The Summoning Charm and a Stamina Upgrade

Time flew. Three weeks had passed since that late-night talk. Will's detention had long since ended, and Dumbledore hadn't sought him out again.

Flying Class had started in the meantime. Will wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it—not because he disliked flying, but because he wanted to fly under his own power like Voldemort, rather than rely on a broomstick.

And sure enough, Harry and Malfoy had staged that chase after the Remembrall during Flying Class. Harry soon joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

None of that had much to do with Will. He was busy grinding experience.

Over those three weeks, his Potions had reached LV3, granting him an additional ability called Potion Proliferation.

[LV3 additional ability, Potion Proliferation: The yield of potions you brew increases by 5%]

In truth, that late-night talk with Dumbledore hadn't affected Will much. He wasn't like Voldemort, chasing power over others. As for magical power...

In the Wizarding World, knowledge was power. His own strength was merely a by-product of knowledge. Yes, that had to be it.

Saturday, the library.

"Will, Will." Sylvia poked Will, who was absorbed in a book.

"What is it?"

"Longbottom's looking for you." Sylvia pointed to Neville nearby.

"Neville? Oh, what's up?" Will put down his book. "Next time I'm buried in a book, you can just call me."

Will knew Neville felt bad about interrupting him. He'd done this several times before.

"O-okay. Um, I'd like you to teach me the Summoning Charm," Neville said softly, still as timid as ever.

"The Summoning Charm?" Will blinked, then caught on. "Trevor's missing again?"

"Yes. He keeps trying to get away from me." Neville looked close to tears. "I tried learning the Summoning Charm myself, but I'm too stupid. I just can't get it."

"Oh! So that's why you and Hermione have been spending so much time in the library lately." Understanding dawned on Sylvia's face.

"Neville, you can't learn a spell just by reading about it. You need practice." Will closed his book. "Let's find somewhere suitable, and I'll teach you."

"But where?" Sylvia asked as she tucked Will's book into his book box.

"Hogwarts is huge. Where couldn't we go? The lawn, the shore of the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest." Will picked up the box. "Though I've just thought of a better place."

"Aren't we practicing spells? Why are we going up to the Seventh Floor?" Sylvia asked between breaths. Hogwarts's staircases changed at random, and several shifting stairways had just given their group trouble.

Will stopped in front of a painting. "Here we are."

"But... this is just a corridor!" Neville was panting even harder. His stamina was worse than Sylvia's.

Across from the tapestry of Barnabas being clubbed by a Troll, Will paced back and forth, thinking over and over, I need a place to practice spells.

After he passed that stretch of wall for the third time, a perfectly smooth door appeared. Will pushed it open. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement."

Because of what Will had asked for, the Room of Requirement hadn't produced the space piled high with all sorts of objects. Instead, it was a spacious circular hall with several practice dummies standing along one side.

"What is this place?"

"One of Hogwarts's wonders: the Room of Requirement. It changes into different rooms according to what you need and wish for." Will gestured for them to enter. "We'll practice magic here from now on!"

"Cool!" Sylvia rushed in, unable to wait. Neville followed Will into the magical room.

Only after the two had finished looking around in wonder did Will pat Neville on the shoulder. "Time to practice spells, Neville."

Neville looked into Will's silver-gray eyes and felt a sudden jolt of fear for no reason, as though something terrifying had set its sights on him. He gulped.

Five hours later, Sylvia sat bored in a chair by the wall. She'd mastered the spell ages ago, but Neville was proving extraordinarily slow. Even now, he could only move the practice apple a short distance.

"Say it loud! That's right. Have confidence in yourself!"

"Well done! The apple's moving. See?"

"Raise your hand! Watch how you move your arm!"

"Listen, it's Acc-io, not ACC--i----"

Will wasn't especially harsh, but Neville finally understood why Will's grades ranked among the best. Will kept demonstrating the spell, then had Neville imitate him again and again. If once didn't work, they tried twice; if twice didn't work, they tried four times. Will had cast far more spells, yet he didn't seem nearly as exhausted as Neville.

What Neville hadn't noticed was that Will's silver-gray eyes had been studying him the whole time.

With his [Wizard's Eye] active, Will saw that Neville's magic flowed differently from that of other young wizards. If an ordinary wizard's magic flowed like a river, Neville's was full of ruts and hollows. In other words, his magic never flowed smoothly.

Will wondered what had caused it. He suspected the many Memory Charms Neville's grandmother had cast on him, but he couldn't see why they would still affect the flow of magic after so long.

He made a mental note of Neville's condition to investigate later. For now, he still had to teach him the Summoning Charm.

Between Neville's unusual magic, his lack of confidence, and his mispronunciation of the incantation, he struggled to complete the spell's flow of magic. He failed again and again. Will could only keep teaching him, having him imitate each correction to the words and wand movement until the Summoning Charm's magic formed a complete loop.

After an entire afternoon, Will had lost count of how many times he'd cast the Summoning Charm. He was worn out, but Neville beside him seemed even more exhausted. He could barely lift his arm.

"Huff... Neville... one more time. You did well just now. The apple actually rose into the air." Will panted. Both his magic and his stamina had taken a hit. "Believe in yourself. Remember the trick I told you? You have to believe you can do it."

Will stressed the point, and he meant it. Modern magic differed from Ancient Runes: a wizard's emotions and will really did affect a spell's power. Expecto Patronum was the classic example.

"Accio, apple!" Neville waved his wand, and the apple flew straight to him. He cried out in delight, "I did it! I did it!"

"Well done, Neville!" Will praised him freely.

[Someone has developed a favorable impression of you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone has developed a favorable impression of you. Charisma Experience +1]

[You have cast a spell many times and gained new insight into it. Charms Experience +3]

[You have engaged in stamina training. Stamina Experience +1]

[You have engaged in stamina training. Stamina Experience +1]

[Your stamina has reached LV2. You can acquire an additional ability.]

[LV2 additional ability, Abundant Stamina: Your maximum stamina increases by 10%]

So the afternoon hadn't been wasted. He'd gained plenty of experience and picked up a decent additional ability.

But practicing spells counted as stamina training? Did that mean he'd have to cast spells until he dropped every day from now on?

Were there any potions that improved physical fitness? Could they earn him experience? He'd have to try.

Since they had missed dinner, the three of them skipped the dining hall and went straight to Hogwarts Kitchen. Will had found it while looking for a late-night snack after his detention ended.

By the time Neville returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, it was late. He looked listless and utterly spent. It wasn't just his stamina; he'd used up a great deal of magic too. One good meal wouldn't fix that.

"Neville, what happened? What did Malfoy do to you this time?" Harry was playing Wizard's Chess with Ron when he saw Neville's miserable state. He assumed Malfoy had picked on him again. After all, Malfoy had hit Neville with a nasty Jinx just a few days ago.

"No, it was Will." Neville kept panting. His head felt dizzier by the second—a sign he'd overused his Magic.

"That Slytherin? I knew it! Slytherins are all the same!" Ron jumped in at once.

"No, I went to him to learn a spell." Neville sat down nearby to catch his breath. "I learned the Summoning Charm."

"You learned the Summoning Charm?" Harry stared at Neville in surprise. He knew Neville had struggled with magic so far.

"You went to a Slytherin to learn spells?" Ron's priorities were... peculiar as ever.