Chapter Text
It is the last night of the school year at Hogwarts and many students are either packing up or hanging out with their schoolmates for the last time before the summer break, the halls echoing the mixed feelings of excitement and melancholy as the students are ready to say goodbye to their temporary home.
Tori Lewis, however, has other plans for her last day of her fifth year. She didn’t wait for the last minute to pack her belongings up – unlike Adelaide Oakes, who was still running up and down the Hufflepuff common room’s stairs when Tori left, frantically screaming “Has anybody seen my telescope?! Don’t laugh, Evie! It’s a gift from my uncle!”; or Arthur Plummly, who helped a first year student find his cat, exactly like the first day of the school year. ‘Dejà vu,’ she thought, laughing when she noticed Arthur’s frustrated face. “How is it even possible that you lose your cat almost every day?! Let him run away if your cat doesn’t want to stay with you!”
Away from the chaos that is reigning in the common room, she is in the coastal vivarium with Highwing, brushing the dirty white feathers with meticulous care. She tries to ‘think pleasant thoughts’, as her housemate Poppy Sweeting told her the first Beast Class they had together, but Tori can’t think about tomorrow without a sadness tugging at her heartstrings.
‘Six weeks isn’t long’, she keeps telling herself, but without her newfounded friends? Without a family to come back to? And Merlin, not even Professor Fig? She doesn’t have a home in the muggle world. Not that she wants to go back to that miserable life, not in a million years. The wizarding world is now her home, where she belongs, but everything is still new, so new in a short time in a blur of events after events that sometimes Tori thinks that the Ancient magic, Hogwarts, wizards and witches, dragons and goblins, are all but a wild dream and that one day she will wake up in her worn and cold bed at the orphanage–
Highwing caws softly and touches Tori’s forehead with her beak, bringing her back to reality.
“Alright, alright,” Tori chuckles, “Pleasant thoughts.”
She looks at her pocket watch. Ten to nine, it is almost time. Tori stops brushing Highwing’s feathers and takes a step back. “You look great, Highwing. Are you ready to meet our friend again?” She smiles when the hippogriff caws again.
Five to nine, Tori is outside the Room of Requirement, arms crossed in front of her, her back leaning against the wall of the deserted corridor, her gaze absently fixed on the troll tapestry.
‘Meet me at the corridor on the seventh floor at nine o’clock. There is something I’d like to show you’ was the note she had written on a piece of parchment during History of Magic early this afternoon, enchanted then to fly in front of Poppy. The latter blinked sleepily and took the bird-shaped piece of paper. At first Poppy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but once she finished reading it, she looked up to Tori, who was waiting for an answer. Tori smirked and raised an eyebrow, as if to ask her ‘So, are you in or not?’ The answer was a soft smile and a nod.
She smiles a little at the memory.
Barnaby the Barmy has been crushed for the twentieth time by the trolls when Tori hears steps coming from the stairs and she can’t stop a grin when it’s her friend Poppy that makes her way into the corridor. For the first time, she sees Poppy out of her Hogwarts uniform, wearing instead a simple cream shirt and a mid-length brown skirt. Tori can’t help but notice immediately how Poppy’s appearance seems to soften her already soft features. Somehow she feels the urge to swallow as a wave of nervousness washes over her.
“Hi, there,” she says, relieved that her voice came out calm and casual.
“Hello,” Poppy smiles back, looking around with curiosity, but nothing seems to catch her attention. “So, what do you want to show me?”
Finally Tori leaves the wall she was leaning against and walks near Poppy, the two Hufflepuffs now facing the empty wall.
“Um, Tori, what –” Poppy says puzzled but breaks off when a tall door appears, its decoration of metal forming on the wood like ivy.
“Wow, what –” Poppy falls silent again and Tori laughs at her amazement. She puts her hand on the doorknob. “Shall we?”
As her friend nods, she pushes the door open, her heart pounding with excitement. As predicted, Poppy’s jaw drops as the two enter the secret room. Tori watches her friend glancing around, and she feels a genuine smile tugging at her lips as she sees Poppy being awestruck by the Room, eyes darting around to take in every detail. “What is this place?”
“It’s called the Room of Requirement,” Tori begins to explain, “Professor Weasley showed it to me in the autumn term. I was in need of a place where I could catch up on all the schoolwork.”
“And this room provided it,” Poppy ends her phrase. She is breathless in amazement. “Brilliant.”
Poppy throws another glance around the hall. “Tori, this place is beautiful!” The comment pulls another chuckle out of Tori; if her friend is already in awe, she will lose her mind over the vivariums.
“I’m glad that you like it. It took me weeks to make this Room as welcoming as possible.”
Suddenly, they hear a clicking sound of coins falling on the floor. “What was that?” Poppy asks, their gaze darting towards the source. Tori realises what caused the noise when she sees a few galleons scattered near her nab sack.
“Coffee Bean,” she calls out, a hint of affection in her voice, “come out, my little friend.”
