Chapter 7

After leaving Dumbledore’s office, Grace asked Winky to go back first, she decided to go to Room Of Requirements first before going back since she’s already at the 7th floor.

Then she stepped onto the moving spiral staircase that carried her down to the seventh-floor corridor. As the staircase came to a stop, she stepped onto the stone landing and turned left into the main hallway lined with portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses.

She walked past the portrait of Armando Dippet, who nodded at her as she passed, then continued until she reached a fork in the corridor. Here, she took the right turn toward the east wing, where the walls were hung with darker tapestries and suits of armor stood in alcoves at every other corner.

As she passed a suit of armor holding a spear, she turned left again into a narrower passage. The air grew cooler here, and she could hear the distant echo of students laughing from the floor below. She kept walking until she spotted the familiar tapestry on her right, the one depicting Barnabas the Barmy in a tutu, trying to teach three trolls to pirouette.

‘ This is it ‘Grace stopped directly opposite the tapestry, facing a blank stretch of stone wall between two torches. She took a deep breath, then began to walk slowly past the wall once, then twice, then a third time. Each step was deliberate as she focused on what she needed.

When she turned around after the third pass, the blank wall had vanished. In its place stood a tall, heavy wooden door with an iron handle, fitting perfectly into the space as if it had always been there.

The moment Grace pushed open the door, warm sunlight washed over her face, so bright she had to blink a few times to adjust. Instead of stone walls and ceilings, she stood at the edge of a wide, rolling green field stretching as far as she could see. Soft grass tickled her ankles, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and fresh earth. In the distance, fluffy white clouds drifted across a clear blue sky, with no sign of the castle above or around her at all.

To her left, a smooth patch of grass had been flattened into a perfect landing strip, and leaning against a wooden post there was her broomstick, already polished and waiting for her. Small, glowing orbs of light hovered at intervals across the field, acting as markers for flying practice. She could feel the space was warded to keep spells contained. Any charm cast would dissipate harmlessly into the air without risk of damage or detection.

At the far end of the field, nestled under the shade of a large, leafy oak tree, sat a simple wooden hut with a thatched roof and a small chimney curling thin wisps of smoke. When she walked closer, she saw the door was propped open, revealing a cozy interior. Inside, a fireplace crackled with warm flames, and sturdy wooden tables were laid out with stacks of books, quills, and ink pots. A comfortable armchair sat in one corner, next to a shelf filled with potions ingredients and small practice wands for spell work. A kettle on the hearth hummed softly, and a plate of fresh sandwiches and fruit sat on the table, as if the room had anticipated she would be hungry.

Grace traced the table, books, shelf and walls. “Magic is really amazing. Even food is available…” She took a bite,” edible too,”

Grace stepped out of the hut into the room’s sun-drenched field, her broomstick already resting against the wooden post near the landing strip. The weather was perfect for flying. She ran a hand down the broom’s polished handle, checking the bristles for any stray twigs or knots.

” I need to practice how to fly with this and experience it myself.” She murmur to herself,” I’m a little nervous,”

As it was her first time, she tried ride it following the instructions she read in a book, she was pleased to find that it was not that hard as she expected ,”It seems flying isn’t actually a problem.” She murmur to herself

Knowing that flying would not be a problem, she decided to focus on precision maneuvers, tight turns and controlled dives that required more finesse than speed just to make some improvement for herself. ‘ It’s definitely not because I want to fly a little longer, it’s for improvement ‘

Mounting the broom, she kicked off from the grass and rose smoothly into the air. She held her body low, keeping her weight centered as she circled the field at a moderate height. The glowing practice orbs hovered ahead of her in a winding path, and she aimed to weave through each one without brushing against them.

She leaned into her first turn, shifting her weight slightly to the left and adjusting her grip on the handle. The broom responded perfectly, gliding around the orb with inches to spare. For the next ten minutes, she traced the path again and again, each pass smoother than the last.

When she misjudged a turn and clipped an orb with her elbow, she did not keep going. Instead, she landed gently, walked back to the start, and tried again, focusing on keeping her arms tucked close and her eyes fixed on the next marker.

As she flew higher, the breeze strengthened, pushing against her face. She practiced holding steady in the wind, making small adjustments with her knees and wand hand to keep the broom level. Then she tried a series of controlled dives, starting high, folding her body forward, and pulling up just before she reached the grass. On her third dive, she managed to touch the tips of her fingers to a wildflower at the field’s edge before soaring back up.

By the time she landed for good, her cheeks were flushed from the wind, and she had worked up a light sweat. She leaned the broom against the post and walked across the field, stretching her arms overhead. The room had left a pitcher of cold lemonade and a plate of warm scones on a stone bench near the oak tree, exactly what she needed to feel alive again.

Grace went inside the hut again to rest for a bit before she started to sort out the things she had to do. She had already read the book Lupin gave her, and she only needed to try the spells in practice.

“I can practice those charm spells here. Then, hmm.. improve my transfiguration first, maybe for about 30 minutes, then proceed to charm spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Grace checked the time. She calculated she still had three hours before her afternoon class. “One hour for charm spells, then 30 minutes to review for double potions, 30 minutes for herbology. The rest is for planning how to start a business to earn some money.”