This was, after all, a situation that I was definitely no stranger to.

A small part of me wondered how long it would take for me to fall back into mediocrity this time. A week? Maybe a month?

A familiar dread squeezed my chest, clouding my thoughts before I stuffed it down vehemently— I refused to become who I used to be.

Bringing my final sentence to a close, I looked up at the clock, eagerly waiting for the end of the lesson.

"What has you so distracted, Mr Dovahkiin?" Asked Flitwick from behind his desk, not looking up from his papers.

"Huh?" Was my unintelligent reply, eliciting a snort from Katie. "Oh, nothing. I was daydreaming, it won't happen again."

"I know that the end of class is near but see to it that your focus does not waver." He said, continuing to mark his papers, the class descending into silence once again.

Ten minutes passed by in the blink of an eye and the lesson had finished. The room was filled with the quiet murmurs of impatient students and the rustling of parchment.

"Make sure to place your essays on my desk before you leave!" Said Flitwick, his voice drifting over the clamour of the classroom. There was an expected groan at that from the majority of the class who thought that he had forgotten about our homework.

I smiled at the class' inexperience. Pretending to forget about homework was a perverse thing that teachers did for a bit of fun.

The smile on Flitwick's face certainly didn't argue against it.

I tapped Katie on the shoulder and stretched out my hand for our essays. She tutted in annoyance.

"What, you're still not done?" I quirked an eyebrow, amused.

"No, I've still got a sentence left."

"This is why you do your homework. What do you even get up to in our study sessions?" I asked, my tone mirthful.

She flinched but continued to write, nonetheless. "I was, erm…"

Her gaze flicked back to her work, then to Flitwick before returning to me, panic written across her face at the dwindling line of students. "I don't know, okay!?"

I cracked a smile at her fretting, feeling a sense of pride at my organisation skills... that was until I realised, I was six years older than her, mentally at least.

"It's alright," I said placatingly. "Besides, you've reworded it to not sound like mine, right? Teachers aren't stupid y'know?"

"Neither am I." She huffed, furiously scribbling away.

Simply nodding, I turned around and walked towards Professor Flitwick, my essay in hand.

"Ah yes, thank you Mr Dovahkiin!" He said, smiling up at me. "Enjoy your evening."

I nodded at him, slinging my bag over my shoulder, signalling to Katie that she hurry up. Hastily jotting the last few sentences down, she yelped when the essay rose from the table and floated towards Flitwick.

"But I only had one more sentence left..." She lamented as we walked down the corridor.

I chuckled, letting her grief run its course before asking her a question. "So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Well, two girls from our house asked me to hang out with them so I don't think I can come to today's study session." She said apologetically.

She turned to me, looking as though someone had kicked her puppy. I felt my lips beginning to quirk upwards.

"No worries," I said, sticking my hands up in surrender, my small smile growing into a full-blown smirk. "You don't have to apologise for having friends that aren't me, you know?"

It worked like a charm, her contrite expression instantly switching to one of irritation.

"That's not what I meant!" She huffed with a frown.

"It wasn't?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, my face as innocent as I could make it. "Uh-oh, I guess I am your only friend. Don't worry though, I'll be a good friend to you!"

"That's not what I meant either!"

I spent the rest of the journey to the common room annoying her.

Teasing the kids around me was a source of fun; it was only a matter of time before they grew up enough to not fall for it.

*

oOOOo

Seventh Floor, Gryffindor Common Room, 3:47 PM

*

True to her word, Katie had been abducted by two second years upon her arrival to the common room.

One of them, Angelina Johnson was a tall dark-skinned girl with long, braided hair and stern eyes. The other, Alicia Spinnet, had raven-black hair and brown eyes, seemingly Arab but from where exactly, I couldn't tell.

They whisked her off, each linking arms with her before escorting her out of the common room, much to my delight. She had enough time to shoot me one last furtive look before disappearing through the exit.

I shook my head before turning around.

"All alone, this firstie is." Said a voice.

