The day that followed was more cheerful than the days that preceded it. Instead of sitting inside the Common Room all day to get work done, Harry and Ron took their stuff outside with them, and Jake and Hermione followed. Jake brought some books with him to look for the place he had been thinking of for meetings. The only problem was he couldn't remember if he actually had read about it or not.
Hermione had just one thing to catch up with on homework, so she was busy writing for that. However, she stopped halfway and turned to Jake, "You know... I've been wondering since the meeting yesterday..." She got his attention, "Why did you not reveal that you can cast a Corporeal Patronus?"
"Wait, you can?" Ron asked.
"Ron, you know this... Jake and I explained everything to you and Harry," Hermione sighed.
"Oh... oh yeah..." he then got back to his homework.
"Hermione, do you really think it's impressive that a Descendant of Merlin can cast a Corporeal Patronus? No, it's not," Jake explained, "What's impressive is Harry being able to cast one before starting Fifth Year."
"Casting a Corporeal Patronus is impressive, no matter who casts it," Hermione explained.
"Well, I'll cast my Patronus during a meeting, whenever we get to that," he said, "since it'll be my 'first attempt', people will ask questions, and I'll explain in a way that won't reveal we used Time Travel."
Hermione wasn't wholly satisfied with his answer, but she didn't say anything further on the topic, "Find what you were looking for yet?".
"No..." Jake sighed in irritation.
"You'll find it, don't worry," Hermione smiled at him. He returned the smile and continued reading.
When Monday rolled up on them, Jake hadn't found his answer yet, but he wouldn't stop looking in his free time, so long as it didn't conflict with his other extracurricular activity.
He went down into the Common Room that morning with Harry and Ron, deciding to get an extra hour of sleep. When they all descended the stairs, he immediately noticed something on the Bulletin Board that made his heart skip a beat or two.
There were some shorter students, First or Second Years, standing at it, talking amongst themselves. Jake walked up behind them, and heard one of them talking, "Does this mean they are going to shut down the Gobstones Club?"
Jake quickly read it, "No," he startled them, "no, your club will be fine..." Harry and Ron walked up behind him as the younger students walked off.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked him.
Jake stepped aside to let Harry read, and Ron ended up reading aloud:
- By Order Of -
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.
An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).
No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be Expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.
Signed
Dolores Jane Umbridge
High Inquisitor
'Hermione shares a Middle Name with that fucking bitch? Oh... poor Hermione...' Harry and Ron reread it a few times, and Jake saw the previously jubilant Harry suddenly look disparaged, "This isn't a coincidence, she knows..."
"She can't..." Ron said, not wanting to believe it.
"There were plenty of people at that pub... the Witch in the Veil!" Harry said, pointing the figurative finger at her.
"No... not her..." Jake trailed off, then said, "the man with the head wraps..." he balled his hands into fists, "I knew we should've met elsewhere... God dammit!"
"How do you know it wasn't a student?" Harry asked.
"Like Zacharias Smith or Michael Corner?" Ron asked.
"The parchment... Hermione-" Jake started, but Ron cut him off.
"We have to ask Hermione if she's seen this!" He yelled and bolted for the Girls Staircase.
Ron made it up about Eight Steps until the stone steps turned into a stony slide, causing Ron to slide back down. Ron was on his ass when two Fourth-Year girls came zooming down the stony slide, "Oooh, who tried coming up the stairs?" One of them asked, giggling with her friend.
"Me..." Ron said, embarrassed and looking disheveled, "I didn't know that would happen."
"If you had read Hogwarts: A History you'd know that," Jake said.
Hermione appeared at that moment at the bottom of the slide, getting to her feet, "The Founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls."
"If only they could've seen a thousand years into the future... they'd know that both are equally untrustworthy," Jake said.
Hermione couldn't exactly disagree, not when Witches like Pansy and Millicent existed, "Anyway, why were you trying to get up there?" She asked Ron.
"That over there," Ron pointed towards the Bulletin Board.
Hermione walked up and quickly read through it, snarling her nose at the fact she and Umbridge shared a Middle Name, "Who? The Veiled Witch?"
"The man with the head wraps..." Jake said.
"What makes you so sure?" She asked.
"I'll explain when we next talk to Sirius," he said deflectively.
