15 Practice

"Eddie, what's the plan?" Grant asked after our jam session. We were still in the room of requirements. "Like this was a good bit of fun to blow off some steam, but the warning from Snape and Dumbledore ain't going to hold back the snakes for long." He added.

"Especially if we continue to piss them off", Tim added, he was trying to spin a drumstick in his hand.

"Well, for one, Tim should write to his parents to see if they can get him some drumming books from the muggle world," I said. "But you're right; we need to be able to protect ourselves." I stood up and paced, "We need to be ahead of the curve, like race ahead".

"What do you mean?" Grant asked.

"Well, we need to study and practice, obviously", I said. "we can even use this room to help."

"You mean actually learn outside of class?" Tim complained, "When will we have time to do that and homework?"

"Tim, if we use our free time to surpass the class, the homework will be easy." I told him, "Plus, some time to learn songs and jam."

"Sounds good; I'm tired of seeing you preening at the top of the class," Grant said.

"I just had a thought. What if we added a few more to our study group." I said.

"Like who?" Tim added.

"Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Justin, Neville", I stopped to think ", maybe Harry and Ron, but Harry's got quidditch and Ron is very anti-Slytherin, oh and Seamus, maybe he won't blow himself up in class all the time."

"I don't think you're going to get half those people, and you sure you want to show them this?" Grant gestured around the room.

"Maybe not all of them, and we can just use an abandoned classroom to practice in for a start; then, when we know who to trust, we can start showing people the room."

"Can't do magic between classes", Grant said.

"Wrong, you can't do magic in the corridors", I said, "plenty of empty rooms we can use."

"So, who do we ask first?" Tim said.

"Hermione", I answered immediately.

"You really fancy her, don't you?" Grant said with a shocked look.

"No! I just know where she'll be, that's all." I said

"Oh yeah, where's that?" Grant said with an amused face.

"The library," I said with a smile.

Grant and Tim looked at each other with knowing looks.

We entered the library. Grant smiled; he loved books. I liked books that interested me, but he was a bookworm. Tim looked Astonished that a place like this existed, bookshelves so high you wondered how you got a book off the top shelf. Floating books going from one shelf to another. There were a few students in the library, mostly Ravenclaws. But because it was the first weekend, most students were out catching up with friends they hadn't seen since the start of summer. I spotted the brown bush hair, slapping Grant and Tim in the chest; I led them to Hermione.

"Heya hermione", I said in a soft voice.

"Oh, hello, Eddie, Grant, Tim", she acknowledged us

"Hermione, we are forming a study group; we plan to fast forward through the first year's curriculum", I whispered. "We're asking you to join us," I said.

"Yes, join us, Hermione; it will be fun", Tim said in a creepy and dreamy voice. I shocked him in the chest. Oof.

"But yeah, we plan on learning and practising the spells and some other ones that we find interesting," I said.

"And where would you be doing this? Rules state no spells between classes." She humphed.

"No, they say no spells in the corridors," I said. "So we're going to use an empty classroom? The castle is huge, and there are about 12 subjects, and one is outside."

"Okay, when?" She asked, actually interested.

"Weekends and afternoons before dinner," I told her.

"Do you have permission?" She asked.

"Not yet, but I plan to approach McGonagall once we have more people," I said.

"Okay", she nodded. "I'm in"

"Cool, can you ask these people tonight in your common room? I put Harry and Ron's name down to be nice, but I don't think they will agree," I had a thought and scribbled down another name. "Almost forgot, Parvati, can't have one Patil sister without the other."

"Neville, Dean and Seamus, I can understand Dean. He's good at magic, but Neville can do a simple spell, and everything Seamus does explodes." Hermione read the list.

"I think I know Neville's problem, but I don't know if he will take it well, and Seamus, I think he's being a bit forceful," I explained.

"Okay, I'll tell you in the morning," she said.

Dinner was a quick affair. We hung out with the Hufflepuff; Susan and Hannah agreed to the study group. And in the morning, we went to Professor McGonagall about getting permission for a room. Her answer was no.

"Professor, we just want to be able to do our school work and practice a bit more", I pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry, Mr Carter, I can't allow students to just use the rooms for whatever they like." She was focusing on her work and wasn't looking at us.

"Come on, man, best tell Hermione you couldn't get permission", Grant patted me on the shoulder.

"Wait, Hermione is a part of this study group?" McGonagall looked up.

"Ah, yes, she is best in class, and I thought she could help us." I said, "So are Neville, Dean and Seamus Pravati from the Gryffindors, and Susan and Hannah from Hufflepuff. We asked Justin Finch-Fletchley from Ravenclaw, but he said no, But Padma said yes."

"Well," she paused, "I will allow you to use classroom 1-15. She pulled out a sheet of paper handing it to me. It was a group registration form. "I expect, it by the end of breakfast."

"Thankyou professor McGonagall" I said as we left before she could change her mind.