Chapter 58: Magic Practice Study Room
Neville was the first to raise his fist.
"I'm not willing!"
The rest of the students immediately echoed him.
"I'm not willing either!"
Cheers erupted throughout the Gryffindor common room.
At that exact moment—
Click!
First-year student Colin Creevey captured the scene with his camera.
Hermione stood in front of the blazing fireplace, her fist raised high, while students around her responded passionately to her speech.
In the glow of the flames, she looked almost heroic.
Without waiting for permission, Colin lowered the camera and shouted excitedly:
"Senior Hermione! Could Harry stand in that spot so I can take another picture?"
"This angle is perfect!"
For a moment—
The room fell silent.
Then the entire common room burst into laughter.
Whether they were first-years or seventh-years, everyone laughed openly.
It was a pity that Fred and George were still serving detention, otherwise they would certainly have made the moment even more chaotic.
Hermione's face turned bright red.
It was hard to tell whether she was angrier or more embarrassed.
The serious atmosphere she had worked so hard to build had been completely destroyed.
Harry, meanwhile, was mortified.
He shot Colin a furious glare, grabbed his textbook, and ran to a corner.
Covering his face with the book, he pretended to read.
The other students meant no harm.
After laughing for a while, they gradually returned to their own activities.
Gryffindor Organizes
Ginny gathered the first-year students together and quickly explained the current situation.
Meanwhile, the fifth-year class representative approached Percy to discuss something.
"I asked about Ravenclaw's classes today," the representative said seriously.
"The situation there is terrible."
"Our mock exam scores are even worse than theirs."
He hesitated.
"Percy… do you think we should ask the professor for the exam papers in advance and memorize the questions?"
"I heard they're all taken from previous O.W.L. exams."
Percy frowned thoughtfully.
Elsewhere, the fourth-years faced a different problem.
Their class representatives—Fred and George—were currently in detention in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.
Several fourth-year students stared blankly at the lively organization happening across different year groups.
Every group had someone leading them.
Except the fourth-years.
Angelina Johnson leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"How about we elect a deputy class representative?" she suggested.
"That way someone can communicate with Professor Holmes."
"And those two troublemakers can be sidelined."
Several students' eyes lit up immediately.
Other Houses
The atmosphere in the other houses was similar.
In Slytherin, senior students warned their juniors:
"If your rankings fall below Gryffindor again, we won't mind spending some time helping you with your spells."
The threat was polite—but unmistakable.
In Ravenclaw, the situation was entirely different.
Their class representatives acted more like tools than leaders.
Their main job was simply testing whether students had memorized the required material.
Several Ravenclaw students were currently debating the Potions Classroom Safety Management System distributed by Professor Snape.
He had instructed them to memorize it—but never explained why.
Naturally, Ravenclaw students preferred understanding over blind memorization.
As for Hufflepuff—
Their reaction was much simpler.
If their ranking was higher than another house?
"Oh, that's nice."
If it was lower?
"Well… that's normal."
Nothing to get worked up about.
Establishing the Practice Study Rooms
However, not everything went smoothly.
Douglas spent considerable effort negotiating the creation of magic practice study rooms.
Using both persuasion and relentless discussion—and with assistance from Filch and the school nurse—he compiled accident reports from the past five years.
The records showed numerous injuries caused by students secretly practicing magic.
After reviewing the data, Professor McGonagall finally agreed.
Four empty classrooms would be designated as official practice rooms.
Why four?
Because if students from all four houses practiced in the same room, no one could guarantee that a wand wouldn't "accidentally" fire at someone else.
That could easily spark another house war.
No one wanted that.
After the arrangements were finalized, McGonagall looked at Douglas thoughtfully.
"Douglas, I don't think the practice rooms should be open without restrictions."
"We'll need a proper set of rules."
Douglas nodded and handed her a prepared parchment.
"Professor, please review this management system."
"There are several items that will require your approval."
McGonagall sighed as she accepted it.
"If you had brought this earlier, you could have saved me hours of listening to you talk."
She began reading.
Practice Study Room Rules
Students in third year and below must be accompanied by an upper-year student. Upon entering the room, students must complete a practice log, listing the spells being practiced and the participants. Only spells taught in class may be practiced. Any other spells require professor approval. Unrelated items are not permitted in the study room. Playing around or casting spells on classmates is strictly prohibited. Opening hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Violations will result in loss of access privileges.
McGonagall nodded after reviewing the document.
"This is quite thorough. I approve."
She looked up curiously.
"So what else do you need from me?"
Douglas rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well… it's actually quite simple."
"You just need to award a few extra house points."
He explained:
"Younger students will need older students to accompany them."
"Outside of friendship, there's little motivation for older students to help."
"So if a senior accompanies them safely, we could reward them with house points."
"And for sixth- and seventh-year students who contribute significantly…"
"We could provide letters of recommendation upon graduation."
"I'm sure a Hogwarts professor's recommendation would help with employment."
Douglas talked until his throat went dry.
Eventually—
McGonagall agreed and promised to persuade the other heads of house.
Douglas finally relaxed.
Wednesday – First Practical Lesson
Before the study rooms officially opened, Gryffindor first-years attended their first practical Defence Against the Dark Arts class.
Douglas stood at the front of the classroom, drawing a diagram in the air with a marking charm.
"Students, please close your textbooks and take out your wands."
"We won't need textbooks today."
He smiled slightly.
"The content of this lesson is simple."
"You only need to walk safely from the entrance of a passage to the exit."
"Of course, you'll encounter a few minor difficulties."
He raised a finger.
"First, the passage resembles a cave. Your movement will be restricted."
"Second, you will encounter a creature that has never appeared in your textbooks."
"Don't worry—it isn't dangerous."
He paused deliberately.
"There is only one rule."
"You must never look into its eyes."
"If you look directly into its eyes, you'll be struck by a Full-Body Bind Curse and fail immediately."
"If you see its eyes indirectly—through reflection or other means—you'll suffer a weakened version of the spell and be paralyzed for one minute."
"If the creature doesn't find you during that minute, you may continue."
"But if it does…"
"A white mark will appear on your body."
"That also counts as failure."
He folded his arms.
"The first student to successfully complete the challenge will receive a full set of my signed books."
Douglas watched the students carefully, expecting to see excitement or fear.
Instead—
Their expressions remained strangely calm.
Just as Douglas finished speaking, Ginny Weasley raised her hand.
"Professor," she asked seriously, "we've only learned the Whispering Charm."
"How are we supposed to deal with that creature?"
Douglas widened his eyes dramatically.
"Oh Merlin's socks!"
"What are you?"
"First-year Hogwarts students!"
"The budding flowers of the wizarding world!"
"The hope and future of magical society!"
He pointed his wand toward the class.
"When facing danger, you must learn to protect yourselves."
"Not rush forward recklessly and try to defeat your opponent with a few sparks from your wand."
"Sometimes the correct strategy…"
"Is to retreat."
Ginny frowned and answered immediately:
"Professor, the Gryffindor motto is bravery and selflessness."
Several students nodded in agreement.
Clearly—
They were not convinced.
✨Enjoying the story? You can support me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/MizuSan
✨ Patreon members get early chapter access, bonus content! 🥰
🎉 Plus, I'll release 1 for every 50 Power Stones you send my way! 🥳
🌊 Let's reach 80 Patreon members to unlock 5 extra chapters together