Hermione stared at him with a stony expression, "I wonder if the other Houses have this put up in their Common Rooms?"
"Chances are definitely high," Jake said.
The four of them walked out of the Tower, "So why can't it be a student?" Ron asked.
"I was about to tell you when you interrupted me," Jake said, "Hermione and I jinxed it. If anyone blabs, well, let's just say that Eloise Midgen's acne will look like cute freckles."
The moment they got into the Great Hall, there was a chatter that was different. House Mates were zooming up and down tables, talking to one another. When the four of them sat down, barely having done so, Fred, George, Neville, Dean, and Ginny all sat around them.
"Did you see it?"
"D'you reckon she knows?"
"What are we going to do?"
They looked between Harry and Jake for guidance on what they were going to do.
Harry was the one to speak first, "We're still meeting, of course."
"Knew you'd say that," George said, grinning widely.
"Even the Prefects?" Fred asked Hermione and Jake.
"The hell do you think?" Jake asked him rhetorically.
"Just making sure," Fred couldn't help his grin.
"Well, we've got company approaching us," Ron said.
Hermione looked alarmed, "They can't walk over here, it'll be Sus!"
Jake caused the air in the Great Hall to be temporarily thick and unwelcoming as he glared at the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws approaching them. They all immediately got the message and sat down in their seats at their respective tables.
It wasn't until after they were leaving the Great Hall that they realized how grave the situation was. Angelina was approaching them, looking completely distraught, "Harry, Ron, Jake!"
"It's okay," Harry said when she was close enough to hear them, "we're still going-"
"You realize she's including Quidditch in this, right?" Angelina was on the verge of tears, "we have to go to her and ask to re-form the team!"
"What?" Harry asked in barely a whisper.
"No way !?" Ron asked in alarm.
"Go to her at Lunch or after classes end and ask her," Jake said.
"Yeah... yeah I'll do that..." Angelina turned to Harry, "Harry, please, please don't lose your temper with her again, or she might not let us play anymore."
"Okay, okay I'll behave myself," Harry said.
Angelina walked off, feeling only slightly better, "You know, you can avoid detention by just not talking about Voldemort at all," Jake said, which caused Ron to shudder, "She'll never accept it, and you should've realized it. She also favors the Slytherin, she used to be one. Had you argued back in Care of Magical Creatures, it would've just been worse for you."
"How do you know she used to be in Slytherin House?" Ron asked him.
"I looked her up back on the First Weekend we had for the Year," Jake said, "she will favor them like Snape does, so don't say anything about them that would be bad for you."
"Fine, I understand," Harry grumbled.
"Bet you anything she's in History of Magic, Binns hasn't been inspected yet," Ron said.
But he had been wrong, as Umbridge was nowhere to be found in History of Magic. The only Professor in there was Binns, who was floating an inch or two over his chair, ready to drone on about Giant Wars. Jake took the time to continue his sketches.
His attention was caught by a light tapping on the window, and he turned to see Hedwig, but he could tell immediately that something was wrong. He saw Harry sneak over to the window to let Hedwig in, and carried her back to his seat, "She's hurt!" Harry whispered frantically.
Jake had been right, Hedwig had been hurt.
"Professor Binns," Harry spoke up, getting the Ghostly Professor's attention, who looked up from his book, "I'm not feeling well, not at all."
"Not feeling well?" He asked Harry.
"No, I need to go to the Hospital Wing," Harry said urgently.
"Yes... yes, of course... Hospital Wing, well, off you go then, Perkins..." Binns said, looking back down at his book.
Harry stood up and immediately left the classroom. Jake almost got up and followed, but he didn't know how to care for an injured animal, so he figured he'd let Harry find Grubbly-Plank, she should be able to take care of Hedwig no problem.
He turned back around and looked down at his sketches, 'Umbridge...'
*******
Class had just ended and Jake explained his theory on what happened to Hedwig, "So you think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?"
"Hedwig is easily recognizable, and she is known to be Harry's Owl... Umbridge probably saw her returning and tried to take her out of the Sky, that's why Hedwig was late to arrive for the Owl Post," Jake explained.
They saw Harry and made a beeline for him, "Is Hedwig okay?" Hermione asked when she got next to him.
"Yeah, I left her with Grubbly-Plank, listen," Harry then explained what McGonagall said.
