The Summoning Charm and a Stamina Upgrade

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

They had also started Flying Class. Will wasn't especially enthusiastic about it—not because he disliked flying, but because he would rather fly under his own power like Voldemort than rely on a broomstick.

During class, Harry and Malfoy had, as expected, staged their chase over the Remembrall. 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, earning him a Bonus Ability called Potion Proliferation.

[LV3 Bonus Ability, Potion Proliferation: The yield of Potions you brew increases by 5%]

In truth, Dumbledore's late-night talk hadn't affected Will much. He wasn't like Voldemort, driven by a hunger for power. As for pursuing magical strength...

In the Wizarding World, knowledge was power. His magical strength was merely a byproduct of knowledge. Yes, that was definitely it.

Saturday, the Library.

"Will, Will." Sylvia poked him as he held a book.

"What is it?"

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

"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 was too embarrassed to interrupt him. It had happened several times before.

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

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

"Yes. He's always trying to get away from me." Neville looked close to tears. "And 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 holed up in the Library these past two days." Realization dawned on Sylvia.

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

"Where, though?" Sylvia asked as she helped Will stuff his books into the Book Trunk.

"Hogwarts is huge. Where couldn't we go? The lawn, the shore of the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest." Will picked up his trunk. "But I've just thought of somewhere better."

"Aren't we practicing charms? Why are we going up to the Seventh Floor?" Sylvia panted. Hogwarts's staircases could change at random, and several shifting staircases had just given them trouble.

Will stopped in front of a painting. "We're here."

"B-but this is just a corridor," Neville said, panting even harder. His stamina was worse than Sylvia's.

Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas being clubbed by trolls, Will paced back and forth, repeating one thought in his mind: I need a place to practice charms.

After his third pass along the wall, 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 an open space piled with all manner of objects. Instead, it was a spacious circular hall with several practice dummies 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 or wish for." Will gestured for them to enter. "This is where we'll practice magic from now on!"

"Cool!" Sylvia rushed in. Neville followed Will into the remarkable room.

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

Neville looked into Will's silver-gray eyes and felt an inexplicable jolt, as though something terrifying had its sights on him. He swallowed audibly.

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

"Say it out loud. That's right, have confidence in yourself!"

"Well done! The apple moved. Did you see that?"

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

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

Will wasn't particularly harsh, but Neville finally understood why his grades were among the best. Will kept demonstrating the charm, 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 charms, yet he wasn't 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 noticed that Neville's magic flowed differently from that of most young wizards. If an ordinary wizard's magic flowed like a river, Neville's river was full of snags and hollows. His magic never flowed smoothly.

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

He made a mental note of Neville's condition for further study. For now, though, he still needed to teach Neville the Summoning Charm.

Between Neville's unusual magic, his lack of confidence, and his mispronounced incantation, he struggled to complete the charm's flow of magic. He failed time and again. All Will could do was keep teaching him, having him imitate Will as they corrected the incantation and wand movements bit by bit until the Summoning Charm's magic formed a complete circuit.

By the end of the afternoon, Will had lost count of how many times he had cast the Summoning Charm. He was worn out, but Neville seemed even more exhausted. He could barely lift his arm.

"Huff... Neville... one more time. You did great just now. The apple actually rose into the air." Will panted, drained of both magic and stamina. "Believe in yourself. Remember what I told you? You have to be certain you can do it."

Will meant it. Modern magic differed from Ancient Runes: a wizard's emotions and will really did affect a charm's results. Expecto Patronum was the classic example.

"Accio apple!" Neville waved his wand. The apple flew straight toward him, and he cried out in delight, "I did it! I did it!"

"Well done, Neville!" Will praised him without hesitation.

[Someone has taken a liking to you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone has taken a liking to you. Charisma Experience +1]

[You have cast a certain charm repeatedly and gained a new understanding of it. Charms Experience +3]

[You have completed Stamina Training. Stamina Experience +1]

[You have completed Stamina Training. Stamina Experience +1]

[Your Stamina has reached LV2. You may acquire a Bonus Ability.]

[LV2 Bonus Ability, Stamina: Your maximum stamina increases by 10%]

The afternoon hadn't been wasted after all. He had earned plenty of experience and picked up a decent Bonus Ability.

But practicing charms counted as Stamina Training? Did that mean he should wear himself out casting charms every day from now on?

Were there any potions that could improve his physique? Would they earn him experience? He would have to try.

Since dinnertime had passed, the three of them skipped the dining hall and went straight to the 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; his magic was badly depleted too. A full meal wouldn't fix that.

"Neville, what happened? What did Malfoy do to you this time?" Harry, who was playing Wizard's Chess with Ron, saw the state Neville was in and assumed Malfoy had picked on him again. Malfoy had hit Neville with a Jinx just a few days earlier.

"No, it was Will." Neville kept panting. His head was growing dizzier, a sign that he had used too much magic.

"That Slytherin? I knew it! They're all the same!" Ron immediately jumped in.

"No, I asked him to teach me a charm." Neville sat down to catch his breath. "I learned the Summoning Charm."

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

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