A brown niffler emerges from the nab sack, his snout twitching in excitement. Tori is pleased to hear a gasp coming from Poppy. She scoops the little beast up and cradles it in her arms, before turning to Poppy, whose eyes are totally enraptured by the niffler.
“This is Coffee Bean.” She introduces the pet to her friend. “I found him some months ago, he had first stolen my galleons and then… stole my heart.” She adds with such a dramatic, dreamy tone.
“He is quite a charmer. Can I ask why the name?”
She shrugs. “Because I love coffee, I guess. And he is brown.”
Poppy snorts. “Right. I forgot the insane amount of coffee you drink.”
“When I found him he was even smaller, he looked exactly like a bean!” Tori continues, remembering with a soft smile the moment when the niffler kept following her, instead of running away with his little loot.
Tori giggles amused when she sees Poppy’s eager hands clenched in fists behind her back. “Go on, you can pet him. I know you’re dying to.”
Poppy barely contains a sound of excitement, before reaching out an excited but cautious hand. He immediately nuzzles Poppy’s hand with a happy chirp. “Aw, you’re adorable!”
“I knew you two would like each other,” Tori says amused. “But he is not the real reason why I brought you here.” Grinning in anticipation, she waits until Poppy gives her full attention.
“This is not only a safe space for myself, or for this little guy,” she adds, glancing at her niffler affectionately before continuing, “Do you remember when I told you that Highwing is safe and sound and I’m keeping an eye on her?”
Poppy’s eyes widen in realisation. “Highwing is here?”
“Yes, she is.” She puts down the niffler, giving it a last caress on its soft fur and a galleon for being ‘such a good boy’. “Follow me,” she says then to Poppy, leading her up the right staircase.
“Are you ready?”
“Wait a minute, is this… a room within another room?”
“Not exactly,” Tori smiles, offering a hand to the shorter girl, “I think it’s better if I just show you.”
Without any hesitation, Poppy takes her and lets Tori guide her through the portal. She tugs at her hand softly, her eyes fixed on Poppy’s face, not wanting to miss another awestruck reaction. She isn’t in fact disappointed when another surprised gasp leaves Poppy’s lips, wide open eyes wandering around again. Tori feels Poppy’s hand tightening the grip.
“Tori, I – am I dreaming?”
“No, you’re not,” she tells her, squeezing her hand as if to reassure her friend that she hasn’t indeed stepped into a dream.
She brings her free hand to her mouth and whistles. A second later, a flapping of wings breaks the calm silence of the coastal vivarium. When Highwing glides down to land in a trot, Poppy lets out a breathless laugh, letting Tori’s hand go to approach the hippogriff.
The taller Hufflepuff can’t actually understand why, but she feels a slight sting through her chest at the loss of contact, but decides to ignore the uncomfortable feeling to enjoy the reunion, putting both hands in her trousers’ pockets.
Poppy puts her little hand on Highwing’s black beak. “Hi, my friend,” she whispers softly to the beast, who nuzzles against her hand, then shifts a little to press her forehead against Poppy’s.
The scene is beautiful to see; more than ever, Tori feels guilty for keeping Highwing’s hideout a secret. Of course, she has let Poppy see the hippogriff, the few times of meeting were planned in secrecy and away from prying eyes, but between their adventures, not to mention the battle against Ranrok and the O.W.L. exams, there was little time. Still, Poppy has trusted her completely, and Tori will be forever honoured by it.
The other beasts – a pair of kneazles with their offspring and a yellow diricawl – havejoined as well and Poppy couldn’t be more happy. This is her element, after all.
Poppy’s eyes are bright and blurred when she finally turns back to her. “Thank you for keeping her safe… and for trusting me with this place.”
“You can come here whenever you want,” Tori says without even thinking about it. It came naturally, but it is clear that her words have taken Poppy by surprise, her caramel eyes sparkling with a mix of bewilderment and cautious joy.
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then, Poppy's lips parted slightly, not sure of what to say. “Tori…”her voice was barely audible, “but this place is yours.”
Tori snorts. “Technically, it is not mine.”
“You know what I mean.” Poppy’s gaze is soft but feels like burning, so she averts her eyes, the tip of her shoe tipping in the sand.
Because I trust you more than anyone else. You make me feel safe and seen.
“You know… you trusted me with your secrets, and I trust you with mine.” She says instead, but realises that the sentiment was too simple, and Poppy deserves to know, deserves to be here, especially after all they both went through in their lives. “And… if you need a safe place as I do, the Room could be yours too.”
“Technically it couldn’t be mine,” Poppy retorts with a mirth in her tone, earning a playful roll of eyes from Tori.
“Well, you know what I meant!” Tori repeats her words, making both of them giggle.
“Besides,” Tori continues, “I couldn’t really show you the vivariums filled with beasts and then not making you coming back, right? That would be so cruel of me.”
