Vid raised an eyebrow and turned to look, seeing Silly Barnabas in the tapestry.
Every time he entered the Room of Requirement, he would first see this tapestry. Sometimes he saw Silly Barnabas forcing the Trolls to wear ballet skirts and dance, and other times he saw the Trolls hitting Silly Barnabas on the head with a big stick. They were always entangled in this tapestry, never speaking or going anywhere else.
Originally, he thought it was because tapestries and portraits were different...
At this moment, the Trolls in the tapestry were lying asleep on the side, while the wizard sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes clearly watching Vid, and said with a very serious expression.
"Silly... uh... Mr. Barnabas?"
"It's okay, call me Silly Barnabas, everyone calls me that anyway," Barnabas said casually, then asked, "I guess you've taken something from the Room of Requirement?"
"Yes," Vid admitted openly, "but it doesn't belong to the Room of Requirement; it was put in there by someone else, just like the broom I took before."
"It doesn't matter whether someone put it there to hide, child," Barnabas said slowly. "In this castle, all things abandoned by their owners eventually appear in this room. When they are forgotten, they become part of the Room of Requirement. You can take what you need, like that broom; but you shouldn't take what you don't need or use the Room of Requirement to satisfy certain personal desires."
"Personal desires?" Vid retorted, "Like what?"
"Like selling the things inside for profit," Barnabas paused and added, "If you really need money, you might find some Galleons in the pile of junk, enough for daily expenses."
"Then—what if I really took something I don't need?" Vid asked again.
Barnabas said solemnly, "Then one day, what you've taken will return to Hogwarts in a way you'd never want to see. And because you violated the original intent of entering the Room of Requirement, you'll eventually be punished by the magical contract."
His tone was somber and compassionate, as if he'd already seen Vid dying horribly or suffering terribly in the future for refusing his advice.
The Troll beside him muttered in its sleep, scratched its butt, and turned over to continue sleeping. Its smelly foot rested right in front of Barnabas, who had to pinch his nose and move to a different spot, then adjusted his mood, continuing to gaze solemnly at Vid.
"Well," Vid couldn't help but grin and asked, "what if I found a dangerous dark magic item in the Room of Requirement, and I took it away to deal with it because I was worried it would harm other students—is that considered violating the contract?"
"Oh—oh—is that so—"
Barnabas's thought process was interrupted, and it took him a while to stammer, "That—should count as doing a good deed—the castle, the castle would thank you—obviously, it's not a violation of the contract—"
"Anyway, thanks for the advice, Barnabas—once I've dealt with the dark magic on it, I'll return the item," Vid said.
Vid waved his hand and turned to leave.
A distance away, Vid finally couldn't help but heave a sigh.
When he was led by the House-Elf to finally find the Room of Requirement, Vid had wondered if the room could also meet his need for a room full of Galleons or a Time Turner?
Or while studying in the Room of Requirement, if he took all the books or alchemy tools from inside. The next time he came, would he find an empty room, or would all the needed items still appear?
Thinking it over, Vid eventually restrained all his impulsive thoughts, refraining from testing if the Room of Requirement had such a bug.
He wasn't the first to discover the Room of Requirement; before him, countless students and professors might have already discovered its magical use, and Voldemort had even hidden his Horcrux here. Among the House-Elves in the castle, the Room of Requirement wasn't a secret either.
If the items in the Room of Requirement could really be taken away at will, wouldn't the students before him have discovered this bug? Surely not everyone was as noble as Harry Potter in the original, having never thought of using the Room of Requirement for profit?
At least, young Tom Riddle was definitely someone who could make the most of resources. If he didn't empty the Room of Requirement, the only explanation must be that he couldn't, not that he didn't want to.
It seems that back then, Tom Riddle must have also been warned by Barnabas. Given his personality, he wouldn't easily believe a tapestry; after all, he was a Curse Master and a descendant of Slytherin—he might have tried various ways, only to find that the tapestry was correct...
"The Room of Requirement"—providing help to those truly in need.
Vid had long guessed that people made an invisible contract upon stepping into the room, so he didn't fiddle around. But when his assumption was truly confirmed, he still felt disappointed.
Who would hate getting something for nothing?
Vid patted his face, reminding himself—he had already received a lot of help from the Room of Requirement, so he shouldn't be driven by desire, forgetting what he truly wanted.
...
The following morning, the sky finally cleared.
After experiencing heavy snow and continuous rain, the students showed their delight for the clear weather. Many got up early to stroll, chat, and play in small groups around the castle's grounds.
During breakfast, countless owls flew into the hall, dropping packages in front of the students—even though there was a Friendship Book, owls, these deliverymen of the wizarding world, hadn't been phased out. They still carried packages of all sizes, flying across the sky of Great Britain.
Eva also landed beside Vid, bringing Fiona's freshly made candies and desserts. She pecked Vid's arm angrily, as if blaming him for leaving her at home.
Vid tore some beef for her, which Eva swallowed contentedly, cooed twice, and spread her wings to fly away.
Vid shared some candies and desserts from the package with his classmates and then turned and said, "Michael—"
"Hmm?" Michael responded, complimenting, "Madam Grey's peanut brittle is really good!"
"I'll leave some in the Umbrella House for you. Take more if you like," Vid said, "Will you help me take a few photos later?"
"Sure!" Michael readily agreed, asking, "Did you buy a camera?"
"My father gave it to me as a Christmas gift," Vid said.
"Take a couple for me too—since I got to the school, I haven't thought about taking any pictures!"
"Okay."
As they were about to finish their breakfast quickly, two more owls flew toward Vid, one dropping a letter and the other a large package.
Michael was surprised, "Your family sent you so much stuff?"
"No," Vid looked at the signature on the envelope, "this isn't from my parents."