"Jake just explained that Hedwig was probably attacked," Ron said.
"I just hope your letter wasn't read," Hermione said quietly.
"It was still sealed," Harry said.
"Not exactly hard to reseal a letter," Jake said bluntly.
"What does the letter say?" Hermione asked him.
" Today, Same time, Same place , and it's from Snuffles, it's his handwriting," Harry said as they went to Potions.
"We can't warn him to not contact us, not if the Owl Post is being watched, the Floo Network probably is too..." Hermione said reproachfully.
The moment they walked to the Potions classroom door, they saw the Slytherins already there, waiting on Snape to show up and let them in, and that was the exact moment Malfoy began talking, "Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to re-form almost immediately," he was shaking around a rolled up piece of paper, "I mean, it was basically automatic. It'll be interesting to see if Gryffindor gets to keep playing or not."
"Don't rise," Hermione said to Harry and Ron, "it's what he wants."
"I mean," his gray eyes glittered towards Harry, "if it's a Question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance... from what Father says, they've looked for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years... And as for Potter... My father says it's just a matter of time before he's carted off to St. Mun-"
Malfoy's mouth was suddenly removed from his face, and he made a weird face that didn't fit with what he was trying to do. He apparently didn't realize his mouth was gone, so whatever he said after that was lost in translation.
Hermione knew it was Jake, everyone there knew it had been him. Snape showed up a moment later, Malfoy running up to him in a panic after he realized his mouth was gone, "What is the meaning of this?"
"It was Kidd, sir, he removed Malfoy's mouth!" Pansy shrieked.
"Kidd-"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jake said nonchalantly, "I didn't do anything, but I'm thankful to the person who did, because I was tired of hearing Malfoy speak."
"Twenty points from Gryffindor, now put his mouth back or it'll be more," Snape threatened.
"Your threats don't work on me," Jake said, "I don't care how many points Gryffindor has, there are more important things to worry about than House Points," Jake remained unmoved, "besides, I didn't do it, so I'm not putting his mouth back."
"Then detention for you, Kidd," Snape grinned evilly. He pulled his wand out and put Malfoy's mouth back himself, "everyone in class, now!"
Everyone walked in, talking in whispers about Jake having removed Malfoy's mouth, but the moment Snape shut the door with an echoing boom, silence befell the class immediately.
"You will notice that we have a guest with us today," Snape said in a low, sneering voice.
Professor Umbridge was indeed sitting in a dimly lit corner, her clipboard on her knee, smiling sweetly at them all.
"Today we will be brewing something new, and it will take the entire class time to make. It will be the Invigorating Draught . Instructions," he waved his wand, "on the board. Supplies in the cupboard. Begin."
Everyone gathered what they needed after reading the ingredients list and began brewing the Potion. It wasn't hard, it just took three hours to brew, and because it was Double Potions, it'd take the entire class period.
Umbridge spent the first half-hour of class jotting down notes on her clipboard, "Harry, focus on your potion," Jake said as he noticed Harry wasn't paying attention to his potion, "I can make this in my sleep, I'll listen and tell you later what's said."
Harry grumbled but nodded, focusing on his Potion. Umbridge got off her stool and walked over to Jake's Cauldron, "Well, this class certainly seems advanced for its level."
"You can't compare Kidd's Potions to anyone else in class..." Snape said begrudgingly, "He is, regrettably, ahead of even my Seventh Years..."
Umbridge made a note of that on her clipboard and walked over to Seamus' Cauldron, "I see what you mean, but still, it's more advanced than expected for Fifth Years. Though..." she walked up to Snape briskly, "I would question whether it's advisable to teach them a potion such as Invigorating Draught . I think the Ministry would like it removed from the Syllabus."
Snape straightened up and turned to face her.
"Now... How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" She asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.
"Fourteen Years," Snape replied, his expression unfathomable.
"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, I believe?" She asked him.
"Yes," Snape said quietly.
"But you were unsuccessful?" Umbridge asked him.
Snape's lip curled, "Obviously."
Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard, "And you have applied regularly every year since you started working here at Hogwarts, correct?"
"Yes," Snape said quietly, his lips barely moving as he spoke. He looked rather angry.
"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has continually denied you the position?"
"I suggest you ask him," Snape said jerkily.
"Oh, I shall," Umbridge smiled sweetly.
