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the room of requirement	By : evil-minded Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > General Views: 3502 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character from it, Rowling does … I do not make any money out of Harry Potter either, again – Rowling does … I however do own Nolan Malfoy – but I don’t make money of him also … :D …

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author's Notes:

Uhm ... ok ... I have to admit ... English is not my language by birth ... so ... please do not kill me while reading ... neither for the bad English I use, nor for what I am writing ...

Warning:

Story contains references to child abuse:

Child abuse is a really serious thing, it is an evil thing and there are a lot of children in our world that really would need help without being helped, and closing our eyes and pretending it does not exist – is no solution … handle people, children as well as adults, which are showing any signs – whichever – of once being abused … with understanding and with help …

what does not mean I am not as evil as I pretend to be … ^.~ … believe me – I am …

break … ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ … line

Previously in The room of requirement

He really hated those visits, but he knew they were important. Too many students from his house were mistreated at home, and closing his eyes, looking aside and then forgetting about it would not help them. With his visits during the holidays he did not only check on the students themselves to see if they were fine. He also made a point to the parents, let them know that he was present, that he dropped in every now and then, that they had to be careful, that he would notice what they did. Not openly of course. But they nevertheless knew he would visit, and thus they knew he would notice. And hence they restrained themselves from violence – a bit at least. But that was better than nothing.

And besides of this – he at least gave his students the comfort to just know that he cared and that was more than they got from their home lives and parents.

The room of requirement

Chapter four

A few computer things

Saturday

Snape stepped out of the floo and into his living room, brushing off some sooth from his shoulders and then pulled off his outer robe, hanging it onto the wardrobe beside the fireplace and with a sigh he went towards the corner cupboard. He took out a glass and the flask of wine he had opened the day before, sighing heavily.

It had not been a pleasant visit this evening.

Darren had been uncomfortable the entire evening, knowing that his father made a fool out of himself.

Well, McKinsky senior had not been really drunk. But he definitely hadn't been sober either.

When at one point during the evening McKinsky had left the dining room, Darren had apologized to him and for a moment Snape hadn't been able to suppress thinking of Potter. He had ensured towards Darren, that there was no reason for him to apologize at all, that he was not responsible for his father's actions.

Well, Darren had been fine, at least outwardly. There had been no injuries and no bruises, neither had he detected a glamor the boy might have used to cover up anything. But Snape easily had noticed the nervousness the boy had radiated. Well, he had at least been able to get the promise from the boy that he would send him an owl or an e-mail, should something happen, should his father resort to violence or should he be in any kind of trouble during his stay at home.

And Darren – as all his Slytherins – knew that he meant it. That he would find himself in quite a lot of trouble would he not address him if he should need help. As the head of Slytherin he always had made clear that he would not allow any of his snakes to suffer, not even during the holidays, and all of them knew that the trouble they would get into with him afterwards, if they neglected to address him if there would be need to, would be much worse than the trouble they ever could get into at home.

Not that he ever would beat them. No. But he would show them his disappointment. And that was something that was much more painful to his students than anything else as he got along with them very well and they always tried to do as he expected of them just to please him. They were a family and they respected him, knew that he respected them too. Something that rarely did happen at their homes. And thus, yes, they didn't want to disappoint him, didn't want to feel his disappointment.

However, Snape had thanked McKinsky for the dinner and for the evening and he had promised to visit again. McKinsky had smiled at this happily. Darren's father was not an evil man in general. He was – if being sober – a friendly and a kind man. He just didn't know when to stop drinking, and when being drunk, he just didn't have himself under control. That was all.

It was not an excuse, that was for sure. But he was not the evil and uncaring father some of the other Slytherins had at home.

Visiting Adrian Pucey next week would be much more complicated. Adrian's father was not a kind man in the first place. He knew that already. Yet – he had not thought of him to resort to violence towards his son.

He wasn't even sure if it really was that way, he just knew what he had read between the lines in the room of requirement. But it was enough so he would visit Adrian and so he would have a very close look at the boy. He never would take any risks when it came to his snakes and Adrian made no exception there.

For a moment he even considered to visit Potter, to have a look at him too. But then – he would have to explain why he suddenly took interest in the boy's home life and Minerva surely wouldn't buy any excuses. The first thing she would do, would be questioning him as to why in Merlin's name he suddenly would have a look at one of her lions.

