Padma

"Honestly, when I first saw that huge thing, I thought we were going to die!" Padma clung to Hermione's arm and said sincerely, "Hermione, you were so brave."

Hermione's face was flushed as she said, "I wasn't thinking about anything else then. All I could think about was the Levitation Charm. I mean—it was really lucky. Before that, I'd only ever made textbooks float!"

"Brother, that Sliding Charm of yours was amazing!" Michael waved his Wand as he gestured. "Slippery Slope! You have to teach me next time we have self-study!"

"No problem." Wade turned and said, "—Harry, don't take Professor Snape's comments to heart. Using a bucket was a good idea. Ordinary spells hitting a troll are about as effective as a mosquito bite."

"No wonder Michael's Petrificus Totalus didn't work before—after that, none of you used spells to attack the troll directly." Harry thought for a moment, then said, "But I don't think I saw either of those spells you used in the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1."

"Wade has already taught himself all the way up to the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 in Charms Class." Michael said proudly, as though it were his own achievement. "And he spends all day in the library and study rooms. He knows more spells than all the rest of us put together—though school only started two months ago."

Harry immediately felt somewhat ashamed and inferior. If Ron, Michael, or even Malfoy knew more spells than he did, he could comfort himself by saying they had already learned them at home. But he knew that Wade and Hermione had never come into contact with magic before enrolling, yet they were now both among the best first-years.

He could not help wondering—had he been too lax with his studies?

As the others chatted and laughed, even Harry naturally joined the conversation. Ron wanted to say something, but could not get a word in, and trailed behind them awkwardly.

They soon reached a fork in the corridor and went their separate ways. Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Without Michael and the others joking around, the atmosphere between the three immediately turned stiff. None of them looked at the others, and they quickened their pace as they hurried back to the Common Room.

On the way back to Ravenclaw Tower, Padma pretended to speak casually, keeping her eyes on the floor ahead. "Wade, can I learn that Slippery Slope spell too? It seems like it could be fun."

"Of course," Wade said. "We don't have class tomorrow morning, so I can teach you then."

"Um—practicing in the Common Room might not be very convenient. I heard that—" Padma shot Michael a quick glance and said, "You have a place specifically for practicing spells?"

After all, she was only eleven. Though she had tried hard to make her request indirectly, the meaning behind her hint could not have been more obvious.

Wade understood. After considering it for a moment, he said, "I'll need to ask the others what they think, but I don't think they'll refuse to let you join."

"Of course—welcome!" Michael said with a beaming smile.

"That's wonderful!" Padma could not help bouncing once. Then her face reddened, and she composed herself, straightening the hem of her robes. "I'm honored."

Outside the Common Room, the Eagle Door Knocker asked, "O, T, T, F, F, S, S, E, N. What is the next letter?"

"Uh..." Michael was the sort of Ravenclaw who was not very good at riddles. He held his chin and put on a thoughtful expression, then decisively gave up three seconds later. "What do you think it is, Wade?"

"It's 'T,'" Padma said.

"Correct answer," the door knocker said in a chant-like tone, and then the door opened.

"Why T?" Michael was still asking as they entered. "Is it T for troll? Does this door knocker know we defeated a troll today too?"

He waggled his eyebrows with an exaggerated expression, making Padma laugh despite herself. "It means the first letters of one through ten—One, Two, Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

The Common Room was packed with people. It seemed that every Ravenclaw was there. Several long tables had been placed beside the fireplace, piled with food and drinks. This was the students' second Halloween celebration, and it was even better than the one in the Great Hall—because there were no professors here watching them and forbidding them from doing this or that.

Wade saw that some students who were usually rather withdrawn had chosen to remain in the Common Room as well, though they sat in the corners. At some point, the Common Room had also been decorated for Halloween. A huge skeleton wandered back and forth through the room, occasionally setting off a burst of screams. Some students wore skull masks that occasionally let out ghostly wails.

"Want a Bloody Lollipop?" Terry enthusiastically recommended one to Lisa.

Wade bypassed the crowded room and went straight back to the Dormitory—the troll's stench seemed to still linger beneath his nose, and he had no appetite for food at the moment.

Padma watched his retreating figure, then asked Michael uneasily, "Didn't Wade skip dinner? Why isn't he staying for the feast?" She worried that she had annoyed him somehow, that Wade would rather return to the Dormitory hungry than spend time with them.

"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. Wade just doesn't like places that are too lively," Michael said casually, focused on piling food onto his own plate.

Padma sighed in relief and realized that she was somewhat hungry too. Only after the two had filled their stomachs seven or eight tenths of the way did they have the leisure to continue chatting.

"Oh, right—your Study Group. When Wade asks the others what they think tomorrow, remember to put in a good word for me!" Remembering this, Padma could not help reminding him repeatedly.

"OK! OK! Mission guaranteed!" Michael said with a smile, raising a hand.

—Ask for their opinions?

Michael knew better than anyone that as long as Wade agreed, the others would have no objections at all.

Theo and Ryan were both easygoing and could not possibly reject someone their friends wanted to bring in. Neville was timid and submissive; Michael thought he had no temper and no opinions of his own. The only potentially difficult one was Hermione, but Padma had just formed a fairly good friendship with her.

When Michael had initially proposed that "new members must be approved by everyone," what he had really meant was, "If Wade doesn't agree, you can't bring anyone else in"—it was the other four he intended to restrain.

He understood very clearly that SSC looked like a mutually supportive group, but in reality, most of the time Wade was the one helping them. Wade's organized notes made it easier for them to understand the obscure wording in their books. The essay-writing methods Wade taught them allowed them to finish high-quality assignments in very little time. Wade also helped them master all kinds of spells quickly and accurately.

Anyone who joined this group could feel the benefits within a short time.

Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were both enthusiastic sorts. If they thought this place was great, they might bring their other friends over without even asking—perhaps even believing they were contributing to the group by recruiting more members! In truth, they would only be causing Wade trouble. SSC would not last long that way.

Wade would not refuse openly, but when there were more and more people, and it grew increasingly noisy, one day he would surely quietly disappear from the Umbrella Room, just as he had now, and stay somewhere silent and lonely where he could be by himself.

That was why Michael had established the rules: to use them to keep people from those two houses from being overly "enthusiastic," and to politely turn down those who tried to join through him. The only exception was Wade—because he was the center of it all, and naturally he could decide whom he wanted to help.

Michael had never told anyone about these calculations. Faced with Padma's request now, he merely nodded with a smile and promised that he would do his best to persuade the others.