"Indeed, brother of mine, our friends seem to have stolen his." Said another, sounding identical to the first.

I felt my lips rise upwards, realising who the two were in an instant.

The Twin Terrors of Gryffindor circled around, stopping directly in front of me, the promise of mischief glimmering in their eyes.

"The Weasley Twins, I assume?" I asked, stating the obvious.

"Oh, our reputation precedes us?" Replied one of the twins, quirking an eyebrow and giving me a mock bow.

"It has," continued the other, holding his chin. "I wonder how?"

"It might be our dashing looks…"

"Our outstanding guile…"

"But best of all, our smarts. For we are the best pranksters to ever grace the Hogwarts grounds!"

"A bold claim to make, no?" I countered, drawing matching scoffs from the both of them.

"Would you like to find out?" They asked in unison, something dark glittering in their eyes.

I paused. I had better things to do than have an all-out prank war with two children. There were so many avenues to pursue, the most important of all being the Thu'um. I hadn't made any significant headway on it since my first day at school.

Despite my meditation on esoteric concepts such as Time and Balance, I couldn't use any other shouts.

I had found that with my regressed age came far worse focus than I was used to. When coupled with my high energy, it served to make me feel restless.

Bringing myself close to the threshold of magical exhaustion every day had begun to bore me, but a Prank War would detract from my goals.

Though their open challenge was tempting, very tempting...

"Not now lads," I said, leaving them with an ambiguous answer. "I've too much on my plate but perhaps one day, eh?"

The twins turned to each other; their eyes almost as wide as my smile.

"He challenges us?" Asked one, his voice dubious.

"I don't think so," Said the other. "And why go after our fellow lions when the slimy snakes are slithering about."

"Ah, yes, 'tis a dangerous time indeed for the poor Slytherins." Said the other twin. I wasn't going to even hazard a guess as to who was who. "Make sure to lock your door at night, little one."

I chuckled at the attempt to spook me.

It was hard to take a threat from two twelve-year-olds seriously, even if the twelve-year-olds were capable enough to make good on their threat.

"Much appreciated," I said, turning around to walk out of the common room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

They inclined their heads, moving to opposite sides and giving me exaggerated bows.

I snorted before walking past them.

Leaving through the portrait that served as the common room entrance, I turned the corner, making a beeline for an obscure alcove like I had so many times before.

I looked over my shoulder and after verifying that I was out of sight, I twirled my wand and uttered. "Silencio Omnia."

I felt a rush envelop me before all was silent, my breathing included. I stamped my foot against the ground and heard nothing.

Giving myself a moment to gather my wits and focus, I brought my wand to my head and chanted one last time, "Occultare!"

I felt the cold trickle of something travel down my head and cast itself over my body. I closed my eyes, waiting for the sensation to pass.

Opening them, I looked down at my chest, instead staring at the marble floor. It would be more accurate to say that I had blended in with the ground below me.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat proud of myself. Weeks of practise and careful research had led to my proficiency in the Disillusionment Charm. Even then, if one looked hard enough, they would be able to spot me.

Leaving the alcove, I made my way down the corridor, veering to the left in order to avoid a gaggle of giggling girls. I patted my chest to settle my fraying nerves, exhaling.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the last near-miss of the afternoon.

"Where'd he go?" Snapped an irritated voice.

I spun around, my heart skipping a beat. The Slytherin first years prowled the alcove that I had just left.

"I don't know..." Muttered the taller one out of the three, Burke I believed he was called.

"Well, you had better find out!" Growled the trio's ringleader, an idiot by the name of Deroc Rowle.

All the while, their third member remained silent. Opting to study the two with a disinterested expression. His blonde hair was slicked and pulled back into a ponytail. His high cheekbones and pale face gave him the look of an aristocrat.

Rowle huffed angrily, his face stretched into a frustrated snarl.

All I knew of him was that he seemed to have it out for me, not that it didn't make sense. I was after all, in his words, a Mudblood.

One that was outperforming him in every class that we shared.

