that green g e n t l e m a n (open)

[natalia]

Nat hugged him, the seemingly endless tears finally reaching a still. She glanced up, surprised to see an amused smile on his face. She didn't bother to question it. She had learned long ago she preferred remaining ignorant to what was within the heads of others. Those could be scary places indeed.

"How can I contact you?" She asked quietly, reaching for the final ingredient before the remedy was finished, the aroma a sweet calming scent for Nat. She pulled the vile from her robes, scraping the solvent into the glass container before corking it and quickly shoving it into her pockets. She adjusted her sleeves out of habit, although she knew that it had no meaning at this point.

[erikoliver]

Erik was slightly taken aback by the question. It occured to him that Nat was still going to be in Hogwarts for another month, and that her parents were going to drop her off at his house for them to just lose her. There was no way they'd just sign their daughter over, even if they hated her. She was still their daughter and they probably saw her as more property than a daughter, if anything at all. Erik pondered the question for a moment, thinking deeply, before he straightened up and took Nat's hand.

"I have an idea, follow me," he said, smiling a bit. He waited for Nat to collect her belongings before the pair headed out of the greenhouse and towards the castle. It was a long shot, but he'd stumbled across the fantastic room whilst in school and had spent a lot of his time there. The pair walked in silence until they reached a blank spot on the wall. Erik positioned Nat in the corridor across from the wall. "Watch," he said, his smile growing ever so slightly. Erik stepped up to the wall and paced in front of it three times. I need a place where lost things are, where hidden things are stored to be forever concealed, he thought, the thought repeating itself in his mind as he paced. Suddenly, a large door appeared, and Erik grinned.

[natalia]

She watched him curiously as he paced, as if deep in thought without any point. Nat stared with wide eyes as a door materialized out of nowhere, appearing as if it had forever been a part of the structure. She stared at Erik, as if to make sure it was safe, before following him into the room, unsure of what the room may contain. Hogwarts had always been full of surprises, many leaving her more confused than before.

[erikoliver]

Erik grinned, reaching for Nat's hand. "The Room of Requirement," he explained, leading her through the large door. Inside was seemingly endless space, with piles of junk piled high onto the ceiling. "It reveals itself only to those with a genuine purpose. The person must pace in front of the door, three times, and think very clearly about what they want. Sanctuary, love nest, or, in our case, a place where lost things are hidden." Erik went to the nearest pile, examining each object. "We need to find either two enchanted Galleons or two pieces of a mirror, I know they're here somewhere..." he started, peering around the room. He'd spent many hours in this room, so he knew the layout quite well.

[natalia]

The room seemed a hopeless pit of treasures and trash, and she was unsure if they could ever find specific objects, let alone how these objects had come to be. Nat was confused, having no idea what help those objects could prove. She didn't question it, having learned everything was never as it seemed at Hogwarts. She followed his lead, shuffling through nearby stacks and piles, before something sharp sliced at her finger. She withdrew her hand, before carefully reaching in with the other to find broken mirror shards beneath a particularly large pile.

"Would this work?" She asked, swiping the small dribble of blood on her baggy jeans carelessly as she held the shards out to Erik.

[erikoliver]

Erik looked over his shoulder, noticing the blood before he saw the shards. Stepping forward, he whipped out his wand and healed the wound, with it being fairly simple. Erik wasn't half bad at healing spells, but when it came to life-threatening things, he wasn't too bright. Then, he performed a charm on the glass to make the edges appear duller in feel. It was a childproof, safety mechanism, he supposed, but nonetheless it worked well. He slid a hand over the glass and it felt relatively smooth, though the edges were still as sharp as ever.

Holding the glass up to his face, he peered inside, and was pleased that he was able to see Nat through it. "This is exactly what we were looking for. Now, all you need to do is whisper into this once something happens. I'll keep my half in my pocket at all times, so I'll be able to hear you at all times. Alright?" he asked, hoping she understood the plan. It wasn't difficult, and Nat was very intelligent, but it was imperative that nothing went wrong in the slightest.

[natalia]

Nat was still astounded at the simple things Magic could do. For a moment she had thought she might as well tape her finger off with a bandage, but with a flick of the wrist, it was as if she had never held the glass. Not only was the angry cut gone, but the pain had simply vanished. She thought back to the mixture she had made, and briefly pondered on what a few experimental charms of her own could do, before she remembered why they had even entered this room.

"You're sure this will work?" She asked, attempting to keep the fear out of her voice. She had yet to shake that knotting feeling deep in her core, where she feared what would happen not only to her, but to Erik if this failed. He was already seeming to sacrifice so much, carrying the shard with him at all times. Nat bit her lip in silent guilt, by no means wanting to inconvenience someone who had already given her so much.

[erikoliver]

Erik nodded. He slipped the shard into his pocket and brushed the dust from his hands. Hearing the fear in Nat's voice, however, snapped him to his senses. Wordlessly, he took her into his arms and held her for a while, in silence. It was comforting, that he could be such a large help in someone's life. Especially a girl like Nat. She was a very kind soul, and was much like him in some ways. Erik wanted to make sure she was safe, for good. Erik considered that this was probably what being a father felt like. Stooping down, he kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "I'm sure."

[natalia]

Nat hugged Erik, thoughts still a twisted jumble. She had always thought her young age was supposed to bring ease. All adults said life only got harder, and she was unsure if she could survive that. But it was moments like these, holding someone close, that she felt like it might be bearable.

"How long will you be staying?" She asked, voice muffled in his shirt. It was always so, she was almost afraid to let him go.

[erikoliver]

Erik smiled broadly. It wasn't too late in the day, and Persephone had said he could stay and visit. "For a few more hours," he replied, smiling and lightly squeezing Nat. Releasing her, he took her hand. "Come on, let's explore in here. I'm sure there's an endless supply of interesting things," he replied, grinning. Erik loved to explore this room, it was always seemingly filled with new things. He doubted most people knew about it, but it did seem like more people were putting and hiding their things inside the magical room.

[natalia]

Nat surveyed the room, still awestruck by the heaps upon heaps of random objects. "How did all of this come here?" She asked as she climbed on a smaller heap. She wondered briefly what for books could be hidden in this magical room, or better. Nat had yet to discover anything more magical than books, but she was sure if it existed, it would be found in a place such as this.

She placed an odd hat on her head as she continued shuffling through the objects, unsure of what half of them were. A few she vaguely recognized from books of magical objects, but more seemed far too otherworldly to be listed in a book. "How does a room like this exist?" She asked Erik as she sat on a odd chair, flipping through a worn notebook she had found.