Sighing again he turned on the computer. It was a quarter to eleven and there might still be a few of the others online. Maybe he had gotten even an e-mail from Darren with another apology for his father's behavior this evening.

Well, there was none and he was quite relieved. So the boy at least felt not the need to apologize further. Or he had been just tired. It had been quite tiring for the boy.

His visits always were. And he knew it.

They had to play a game whenever he visited. They knew why he visited and they had to be careful that their fathers would not notice the real reason while at the same time they had to find a way to get through the evening either without showing anything to him or to allow him to notice some things, again without their parents' awareness, and considering of how afraid they were of their parents, this surely was not easy.

And never mind how tiring it was for his students, he nevertheless visited them simply because he thought it important.

Sighing and entering the 'room of requirement' he saw that really quite a few were still present.

[Darkmaster enters the room of requirement at 10:49 pm]

founders: hello Darkmaster, nice to see you this evening. *reachingacupofteatoDarkmaster* ... |_|) ...

Darkmaster: good evening, Hermy, hufflejustin, ravenboot and slythadrian … I see every house is present tonight.

Hermy: hello, Darkmaster, nice to see you. You're late tonight. Is everything alright?

slythadrian: hi Darkmaster … present yes, but not awake, as it seems

Darkmaster: I see the founders have changed the greeting towards me.

Hermy: whether ravenboot and hufflejustin have a private dialog together, or they both are asleep in front of their computers, I don't know

Hermy: yes, I guess that was Harry. He must have done it last night, Darkmaster

Darkmaster: Yes, I am quite alright, Hermy, thank you for your concern. I was visiting someone, and thus couldn't come earlier.

Darkmaster: Well, then I guess I will have to thank Potter for the effort he made.

Hermy: that's great, I hope you've had an enjoyable evening, Darkmaster

Darkmaster: maybe it would have been wiser the both of them would have gone to bed. They only will feel stiff tomorrow, slythadrian.

Darkmaster: I indeed have had an enjoyable evening, Hermy, thank you.

slythadrian: well, they will have written asdfjkl tomorrow morning over their foreheads

Hermy: *lol*

Darkmaster: Not quite an eloquent word to have written on one's forehead.

Hermy: you talk to him a lot, in private, don't you, Darkmaster? Harry, I mean.

slythadrian: *g* not really, no, Darkmaster

Darkmaster: Yes, we have had a few private dialogs thus far, Hermy.

Hermy: that's good, Darkmaster. He normally isn't opening up so soon. I guess he likes you a lot

Darkmaster: ^.~

slythadrian: ok, Hermy. Now – do you KNOW where he is?

Hermy: I guess at home, slythadrian. He never goes out – so, he will be at home

slythadrian: why not, Hermy? He is fourteen soon. He should go out with girls

Hermy: *cough* … hmpf … Harry? Going out? With girls?

slythadrian: oh … then he prefers boys?

Hermy: slythadrian!

Darkmaster: Quite the subject tonight? How amusing.

slythadrian: what? Hermy? A bit shy, are you?

Hermy: Harry is not gay! slythadrian

slythadrian: well, Darkmaster … not really … the question just slipped me …

Darkmaster: He already left? Potter, I mean?

Hermy: he wasn't here yet, Darkmaster.

slythadrian: what was the reason I asked Hermy where he was, what then led to – well, the question …

Hermy: I guess he just had a lot of work to do and went to bed early. He wasn't really well the past few days. A bit too quiet for my liking

slythadrian: or maybe he got into trouble with his uncle

Hermy: that never kept him from coming into the room of requirement

slythadrian: maybe he got into a bit more trouble than normally? It is Saturday at least and he never comes online on Saturdays.

Hermy: what do you mean by that, slythadrian?

slythadrian: dunno, YOU are Potter's closest friend. I just mean that he maybe hides something, what is going on there, with his muggle relatives

Hermy: surely not! He would have mentioned it.