Not sparing the group a second glance, I sped down the corridor, my eyes darting around alertly.

For all I knew, there could be more of them.

A few shuddering breaths later, I stood in front of Barnabas' tapestry. Admiring the stupidity of the artwork, I made my way towards the section of wall opposite it.

I began to pace back and forth with one thought in mind: 'I need a room to train efficiently.' after which a door materialised, allowing me entrance to the room.

Sighing in relief, I slumped to the ground, thanking my lucky stars that none of them found me.

I didn't like my odds, especially when each of the kids wielded a weapon of mass destruction.

The room's walls glowed a beaming yellow in greeting, pulling me out of my reverie.

The very magic in the air was joyous at my return, a fact that lightened my heart.

"Yes, yes, I missed you too." I muttered fondly with a smile on my face.

Over the course of the last few weeks, The Room of Requirement had really grown on me. At first, I had thought it to be just a room to provide me with my needs and nothing more. But as I began to spend more time with it, I started to realise that it was sentient.

It could communicate with me although not through words. Its walls would turn certain colours to highlight its mood. It was a breath of fresh air to have someone to share my successes and failures with.

Who knew how lonely of a journey it would be without the companionship that the room provided.

I turned my attention to a space that I could call my base of operations. It was the size of an assembly hall, its roof stretching far out of sight. On one side was a line of dummies and an arena. To the opposite side was a library, complete with a desk and chair in front of a crackling fireplace.

There was even a sofa and tea set atop a low table just before the fireplace.

I took a seat at the desk, bringing out my notebook and flicking to my latest entry.

'Duelling spells can be taken a step further just by intent alone. Case in point, the Disarming Charm— a Charm designed to strip the opponent of weapons, usually wands. Since that's the case, the same can apply to other spells too. More research required.'

Reading about intent reminded me of the first time I tried to cast a spell with intent in mind.

Casting spells with incantations and wand movements served as a crutch, so to speak. They weren't exactly necessary for a person to cast a spell. The aforementioned only lowered the stress on the wizard.

Wand movements allowed one to focus their magic into the appropriate form for the spell whilst incantations helped for mental visualisation.

A week or so prior, I had tried to skip the entire process and use my intent alone.

It was a... unique experience, to say the least. One that had left me so tired that I took a nap on the floor of the room there and then, waking up and just about missing dinner as a result.

Even now, casting solely on intent alone was a lot more tiring than its more elaborate counterpart, something that wouldn't be seeing the light of day for the foreseeable future.

I flicked forwards a little, stopping at a blank page and placing my pen between the two sides, stopping the notebook from closing on its own.

Laying the notebook on the table, I removed my outer robe and hung it over the chair, summoning my wand from a sleek black wand holster, one of the many things that the Room had provided me with.

I walked over training dummies and held my wand out in front of me.

To be honest, I was very grateful to the room. I had acquired an assortment of useful things over the last few weeks, the best of which being my new backpack.

It was black and almost in tatters when I first saw it, but a quick 'Reparo' had brought it back to mint condition. Its main function being the increased storage capacity, the exact measurement was unknown. Despite this, I knew that I was nowhere near its full capacity yet.

I wanted to go and find some other supplies in the Room of Hidden Things, but I reckoned the teachers would be suspicious if I walked into class with a whole new wardrobe, so I eventually decided against it.

Shaking my head to ward off stray thoughts, I fixed my attention on the straw dummy. It had a bale painted on its centre, for what reason I couldn't tell. As far as I knew, aiming worked the same way as any spell did, intent.

That was something that had surprised me at first, but it made sense.

After all, with the number of spells wizards cast in duels, one would wonder how exactly all of them managed to stay on target. The explanation, a quite simple one really, was that wizards imbued their spells with the intent to reach their target.

It was so unconscious that I don't think many really noticed it. Though I had no doubt in my mind that the more powerful individuals in the wizarding world both knew and took advantage of it.

And here I was, trying not to fall to stray thoughts. I cracked a wry smile, making yet another mental note before fixing the dummy with a steely gaze.

