The Mutual Aid Society

Every day at Hogwarts seemed to fly by, with classes taking up most of the students' time.

Not long ago, Gryffindor House had been cheering over a huge Quidditch victory.

Now the little lions were fretting over the exams coming up.

"Astronomy! Astronomy! Astronomy!"

Dean Thomas clenched the end of his quill between his teeth as if it were his sworn enemy.

He just couldn't understand what was so interesting about those stupid stars.

And the idea that the stars influenced your fate?

Was spilling his breakfast this morning really the result of Ganymede and Callisto appearing at the same time?

What a load of rubbish!

"Come on, Dean. If there's something you don't understand, you can ask Hermione. I'm sure she'd be happy to explain it to you."

Hearing Dean complain loudly, Harry looked up, exhaustion filling his green eyes behind his round glasses.

He'd been studying for a long time, but it wasn't going very well.

Come to think of it, everyone had been working hard lately.

After all, these were their first exams at Hogwarts. Who didn't want to get good grades?

"Hermione has changed a lot, but..."

At Harry's words, Dean glanced at Hermione, who was studying intently nearby, and hesitated.

Ever since the "Halloween incident," Hermione had truly become part of Lion House, but he didn't want to keep bothering people.

A guy should learn to solve his own problems. What kind of man was always asking a girl for help?

Unlike Dean, Ron didn't think there was anything embarrassing about asking Hermione for help.

"Hey, Hermione, can you take a look at this question for me?"

He sidled up to her with a grin and held out his notebook.

Hermione closed her book, glanced at it, and shook her head slightly.

Ron's face fell at once.

"Got it wrong again?"

Some people were simply born with a knack for certain things. When it came to studying, Mr. Weasley really wasn't much good. Scratching his messy, nest-like red hair, he bit his lip and angrily drew a huge cross over the answer.

He turned to look out at the bright sunshine and, at the age of twelve, began to ponder the meaning of life for the first time.

The world was so big, and life so full of possibilities. Why did he have to be cooped up in the Common Room with this pile of mind-numbingly dull books?

"At least I'm not the one having the hardest time."

Humans were strange creatures. No matter how badly things were going for you, seeing someone else doing worse could still make you feel better.

Ron looked pityingly at Neville, who was red-faced in the corner of the Common Room, and took a deep breath. He felt he could keep paddling along a little longer.

Even a salted fish had dreams. Maybe one day it would turn over~

"The ingredients for the fainting potion are... fern root, dead-leaf flowers, and, uh, what else was there?"

Potions were Neville's nightmare. Those jumbled-up recipes were driving him mad.

Herbology and Potions differed by only one word. Why was Potions so hard?

The little chubby boy couldn't help growing gloomy. In his mind's eye, he saw Severus Snape's sallow face, always so terribly grim.

"Yikes..."

Neville drew in a sharp breath.

If he failed Potions, the consequences would be awful!

"Knock, knock, knock."

The first-years in the Common Room were all studying for their exams when suddenly there came a knocking from the portrait at the entrance.

Wait.

Knocking?

Since when did you have to knock to get into the Common Room?

The little lions set down their books and stared toward the entrance, puzzled and curious.

"It can't be a Gryffindor," Hermione said quietly, earning nods of agreement from everyone around her.

Gryffindors all knew the password. Even forgetful Neville wouldn't be turned away by Fat Lady and left in the awkward position of having to knock.

So the question was—

What did an outsider want with the Gryffindor Common Room?

"Don't be afraid. The protective enchantments at the entrance haven't been triggered. Besides, Dumbledore's here at school. What danger could there be?"

Hermione was calm. Seeing that her friends seemed startled, she steadied herself, got up, and walked to the entrance. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

What met her eyes was a field of light.

It was a knight whose features were impossible to make out, its whole body wrapped in a gentle glow.

A Divine Guard Knight!

Hermione's heart leapt.

She remembered what had happened on Halloween night, the face that was always smiling, and the paper bag she'd wanted to give away at the last Quidditch Match but hadn't gotten the chance to.

"Don't worry, young lady. It—well, anyway, it's not dangerous."

Fat Lady had seen this kind of Magic Creation before and wasn't too wary.

Besides, this time the Divine Guard Knight carried a handwritten order from Dumbledore.

"Oh, please come in."

Hermione had never been wary of Klein in the first place. Hearing Fat Lady say that, her last doubts vanished, and she ushered the Divine Guard Knight into the Common Room.

Then the little lions went wild!

"Good heavens!" "So cool!" "What is that? Is it human?"

At the sight of the striking Divine Guard Knight, the pressure of their heavy workload and exams vanished, replaced by excitement.

Apart from Hermione, Ron, and Harry, none of them had ever seen such a cool Magic Creation before!

The Divine Guard Knight paid no attention to the curious and excited stares. It simply followed its master's orders, reaching into the indistinct glow and taking out seven or eight letters.

Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter—

Every young wizard who'd had some kind of connection with Klein received a letter.

An invitation.

"Buzz."

Having completed its task, the Divine Guard Knight broke into countless specks of light. But it didn't disappear. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the lights gathered again, forming a translucent figure.

Klein Grindelwald.

"Hello, Gryffindors. I'm Klein. Klein Grindelwald."

Klein bowed slightly.

"With Headmaster Dumbledore's approval, the Mutual Aid Society has officially been established.

"I'd like to sincerely invite you all to join, so we can study together and improve together."

After a pause, Klein's projection smiled.

"As the name suggests, the Mutual Aid Society is about helping one another, encouraging communication between the Houses, and improving our grades."

At the words "improving our grades," the little lions perked up.

There wasn't a person at Hogwarts who didn't know Klein Grindelwald. He was a celebrated prodigy and the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin in history.

With his help, who still had to worry about failing their exams?

No need to think about it. They were joining!

"He didn't forget."

Clutching the invitation letter, Neville pressed his lips tightly together, his round face turning even redder.

Klein really had said he would invite him to join the Mutual Aid Society, but months had gone by without a word. Neville had thought nothing would come of it.

But now...

"I'll never doubt Klein again."

The little chubby boy opened the invitation, looked at the neat handwriting, and murmured with conviction.