Poppy hums. “Yeah, it would be … wait, are there more of them?!”
The last vivarium they visit is the home of a phoenix, two unicorns, a male black hippogriff and a graphorn. ‘A graphorn?!’ Poppy has shouted with a whisper, to not startle the beasts.
“Poppy, may I introduce you to the Lord of the Shore?”
“Quite a charming name,” Poppy comments, holding a hand in front of her carefully, but not afraid. She is totally enamoured by the large beast, who first sniffs the hand, then nudges it. Poppy lets out a soft giggle. “I’ve never seen such a calm graphorn before, to be honest.”
“Oh, but this one put up quite a fight before I tamed him,” Tori tells her as she pats Lord of the Shore too. “I had to tire him out first.”
“Aw, what a mean witch,” Poppy mutters more to the beast than to her friend.
“Hey, he attacked me first!”
The shorter Hufflepuff merely chuckles. “And then, what happened?”
Oh, Tori remembers the moment clearly. Both of them were beyond exhausted. She hated to attack the beast like that, but the only way to wear the graphorn out was a fight. When the beast charged her for the last time, a realisation dawned on her.
“I kneeled down.”
“You kneeled down?” Poppy repeats, her eyes lighting up in surprise. Tori hums with pride. “I did. And… it was because of you. You’ve inspired me.”
She feels a light blush rushing to her cheeks when Poppy looks at her with a frowning expression and Tori can’t help it, but that only makes her more endearing.
“Me?”
Tori nods. “You taught me to bow in front of hippogriffs, to show them respect. You stopped me before I could attack the centaurs, and it was you that waited for that dragon to take her egg back, meaning no harm. You’ve inspired me,” she repeats when Poppy seems to be once again stunned by her words.
Oh, Tori wishes so much that Poppy can finally see that she is special. Not ‘peculiar’ or ‘odd bird’. No, she is much more: brave, kind, beautiful – for the second time, Tori feels terribly vulnerable under Poppy’s warm but intense stare, so she looks away and clears her throat. “I think it’s time for us to go back to our dormitory.”
Tori has barely had the time to turn when arms circle her in an tight embrace. She tenses in her arms, her mouth gaping a little for the mild shock. When was the last time someone hugged her like that? She can’t remember. She can’t even remember how much she needed it.
Before Poppy could think that she is refusing the contact – on the contrary, now Tori doesn’t want to let her go – her arms finally move to circle the other girl’s middle. Her eyes flutter shut, resting on the cheek on top of Poppy’s head, the other in turn leans against her shoulder. Her face breaks into soft smile; even if they have different heights, they fit like two pieces of puzzle. She feels a warmth pouring into her heart, warm like the first spring sun that melts persistently the snow away.
She can only hope that Poppy doesn’t hear her heart pounding as loud as she feels it against her ribcage.
Tori hums with a half-smile. “They do say Hufflepuffs give the best hugs.”
Poppy’s chuckle vibrates pleasantly against her chest, as do the next words. “I’m forever thankful to have a friend like you. You are indeed an augurey in the desert at noon.”
Tori is glad that Poppy hasn’t seen her smile falter a little. The word ‘friend’ burns differently.
The next day comes in a blink of an eye. The weather is lovely, surprisingly no cloud in sight, but Tori would have preferred to stay cowardly in the halls of Hogwarts, avoiding the agony of parting from her friends, but she has promised Poppy to be there. With a heavy heart, they walk to the Hogsmeade’s station with their schoolmates, listening with a slight jealousy to their plans for the summer.
‘Six weeks isn’t long’ she has to repeat this mantra many times as she sees her friends boarding the Hogwarts Express, but every goodbye, every promise to write letters is a sting of sadness.
It is now five minutes before departure, the majority of the students are already on board but Poppy has still no intention to leave.
“I’m sorry that you stay here,” Poppy says sadly when Tori tells her what her summer plans are. Tori shrugs with a half-hearted smile. “It’s okay. Better here than back to my life in muggle London.”
Poppy’s eyes widen a little in realisation. “Ah, so you are from London.”
At first, Tori frowns in confusion, then her mouth makes a ‘o’. Right, she has never told her about her past. But before she could say anything – mostly an apology for not having shared her story before Hogwarts – the train conductor blows the whistle, a harsh reminder of the imminent departure.
Tori pulls Poppy in a hurried but wholehearted hug. “Send my regards to your grandma. I’ll miss you.”
“I will. And I you.”
Tori feels a lump in her throat when she lets Poppy go, watching her friend stepping on the train. As Hogwarts Express starts to move, Poppy waves once last time at her from the window. Adelaide and Lenora, sitting near her, do the same.
She raises her hand and waves back at them. The train picks up speed, getting smaller and smaller until it disappears into the horizon.
‘Six weeks isn’t long’, she has to repeat to herself, as she walks away from the unnerving silence that has fallen onto the platform. But Merlin, she is already dreading the days of the summer break.