Recruitment Notice

"Harry, wake up, Harry. You need to see this!"

Harry got up grudgingly and put on his glasses.

"What time is it?"

"It's already 9 o'clock. Come with me."

"Wait, I should change out of my pyjamas and wash my face."

"Okay, be faster than."

"You can tell me if you want." Harry said it probingly.

Ron just shook his head.

"I will be in the common room."

Harry changed his clothes, washed up, and tried to make his hairstyle look a bit less messy, but to no avail. He then made his way to the common room.

In front of the bulletin board, a crowd was gathered. Ron was waving at him from the corner of the crowd. Harry went ahead and stood with him.

"What's the matter?"

"Look at the notice at the centre."

At the centre were two big announcements; one of them had green parchment and a notice written with black ink; the other had a black background with green words.

"Attention to all students! 

The Duelling Club is restarting. If you wish to participate, write your name on the parchment and put it in the box in front of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom by 1 p.m. Further instructions will be posted here by 8 p.m.

Head of the club,

Stille Elding"

The second one, with black parchment and green ink, was another club recruitment notice.

"Attention to all travel and survival enthusiasts!

The Survival Club is now established!

Do you want to be prepared for any kind of situation?

Do you want to learn how to survive in extreme conditions using magic?

Then this club is for you! Together, we will learn how to live in extreme cold or hot climates, travel to tropical forests and regions with horrible weather, and respond to emergency situations. In short, we will learn how to increase our rate of survival using magic.

To join the Survival Club, you need to pass the test with your groupmates. The task will be given next Sunday. Below, you will find the list of spells you are advised to know, as they are needed to pass the test.

If you wish to attend the selection, write your name on the parchment and put it in the box labelled 'Survival Club' in front of the Great Hall.

P.S. Groups are randomly selected. Objections will not be reviewed. After your groupmates are decided, you either pass the test with them or do not participate at all. Only if all candidates are present will they be allowed to attempt the task."

At the end of the notice, there was a list of required spells for each year.

"It's a shame we can't decide on our groupmates." Ron commented from the side when he noticed Harry had finished reading.

Harry nodded at him and started checking the spells for the first years.

"It looks like Professor Elding pays more attention to the Survival Club," said Hermione, who somehow appeared by their side.

"Why do you say so?" Ron asked, clearly confused by this weird conclusion.

"The second notice is clearly written with more care and enthusiasm. Look at the location of the boxes too. One is in front of the Great Hall, where everyone passes by at least three times a day. The second is in front of the classroom. It might look like it makes sense for the duelling club's recruitment box to be in front of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. But I believe the professor did it deliberately."

"Your idea actually makes sense," said Harry. Seeing Ron wanted to object, he added, "But it doesn't matter, right? Let's go and put our names in the boxes. Do you guys want to apply to both clubs?"

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

-------------------

"Professor Elding, your idea of the survival club is wonderful! I wonder why no one has ever thought of it before."

"Professor, you can call me Stille, and thank you. I just wanted to share my experience with them. One can't do much with just spells in the syllabus in the wild."

"Call me Filius, and yes, you are right. I hope it works out well."

As Stille was chatting with Flitwick over breakfast, Snape sat by his side.

"Managing two clubs at the same time might prove a bit challenging, don't you agree, Mr. Elding?"

"I see you have already heard of it, Professor. It seems taking on this challenge made me famous."

"Certainly, Professor Elding," Snape scoffed.

"But I wonder if this little fame is worth your valuable time."

Stille's hand froze mid-air, orange juice inches away from his mouth. Then he calmly sipped from the cup and put it down.

"We are professors, and our foremost job is teaching. Additional research I have been doing or my business outside the school won't have any effect, I assure you."

"It's indeed hard, Stille, but don't worry. I have some duelling experience. I will help you with the Duelling Club." Flitwick added his two-cents.

"Thank you, Professor. I'm sure the students will be pleased with your assistance. 

I heard Professor Snape is talented at dueling. Will you join?"

"And where have you heard it, Mr. Elding?" Snape interrupted him, his eyes staring at him piercingly.

Stille just smirked, not answering his question.

Snape scoffed and left the Great Hall angrily.

"It's sometimes hard to understand Severus."

"I'm sure he has reasons, Filius. Where were we?"

------------------

Snape was more than angry. This anger couldn't be seen on the face of experienced Occlumens. 

This made him even more pissed off. The burden of keeping yourself in check all the time, never letting emotions show up in your face was both a blessing and a curse. Sure, you can always choose the most effective option all the time, but pent up anger makes you more prone to get annoyed at anything and everything.

'How ironic, you waste so much time to learn something and suffer your whole from its side effects.'

Snape returned to his office. After taking a few calming potions, he sat for a while with his eyes closed. Potions' effects kicked off, and he felt a refreshing feeling burst out in his stomach, slowly spreading through his whole body. Making sure he was calm, he opened his eyes.