Darkmaster: I have to agree with Granger, slythadrian. You are ridiculous. Potter is famous after all and surely pampered by his relatives

Well, Potter was not, and he knew it, he thought, while sipping at his wine just as he had done the night before. He knew it since last night. All the chores Potter had to do, Petunia hating him because he was a wizard, and this chat room being a refuge to him where he could talk to his friends because his relatives kept him from the outside world during the holidays.

No, Potter surely was not the pampered prince he had thought earlier. But old habits – or old thoughts in this case – died hard after all. And besides of this, well, he wasn't ready to take Potter's side yet.

slythadrian: come on, Hermy. You just have to watch Potter. Whenever he comes back after summer he isn't the Potter who had left two month before.

Hermy: no, Darkmaster, he is not pampered. I know that his relatives hate him, for example. And I know that he often gets into trouble with them during the holidays, whatever reason for

Hermy: but, slythadrian, what YOU think, that is quite stupid as well. Both of you are just exaggerating. Take a middle way and you might get it right

slythadrian: well, Darkmaster and Hermy … really, he IS thinner after holidays, and he always looks tired – and dunno, strange, scared somehow. It's no fun turning on him directly after summer before he has recovered because he wouldn't fight back then, even Draco knows this and leaves him alone then.

Hermy: well, he grows over the summer and that for you might think he is thinner. He never mentioned something else than the fact that his relatives hated magic and that for him, and from what I know from the short meetings at Kings Cross, when his uncle gets him from the train home I know that he is not a kind man. But he is neither pampered, nor does his uncle use violence … and I guess we now stop talking about him while he is not here. If you want to know more, then just ask him when he is here …

break … ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ … line

Well, Adrian had written that they never would get a truthful answer from him if they asked. But then they had dropped the subject, and Snape was quite glad for it. He did not want to think about Potter too closely. It was one thing to write with him – and the rest of them – to find out something, to fool them, but he did not want to think about Potter. Not too closely at least.

If he would have been honest with himself, then he would have had to admit that he already did more than just writing with Potter. Not to mention the fact that he enjoyed it. That he already considered some things about Potter, about what he wrote, and – as annoying as it might have been to him – that he missed his presence tonight. That he wondered where Potter kept himself. That he missed the private dialog he would have with Potter would he be present. At least he was disappointed in the boy's absence.

However, Granger had changed the topic and Adrian had begun to play a game, asking questions.

Well, it had been quite fun, he had to admit. He had learned a few things about Adrian, and he himself had answered – to his own greatest disbelief – most of the questions truthfully. At least those questions who would not give him away.

At half past twelve both had left the 'room of requirement'. And as he had no desire to chat with the remaining two who were not writing anything anyway, he himself had clicked at some profiles and then began to build up his own one. Just out of curiosity. And because maybe Potter might be showing up at one point or another during the night.

Given name. Well, that one was easy. As was the sure name. Dark and Master. He wrote those down.

Gender. Easy too. Male.

Birthday. Well, should he really give his birthday away? No, surely not. Even if he could name the birthday and the year of birth separated and would not have had to give away his true age without lying. He did not want anyone to know this bit of information about him. Albus and Minerva were the only two who actually knew his birthday.

Zodiac sign, well, that was another thing. Why not? So he wrote down Capricorn.

Some of the questions were quite annoying, and quite too personal, and he made up answers to them. He might have been a wizard, but even he knew that too much information given away on the internet were a big mistake. And he had to lose quite a lot, he was a spy after all. He had to be extra careful.

Well, maybe not with this childish chat room, for no one would search information on him here. And maybe not even on the lumos-net in general, because he was sure that Miss Granger knew what she did were safety was concerned. But he nevertheless was used to being careful.

Well, in the end, when he was done, he looked over what he had written and he was satisfied with the outcome.

Given name: Dark

Sure name: Master

Gender: male

Birthday: unknown

Year of birth: unknown

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Character: slim

Height: tall

Color of hair: black

Color of eyes: brown

Positive things: nothing

Negative things: a lot

Home: somewhere

House: Slytherin

Family: none

The next category was the one that was the one more annoying. Who's business was it what his favorite drinks were? Or his favorite food? Well, he supposed Potter had listed them so people knew a bit about the other users. Without the stupid game of questions and answers. He just imagined their reaction to his favorite book.

