The Beginning of Knowledge: The Book Club at Hogwarts

After bidding farewell to the Weasley family at the entrance of the Headmaster's office, Ryan silently celebrated in his heart. After all, among the pure-blood families, it was their family that truly showed kindness towards Muggles. Not to mention that in the original text, their family was the one that gained the most after the final battle. It was very important for him to raise his reputation in their family, as it would be a significant help in achieving his future goals.

The rest of the day was quite ordinary. After finishing his schoolwork and returning to the common room, Ryan saw Hermione approaching him with a stack of parchment and a bucket of paste.

"What's this for?" Ryan asked, feeling like he had forgotten something due to recent events.

"What do you think? Didn't we agree to start a book club? Now we should post these notices for everyone to see so that we can attract people," Hermione replied, giving Ryan a reproachful look.

After posting the notices on several bulletin boards in the school, Ryan silently prayed that there wouldn't be too few participants. It would be very awkward if it was just him and Hermione in the book club. Soon enough, Friday afternoon arrived, and after dinner, Ryan was the first to arrive at the empty classroom on the third floor assigned to them.

Upon opening the door, he discovered that the room was spacious enough to accommodate fifty to sixty people. It didn't seem small at all. However, the inch-thick layer of dust on the furniture indicated that the room had been unused for a long time.

"Let's clean it up, cough cough," Ryan rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning. It had to be said that magic was indeed very convenient, especially when it came to cleaning up the trash. A wave of the wand was all it took.

When he was halfway through cleaning, Hermione also entered the room with a backpack. Seeing the scene before her, she put down her backpack and joined Ryan in cleaning.

With the help of magic, they quickly finished cleaning, especially since Hogwarts Castle had magical protection, so the troublesome pest problem that usually occurred when cleaning old houses in the wizarding world was not severe here. Besides a pile of doxies they eliminated using a specialized potion from the curtains, the only challenging thing they found in the room was a large patch of Venomous Tentacula under the teacher's desk.

This thing looked like a green-eyed fungus, and when startled, it would grow countless thin legs and scurry away. The worst part was that it secreted a corrosive substance that slowly eroded the foundation of the room. For example, Ryan noticed that the floor beneath the patch of Venomous Tentacula was corroded and pitted.

"It seems that the magical protection of Hogwarts focuses more on the exterior, and there doesn't seem to be much protection in the interior," Ryan recalled the partition wall that was easily destroyed by a troll in his first year and came to this conclusion.

Fortunately, Ryan had previously researched what kind of things would appear in old wizarding houses, so he successfully dealt with the Venomous Tentacula using a Banishing Charm.

"What magic did you just use?" Hermione asked after witnessing the scene.

"It's a Banishing Charm, a type of household spell. I discovered that if you want to exercise precision in manipulating magical power, household spells are a great way to do so. Most household spells are easy to learn but difficult to master. Even slight differences in magical power can produce different effects. For example, the Peeling Charm is very popular, but it's challenging to completely remove the skin of fruits and vegetables without wasting anything," Ryan explained.

"In that case, I can give it a try," Hermione said, clearly convinced by Ryan's explanation. She decided to study the household magic that she previously overlooked when she had free time.

At 7:15 PM, as a knock on the door sounded, everyone began to arrive one after another.

The first to arrive was Neville, who shyly pushed open the door, followed closely by Cho and Alicia, who had their lives saved by Hermione the last time. Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and an unfamiliar girl with black hair also entered, but her distinctive purple eyes and a tear mole below her left eye reminded Ryan that she was also a third-year Gryffindor. Luna Lovegood then walked in with a vacant look, seemingly as if she had accidentally wandered in after getting lost. The last to enter were the Weasley twins.

"It seems like there are more people than I imagined, but who is that black-haired girl? Why am I not familiar with her even though we're in the same year?" Ryan asked quietly, leaning towards Hermione.

"That seems to be Jacinda Swindon. She's considered one of the few studious students in Gryffindor. If not for the grading curve in History of Magic, her score wouldn't be much lower than ours. Because she is the heir to the next Countess of Glamorgan, both Muggle-born and pure-blood wizards unintentionally exclude her. So, it's normal that you're not familiar with her," Hermione whispered back.

"Isn't the title of nobility passed down only to males in the British aristocracy? Does she not have any male cousins or something?" Ryan inquired.

"She really doesn't," Hermione replied, wearing a strange expression. "This title of nobility is somewhat abnormal. It has been passed down in a single line for at least seven generations. So, within their family history, there have been a few rare female Countesses."

Ryan finally understood what was going on. Britain was a place that paid great attention to social class. A prospective heir appearing in Hogwarts was considered quite special, so her isolation was a natural occurrence.

After waiting for a while, the time reached the scheduled 7:30 PM. Once it was confirmed that no one else was coming, Ryan stood up and closed the classroom door.

Hermione mumbled a few words and took a deep breath before stepping onto the platform. "Um, hello, everyone. I'm glad to see so many people who share our views. As wizards, we possess the power of magic, but behind this power, there is a need for sufficient accumulation of knowledge. So, the purpose of gathering everyone here is the same as what I wrote on the poster: whether it's books about wizards or books about Muggles, we will read them to acquire knowledge. We will then transform this knowledge into our own power through practice, ultimately improving ourselves."

Those present nodded in agreement. Since the poster specifically mentioned learning about Muggles, the people sitting here could at least manage to not discriminate against Muggles. No one expressed any discontent towards Hermione's mention of Muggle books in her speech.

"Let me ask a question." Autumn raised her hand at this point and stood up after receiving a nod from Hermione. "The wizarding world is peaceful now, and I believe that as long as we grasp what is taught in class and what is required for exams, it should be enough. Why do we need to delve into the textbooks and even potentially dangerous powers?"

"I'll answer this question," Ryan also stepped onto the platform. "First, while the wizarding world is overall peaceful, there is no guarantee that you won't encounter any situations. Whether it's the troll in first year or the Dementors this year, they show that risks are everywhere. We would rather be prepared in advance and not need it than find ourselves helpless when faced with a real situation."

Autumn nodded in agreement, and Ryan continued, "Secondly, as someone who wasn't born into magic, I've realized that a person's status in the magical world is determined by their strength. For example, the reason our Headmaster became the leader of the British wizarding world was because he defeated the most powerful dark wizard of his time, Grindelwald. So, in order for each of us to have a good future when we leave Hogwarts, it is necessary to study harder, acquire more knowledge, and strengthen our own power."

"In addition," Ryan added, "in the magical world, if we want to pursue what interests us, we need sufficient power. For example, those who are fond of Herbology would not have a chance to get close to those dangerous advanced plants without enough power."

Ryan glanced at Neville as he said this.

"Similarly, if you want to discover magical creatures never seen before, it is impossible without sufficient power to venture into those dangerous places," Ryan continued, noticing that even Luna, who usually seemed indifferent to many things, nodded in agreement after hearing his words.

"So," Ryan concluded, "the purpose of organizing this book club is for everyone to learn and exchange their mastery of knowledge, and ultimately apply that knowledge in practice to improve each and every one of us."