Weide spent the entire day, right up until he went to bed, thinking about Flying Broomsticks. That night, he even dreamed of flying on a broomstick, as free as a bird—he soared over Hogwarts Castle, over the Quidditch pitch, over the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake—
He circled the grounds, then flew through the castle corridors, as everyone below looked up at him in awe. Michael was practically comatose on the stairs, his eyes glazed over from exhaustion. But Weide stayed far away from those confounded stairs—he drew a graceful arc in the air, then lightly slipped through a window, landing directly on his bed.
When he woke up, the wonderful feeling of free flight still lingered in Weide's mind. He stared at the ceiling, feeling a profound sense of loss, unable to fall back asleep for a long time.
But first-year students aren't allowed to bring brooms to school... And a Nimbus 2000 costs at least a thousand Galleons...
Ferdinand, Grey's father, owned a toy factory whose products sold in America, making their family relatively wealthy among ordinary people. Weide also had a good amount of pocket money, enough for him to buy all sorts of snacks as he pleased. But no matter what, Weide couldn't bring himself to ask his parents for a thousand Galleons to buy something that was essentially a "toy."
If only I could achieve financial freedom on my own, Weide couldn't help but think.
If he were in the Muggle world, he could quickly accumulate wealth with his knowledge of the future. But as a boarding school student, how was he supposed to earn money?
Weide's imagination ran wild.
...
Saturday was a full day off. When Weide arrived at the practice room that morning, he found Hermione already there.
Among their group, Hermione spent the most time in the practice room. Weide sometimes read in the Ravenclaw common room or dormitory because he didn't want to go downstairs, but Hermione spent almost all her free time in the practice room. Weide was sure that the girl didn't have any friends in Gryffindor besides Neville, with whom she could exchange a few words; her relationship with the girls in her own dormitory also seemed strained.
The girls always moved in groups—going to class together, eating together, going to the restroom together—but Hermione was always alone.
However, Weide didn't try to persuade her to improve her relationships with her classmates. Emotional intelligence was something innate, and Weide himself wasn't the type to be socially adept, nor did he like to compromise himself to cater to others.
But today, the girl was uncharacteristically not studying; instead, she was hammering something "clink-clank" into the wall.
"What's that?" Weide leaned in to look.
A rectangular wooden board was decorated with simple patterns and a line of cursive writing.
"Umbrella Room?" Weide's expression was a bit strange; he thought of the Umbrella Corporation, a company that created bio-viruses and destroyed the world.
"Yes," Hermione said, nailing in the last nail. "There are many practice rooms, but this one is ours alone, so I think it should have a special name. That way, when others hear us say 'Umbrella Room,' they won't know where it is."
"Alright," Weide wasn't too concerned with such small matters. He took a book from the shelf, sat down, and began writing his Herbology homework from yesterday.
The current practice room—or rather, the Umbrella Room—had changed significantly from its initial state. Each of them had claimed a spot against the wall, with bookshelves beside them, and their desks arranged according to their preferences.
Hermione's shelves were filled with books, several of which were borrowed from the library and not yet returned. She also had a thick stack of brand-new parchment, two bottles of ink, and seven or eight Quills—her supplies were used up very quickly. Since parchment was more expensive, Hermione usually took notes in notebooks bought from Muggle stores. The Granger family wasn't short on money, but the girl's character had a thrifty streak; she wouldn't waste money where it wasn't necessary.
Weide's shelves, besides textbooks, held all the notes he had organized so far. Michael and the others often borrowed them, saying that with Weide's notes, they could pass their final exams even without attending class. In addition, there were many items used for Transfiguration, such as buttons, matches, and chess pieces, which were commonly used. After Flying Lesson, a miniature model of a Flying Broomstick had quietly appeared on his desk.
Michael's area was much more colorful; he had various odds and ends like perfume, mirrors, gift boxes, and chocolates. A poster of a Quidditch star was taped to the wall, a model of a fire-breathing dragon sat on his desk, along with leftover cookies from yesterday, and badges collected from who-knew-where. Michael proved, through his actions, that not every Ravenclaw loved studying.
Theo, from Hufflepuff, was a favorite of Professor Sprout's, and he himself was very good at Herbology. His shelves held two rows of fist-sized small flowerpots, containing plants Theo had cultivated himself, such as common dittany, mint, marjoram, yarrow, and so on. On his desk was also a Mimbulus Mimbletonia; this plant looked like a diseased internal organ, covered with boil-like growths, and would spray viscous, foul-smelling liquid to attack others. To avoid accidental injury, Theo had placed a hemispherical glass dome over it.
Neville loved Theo's setup very much and wanted to create a similar one for himself, but due to limited pocket money, he currently only had a pathetic three or four flowerpots. He also prepared some fertilizer, which everyone insisted be kept in a corner of the Umbrella Room to avoid affecting their breathing.
Ryan was also good at Herbology, but his favorite subject was Astronomy. Thus, his desk held a set of planetary models, with planets of various sizes slowly revolving around a central sun. Additionally, Ryan collected many different Quills and various colors of ink, neatly arranged on his bookshelf.
The others arrived at the Umbrella Room one by one. They noticed the practice room's new name and all praised it enthusiastically. Michael even pounded the table, commending Hermione's cleverness and calling it surprising.
Despite knowing that he was just habitually praising a female, Hermione's cheeks flushed with happiness.
Theo put down his bag and said, "If you ask me, not only should the practice room have a new name, but we should also have a name that shows we're a group."
"Right," Ryan nodded. "If we always think, 'I'm a Hufflepuff, he's a Ravenclaw, you're a Gryffindor,' there will always be divisions. We should be a collective that transcends house differences."
"Suddenly, it feels official!" Michael said excitedly. "So, what should we call ourselves? Weide?" He looked at his good friend.
Weide, suddenly called upon, paused. "Uh... The After-School Tutoring Interest Group?"
"—You'd better not offer suggestions," Michael said, turning away expressionlessly. "Hermione?"
"This—" Hermione, for some reason, suddenly felt a little nervous. "The Magic Enthusiasts Club?"
Michael sighed. "Hermione, how is that different from Weide's After-School Tutoring Interest Group? Neville?"
Neville stammered, "I—I can't think of anything right now."
"Theo?"
Theo said, "How about the Sunflower Club? Sunflowers symbolize hope, sunshine, loyalty, determination, and growth. Isn't that very fitting?"
"Hmm—"
Michael began to deliberate.
Indeed—it was fitting in every sense, but for some reason, it felt a bit ordinary. If he had to come up with a name himself, he couldn't think of anything better.
"Ryan?" Michael looked at the last person, deciding that if he didn't have a good idea either, they would just call it the Sunflower Club.
Ryan fiddled with the planetary models on his desk, thought for a long while, and then said, "How about the Starry Sky Chaser? SSC for short."
Michael clapped his hands vigorously and praised loudly, "Cool!"
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