Interests

Favorite books: advanced potions making for potions mastery

Favorite music: classic, piano and violin

Favorite movies: none

Favorite comedians: Arthur Hilary

Favorite games: chess

Favorite drinks: different herbal teas

Favorite food: steak

Favorite sports: dueling

Favorite animals: bats

Well, the next category was entirely – private!

He surely would not give his e-mail away here. Well, the rest, he did not have. He did not even know what msn, icq and skype was. But really, it didn't matter either. Even if he knew, and even if he would have had those contacts, well, he would not give them away anyway. He of course knew what a homepage was, but he didn't have one.

Granger had one. The lumos-net, and it looked quite complicated. He was glad that he got along with his e-mail program, and with this chat up to now. He did not need anything more that complicated his life.

However, he made up a few answers, just to have the category done and the fields filled out.

Contact

Email: outoflimits-web-net

msn: thesecret

icq: quiteprivate

skype: personalmatter

homepage: http:/www-noneofyourbuisness-net

One last category left.

He blinked in confusion, not knowing what to make out of what was written there.

user defined settings

show join/leave users: enabled

show button-messages: enabled

show warnings: enabled

show bot-messages: enabled

accept all dialogs: enabled

accept only dialogs from friends: disabled

accept only dialogs from channel: disabled

accept number of dialogs: 5

accept all mails: enabled

accept only mails from friends: disabled

accept only mails from channel: disabled

show channel list: enabled

show friends list: enabled

show online friends: enabled

show ignore list: disable

register channels: C:/programs/the wand/channels

register dialogs: C:/programs/the wand/dialogs

message when friend is online: task menu

message when friend is offline: task menu

message for incoming mails: task menu

message for incoming dialogs: task menu

This last category, well, he did not really know what to do with that one. He just could hope that it already was defined correctly. What the hell, just for example, was a 'channel'? And number of dialogs? Five? How was he supposed to have 5 dialogs at the same time? He did not even read in the room when he had a dialog with Potter. Not to mention answering in the room when he had a dialog with Potter.

And besides of this, with whom would he have a private dialog aside from Potter anyway? Well, maybe Adrian, he could imagine. Even Granger. But surely with none of the other dunderheads. 'As if Potter was not a dunderhead …' he thought. But well, that was quite another matter altogether. In fact, it was quite satisfying writing with Potter, as strange as it sounded.

And what was a 'friends list'? Or an 'ignore list'?

Well, when he had opened the dialog to Potter, he had read 'profile', 'private dialog', 'write mail', 'ignore user', 'report user' and 'add user to friends list'. Maybe one could ignore certain users and there was a list to it. Or define some users as friends and there was another list to it. He would try it later, or tomorrow, adding Potter to this list.

But what was the meaning of 'register channels'? Or the dialogs? The address there was definitely on his hard disk. That much he knew. But what did this thing on the internet do on his hard disc? He hadn't put it there. Or had he? Did this mean that what was written in the room or in a dialog was saved on his hard disc? Well, if this was the case, then he knew what a channel was. Then the channel was the room. And it surely was advantageous if that was saved. He would be able to re-read what had been written.

Those message things, well, that was ok. Some kind of alerts or something. So, if he set Potter onto this friends list, then he maybe would get an alert if he came online?

Well, he would try it.

Searching through Potter's profile – and noticing that he had quite a lot of made up answers as well – he found what he had been searching for. 'Add users to friends list' and he clicked on this button.

[You have added user justharry to your friends list]

Well, ok, that was what he had wanted.

Searching through Granger's profile he found what he was searching for and he repeated the procedure, was rewarded with another message:

[You have added user Hermy to your friends list]

Well, one user left, Adrian and searching through this one's profile he repeated the clicking thing a third time and got the message:

[You have added user slythadrian to your friends list]

He did not really understand why he was so obsessed with this damn chat, with Potter especially. It was Potter after all. The one who annoyed him the most during the school term. Except for Weasley maybe. But yet – he had to admit that this Potter here on the lumos-net was quite different from the Potter he knew from school. This Potter was civil, friendly even. And he had even some kind of humor. He was communicative and he seemed to care for others, even if those others were Slytherins.

It was half past one in the morning meanwhile, just when a short message startled him out of his thoughts.

[User justharry is online]

He frowned. It was half past one in the morning. Shouldn't Potter be asleep now?

