Skuld Weasley kept one thing perfectly secret, the location of the best place in the entire castle, the Room of Requirement, also known as the Room that Comes and Goes.
She loved spending time there. Many times, the room had transformed into a cozy library, a living room with a warm fireplace, or even a perfect spot to experiment and explore.
But now, standing in front of the mysterious door, Skuld found herself facing something entirely different.
Earlier that evening, she had been walking down the hallway, lost in thought about how she could help Remus Lupin, when the door suddenly appeared. It was as though the castle itself had read her mind.
She stepped inside and froze. Shelves upon shelves of books stretched before her, every single one devoted to a single topic: Animagi.
A sly smile spread across her freckled face. She knew exactly how illegal her actions were going to be, but that only made her resolve stronger.
This was all for a friend, after all.
---
At the staff table in the Great Hall, Albus Dumbledore chuckled, drawing the attention of his colleagues.
"What do you find so amusing, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked, curiosity glinting in her eyes.
"Miss Weasley reminds me so much of her godparents. It feels as though she could be their child," Dumbledore replied, a wistful smile on his face.
"Does she look like me?" Remus Lupin asked, his tone a mixture of hope and disbelief.
Hagrid nodded, his broad face beaming. "Aye. She's a little Remus, trapped in Lily's body," he added, dabbing at his misty eyes with the tablecloth.
Remus hesitated, glancing toward the Gryffindor table, where Skuld sat engrossed in a book. The title proclaimed it to be about Quidditch, but he could tell she was far more interested in the topic hidden inside—how to become an Animagus.
"Professor Dumbledore..." Remus began, his voice tinged with doubt. "I can't let her go through all of this alone. Let me help her."
"You already are, more than you realize, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore reassured him, his eyes twinkling with wisdom.
---
Harry Potter was so preoccupied with thoughts of his Hogsmeade permission slip that he didn't notice when he collided with someone in the hallway.
Parchments and scrolls scattered across the floor, and he bent down hastily to help pick them up, only to bump heads with the very person he had knocked over.
"Sorry!" Harry blurted, his voice steady for once, at least until he realized who it was.
"It's nothing, I suppose…" came the reply, calm and unaffected.
Harry froze. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. His cheeks flushed, his pulse quickened, and he was suddenly certain he was sweating.
"S-Skuld!" he stammered, laughing nervously as he almost dropped a scroll again in his fumbling attempt to hand it back to her.
Skuld caught it with ease, her movements fluid and graceful, entirely unaware of Harry's nerves. She looked rather charming in her green hat, though Harry quickly shook the thought from his mind.
"See you soon, Harry," Skuld said with a slight smile before disappearing around the corner, leaving him dazed in the hallway.
---
Late that night, Skuld was back in the Room of Requirement. She stood in front of a mirror, her body still tingling from the strange experience she had just endured.
Moments earlier, she had closed her eyes tightly, her thoughts consumed by desperation. She had prayed to anyone and anything she could think of, God, Merlin, Morgana, Dumbledore, Zeus, Odin, Allah, even Uranus.
And then, she had felt it, a shift, a transformation deep within her.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in darkness, with only a faint light in the distance. As it grew closer, she realized it wasn't a light at all but a procession of animals, elephants, mice, dogs, deer, and countless birds.
None of them looked at her, they all avoided her path. All except for three.
A graceful owl, a sleek black dog, and a small squirrel stopped in front of her. Tentatively, she reached out toward the owl, but it vanished before she could touch it. The squirrel and the dog remained, their dark eyes fixed on her.
The dog moved closer, its gaze meeting hers, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, the vision ended.
Skuld blinked, finding herself once again in the Room of Requirement. But something was different.
She turned to the mirror, expecting to see a girl with vivid green eyes and fiery orange hair staring back at her. Instead, reflected in the glass, was a small, curious squirrel.
[T/N: If you like this chapter then leave a comment, write a review, and drop some stones! If you can't wait for the next chapter then check out my Patreon for some advanced chapters! For just $10, you can get access to over 300+ posts. I changed the pricing of tiers to be cheaper overall after a vote over on Patreon, now there is only one tier but instead of paying $10 for like 13 chapters a month, I only just realised how ridiculous that was, you can pay $10 for 50+ chapters a month. You could also just join the free membership, I always appreciate it. (*/ω＼*) ]
[patreon.com/PuddingLord]