Persuasion

"When are the meetings going to start?"

"What meetings?" Albert asked in confusion.

"Of course, the Defense Association meetings. Don't tell me you deliberately forgot about it?" Shanna stopped walking and turned to stare at Albert, practically leaning in close enough to demand whether he had deliberately forgotten.

"After the others heard about it, they all wanted to join the meetings." Shanna continued walking as she spoke. "They're all asking when you're going to start."

"Don't tell me by 'the others,' you mean a whole bunch of girls?" Albert asked cautiously.

Shanna snorted and burst out laughing. "Is it such a bad thing to be popular with girls?"

"They can be troublesome sometimes."

"If the girls heard you say that, I don't know how hurt they'd be." Shanna looked at him as though he had no idea how lucky he was.

"You definitely won't go spreading that around."

"Well, some of them are girls, of course." Shanna quickened her pace to keep beside Albert and continued, "Most of them are fifth years. The Defense Association is mainly meant to help everyone get better results in their Defence Against the Dark Arts exams."

"That's good. But... I haven't found a suitable place for the meetings yet." Albert sounded rather helpless. "I'm not sure whether Professor McGonagall would agree to let us use an empty classroom in the castle."

"What are you going to do if she doesn't?" Shanna frowned, trying hard to think of a solution.

Even by the time they reached the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Office, she still had not come up with anything suitable.

"What about the Great Hall?"

"Definitely not. We need enough space to practise magic." Albert shook his head, rejecting the idea. "Trust me, if we practised magic in the Great