Not knowing why he did it, he clicked at the username and opened the private dialog.

[You have opened a private dialog to the user justharry]

Darkmaster: Good morning, Potter.

Well, the cursor blinked. And it blinked. And it blinked. But no answer came and Snape finally closed the dialog, wondering why Potter hadn't answered. He was still thinking about why Potter had not answered, and he was just about to close the tab as well when he noticed a small note on his task menu.

[User justharry has added you to his friends list]

[You have a message from justharry]

[User justharry is offline]

Lifting his eyebrow he opened the message, wondering why Potter had not given an answer in the dialog. Why had he sent a message instead of just answering the dialog?

'thanks for ading me on your fl and sory bout the dia.' The message read and again Snape frowned. 'just don fel like talking tonight. se you tomorow or so'

Ok, that was an explanation. One could not always feel like talking. But honestly, either Potter's keyboard was defect and he wasn't able to write double types, or Potter was really very tired, considering the many written mistakes he had made in his short note. It wasn't like Potter to make such an amount of mistakes, the brat rather wrote in a correct and legible manner normally – except for his essays that were rather illegible and nonsense.

Turning off the computer he left for the bathroom and got ready for bed.

break … ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ … line

It had been hell, just as he had known it would be, just as it was every week on Saturday night.

Aunt Petunia and Dudley had left to visit aunt Marge – just as every week on Saturday, and shortly after this uncle Vernon had entered his room.

"You better get downstairs to get dinner ready." He had barked at him and Harry had known that his uncle would hover over him the entire time, watching him. During dinner he had been standing beside his uncle, serving him, as always, watching him eating, and he had hoped that this meal never would end. He had known what would come next. And honestly, Saturday nights were the only times he stood there, not wishing that he could get something to eat by himself, but wishing that he would get away without his uncle visiting him afterwards. Saturday nights being hungry was the least of his problems.

Well, he had gotten his daily beating, as always, and then uncle Vernon had thrown him into his room, following shortly after and closing the door. What had happened then – he rather did not think about it right now. It was over, as always, as every Saturday. And – well, he had survived after all. Even if he had been sure he wouldn't survive it. But he always thought he wouldn't survive and he nevertheless always survived it.

And the only thing he wanted to do right now was to sleep, but he couldn't. He didn't even know how to lay down without being in pain. So, slowly he made his way towards his laptop underneath the invisibility cloak. Maybe he would listen to his music for a while to distract himself. Maybe he would even fall asleep then. He didn't even mind that he would have to sleep on the floor then. Everything was better than laying on this thin mattress that reeked of his uncle and what had happened on it earlier, and thinking.

[User Darkmaster has added you to his friends list]

He read after starting his laptop and he would have smiled if he'd had the nerve to.

Well, he liked the Darkmaster, never mind if he was a Slytherin or not. He was a friendly person, ready to write in the room as well as in private. He was annoyingly persisting, yes, but he seemed to worry about the people he wrote with, didn't see only a computer but seemed to know that there were human beings sitting behind the other keyboard. Something some others lacked.

A window popped up and he read

[You have a private dialog from Darkmaster]

Darkmaster: Good morning, Potter.

Well, he would gladly answer him, and even if it were just to get his mind off his uncle and the past hours, the tonight's beating that had been worse than the beatings he normally received and what his uncle had done after that. But as he knew that he wouldn't be able to write without a lot of mistakes right now because his fingers trembled horribly and because he wasn't able to concentrate at anything right now, and as he knew that he was so damn slow with writing right now because everything, even his arms, his wrists, his hands and his fingers hurt, well – he just knew that the Darkmaster would notice that something was wrong. And as the Darkmaster was so damn persisting ... well, he wouldn't be able to deal with this right now.

So he settled on just writing a small message, hoping that he wouldn't make too much mistakes or at least find them all before he sent the message, and then he went offline. He would listen to his music and hopefully he would fall asleep on the floor underneath the table and hopefully he would be better tomorrow.

break … ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ … line

To be continued

Next time in The room of requirement

Some things to be revealed

Added author's note

thank you for reading - and yes, I would appreciate it if you took the time to review this chapter too, thank you ...
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the room of requirement