Harry's Hope

Though the Room of Requirement was magical and could create all kinds of rooms according to one's needs, it had its limits. It could only create one room at a time.

When someone was using the Room of Requirement, its door would remain fixed in the corridor. Even if someone else paced back and forth along either side of the corridor, no new door would appear on the wall.

Harry did not know whether leaving a cat inside counted as someone using it, but when he arrived at the corridor and saw nothing on the wall, his heart immediately tightened.

Although Silvan said the cat had run out on its own, Harry did not think so—the room had been huge and chaotic, like an enormous maze. Even he had nearly gotten lost.

Harry found it hard to believe that a cat could successfully find the right exit, then open the door and come out by itself.

Maybe the cat was already dead—if that was the case, the Room of Requirement's door would disappear as well.

But whose cat was it? What if its owner came looking for it? How was he supposed to explain—

Harry grew more and more flustered. He believed that when he had opened the Room of Requirement, he had failed to properly check his surroundings and allowed the cat to slip inside. He should take responsibility for it.

But on the other hand, he could not tell the truth to other uninvolved students. The dilemma left Harry torn, and he remained distracted for the next several hours.

"What's so strange about that?" Silvan tried to reassure Harry again during dinner.

"Most pet cats from Diagon Alley have a bit of Kneazle blood in them. Like my Tom, or Hermione's Crookshanks, they're far smarter than ordinary pet