"Depulso!" I chanted, a burst of light exploding from my wand. The dummy catapulted backwards but I didn't let up, slicing my wand forwards. "Incendio!"

I felt the drag on my reserves but thanks to weeks of magically exhausting myself, I felt somewhat fine. Casting spells filled with intent was bound to be tiring but it helped to cut down on the accuracy of my wand movements.

This meant that I didn't have to accurately move my wand. Instead, so long as my wand movement was generally accurate, my intent would do the rest. Although it was more exhausting than the standard method of spellcasting, it gave me more versatility with my spells.

At least this way, I would be constantly refining my intent as well as increasing the amount of magic I could use.

Before it even hit the ground, the dummy was blown backwards by a jet of brilliant-orange flame. The centre of the bale was scorched black as the furious fire leapt to the rest of the dummy, consuming it hungrily.

I was left panting in exertion, the acrid odour of burning wood assaulting my nostrils.

The fire flickered angrily, growing to devour the rest of the dummy before it vanished suddenly.

"Well, that's one way to take care of a problem..."

The walls glowed violet and began to pulse— great, the room was getting prideful again.

I shook my head helplessly, wandering into the arena with my wand in hand. "Level one."

The arena was enveloped in a reddish glow, a dummy breaking the formation outside of the arena and prowling towards me. Its movements were humanlike, yet its body was anything but.

At the new challenge, a grin spread itself across my face. I had no doubt in my mind that it was a feral one.

The dummy circled around me, sending out a sudden vermillion blast.

I had enough time to realise it was a Disarming Charm before lowering my centre of gravity and leaning to the left, much like how a boxer would slip a punch.

I reared up, thrusting my wand forwards before barking, "Depulso!"

A bolt of white light sent the dummy skidding backwards. It hit the arena's curb, teetering on the precipice.

Seeing the opportunity, I sent a final Banishing Charm after it, knocking it over with a resounding clatter.

My laboured breathing did nothing to diminish my elation. It was as if my very being, my magic, sung at my victory— as small as it was.

I took a moment to catch my breath, twirling my wand around my fingers. I felt tired, but not to the point of exhaustion. I paused for a moment before speaking out. "Level two."

The scarlet glow around the arena deepened, the dummy rising upwards like a zombie. It cast a Banishing Charm at me followed by a Disarming Charm.

I panicked, not expecting a chain of spells, and leapt to the side in a hasty bid to avoid the dummy's salvo. Unfortunately, I tripped and fell to the floor with a groan. A frustrated snarl rose from my throat, my previous happiness disappearing as if it had been doused in water.

Sitting up, my hand rose past my knee before my wand was sent hurtling into the air before landing on the floor with a clatter.

I pulled myself upwards, the red glow fading from the room, muttering a string of curses.

It was clear to me that before attempting duelling of any kind, I had to work on several other things first.

The abysmal performance aside, I was satisfied that I had outlined my current limits. Now that I knew them, I could work towards going past them.

A little while later, I sat back at the desk, writing out the next week's essays. It was boring work, but getting it done would allow me to pursue more interesting subjects in my spare time.

I made sure to dot my i's and cross my t's before the study session was cut short by the room buzzing. It was expected, though, since I had asked it to notify me when it was time for dinner.

I grunted in acquiescence, continuing to scribble away my conclusion. The room began to buzz and hum, its annoyance palpable.

"Alright, alright I'm getting up." I said, wincing at the vibrations in the air.

I stood up with a slight limp, my deadened legs slowly regaining some feeling as I trudged around the room.

I flicked my wrist, summoning my wand to my hand and softly murmured, "Tempus."

A silvery mist flowed out of the tip, curling, and extending until it formed a cloud of argent text directly in front of me.

'6:42 PM'

I sighed in relief; I was just on time for dinner.

Sheathing my wand, I slid on my outer robe and packed away the various stationary scattered across the table.

"Thanks for this, Room!" I huffed, slinging my bag over my shoulder, and running towards the door. "See you soon!"

