After receiving my clue, I hurried back to my room to open it. Rose waited patiently inside the common room. I quickly answered the riddle and stepped inside, hurrying over to where Rose sat by a crackling fire. Everyone's gaze turned to me as I stepped inside. Becoming the Hogwarts Champion, not to mention being summoned down to the Headmistress's office, had put my normally-invisible self on the radar of most Hogwarts students. Rose scooted over and patted a chair.

"What did she want?" Rose whispered, keeping her voice low and hushed, trying not to draw eavesdroppers from our fellow Ravenclaws.

"I thought she was asking me about the prank that your cousin pulled, but it turns out she wanted to talk about the interview, and give me this." I pulled the creased envelope out from my robe pocket, turning it over and examining it. Rose gasped softly.

"The first clue. Have you opened it?" She asked. I shook my head. "Well, go on then, what are you waiting for?" Truth be told, I was scared of what the clue might be. Lily's dad had had to face dragons. I slid my finger under the flap and edged it open. A piece of parchment fell out from inside, and I grabbed it as it tried to float to the ground.

Where all you need is before your eyes,

A room that's hidden, but not forbidden, lies

Walk past it three times, think about what you seek,

It's all in there, everything you need,

To find the next clue to the next tournament's week

Warning, something dangerous spies,

What is the room that will take us closer to our golden prize?

I read it to myself softly, Rose watching me curiously. I flipped the riddle over in my mind. A hidden room at Hogwarts? This, I hadn't heard of. I passed the paper to Rose and she smiled.

"Oh, I know this one. My mom and dad and my uncle talk about this room a lot. It's the Room of Requirement, a hidden room on the third floor. I can take you there. Does it say when the challenge is?" Rose asked me.

I turned the paper over and examined the backside. "Two days." I replied. "I have two days to prepare, and I have no idea what's in store for me." Rose flashed me a smile as butterflies rose in my stomach.

"We'll run through some spells during our free period tomorrow, okay?" Rose said. "Al, look at me." I turned to look into her eyes, and it comforted me. The flickering fire was reflected in them. "You're going to be fine. Absolutely fine. The Goblet chose you, you're a Champion. I believe in you."

