16 The riddle and the room

After leaving the library, Felix returned to the Ravenclaw tower to get some rest. As he reached the entrance, he was greeted by the eagle head, the guardian of the tower. It posed a riddle to him:

"I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"

Felix paused, his mind still clouded by a headache from his intense focus on the Herbology book. With a bit of hesitation, he answered, "Is it an echo?"

The entrance sign confirmed that Felix had given the correct answer. Feeling relieved, he entered the tower, knowing his room would be empty at this time of the day. Felix often skipped dinner to have some much-needed solitude. He turned on some music, lying down on his soft bed, and closed his eyes.

Focusing on the melody, Felix felt a sensation as if someone was massaging his head from within. His mind went blank and empty, devoid of thoughts or emotions. Just before falling asleep, he realized he had reached the state he had been seeking.

The next morning, Felix woke up early with excitement in his eyes. He thought, "This method works! I achieved a state of a blank and empty mind after exhausting my thoughts. Now, all I need to do is to enter that state again." Felix left his room and attempted to reach that state in the empty common room. However, he struggled to replicate the experience. He decided to put on some music to help him focus. After a while, he opened his eyes, feeling a trace of disappointment.

"The feeling is still foggy to me. I need to try exhausting my mind again to enter that state. Should I continue reading the Herbology book, even though it takes too much time?" Felix pondered. Then a memory from the previous night crossed his mind when he had paused in front of the entrance.

"Should I try solving some of the eagle-head riddles? They might exhaust my mind faster," Felix said to himself, standing up and heading towards the entrance. He faced the eagle head, ready for some riddles.

"I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?" the eagle head asked.

"Music," Felix answered, closing the door and waiting for the next riddle.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?" the eagle head inquired again.

"Footsteps," Felix responded, closing the door once more.

As Felix answered more riddles, they became progressively harder, requiring more time for him to find the answers. Instant responses turned into seconds, and then minutes as he reached the 30s. When he reached the 42nd riddle, he realized it wasn't something he could answer, but something he needed to discover. This is what the eagle head asked:

Within Hogwarts' ancient halls, a secret lies concealed, A room of boundless possibilities, to be revealed. Seek not a door, nor a passage, nor a visible sign, For the Room of Requirement hides, elusive and fine.

To find its presence, attune your senses to the space, Embrace the whispers, the echoes, the subtle trace. Listen keenly to the castle's whispered lore, It holds the hints to unlock the hidden door.

When in dire need, when urgency calls, Let your thoughts be clear, your intentions enthralled. Concentrate deeply on your heart's true desire, And the Room shall emerge, its purpose shall transpire.

Thus, seeker, venture forth with an open mind, Uncover the enigma, the Room you shall find. But remember, its secrets are for the worthy few, Reveal its whereabouts, and enlightenment shall ensue.

Felix stood frozen in front of the entrance, contemplating the riddle. Suddenly, he was interrupted by the prefect of Ravenclaw, who had just come outside.

"Felix, wake up!"

"What do you want?" Felix glared at the prefect, annoyed at being interrupted while deep in thought.

"I don't care about whatever you were thinking about. Just move away from the entrance; you're blocking it," the prefect said, his dislike for Felix apparent since the first day.

"Sorry," Felix apologized, then entered the common room, paying no further attention to the prefect, who was always looking for a chance to get him into trouble.

Inside the room, Felix found Xeno still sleeping. He tried to wake him up, saying, "Xeno, wake up."

"Five more minutes, five more minutes," mumbled Xeno.

Realizing Xeno wouldn't wake up easily, Felix took out his wand and pointed it at Xeno's blanket.

"Densus Increscere!" he incanted, transforming the blanket's density into iron, effectively trapping Xeno underneath it.

"What the hell is happening? I can't move!" Xeno freaked out, feeling the weight pressing down on him.

"It's nothing. I'll be back in five minutes, just as you wanted," Felix said, planning to leave with an evil smile on his face.

"Felix! You jerk! Come back here, you asshole!" Xeno shouted, throwing insults at Felix. However, when he realized Felix was about to leave for real, his tone changed, and he started begging.

"Please, I'm awake now. I'm sorry for not waking up earlier. Can you free me now? It's hard to breathe."

"Well, that's the right attitude," Felix replied, returning the blanket to its normal density. Unexpectedly, Xeno jumped on Felix the moment he was freed.

"Come here, you little jerk! What can you do without your stupid magic?"

After ten minutes of fighting, both of them exhausted, they headed to the dining hall for breakfast. On the way, Felix asked Xeno, "Does this castle have any secret rooms or something like that?"

"Yes, it's possible," Xeno answered.

"You're not sure about it?" Felix inquired.

"There are a lot of hidden secrets in this castle. Most of them have not been discovered in the last thousand years," Xeno explained.

Felix thought to himself, "Then I should solve that riddle to discover the Room of Requirement." Excited about unraveling the new mystery, he continued on his quest.