Umbrella Room and SSC

All that day, right up until he returned to the Dormitory to sleep, Wade could think of nothing but Flying Broomsticks. That night, he dreamed that he was riding a Broomstick through the air, free as a bird—flying over Hogwarts Castle, over the grounds, over the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake—

He circled the lawn, then flew through the castle corridors as everyone cried out and looked up at him. Michael hung limply from the stairs, exhausted and glassy-eyed. But Wade stayed far away from those damned stairs—he traced a graceful arc through the air, then lightly passed through a window and landed directly on his own bed.

When he woke up, the wonderful sensation of flying freely still lingered in his mind. He stared wistfully at the ceiling for a long time, unable to fall back asleep.

But first-year students were not allowed to bring Broomsticks to school... and a Nimbus 2000 cost at least a thousand Galleons...

Gray's father, Ferdinand, owned a toy factory whose products were sold as far as the United States, so their family was considered fairly well-off among ordinary people. Wade also received plenty of pocket money, enough to buy whatever snacks he wanted. But no matter what, he could not bring himself to ask his parents for a thousand Galleons to buy something like a "toy."

If only I could achieve financial freedom on my own, Wade could not help thinking.

If he were in the Muggle world, he could quickly accumulate wealth with his knowledge of the future. But as a student at a boarding school, how was he supposed to make money?

Wade could not help letting his imagination run wild.

Saturday was entirely free time. When Wade arrived at the Practice Room that morning, he found Hermione already inside.

Of all of them, Hermione spent the most time in the Practice Room. Sometimes, because he did not feel like going downstairs, Wade would read in Ravenclaw's Common Room or Dormitory instead. But Hermione spent almost all her spare time in the Practice Room. Wade was certain that, aside from being able to exchange a few words with Neville in Gryffindor, the Girl probably did not have a single friend. Even the Girls in her Dormitory did not seem to get along with her very well.

Girls always moved together—going to class together, eating together, even going to the bathroom together—but Hermione was always alone.

Still, Wade had never advised her to get along better with her classmates. Social intelligence was something people were born with. Wade himself was not particularly sociable, and he disliked compromising himself just to please others even more.

But today, unusually, the Girl was not studying. Instead, she was hammering something onto the wall with a series of bangs.

"What's this?" Wade leaned over to take a look.

The rectangular wooden board was decorated with simple patterns, with a line of ornate lettering across it.

"Umbrella Room?" Wade's expression turned a little strange. It reminded him of Umbrella Corporation, a company that made bioweapons and destroyed the world.

"Yeah." Hermione drove in the last nail and said, "There are lots of Practice Rooms, but this is the only one that belongs to us. I think it should have a special name. That way, if people hear us mention the Umbrella Room, they won't know where it is."

"Okay." Wade did not care much about such trivial matters. He took a book from the shelf, sat down, and began writing his Herbology homework from yesterday.

The current Practice Room—or rather, the Umbrella Room—had changed greatly from how it had been at first. Each of them had claimed a space against the wall, setting up bookshelves and arranging the area around their desks according to their own preferences.

Hermione's shelves were crammed with books, several of which had been borrowed from the library and had not yet been returned. She also kept a thick stack of fresh parchment, two bottles of ink, and seven or eight quills there—she went through such supplies quickly. Since parchment was more expensive, Hermione usually wrote her notes in notebooks bought from Muggle shops. The Granger Family was not short on money, but the Girl was somewhat frugal by nature and would not spend carelessly where there was no need.

Besides textbooks, Wade's shelves held all the notes he had organized so far. Michael and the others often borrowed them. In their words—with Wade's notes, they could pass their final exams even without attending class. There were also many props for Transfiguration, such as Buttons, matches, chess pieces, and other commonly used items. After Flying Lesson, a miniature model of a Flying Broomstick had quietly appeared on his desk as well.

Michael's area was far more flamboyant. He had perfume, mirrors, gift boxes, chocolates, and all kinds of miscellaneous things. A poster of a Quidditch star was pasted to the wall, while his desk held a Fire Dragon model, unfinished cookies from yesterday, badges collected from who knew where, and more. Michael proved through his actions that not every Ravenclaw loved studying.

Theo from Hufflepuff was well liked by Professor Sprout, and he himself was also very skilled at Herbology. Two rows of fist-sized flowerpots sat on his shelves, all containing plants Theo had cultivated himself: common White Dittany, mint, marjoram, yarrow, and so on. There was also a pot of Mimbulus Mimbletonia on his desk. The plant looked like a diseased internal organ, covered in boil-like growths, and it could spray thick, foul-smelling liquid at people. To prevent accidental injury, Theo had placed a hemispherical glass cover over it.

Neville loved Theo's arrangement and wanted to make something similar himself. But because he did not have much pocket money, he currently only had a pitiful three or four flowerpots. He had also prepared some fertilizer, which everyone demanded be kept in a corner of the Umbrella Room so it would not affect their breathing.

Ryan was also skilled at Herbology, but Astronomy was his favorite subject. His desk therefore held a set of planetary models, with planets of different sizes slowly revolving around the sun in the center. Ryan had also collected many different quills and inks in various colors, arranging them neatly on his bookshelf.

The others gradually arrived at the Umbrella Room. When they noticed the Practice Room's new name, they all praised it lavishly. Michael even slapped the table and complimented Hermione on her cleverness, saying it was a delightful surprise.

Although she knew that he simply had a habit of complimenting women, Hermione was still pleased enough for her cheeks to flush faintly.

Theo put down his Schoolbag and said, "I think not only should the Practice Room have a new name, we should have one too—a name showing that we're a whole."

"Right." Ryan nodded. "If we keep thinking that I'm Hufflepuff, he's Ravenclaw, and you're Gryffindor, there'll always be a sense of distance between us. We should be a group that transcends House differences."

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

Caught off guard at being called on, Wade froze for a moment. "Uh... an after-school tutoring interest group?"

"You'd better not make suggestions." Michael turned away expressionlessly. "Hermione?"

"Well..." For some reason, Hermione suddenly seemed a little nervous. "The Magic Enthusiasts Club?"

Michael sighed. "Hermione, how is that any different from Wade's after-school tutoring interest group? Neville?"

Neville stammered, "I—I can't think of anything for now."

"Theo?"

Theo said, "How about the Sunflower Club? Sunflowers symbolize hope, sunshine, loyalty, steadfastness, and growth. Isn't that perfect?"

"Hmm..."

Michael began to hesitate.

It really was fitting in every way, but it somehow felt a little ordinary. If he had to come up with a name himself, though, he could not think of anything better.

"Ryan?" Michael looked at the last person, deciding that if Ryan did not have a good idea either, they would call themselves the Sunflower Club.

Ryan fiddled with the planetary models on his desk and thought for a while before saying, "How about Starry Sky Chaser? SSC for short."

Michael clapped hard and loudly praised it. "Cool!"