So with this month's issue centering around the notorious Room of Requirement, I thought I'd put my two cents in regarding the matter, and tell you my experience of how the Room of Requirement saved my face from needing cosmetic surgery.
My experience occurred about a year ago, during my fifth year at Hogwarts--wait! Before I go any further with my story, I'd like to make a disclaimer. I have to admit, while attending Hogwarts, I have not been what one would consider a role model student. My loud mouth and snarky personality tend to get me in heaps of trouble, resulting in a busted lip here and a black eye there. After telling you my story, I can only hope that you are gracious enough to not let my actions define what you think of me. Sometimes I let my temper get the best of me.
Well, I do feel better now that that's off my chest. Let's continue the story, shall we? So as I was saying, my encounter with the Room of Requirement occurred last year, during October, Halloween night to be precise. I had gotten into a bit of trouble that night, as usual, but during this particular night, I found myself shoved against a rough stone wall, being held about a foot off the ground by the collar of my night robe.
A gnarly looking Gryffindor girl, who could've fooled me into thinking she was related to giants with her height and size, had finally gotten her hands on me, and to be honest, I feared for the future of my currently scar-free complexion. Just as she was pulling her arm back, getting ready to pummel my delicate facial features with her caveman-like fist, a loud meow came from behind the troll girl. This was the one time in my life that I was ever truly thankful for Mrs. Norris' existence. In a moment of startlement, the girl's grip on my collar faltered, giving me my desperately needed opportunity to escape.
I ran as if my life depended upon it, my blood curdling at the loud pounding of the girl's feet behind me. Running up the staircase, and reaching the seventh floor nearly completely out of breath, I silently cursed myself for not having joined Quidditch or Dueling, which would have done well to keep me in shape for events like this. Alas, I had chosen to be a muffin-eating candy junkie who watched most sporting events from the spectator stands, that only being if I had mustered enough energy to slink out of my rather comfortable bed. It was a compounding of bad decisions over the years that left me in this exhausted, light-headed situation.
Rounding a corner, I prayed to find some form of shelter from the hellish fiend that was closing in from behind me. I knew I couldn't run much further, and my only hope was to try to take cover in one of the empty classrooms. Noticing a heavy-set oak door to my left, I threw myself at it in a last ditch effort, and as if by magic, it swung open just in time, shutting with a loud thud behind me. Looking around, I gasped at the room I found myself in. The room was over-sized, yet cozy, with a large, blazing fireplace on one side.
In the middle of the room, was a large, king-sized bed, with so many pillows I could've made ten different pillow forts. In the far corner, stood a basin filled with water. After washing the beads of sweat from my face and neck, I sat in front of the fire, taking in the beauty of this room. A bit later, I found my way to what I still claim to be the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. I slept so well in fact, that I missed three of my morning classes the next day (which I ended up getting a lovely detention for).
I'd never seen the room before. At the time, it made absolutely no sense why a bedroom was in the middle of the seventh floor, which typically had dozens of unused classrooms. It wasn't until later that year that I learned that what I had witnessed that night, was the magic of the Room of Requirement.
Hope you all enjoyed hearing about my experience. I'd love to hear yours!
Until next time,
-Artemisia Lestrange