'Why am I pissed off by this event?

Is it because he knows things about me that should have been secret?

No, I was ready for him to know about my previous experience as a spy. He has many 'friends' from the pureblood faction. They should have already told him about it. If not, he wouldn't attempt to poach me that day.

Then is it because the students like him so much?

Impossible. Why would I care about the thoughts of these brats who can't even make a simple potion without any errors?'

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He closed his eyes in pain and regret.

'He proved that a Slytherin can be liked by other people. Something that I didn't believe and couldn't achieve. He showed that I was wrong.

It's ENVY.'

-----------------

7:50 p.m., Gryffindor common room.

Harry noticed nearly everyone from Gryffindor was here, waiting for the promised further instructions from Professor Elding.

"I didn't know the clubs were this popular." He said this to Ron.

"Actually, the clubs are usually not that famous. But this is a duelling club! Everyone is interested in learning how to beat others up."

"Ron, you are putting it the wrong way! Everyone just wants to learn it for self-defence."

Hermione got embarrassed when many people looked at her as if she had said something silly.

"Anyway, that's what I thought," she added.

"The survival club is a new thing; there has never been something like that before. That's the reason many people want to try it."

"You're correct for this one," said Ron, smirking.

"Are there other clubs too?"

"I heard there are gobstones and wizard chess clubs. They'll recruit new members after Halloween."

"Other professors also lead their respective clubs; Professor Snape only accepts Slytherins to the Potions club. Professor Flitwick is the Head of Charms club; one should be at least in their 3rd year to apply to this club. It's quite famous, actually. Professor McGonagall's club is less popular; they say she's as strict as in actual lessons. Not many people are interested in herbology, so only Hufflepuffs have been in the herbology club.

Those are all clubs led by professors. There are some independent study groups, though only Ravenclaws are part of them." Hermione finished all this information in one breath.

Ron gaped at her.

"Hermione, how do you know this much information already?"

"I just asked the right people the right questions."

Harry interrupted them.

"It's starting, look!"

When they looked over, they saw the ink fade from the parchment notice. A new line of words appeared. As they were sitting close to the board (to keep this seat, they had to stay here for 2 hours straight), they could read it.

The Duelling Club notice had this announcement:

"As the number of students is too large, I decided to hold the club meetings in batches. 1-2nd year students will have the meeting on Monday, from 3 to 5 years on Thursday, and 6-7th year students on Saturday.

The meeting starts sharply at 7 p.m. Latecomers are not allowed entry."

The survival club notice was short:

"All participants for selection are randomly grouped; their names are delivered to your bedroom. You have 6 days to practice. The test will be held on Sunday."

"Let's go, Harry. Maybe we're in the same group."

Harry doubted this. There was truly a chance for them to be groupmates if the selection was random. But remembering how 'randomly' professor Elding paired them in the previous class, he had zero hope for Ron to be his groupmate.

-------------

Previous lesson in Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

As the professor told them, Harry appeared alone in a marshland. He was surrounded by gnarled trees, and his surroundings were shrouded in an eerie mist. The air hung heavy with the scent of decay, a pungent aroma that seeped into his nostrils and filled him with a sense of foreboding.

"Lumos." With the spell, his wand tip lit up, calming him down a little. He first checked a small area around him for beasts of some kind. Thankfully, the perimeter around him appeared empty except for him. He wasn't sure if he could at least stand against a cat, much less a magical beast in this state.

He was shivering from the chilly air of the marsh. The ominous atmosphere added to his discomfort, making the tremble much more noticeable. Harry looked around for some dry wood. It was quite a challenge in such a damp place.

After looking around for a bit, he noticed a tree in the distance. It was hit by lightning at some point, as there were some scorch marks. When Harry checked its branches, they appeared dry. As he was collecting the branches, a brilliant idea struck him.

As Harry was planning his move, a girl was sitting with her back against the tree. Her wand was also lit, though it gave off weak light.

"I need to do something. I can't just sit here and wait for someone to come. Should I look for them? Or should I do something to attract attention?"

As she was considering her options, something attracted her attention on the horizon.

"Is that a fire? Could that person be my teammate? Should I go?"

As the fire became bigger and bigger, her resolve also grew. She stood up and started carefully walking, checking every bit of the ground she wanted to step on with a staff she made from a long branch she found.

When she got there, she saw the source of the fire. A tree was set on fire. A boy was standing next to it. Going closer, she finally saw his face. It seemed a bit familiar, but she couldn't remember his name.

"Umm, hi. My name is Seraphina Scamander. You are?"

"Uh, hello. I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you." He seemed to be fidgeting.

 "Do I look that awkward too?" She thought idly.