I mustered a smile for my best friend's sake, not letting her see how truly nervous I was. "Thanks, Rosie." She squeezed my hand. "Now, tell me about this 'Room of Requirement'."

~~~~~

Two days later, I'd learned all I could, done all the preparation possible for not knowing what was going on. I had been excused from classes that day, and I found myself at breakfast, trying to eat something. After Rose had force-fed me a piece of toast, I followed her up the staircase to the third-floor corridor. Professor Actriz waited there for me.

"Well done, Alissa." she praised me. "I knew you could figure it out." Her eyes glinted under the fluorescent lights bouncing off of her spectacles. "Make me proud, Ms. Strought." she said. "Good luck."

I knew what I had to do. I paced back in forth in front of the wall three times. I need the room where I can find my next clue. I need the room where I can find my next clue. I need the room where I can find my next clue, I thought three times. At the end of the third clue, I opened my eyes, and there was a door in the wall. I patted my pocket to make sure my wand was still there, and looked back at Rose, standing next to Professor Actriz.

"Good luck." Rose mouthed. I turned the doorknob and stepped into the first Task.

I first took in my surroundings. There were three identical doorways, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center. I thought back to the clue, wondering if there was a hidden hint inside.

'Where all you need is before your eyes', that was the first line. My mind immediately went to where the door I had first entered was. If I had first entered, looking straight ahead would lead me to the...door on the left.

Unsure whether I was reading too much into the clue, I strode forward and placed my hand on the cool golden doorknob and turned the handle. It led into another dimly lit room. I stepped in and examined what was around me.

To my right, there was a musty table with three books on it. To my left, another door, with a note taped on it. Straight in front of me, a solid wall. I walked to the door first, reading the note. It read,
You have chosen the correct door first,

Had you chosen the others, there would have been a curse

To make it much harder to go on

Now you must choose

Three books, one to do nothing, one to win, one to lose

Only one holds the answer you seek

To get through the next Task of next week,

But traveler beware of entering this door

Danger lies in store

You cannot exit without passing through

The correct book holds the clue.

With knowledge of fire, solver proceed

To find the right book, clues you should heed:

The one on the left will flicker then flame

The one on the right will do the same

The middle book will burn and then die

Each book would be worth a valiant try. My brain hurt just reading the riddle. I took it apart piece by piece. The first line said that I had chosen the correct door, thank goodness. The next two lines said that had I chosen the other doors, I would have been cursed, making it much harder to go on. The next segment said I had to choose one of three books. One would help me win, one would make me lose, the other would do nothing. Only one held the clue to help me for next week. Then the riddle got complicated. Something dangerous laid in store beyond the door, but I couldn't leave the room without going through. One book would help me get through that room, and then apparently I needed fire knowledge to solve the riddle.

For once, I was terribly thankful I was a Ravenclaw, and a smart one at that. I immediately thought of the time that Rose's mother, Hermione Weasley, had to solve a riddle of potions. Surely I could manage this if she could do that. So...the riddle.

'The one on the left will flicker then flame, the one on the right will do the same', it read. So apparently the left and right books will essentially do the same thing. Flicker...when fire flickers, that means it starts off small...then flame? What does that mean?

I pondered this for awhile, then suddenly it hit me like a speeding train.

"I've got it!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air excitedly. The left and right would each harm me. They would appear to start out right, and then 'flame'. Flames burn. Burns hurt. Plus, the riddle said that only one held the clue. The middle book "would burn and then die"...that meant that it would cause pain and be hard at the begin, but it would stop.

"It's the middle book! I've solved it!" I shouted to myself. I walked over to the table. Each book was nameless, colored a different color. I carefully picked up the dark-navy-covered book in the center and walked back to door.

The door was locked, so I pulled out my wand. "Alohomora." I muttered, and heard the lock click open. I kept my wand in my hand, ready for whatever danger lay in store beyond. I took a deep breath and turned the door handle, swinging open the door.

I was met with pitch-black darkness. "Lumos." I whispered, and the tip of my wand lit up. I stifled a shriek as a huge face loomed into view, and the lips curved into an amused smile.

"So small, pity. I was hoping for someone who could put up a better fight." A woman's voice drawled. I quickly regained my wits.

"You're a sphinx." I stated loudly. The Sphinx chuckled.

"So it thinks. Congratulations, dear. That is indeed what I am. Now, if you please, I'd like that book you're carrying. Then you can try my riddle."'The middle book will burn...' I reminded myself. This must be the burning part. I had to fight for the book if I wanted to make it through.

"No, I'm sorry. This book is mine." I replied coolly. The Sphinx glowered at me.

"I said, I want that book!" She said. "You have no right to that book, it belongs to me, and I want it back!" I gulped. Some Gryffindors I knew would've fought down the Sphinx, as would have the Slytherins. Hufflepuffs would have befriended it but what was I supposed to do? Outthink a Sphinx? That was practically impossible! It was all I had though; my wits. It was worth a shot.

"Why? What's so important in here?" I asked, lifting the book. The Sphinx shot me another glare.

"That book contains precious knowledge, that no young naive girl like you should be allowed to possess!" She hissed.

"What if I offered a trade?" I said.

"That book is not up for trade, silly girl! And you have nothing that I want." The Sphinx insisted.

I hefted the book into her line of sight. "How about some knowledge? Knowledge for knowledge, that's a fair trade, don't you think?"

The Sphinx hesitated long enough, I knew I had her trapped. "What sort of knowledge?" She asked me.

I smiled. "Oh, all sorts! The latest gossip..." She shook her head, and I continued quickly. "Old spells no one has ever heard of, some ancient works of literature that are now buried, just things like that."

Her eyes lit up. "Old spells no one has ever heard of?" she asked. "Tell me more."

"If I name five, do you promise I get to keep this book immediately?" I hedged. The Sphinx relented with a sigh. I neglected to mention that the five spells I would name were spells me, my friends, and my friends parents made up.

"Okay...let's see...first, there's Sectumsempra...that one is for cursing people. Then there's Levicorpus, for lifting people into the air. There's also Riberati, used for making things speed up dramatically. Fourth, there's a spell named Catchikari, used for hiding things, and finally..." I drew a blank. What was a fifth one? I suddenly knew. It was one my friends and I used all the time, without a second thought. "Finally, muffiliato, used for making your conversations private." The Sphinx looked pleased with this knowledge, and finally told me I could answer a riddle to go.

"If you answer this riddle correctly," the Sphinx told me, "I will allow you to pass by me safely carrying my book of knowledge. If you answer incorrectly, I will devour you in a most unpleasant manner and reclaim my knowledge that you have fairly won." I nodded, preparing myself for an impossible riddle.

"Riddle me this: a woman has two sons, born on the same day, born in the same year, born in the same hour, yet they are not twins. How can this be?" The Sphinx says with a sly grin, certain that she has already won. I let out a relieve sigh and almost laugh at her puzzled expression. I'm sure she imagined me sobbing over the impossibility of this.

But this had been a question I had to answer to get into the Ravenclaw common room. Gosh, I loved being a Ravenclaw.

"Easy." I replied calmly. Her expression turned from puzzled to shocked. "The boys are triplets- they have a sister."

She screeched in outrage and protest, snapping at me, but I reminded her of our deal, and she folded her wings to let me pass.

I saw a door behind her, and carried my precious cargo out the door, back into the hallway, where a lot of my friends were waiting, as well as the headmistress. I collapsed outside, finally letting the panic that I had been holding the whole time out. I had done it. I had kept my cool, but now I could breathe. Rose sat next to me and patted my back.

"We could watch the whole thing on a screen, and that was amazing! You didn't look fazed at all! I'm sure you'll get extra points for that. Al, you were amazing." My friends all congratulated me, and Professor Actriz bent down.

"Fantastic job, my dear. You made Hogwarts proud."