Chapter 22: The Umbrella Room and SSC

For the entire day until he went back to his dorm to sleep, Wade's mind was filled with thoughts of flying broomsticks. 

Even as he slept, he dreamed of himself flying on a broomstick, soaring through the sky like a bird—he flew over Hogwarts Castle, the Quidditch field, the Forbidden Forest, and the Black Lake.

He looped around on the grass, flew through the castle corridors, and everyone looked up at him in amazement. Michael was hanging half-dead on the stairs and his eyes were listless from exhaustion. 

But Wade kept a safe distance from those cursed stairs—he drew a graceful arc in the air, and finally, lightly floated through a window, landing directly on his own bed.

When he woke up, the wonderful feeling of flying freely still lingered in his mind. He stared at the ceiling, feeling a sense of loss and was unable to fall back asleep.

But first-year students weren't allowed to bring broomsticks to school... and a Nimbus 2000 would cost at least a thousand Galleons...

His father, Ferd, owns a toy factory, and their products are even sold in the United States, so their family is considered relatively wealthy among Muggles. 

Wade also had quite a bit of pocket money, allowing him to buy all sorts of snacks at will. But no matter what, asking his parents for a thousand Galleons to buy something like a "toy" was something Wade couldn't bring himself to do.

If only I can achieve financial independence—Wade couldn't help but think.

In the Muggle world, I could have quickly accumulated wealth by leveraging my knowledge of the future. But as a student in a boarding school, how can I make money?

Wade couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

...

Saturday was a day of rest, and when Wade arrived at the practice room in the morning, he found that Hermione was already there.

Among the group, Hermione spent the most time in the practice room. 

Sometimes Wade would stay in the Ravenclaw common room or dormitory to read because he didn't feel like going downstairs, but Hermione spent almost all her free time in the practice room. 

Wade was sure that, apart from Neville, the girl had no friends in Gryffindor. It seemed that the other girls in her dormitory didn't have a good relationship with her either.

Girls usually act together—they go to class, eat, and even go to the bathroom together, but Hermione was always alone.

However, Wade didn't try to encourage her to improve her relationships with her classmates—emotional intelligence is something people are born with, and Wade himself isn't the sociable type. He dislikes the idea of forcing himself to fit in with others.

But today, it was rare to see the girl not studying. Instead, she was busy hammering something into the wall with a "bang, bang, bang."

"What's this?" Wade asked as he walked over to take a look.

The rectangular wooden board was decorated with simple patterns and had a line of calligraphy on it.

"Umbrella Room?" Wade asked with a slightly odd expression. He thought of the Umbrella Corporation, the company that made bioweapons and destroyed the world.

"Yeah," Hermione said as she hammered in the last nail. "There are many practice rooms, but this is the only one that belongs to us. I thought it should have a special name. 

That way, if someone hears us say 'Umbrella Room,' they won't know where it is."

"Alright," Wade said, not particularly concerned with such minor details. He picked up a book from the shelf, sat down, and began working on his Herbology homework from yesterday.

The practice room— or the Umbrella Room, as it was now called— had changed significantly from its original state. Each of them had claimed a section against the wall, with bookshelves and desks arranged according to their preferences.

Hermione's shelf was filled with books, several of which she had borrowed from the library and had yet to return. She also had a thick stack of brand new parchment, two bottles of ink, and seven or eight quills— As her supplies were used up very quickly. 

Given the high cost of parchment, Hermione usually takes notes in notebooks purchased from Muggle stores. Although the Grangers aren't short of money, Hermione's personality has a touch of frugality, and she will not waste money unnecessarily.

Wade's shelf held all of his notes he has sorted out so far, in addition to textbooks. Michael and others frequently borrowed them, saying that with Wade's notes, even without attending classes, they could pass the final exams. 

Besides that, there were many props for transfiguration, like buttons, matches, and game pieces. After flying lessons, a mini model of a broomstick had quietly appeared on his desk.

Michael's area was much more flamboyant. He had various odds and ends like perfume, mirrors, gift boxes, chocolates, and so on. There was a poster of a Quidditch star on the wall, a model of a dragon on his desk, leftover cookies from yesterday, and badges he had collected from who knows where. 

Michael is a living proof that not every Ravenclaw is passionate about studying.

Theo from Hufflepuff is much favored by Professor Sprout and is quite skilled in Herbology himself. 

His shelf held two rows of small flower pots, each containing plants he had grown himself, including common moss, mint, marjoram, yarrow, and others. On his desk was a pot of Mimbulus Mimbletonia, a plant that looked like a diseased internal organ, covered in pustules that emitted a sticky, foul-smelling liquid to attack others. To avoid accidental harm, Theo had covered it with a half-spherical glass dome.

Neville greatly admired Theo's setup and wanted to create something similar himself. However, due to limited pocket money, he only had a few meager pots. He also had some fertilizer, which everyone insisted he place in the corner of the Room to avoid affecting the air quality.

Ryan is also skilled in Herbology, but his favorite is astronomy. 

Thus, his desk was adorned with a set of planetary models, with planets of various sizes slowly orbiting around a central sun. Additionally, Ryan had collected different quills and inks of various colors, and neatly arranged on his bookshelf.

The others gradually arrived at the Umbrella Room and noticed the new name for the practice room. They all praised it, and Michael even clapped on the table, complimenting Hermione on her clever idea and surprising everyone.

Although Hermione knew that Michael's praise was often a habit with him, her cheeks trued still slightly red with joy.

Theo put down his backpack and said, "I think it's not just the practice room that needs a new name; we should have a name for ourselves as well, to show that we're a unit."

"Right," Ryan nodded. "If we always think of ourselves as Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor, there will always be a divide. We should be a group that transcends house differences."

"It suddenly feels very official!" Michael said excitedly. "So, what should we call ourselves? Wade?" He looked at his friend.

Caught off guard, Wade hesitated, "Uh... After-School Study Group?"

"—Maybe you should just refrain from suggesting names," Michael said with a straight face and then turned to Hermione. "Hermione?"

"Well—" Hermione suddenly felt a bit nervous. "How about the Magic Enthusiasts Club?"

Michael sighed, "Hermione, how is that different from Wade's After-School Study Group? Neville?"

Neville stammered, "I—I can't think of anything at the moment."

"Theo?"

Theo suggested, "How about the Sunflower Club? —Sunflowers symbolize hope, sunshine, loyalty, steadfastness, and growth. Doesn't that seem very fitting?"

"Uh—"

Michael started to deliberate.

It was indeed quite fitting in many ways, but somehow it felt a bit ordinary. And he couldn't think of a better name himself.

"Ryan?" Michael looked at the last person and decided that if he didn't have a good idea, they would go with the Sunflower Club.

Ryan fiddled with his planetary models for a while and finally said, "How about Starry Sky Chaser? For short, SSC."

Michael clapped enthusiastically and praised loudly, "Cool!"

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