As I entered the Study Club library, my eyes immediately found Blake sitting in a quiet corner.
Several sheets of parchment were spread across the table before her. Every now and then she would jot something down, pause to trace a series of wand movements through the air, frown slightly, and then return to writing.
Completely absorbed.
I walked over quietly.
"Hey, Blake."
She jumped.
The quill slipped from her fingers, nearly knocking over the ink bottle.
"Al!"
She quickly steadied the bottle before glaring at me.
"You nearly scared the life out of me."
A faint smile appeared on my face.
"Sorry."
She immediately noticed the smile didn't reach my eyes.
"...Bad day?"
I pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
"You could say that."
"What happened?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I reached into my bag and pulled out several of the redesigned blueprints.
"I figured it out."
It took her a moment, but Her eyes immediately lit up.
"You did?"
I nodded.
"We don't need to force multiple projections into a single device."
I placed one of the sketches between us.
"We'll use interchangeable projection discs."
For a second, Blake simply stared at the drawing.
Then realization dawned on her.
"Of course."
She leaned closer, excitement replacing the concern on her face.
"The projector becomes the reader..."
"...and the discs become the storage medium," I finished.
She looked back at me with an excited grin.
"Al, that's brilliant!"
"It means we can increase storage simply by changing discs instead of redesigning the projector every time."
I nodded.
"It solves almost every problem I'd been struggling with."
"Then why do you still look so miserable?"
The excitement faded slightly.
I sighed.
"Because I don't have the time to build it."
Her expression became confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I went to see Uncle Snape yesterday."
I briefly explained my request for a one-week exemption from classes and Dumbledore's decision to reject it.
By the time I finished, Blake's smile had disappeared.
"...He refused?"
I nodded.
"He said Hogwarts is a school and classes aren't optional."
For several moments, neither of us spoke.
Finally Blake broke the silence.
"What about weekends?"
"Part of them are already occupied."
She looked puzzled.
"I asked Uncle Snape to teach me memory magic."
"Memory magic?"
"I want the projector to do more than display illusions."
I looked down at the blueprint.
"I want it to reproduce memories."
Blake's eyes widened.
"Like the memories stored in a Pensieve?"
"Exactly."
"If we can imprint memories onto projection discs, people won't just watch moving images."
"They'll relive moments."
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"Quidditch fans could rewatch their favorite matches."
"Parents could preserve their children's childhood."
"Families could keep the memories of loved ones."
"Ancient houses could leave behind not just books and portraits, but the actual experiences of each generation."
Blake remained silent for several seconds.
Then a smile slowly spread across her face.
"That's..."
She searched for the right word.
"...beautiful."
I chuckled softly.
"I was hoping for 'revolutionary.'"
"It can be both."
She looked at me with the same confidence she always seemed to have whenever one of us ran into a wall.
She looked at me with complete seriousness.
"Then we'll simply work at night."
I blinked.
"At night?"
She nodded as though it were the most obvious solution.
"I'm close to finishing the command enchantments. I can continue refining those whenever I have free periods during the day. Once curfew begins, we'll work on the projection discs together."
Her confidence was strangely infectious.
Only moments ago, the project had seemed to hit another wall.
Now...
It merely felt like another scheduling problem.
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Alright."
"But this will slow us down considerably."
"We still have homework."
"Regular spell practice."
"The Study Club."
"And end-of-year examinations aren't that far away either."
I leaned back in my chair.
"If we neglect our own training, everything else becomes meaningless."
Blake nodded in agreement.
"Our strength has to keep improving."
"For both of us."
A thoughtful silence followed.
Then Blake frowned slightly.
"There's another problem."
I looked at her.
"The Study Club closes before curfew."
"It does."
"And even if we stayed here, the prefects or professors would eventually notice."
She tapped the blueprint absentmindedly.
"We'll need somewhere secluded."
"Somewhere we can experiment without worrying about patrols, curious students, or someone accidentally walking in."
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"I have the perfect place."
Blake raised an eyebrow.
"You do?"
I nodded.
"It has enough space for all our experiments."
"It's completely hidden."
"And no one will disturb us."
She stared at me curiously.
"Where is it?"