"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowing.
"Oh, yes," Umbridge said, "yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers - er - backgrounds..." She turned away and went to question Pansy about the class.
Snape turned to observe his class and caught Jake looking at him. Snape's eyes turned down to the Potion Jake was brewing, but as it was perfect this far into class, he couldn't say a word about it.
Class went on as usual, Umbridge jotting down things, looking into Cauldrons and asking only the Slytherins questions.
On the way to the Great Hall for Lunch, Hermione was grumbling to herself, but her words were directed at Jake, "You didn't even pay attention to your Cauldron half of class... and it came out perfect... again..."
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I just love the class. I hate Snape with a vigorous passion, but I love the Subject," he explained, feeling a bit sorry for her.
At Lunch, he was brought a slip of paper from McGonagall, "Kidd, I am seriously disappointed in you."
"Professor, I didn't do what Snape claims I did," he took the paper, "I'd admit to it if I did."
McGonagall looked at him carefully, "I believe you, but whatever did happen, you were blamed for. All I ask is that you please be careful."
"I will," he said and turned back to his Lunch.
McGonagall walked back up to the staff table, "Did you do it?" Ron asked.
"No, I didn't," Jake said again.
Hermione looked at him, 'I believe him too... but if he didn't do it, then who?'
After lunch, they separated to go to either Divination or Arithmancy, and afterward, they met up in Defense Against the Dark Arts, taking their seats quietly.
"Good Afternoon, class," Umbridge said, smiling sweetly to them. Jake was quite honestly sick of her fake smile.
"Good Afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class chanted back drearily, minus Jake, who said nothing.
"Wands away, please," Umbridge said, but no one had bothered to get them out this time, "please turn to Chapter Six of Defensive Magical Theory and continue reading. There will be-"
"- no need to talk," Hermione, Harry, and Ron all said under their breath.
Jake pulled out the parchment that had his detention on it and he was to go to Snape's classroom after Dinner. He sighed and stuffed the paper away, getting out his sketches again to continue them.
*******
After dinner, Jake told Hermione he'd see her after his detention and to tell him later what Sirius had to say, since he would likely be in detention when that happened, and he casually walked to the Dungeons. The Dungeon always tried to present an unwelcoming feel to anyone who dared wander into its depths, but Jake wasn't even put off by it. He knocked on the classroom door, and heard the familiar sneering voice, "Enter."
Jake walked in and saw Snape standing over near his desk, "Am I cleaning the jars on the shelves again like I did in Second Year?"
"No, this time you'll be cleaning each and every centimeter of this classroom, the Muggle way," his lip curled into a sadistic grin.
'That doesn't sound too bad... what's his play?' Jake thought to himself.
"Just to make sure you understand how horrible your decision was earlier today, you'll be using just a rag. No water, no soap, nothing but a dirty, filthy rag," Snape used his wand to toss a dirty rag to Jake.
He caught it, but dropped it immediately when it burned his hand. He looked up at Snape, "You bastard..." he said under his breath, for the rag was covered in an acidic substance that was charmed to only be on the rag.
"You will scrub with that rag, no gloves, now get to work," Snape said, "I'll come back after midnight to see your progress, it should take you that long to clean to my satisfaction."
Snape left and Jake was angry. He closed his eye and calmed himself down. If his hands weren't injured, Snape would know he used magic, and he'd go to Dumbledore. Jake wasn't afraid of either of them, but he had to continue his education at Hogwarts to be officially recognized as an Alchemist. It was stupid, he knew that, but even being Merlin's Descendant wouldn't just let anyone take his word that he was an Alchemist.
He scoffed at himself. Here he was caring about silly things when Voldemort's return was more worrisome. He grabbed the rag, it burned his hand, but he pressed on and began scrubbing the classroom.
Halfway through, he had to alternate to his other hand, and when he looked at his palm and the underside of his fingers on the hand he'd been using so far, he was surprised to see that his muscle was visible, but he wasn't bleeding. His only conclusion was that the acidic material on the rag was cauterizing his wounds as it burned into his hands, or maybe it was something else, he was quite honestly not sure. By the end of his detention, both of his hands were burned down to the muscle tissue, and they burned painfully, but he made no indication as such.