"Should we put out the fire now?"

"Why?"

"Well, it might attract the beasts. So, it would be better to extinguish it."

"Oh really? I heard beasts were afraid of the fire."

"It only works on ordinary animals. Magical beasts are not really afraid of it, as they have higher intelligence. Some might even actively look for fire, like fire salamanders."

"Ugh, sure then. I really don't know much about magical things."

"It's fine; not many people are really interested in beasts and lack even the most basic knowledge about them." Seraphina walked clothes to the tree and pointed her wand at it.

Harry also came to her side. When they started using the Aguamenti charm and conjured water, he noticed his spellcasting was slower, and he only conjured half the amount of water as Seraphina.

"You are good at charms." He complimented.

The girl blushed.

"Umm, I paid more attention to Aguamenti than Incendio. I won't be able to burn this entire tree."

"Is that so?"

They continued in silence. After a few minutes, the tree finally stopped burning. Making sure that no ember was left, they chose a location and started walking.

Harry wanted to walk on the front, but Seraphina decided otherwise.

"You will protect the rear; I will walk on the front. Even if danger comes from the front, we can quickly exchange our places."

--------------

When Harry thought about the adventure they had with Seraphina, he had a feeling that they were not chosen randomly. It was as if Professor Elding knew their strengths and weaknesses. They were a perfect match for the task: Harry thought of the way to attract her; she had the experience for the journey; he learned Incendio; she learned Aguamenti; he was decisive and reckless; she was timid and cautious.

If they were the only team like this, he would have thought of it as a mere coincidence. But Ron has complained about his companion being too careful and slow and 'bad with the only useful spell' Incendio. Though they passed the test successfully, Ron became a bit more friendly with that boy, greeting him when they met.

When he told his theory to Hermione, she said it made sense. She also said every group had members from different houses, so Professor Elding might have had other motives too.

 --------------

"To Mr. Harry Potter

Thank you for applying for membership in the Survival Club. You can find the names of your group members below. The list of spells you are advised to master can be found on a separate page.

I'm looking forward to your performance,

Best,

Stille Elding."

"The members of your team:

Ravenclaw, Padma Patil;

Hufflepuff, Seraphina Scamander;

Gryffindor, Harry Potter;

Slytherin, Draco Malfoy."

"What the hell! I'm doomed; why did I ever think of attending this club?" Ron's exaggerated sobs could be heard from his bed.

"Guys, let's see, who's in your group?"

Dean and Seamus read the names of their group mates.

'Still better than mine,' thought Harry.

Ron told me he was in the same group as Blaise Zabini from Slytherin. Harry had no idea about wizard families, so he just nodded to Ron's complaints.

"Well, I've got Malfoy with me."

The boys showed a sympathetic look.

"We feel you, bro. Are you already thinking of quitting?"

"No," said Harry with determination. "I'm going to do it and win it."

"That's the spirit, mate," Ron patted him on the shoulders.

"Since you decided to tolerate Malfoy, how can we even complain? Let's take this as the first test and crush the main one too!"

 ------------

At the same time, Stille was explaining the point of this teaming to the Heads of the Houses:

"I want the members of this club to trust each other with their lives. If they can't put childish problems aside and come together, then they are not fit to be in this class at all."

"You think too highly of them, Professor Elding," Snape deadpanned as usual.

"The hatred and bigotry run deep in their blood. They might appear to you as mere children, but the beast inside them is already mature. You can not change them."

"Professor Snape, it's too early to judge, isn't it? Let me try this once."

"And if you can't do it?"

"Then, I have no choice, but… try again with another method or another group."

"Well, I think your idea is brilliant, Stille. I wish you good luck in realising it. Ask for any help; we are always ready."

"Thank you, Minerva, I will."

"Same, same. It's a wonderful idea to combine the strength of all Houses at such a basic level. If the result is satisfactory, we might have to review our teaching plans and make some changes in order to facilitate inter-house relationships."

"You flatter me, Filius. Come to me if you need any help with reviewing."

"I guess you're doing good, young lad. Just make sure there are no further problems between the children. Make sure to prioritise their safety."

"I'll keep that in mind, Professor Sprout.

Now, let us make some changes to my plans for the Duelling Club. I'm sure all of you have quite an experience regarding this, and as nearly the whole student body decided to be part of the club, your assistance will be much welcomed."

"Of course we will, Stille! Just tell us your plans."

"I think my own lessons will be enough. But your assistance will be greatly appreciated if you can join the higher grades. From 3rd to 5th Year, all students will have the class on Thursday. I think it will be good to start with one real battle between the experts, followed by lessons in smaller groups.

We will divide them during the class itself."

"Good then. We will not plan anything for Thursday."

"Same with 6-7th year students. Their class will be on Saturday."

"Okay, let's follow your arrangements."