I deliberately remained silent for a few seconds.
Then I smiled.
"It's a surprise."
"I'll show you tomorrow night."
She puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance.
"Why not tonight?"
"Because," I replied, glancing toward the enchanted ceiling above the library, "I have Astronomy tonight."
Blake sighed dramatically.
"You really know how to ruin the suspense."
"I prefer building anticipation."
She rolled her eyes.
"That's just another way of saying the same thing."
I merely smiled before taking out my Charms textbook.
If I couldn't gain more time, then I would simply have to make better use of the time I already had.
The two of us spent the remaining afternoon quietly studying.
While Blake continued refining the command enchantments, I reviewed tomorrow's Charms lesson, occasionally making notes in the margins whenever I thought of a possible improvement to the projector.
The day passed uneventfully.
Astronomy was my final lesson, and by the time I finally returned to the dormitory, I was too exhausted to do anything except sleep.
The following day passed much more pleasantly.
During Charms, Professor Flitwick asked Blake and me to remain behind after demonstrating the day's spell.
Once the rest of the class had begun practicing, he floated over toward us with his usual cheerful smile.
"Mr. Salvius, Miss Black."
We both turned toward him.
"I heard about the request you made to Professor Dumbledore."
I nodded.
"I suspected Professor Snape might mention it."
Flitwick smiled apologetically.
"I'm afraid I couldn't convince the Headmaster to excuse you from classes."
"I understand, Professor."
"However..." His eyes twinkled. "You are both already proficient in the entire first-year curriculum. In fact, I'd say you're slightly ahead of where most second-years begin."
Blake and I exchanged surprised glances.
"So," he continued, "I'm going to make a small exception."
"You'll still attend my lessons."
"But during class, you're free to continue your own research, provided it doesn't disturb the other students."
For a moment, I simply stared at him.
It wasn't the week-long exemption I had hoped for.
But every spare minute mattered.
"Thank you, Professor."
His smile widened.
"I'll admit I'm rather curious to see what you two create."
"We'll try not to disappoint you."
That evening, the Study Club gradually emptied as students returned to their common rooms before curfew.
One by one, I wished everyone good night.
"See you tomorrow."
"Night, Alastair."
"Good night, Blake."
Once the last of the Slytherins had left, I picked up my bag and looked toward Blake.
"Ready?"
She nodded immediately.
"I've been waiting all day."
Together, we left the library and climbed the moving staircases toward the seventh floor.
The corridors grew quieter with every flight of stairs.
"So..." Blake said as we walked.
"Are you finally going to tell me where we're going?"
"No."
She sighed.
"I've been asking since yesterday."
"I know."
"And you still won't tell me."
I simply smiled.
"You'll understand when we get there."
A few minutes later, we arrived at a long stretch of corridor.
There hung a large tapestry depicting a foolish-looking wizard attempting to teach trolls ballet.
Barnabas the Barmy.
I paused for a moment, studying the familiar yet unfamiliar tapestry.
It was the first time I had come here.
In truth, I had deliberately avoided this part of the castle ever since arriving at Hogwarts.
There were simply too many secrets hidden nearby that I wasn't ready to disturb.
"Al?"
Blake's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"This is the place?"
"It is."
She looked around.
"I don't see anything."
"That's because it isn't visible yet."
Without another word, I turned toward the blank stone wall opposite the tapestry.
Then I began walking.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As I paced back and forth, I focused on a single thought.
A private research laboratory.
A place where two students could invent, experiment, and work without interruption.
Beside me, Blake watched in complete confusion.
"...Have you finally lost your mind?"
I ignored the comment and completed the third pass.
The instant I stopped walking...
A low rumble echoed through the corridor.
Blake's eyes widened.
The perfectly smooth stone wall shimmered.
Bricks shifted and folded into one another as though the castle itself were reshaping its corridors.
Within seconds, an ornate wooden door stood where only a blank wall had existed moments before.
Neither of us spoke.
Blake slowly turned toward me.
"...Al."
I smiled.
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement."
__________________________
A/N: Apologies for missing update timings. I thought I had set up scheduled releases. I had get a second job recently and the schedule's been hectic. I'll try not to miss any more releases
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