At least when he cleaned the jars in Second Year, his hands weren't constantly in contact with the liquid inside them, so those injuries healed eventually, but this, he wasn't sure what was on them, but he wasn't about to complain. He was sure they wouldn't heal either. His knowledge on Healing Spells was rather extensive, and he was certain even Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix his hands.
When Snape came to see how he progressed, his grin was evil and wicked, "I think the lesson has been learned, you may go."
He said nothing in response to Snape's taunts, and walked back to Gryffindor Tower, unsure of whether he should tell Hermione or not. He resolved to tell her; she was his best friend, his girlfriend when Voldemort was dealt with, his future wife he hoped. He couldn't not tell her.
When he walked back into Gryffindor Tower, well after midnight at this point, Hermione was the only one in the Common Room. His hands were hanging limply at his sides. He walked over and sat down beside her, "Umbridge, she grasped into the fireplace while we were talking with Sirius. But I'll tell you more about it in the morning, how did your detention go?" She asked him, looking at him inquisitively.
It pained him to think of how she would react when she saw his hands. He held them up anyway, palms up, and Hermione gasped.
"What did he have you do?" She asked, mortified.
"I scrubbed the entire classroom with a rag, and nothing else... it had an acidic substance on it..." he explained.
"You should tell Dumbledore, Jake," Hermione said.
"He doesn't give a damn about me, Hermione, he won't care. Snape is still teaching here, even though he knows Snape brutally abused my unconscious body back in Third Year... he probably would Crack a smile if he knew what Snape had me do..." Jake said in a neutral tone.
"But Jake-"
"I'm going to put something on my hands tonight, keep them from touching anything... if I have anything..." he turned to her, "Good night," he gave her a quick peck on the lips, "I love you."
Hermione struggled to not let her tears fall, "I love you too... I always will... Always," she gently hugged him, letting him know he would always have her.
He stood up after a moment, Hermione standing up with him, and he carefully walked up the staircase. He wandlessly and non-verbally used magic to do everything for the time being. When he was in his bed, legs already under the blankets, he had his weightless pouch sitting in front of him. He opened it and peered inside, seeing if anything was in there that he could use.
He sighed and levitated the pouch, putting it back in his robes. He laid back onto his pillow, sighing heavily again.
He closed his eye, careful to not injure his hands, hoping they'd stay palm up the entire night, though it was unlikely.
*******
The next morning, he was the first up in Gryffindor Tower, he usually was unless decided otherwise. He was down in the Common Room at about Six o'clock that morning, and he was looking through his Advanced Healing Spell book to see if maybe he missed or forgot about something. Every page he flipped through, his hope became more and more dwindled.
He reached the end of the book, but nothing, not one thing in there about acidic injuries that were too late for proper treatment, "Damn you, Snape... damn you to hell... I promise you, I will one day be waiting to reap the fate you've sown for yourself..."
The only good thing about his injuries was that they weren't bleeding. The downside, he didn't know if they'd ever heal properly, or at all. His muscle was exposed, and every nanosecond they spent being touched by the nitrogen and oxygen in the air sent small, but sharp, signals of pain to his brain.
It was almost Seven when Hermione came down, but she was the first to do so, "Jake, h-how are your hands?"
He didn't say anything about them, "What happened with Sirius last night? You said Umbridge interrupted it?"
"Yeah..." she said sadly. He clearly didn't want to talk about his injury, "Before that happened, we talked about the Organization we are making. You knew the Veiled Witch was Mundungus, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I was going to confront Sirius about it..." Jake said, keeping his voice neutral.
"Well, turns out he was there to keep an eye on Harry, big surprise," Hermione said, "and you were right about choosing the Three Broomsticks as a better place... also, Ron's mother passed on a message to him, that under no circumstances is he to join any illegal club or group, because he'll be Expelled for sure, and he will have plenty of time to learn Defensive Spells later."
"How naïve of her..." Jake tsked.
"Sirius, on the other hand, wholly approves of it. He also asked where we were holding the meetings, and I told him you were busy figuring that out. Then a few moments after that, Umbridge's hand appeared in the flames and made snatching motions for Sirius, but he had already left. I ran to my room, and came back down half an hour later to wait on you."
"Interesting... so Umbridge was watching the Floo Network, like we thought she would... I guess it took her some time to sort through each fireplace," Jake said.