Half the room's walls glowed purple whilst the other half glowed yellow— it was both sad and happy.

With a final smile, I shut the door behind me and sprinted down the corridor.

*

oOOOo

*

Ground Floor, The Great Hall, 6:50 PM

"So let me get this straight," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose to stop my laughter from overcoming me. "They took you to the Quidditch Pitch, stuck you on top of a broom and had you play with them, all from the word 'go'?"

"Well… yeah." She said, her face morphing in confusion.

"And you had fun, yeah?"

She nodded her head in response.

"So, tell me, why was it I heard you screaming in absolute terror on my way down to the Great Hall?" I chortled, setting down my goblet, my shoulders shaking.

"That's…' She buried her head in her arms, groaning. "Angelina and Alicia decided to play a prank on me midway through our game. They've been hanging around Fred and George for way too long if you ask me…"

She huffed, sitting back up, her face flushing embarrassedly. My laughs soon turned into racking sobs as I struggled to breathe.

I brought my laughter under control and sipped from the goblet, the cool water wetting my throat. "Besides your little incident, did you have a good time?"

A broad grin spread across her face, her expression lightening. "Yup! Angelina and Alicia are amazing! What about you?"

"I…" My thoughts flicked back to my training session. "Studied some stuff, I guess. I've even got next week's essays written."

Katie immediately looked at me pleadingly, her previous embarrassment forgotten in a heartbeat.

"Let me guess," I said playfully, holding my chin in mock thought. "You want to copy the essays?"

"N-Not copy them…" She trailed off, taking great interest in her fork.

My mouth twitched upwards.

"I'm kidding! You can copy them, though obviously not word for word." I said, fishing through my bag for the rolls of parchment, placing them in her hands.

She cradled them as if they were a lost treasure, hurriedly stuffing them into her bag. She hummed to herself, flicking through the essays, and taking notes.

I turned my gaze to the rest of the wall, savouring the taste of lemon meringue in my mouth and watching the flickering wax candles disinterestedly.

*

oOOOo

Seventh Floor, Room of Requirement, 7:42 PM

*

I grunted, my arms shaking in exertion as I pulled my chin over the bar. My now damp shirt clung to my back uncomfortably and a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face and entered my eye, causing it to sting.

Yet the pain was somehow cathartic, as if I were ridding myself of my troubles with each repetition of an exercise.

That posed a question though. I wondered if wizards had shorter recovery times than their non magical counterparts.

But it was a topic for another time. I pushed the thought away in favour of focusing on my workout.

I curled upwards, wincing at the burning sensation spreading across my core. The Room pulsed in amusement, no doubt mocking my predicament.

"Laugh it up…" I muttered half-heartedly, more preoccupied with the pain than anything else.

Once I had finished my set, I stood up shakily and looked around.

No matter how many times I entered the room, I was constantly blown away by its capabilities.

How insanely talented its creator must have been, I thought whilst pulling my shirt off my back.

I decided to voice my question aloud.

"Hey, room?" I asked, my mouth stretched into a yawn. "Who made you?"

The walls took a mocking colour—a solid purple—flaming letters forming in the air in front of me.

"You were made by Rowena Ravenclaw?" I hedged; my voice incredulous.

Though the more that I thought about it, the more that it made sense. Each of the founders must have left some sort of mark upon the castle; some found, others to be discovered.

The world I now lived in was more than a book series; the people here lived and breathed, just the same as I, so it wouldn't be a stretch to claim that there was more to the Wizarding World than the journey of one Harry Potter.

The room being a prime example. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire castle was sentient.

"Huh, good to know." I trailed off, much to the room's delight. "Yes, let's laugh at the poor, ignorant child…'

Much to my chagrin, my complaints only served to amuse it even more.

I grinned and sat down; my exercises were complete. The temperature around me lowered, a pleasant breeze gracing my skin as a comfortable silence descended over the room. I muttered my thanks, lying on the floor and enjoying the serene atmosphere.

.

**********

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