Chapter 114/115: The Gifted Hope Room
In the distance, the darkening sky swallowed the last pine needle.
In the quiet crackle of the fireplace, the bite‑proof gloves trembled faintly in the cold wind.
Filch lowered his head. In his hands lay a small fragment of sunset.
…
Shawn walked briskly down the corridor. The noise in the castle had not stopped for a moment.
Bruce had brought back a huge pile of things for them, including some floating candles.
But when Shawn saw him, he did not look his best – hair dishevelled, robes dusted with unidentifiable powder, boots caked with mud.
Pester and Leon were not much better. Leon looked like a boiling kettle, dragging Bruce off and disappearing at the Great Hall entrance.
"Bruce… he…" Shawn hesitated for a moment, then decided to ask.
"Oh, him," Pester said with a simple‑hearted smile.
"He swapped all the toffees at Honeydukes for Hiccough Sweets. The wooden staircase in the shop was packed with hiccoughing wizards.
"Even down in the cellar, you could hear the hiccoughing from the shop above. Louder than a bell…"
"…"
Shawn did not know what to say. Swapping all the toffees for Hiccough Sweets in front of a crowd of wizards was no easy feat.
He observed a few seconds of silence, then noticed Pester's robes were full of holes.
"This was… he set off fireworks outside while someone was confessing their feelings. The fireworks toppled over and exploded in the wizard's arms. That wizard's Fire‑Making Charm was very proficient…"
Hearing this, Hermione's mouth fell open at the Great Hall entrance. Neville imagined the scene and began to tremble.
"Oh, and… he secretly poured Itching Powder into someone's hair tonic and told them, 'If it itches, that is good. It means your hair is growing…'"
Now the four of them felt Bruce's screams as he was dragged away were no longer so grating.
"Sometimes we wonder if he should have gone to Gryffindor…" Pester said calmly with a smile. He pressed some Fudge Flies into Shawn's hand and left the Great Hall.
Fudge Flies.
How curious, this thing about the Minister for Magic being equated with flies.
But even more curious was that the classroom had been decorated.
"Just put it there, Shawn," Justin said, bustling around the classroom full of enthusiasm. Though he said he could manage on his own, the other three could not just watch him labour alone.
Justin first hung floating candles in every corner of the classroom, especially above everyone's desks, making sure they all had bright light sources.
Bruce had also helped bring three pumpkin lanterns fitted with Everlasting Candles – candles enchanted to burn indefinitely.
Floating candles, Everlasting Candles. Honestly, Shawn was not entirely clear on the difference, but that did not stop him from placing the pumpkin lanterns with Everlasting Candles beneath the two wooden tables. Warm light slowly cast a fanged, gaping‑mouth shape on the rug.
The third was placed inside the wooden cabinet by the entrance, next to Shawn's notebooks.
The wooden cabinet was not very bright. Neville kept taking the wrong things. Last time he had mixed up the Herbology and Potions notebooks.
Beside the entrance cabinet was a small switch‑like object – the candle controller. The classroom did not need to be this bright all the time.
After a good while of work, the not‑too‑large room had been completely transformed.
Rugs had been laid near both wooden tables, with soft couches and pumpkin lanterns on top. The wooden cabinet was hung with candles and filled with notebooks and everyone's Charms progress charts.
Each desk had plants on it. In fact, plants existed in every part of the classroom. Their caretaker was a shyly smiling Neville.
At the entrance, Justin had placed a mirror. It was a magic mirror, a talking mirror.
Its purpose was to remind those who looked into it to mind their appearance.
When Neville stood before it, it bellowed, "Head up, chest out, straighten your clothes, tuck your shirt in – what a mess!"
Mr Longbottom scrambled to tidy himself as it instructed.
Spells flew around the classroom. As they cleaned, everyone realised how many corners were unclean, how many places could be improved – so the Scouring Charm and Levitation Charm came in very handy.
Compared to the dullness of practice, the young wizards were now full of drive. By the time the decorating was done, everyone was exhausted.
Shawn's Levitation Charm had gone from Expert (110/9000) all the way to Expert (600/9000).
His Scouring Charm had gone from Proficient (100/3000) to Proficient (300/3000).
"There is a problem…" Justin said suddenly during the break.
"If we call this place 'the classroom,' how is it different from other classrooms?"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone froze.
"Right!" Hermione said, dazed.
"We need to give it a name. That way, when we say 'the classroom,' we will know which one we mean."
Her idea quickly won everyone's approval.
Justin said excitedly, "We need a special name. A name that reflects what we do here."
"What about… After‑School Study Base?" Hermione suggested. She instinctively glanced at Shawn, who had drunk a potion and recovered the fastest – he was already reading a Transfiguration notebook.
"Mm," Shawn nodded.
"Hey, you two are being way too casual!" Justin protested helplessly.
"Neville, do you have any ideas?"
"Warm… a warm room," Neville said instinctively.
"That is hard to use as a name, but it is not bad," Justin said, frowning. He knew he could not count on the other three in this room.
"The Gifted Hope Room! The Hope Room for short," Justin suddenly declared loudly.
"This name suggests the room itself is a gift, specifically meant to nurture and hold hope.
"It is like a safe harbour. Everyone who enters can reclaim the hope they have been given. What do you think?"
"Wow, wow…" Neville was stunned. He wanted to say it was good, but instead turned into a frog that could only croak.
"Not too bad…" Hermione said, tilting her chin up. In truth, she was very satisfied.
"Shawn, what about you?" Justin asked, turning to him.
"Mm." Shawn nodded. He seemed to feel he had said too little. He thought for a moment, then added, "Good."
"Then it is decided! We need to hang up a sign with the name on it."