"It seems like it," Hermione said, "or she did actually read Harry's mail from Sirius..."
"True... my initial assessment was likely wrong, and she actually did get Hedwig and read the letter..." he said, his face sullen.
That morning they had Charms after breakfast, so they talked more there. Jake held his wand painfully in his hand, but made no show of discomfort to anyone who would be looking in his direction; if he could survive the Killing Curse, he could handle this. He hadn't even told Harry or Ron about his severe injuries; only Hermione, himself, and Snape would be aware of them.
The class was loud like usual, but amplified because of the croaking of bullfrogs and cawing of ravens, plus rain pounding the windows. They were set to practice the Silencio Charm, but Jake only had to cast it once to satisfy Flitwick. He knew Jake had no trouble with magic, so he said he could sit idly by and watch for the rest of the period.
"I've been suspecting Umbridge of this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs..." Hermione said to Harry, "it was obviously a bogus lie, but what if Filch had been tipped off by Umbridge just as an excuse to read your mail? Obviously, it would be clear to him you weren't, but I doubt he'd care and he'd have kept the letter; he's never cared about students' rights before. If Umbridge asked to see it after he confiscated it, I'm sure he'd do it in a heartbeat."
Harry was perturbed by the look on his face, "It sounds like it was a very, very close call last night," Jake said.
"It was, I wonder if Umbridge knew just how close she was to nabbing Snuffles?" Hermione asked, " Silencio !" She said to her bullfrog, who looked at her reproachfully mid-croak.
"If she'd caught him..." Ron started.
"He'd be back in Azkaban and a soulless husk..." Jake said.
Harry, distracted by this, performed rather poorly, and Ron was just Ron. Both of them were assigned extra work because of it.
At Lunch Break, Angelina walked up to them just before they entered the Great Hall, "I've got permission!" She said happily.
"Quidditch Team is back up?" Jake asked her.
"Yes, I went to McGonagall, and I'm sure she appealed to Dumbledore, either way, Practice is back on," Angelina said happily, "so I want you three down there at Seven o'clock this evening, we've got to make up for lost time."
She squeezed through them and into the Great Hall. Ron looked out the window, and his smile faltered a bit, "Hope this clears up... what's up with you, Hermione?"
"Hmm?" She turned to him from gazing out the window too, all of them taking a seat for Lunch, "oh, nothing... just lost in thought..."
"Care to share?" Ron asked her.
"No... no I think it's something best kept to myself..." was all she said as she filled her plate.
"I'm not going to Quidditch Practice today," Jake said.
"Afraid of the rain?" Harry asked.
"No," he looked at Harry, "I told Angelina that as long as you were going to Practice, I'd do Monday's and Friday's for Practice. If she asks, tell her what I said."
"Okay... why can't you tell her?" Harry asked him.
"If I see her again, I'll tell her, but if not, then please tell her this evening," Jake assured him.
After dinner, Jake spent more time looking up the place they could use for the meetings. He was so close to figuring it out, he could almost taste it. Hermione had wanted to stay up with him, but she felt exhausted and wished him luck and a good night.
His eye was glowing red as he flipped page after page after page. He had searched for three hours, his findings were fruitless, until he saw something, but it wasn't in the book.
In his mind he was picturing a hallway, and there was a door, across from which was a specific tapestry, he recognized it to be of Barnabas the Barmy in his attempt to teach Trolls ballet.
He opened his eye in realization just as Harry and Ron came back into the Common Room, "Jake, Angelina wasn't that upset. It rained horribly and we only got an hour or so of practice in-"
"Never mind that, I know where we are holding the meetings," he said, smirking to himself as he stood up, the book slamming shut and flying back to a bookshelf in the Common Room.
"Really? Where?" Harry asked him.
"I'll tell you as soon as I confirm that's where the room is, I'm going out to find it and be sure it's where I envisioned it," Jake said and left Gryffindor Tower.
He walked up to the Seventh Floor and found the tapestry he was looking for, "Okay... there you are," he turned to put his back to Barnabas the Barmy, "now where is the door?"
He closed his eye and thought of something, 'I need a place to sleep for the night...'
He opened his eye and found a door in front of him. He walked up to it and pushed open the door, finding a small bedroom with a comfy looking bed inside.
He smiled triumphantly; the Room of Requirement, this would be where they held their Defense Meetings.