The better places of Hogwarts

"This," Louis announced grandly, after walking by it three times, "is the Room of Requirement!"

He started walking in, and noticed how the place looked. He'd been walking by thinking of how he needed somewhere for him and Hester to hang out, and this had appeared.

It was large, this time, and it was fully of books and comfy looking chairs and couches, and a colorful design- a mix of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

"It's the room that gets you whatever you require, hence the name. You saw the tapestry back at the entrance? Just walk past there three times, thinking solely of what you need, and a door should appear. Food doesn't work, because of some magic rule or another, but anything else is fair game."

"Wow," said Hester, peering around the room in amazement. A room which... well, made itself. And was whatever you wanted it to be... She grinned.

"This is awesome."

She walked around it, taking everything in. The books, the chairs... It was wonderful. And she liked the design as well. The blues and the reds.

"It thinks of everything, doesn't it?" She smiled. "So you just walk past three times?" she asked. "Your family must have explored Hogwarts pretty thoroughly, to find stuff like this."

She walked back over to Louis.

"Yeah, you could say that. Though," he added stubbornly, "even if they hadn't explored and told me about it, I definitely would have found it on my own!"

He didn't bother explaining how a majority of witches and wizards that pass the walls of Hogwarts live a lifetime without ever stepping foot in the room.

"Well," he grinned slightly at her wonder and excitement of it all. He sort of wished that magic seemed as... well, magical to him as it must to her. "Now if anyone ever says there's a party in the Room of Requirement, you'll know where they're talking about."

Hester smiled. Of course Louis could have found it on his own. He was Ravenclaw, he was smart enough. After a moment's pause, she decided to tell him this.

"You're a Ravenclaw, you're smart enough to have found it on your own. I never would have, though, so thanks," she said.

She sat down on one of the comfy chairs. They really were comfy. Really really comfy...

"They hold parties in here?" asked Hester excitedly. "Come sit down." She patted the chair beside her.

He smiled in thanks as he went to take a seat by her. "Well, as long as we're generalizing people by houses, I'd have to disagree. If I hadn't known about this room already, I'd have never known to look for it, and so I wouldn't have. It's the Gryffindors you have to look out for, they're the ones that would go around exploring all the time because of courage or general insanity, or something like that."

"Oh, and I take it you like parties?" He asked at Hester's excited voice. "Well, yeah, there are plenty of them. It's the perfect place, see? All you have to do is desire that no teachers can come in, and they won't be able to come in- it's the perfect solution."

"Awesome," said Hester, happily. "I don't really know much about the houses, just that Gryffindor is brave, Ravenclaw is clever and Slytherin is kinda sly and sneaky. And I love parties!"

She had gone to a few when she was younger. Only the bigger ones, where the whole class had been invited, but all the same she had really enjoyed them. She would count down the days to the next one.

"So, do you know of anywhere else in the castle," she asked. "I haven't really explored anywhere yet."

"Then you'll really love the ones at Hogwarts, from what I've heard of them." He said, thinking wistfully of all of the parties they would end up having in the Gryffindor Common Room, while his fellow Ravenclaws were too busy studying.

"Well, have you been to the trophy room? And I've heard of this one secret passageway up somewhere on the fifth floor, but I've never been. We could go exploring around for it, if you'd like?"

"I haven't," said Hester, wondering what the trophy room was. Then: Duh. To keep the trophies in. A big school like this would have students who won awards for things. Now she knew why she hadn't ended up in Ravenclaw.

"I'd love to go exploring," she said with a grin. "I wasn't so keen to on my own, it's not very fun wandering around on your own, but I'd love to with you."

"So, where to, then? Searching for the secret passage way? Lead the way, then. You're just as likely to find the secret passage way as me. Probably more so." He got up and held the door out of the room of requirement for her.

"After you," he said with a wink.

Hester stood up and ducked out of the door.

"Thank you," she said in mock politeness, like a posh lady, and then giggled. "Although I think I'll need some help in finding it..." she added. "Come on, let's go!"

She felt so excited, and happy and bubbly all at the same time. She hoped that not too much of her emotions were on show, that she still seemed a little in control of herself.

((OOC: I'll start a new thread in the secret passage))