HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Aris, who had been engrossed in his book, slowly raised his head and adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the middle of his nose.

"Theoretically, on the eighth floor of the castle, opposite the tapestry of the troll beating Barnabas, there is an empty wall." His voice was flat, as if he were reading a textbook entry.

"I saw a similar record in the expanded edition of Hogwarts: A History of the School."

Aris raised his hand and adjusted his glasses. "Some less formal travelogues mention that if a person concentrates and holds a meeting in front of a wall three times, and they really need a specific place..."

"There might be a door in that wall, and the room behind that door is called the Room of Requirement."

Ian and Kevin turned their heads at the same time, staring intently at Aris.

"Can you conjure up any room you need?" Kevin's voice rose a little with excitement.

"According to the records, yes, as long as the needs are specific and focused enough, and do not violate the basic rules of the castle." Aris nodded, turning his gaze back to the pages. "However, I've never been there, I've only read about it."

Ian and Kevin exchanged a glance, both seeing a gleam of eager anticipation in each other's eyes.

"Tonight?" Ian mouthed the question silently.

Kevin nodded emphatically, his fist clenched: "Absolutely!"

Severus noticed the tension between them but said nothing, sitting back down and reopening his book.

That night, when all was quiet, Ian and Kevin quietly slipped out of their dorm room.

The two moved close to the stone wall, their footsteps as light as two cats sneaking away.

"This way," Ian said in a low voice, turning into another corridor based on Aris's description. They evaded a Filch patrol, nearly bumped into the almost headless Nick emerging from behind his armor, and finally found the tapestry—a comical scene of Barnabas trying to teach a troll to ballet.

Opposite is a bare stone wall.

"Is this the place?" Kevin gasped, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"Walk past it three times, concentrate on thinking..." Ian took a deep breath and began walking back and forth along the wall.

He closed his eyes and desperately tried to imagine a place where he could grow plants without being disturbed by dampness; a place where they could practice spells without worrying about making noise; and ideally, a place to read books and brew potions... a multi-functional secret base that belonged only to them.

Kevin, mimicking him, muttered, "Merlin, please, Merlin, please give us a place..."

As they passed the wall for the third time, the outline of a door silently appeared on the wall, followed by a smooth wooden door panel with a simple brass handle.

Ian and Kevin exchanged a glance and held their breath.

Ian reached out and gently pressed down on the handle.

The door opened.

The room was larger than they had imagined, but it was not an endless expanse of emptiness.

Warm yellow light gently spilled down from somewhere, illuminating the entire space.

To the left is an area covered with dark soil, and the part against the wall seems to simulate a window sill, offering a view of the night scene outside, with good air circulation but not excessive humidity.

In the middle is a spacious open space, covered with a thick, durable, dark carpet.

Several tall bookshelves stood against the wall on the right, and although they were empty now, there were surprisingly a few comfortable-looking, cushioned chairs and a large desk next to them.

What caught Ian's eye the most was the back of the room, where there was a standard potion-making table—it wasn't brand new, but the stone countertop was clean, with storage cabinets underneath, and even a vent and a small sink.

"Merlin's beard..." Kevin murmured, his mouth agape, "This...this is truly..."

"The Room of Requirement!" Ian grinned, rubbing his hands excitedly. "Quick, help me move those flowerpots over here! This is much better than our dorm room windowsill!"

They went to great lengths, sneaking back and forth between the cellar and the eighth floor, to move Ian's few dying and uncertain plants, along with his tools, the remaining seeds, and the precious potting soil.

Ian carefully replanted the peppermint and rue in the soil of the planting area, and also moved the jumping roots to a different location.

After doing all that, the two of them collapsed on the carpet in the middle of the room, exhausted, but with silly smiles on their faces.

"We have to tell Aris about this," Ian said, catching his breath. "We wouldn't have found this place without him, and Severus will love this potions station."

"This will be our secret base from now on," Kevin said, his smile widening.

At breakfast the next day, Ian took advantage of the surrounding noise to quickly and quietly describe the previous night's discovery to Aris and Severus.

A look of interest flashed in Aris's eyes. "It sounds consistent with the records."

He thought for a moment and added, "The safety still needs to be assessed, but... it's definitely worth a try."

Severus stopped cutting the sausage, raised his dark eyes and glanced at Ian. There was something complicated in his eyes—surprise, perhaps a slight feeling of being included in this "secret," but more than anything, caution.

"Are you sure no one saw you?"

"Absolutely not!" Kevin blurted out, his mouth still stuffed with bread. "We were as quiet as bats in the night!"

Severus gave a noncommittal hum, but said nothing more.

There were no classes that afternoon, so they went to the eighth floor in batches. Ian led the way, and when the door appeared again for them as they concentrated, even Aris paused slightly.

Severus walked into the room, his gaze slowly sweeping over the planting area, the practice space, the bookshelves, and the potion station, finally settling on the plants that Ian had repositioned and that looked a little more energetic, lingering for a few seconds.

"How is it?" Ian asked expectantly.

"It's highly functional." Aris had already walked to the bookshelf, studying its structure and potential for expansion. "The light source is constant, the ventilation is good, and the space is extremely adaptable. In theory, we can adjust the furnishings as needed."

Kevin was already gesturing excitedly in the middle of the open space: "Here! This is perfect for practicing spells! Look how spacious it is! No more worrying about burning a hole in the common room carpet!"

Severus walked to the potion-making station, ran his finger across the stone surface, inspected the sink and vents, and nodded slightly: "The basic facilities are complete, more...private than the shared countertops in the classroom."

His gaze drifted to the planting area, where Ian was squatting, muttering incantations to the blackened peppermint plant, trying to use his newly learned, stuttering resurrection spell.

Severus watched for a while, then walked over, took out his tattered "Simple Guide to the Cultivation of Common Medicinal Plants" from his pocket, turned to a certain page, and pointed to the illustrations on it.

"The rotten parts must be cut off, and the healthy stem segments should be kept and replanted. The soil needs to be completely replaced, and a small amount of gravel should be mixed in to improve drainage. Use a weakened version of the mantra 'Heal as before' and focus it on the cut, not on the leaves."

Ian looked up, his eyes sparkling: "Understood! Master!"

Severus turned his face away and shoved the book into his hand: "Read it yourself."