Chapter 78: Integration and Learning

After a brief welcome ceremony, Harry, feeling both nervous and expectant, said, "Uh—this is actually my first time joining a club, so I'm not very familiar... Could you tell me what the rules of the SSC are? Is there anything I need to do?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion. "—Club?" Theo asked, puzzled. "Are we already considered a club?" Neville was surprised. "Isn't SSC a club? I thought it already was!" "If students form a club, don't they have to report it to the professors?" Ryan asked uncertainly. Michael said, "I thought we were considered a society?" "Don't societies have membership fees? We've never paid any," Ryan added, based on bits and pieces he'd picked up from his Muggle relatives. Neville, now a bit confused, asked, "So—what's the difference between a club and a society?" Everyone fell silent for a moment—yeah... besides the name, what really is the difference? For a while, no one could quite come up with an answer. Harry had never expected such a scene to unfold. He seriously retraced his steps, trying to figure out how things had gotten to this point, and then silently looked over at Hermione, who was standing next to him. Wade glanced at Hermione, who was stifling her laughter, and helplessly asked, "Hermione, what exactly did you tell Harry?" Hermione immediately burst out laughing, waving her hand at Harry. "I didn't say anything. You and Ron just made your own guesses, right?" Harry: "..." Yeah... She hadn't actually said anything. She had only kept emphasizing that this was an important matter, so they should be cautious and well-prepared. She even reminded him to bring his wand... Then, she watched as they anxiously speculated about what sort of trials they'd have to face to join the club. Ron had even come up with a particularly ridiculous guess— "Maybe they'll make you sneak into Snape's office and steal something personal of his—like his underwear or socks. Or maybe, you'll have to throw a dungbomb in the corridor right in front of Professor McGonagall, to prove your courage!" At the time, Ron had looked at Harry with a tragic expression, as if he was about to be torn apart by a furious professor. When Harry thought back carefully, Hermione's pained expression at the time—what I thought was a pained expression—was probably just her holding back laughter, wasn't it? Or perhaps... it was precisely because the two of us had come up with all those exaggerated guesses that Hermione hadn't said anything at all? "It's like this," Wade couldn't help but laugh. "We're really just an after-school study group. We gather to practice spells, discuss homework problems, or lend each other notes. Generally, we come here after dinner to study together, but it's all very casual. If you don't want to come, there's no need to ask for permission. There aren't any strict rules. As for the guidelines, they're posted on the wall behind you." Harry turned around and saw a piece of paper pinned to the wall. It had only a few simple sentences written on it, like "Members should help each other," "Be united and friendly," and "Don't mess with other people's belongings." These were basic moral standards that even elementary school students should follow. The only special rule was that you couldn't bring anyone else to the Umbrella Room without the consent of all the members. At first, Harry felt relieved—these "rules" barely even counted as rules. There were no harsh punishments or strict conditions, and it was clear that their earlier guesses were completely wrong. But when he saw the last rule, Harry's heart sank again. —I myself am new here. Can I introduce Ron to join? "Harry, your seat is over here," Neville said warmly as he led Harry to one side. Next to Neville's seat, an empty desk had already been prepared. It had its own bookshelf and cabinet, with wooden panels on the sides forming a semi-enclosed space, which could block the view of others. The panels could also be lowered for easier interaction. Nearby, there were small tea tables, a food cabinet, and some soft, old sofas with a few fluffy cushions on them. Wade had asked Zoe and the others to help prepare these things—the Room of Requirement had so much old furniture that it was practically like a small town. They had picked out the relatively good pieces, repaired them, and now they looked almost as good as new. The food cabinet was always stocked with cakes, biscuits, puddings, and candies, and several silvery tin pots held drinks and water, all prepared by the house-elves. Not only that, the house-elves, when they had spare time, would also decorate the Umbrella Room in various ways. Wade and the others often found small changes when they entered the room—maybe some odd decorations or photos on the walls, a few more pots of blooming wildflowers in the corners, or a couple of useful new pieces of furniture. Before they knew it, the once-empty, abandoned classroom had become more and more full, leaving behind traces of their life and learning. The room had developed a warm, lively atmosphere. Harry almost fell in love with the place at first sight. He also received a piece of parchment for SSC members to contact each other—a Book of Friends of sorts, which was now widely known. However, Harry, who had stayed at school over Christmas, had nowhere to buy one, even though he had the money. Among the people Harry knew, Hermione had a Book of Friends. She had given Harry a page to keep in touch, but since they spent almost all their time together, they rarely needed to use it. Ron had two —one was also from Hermione, and the other was sent to him by Mrs. Weasley after the holidays. Every Weasley child had one. Ron often used his page before bed to chat or argue with his brothers, only to have Mrs. Weasley sternly tell them all to go to sleep immediately. Ron sometimes complained about his mother's strictness, but Harry was deeply envious of him. Now, Harry had a second Book of Friends. He tucked both pieces of parchment into his textbook and slipped them into his bag, then looked around—everyone else had already quietly started their homework or reading. Even Neville was diligently copying down notes from Transfiguration class. —This is very different from studying in the common room. In the Gryffindor common room, there are always students making noise, some even going around looking for others to copy their homework. There isn't this kind of peaceful, studious atmosphere. If you really want to focus on your homework, you have to go to the library. But Madam Pince is strict, not allowing food or conversation, which is inconvenient in its own way. Harry took a deep breath and pulled out his Charms homework to start writing. But after just writing the title, he didn't know how to continue. —I really should have gone to the library to borrow a couple of reference books... But now that everyone is studying, it would be too awkward to suddenly leave!? Maybe Hermione has the books I need... As Harry fidgeted and began glancing around nervously, Theo, sitting nearby, noticed his struggle and asked knowingly, "Not sure how to start?" Instinctively, Harry covered his messy notes and doodles with his hand, embarrassed, and said, "Yeah, that's right." "No worries, we all struggled when we first started," Theo reassured him. "You can ask Wade—he'll teach you how to write essays and which reference books you need to look at. Before coming tomorrow, head to the library to borrow the books. If you follow Wade's guidance, you'll find that finishing the assignments is actually quite simple." In fact, the person who reads the most books is Hermione, but she had the habit of writing down everything she read—she considered all the material she studied to be important. Wade, on the other hand, had a knack for pinpointing the exact issues they were facing, identifying which areas needed more focus, and then suggesting the most valuable book for them to read. After reading the specific books Wade recommended, the once-confusing concepts became much clearer, as if everything suddenly made sense. As Theo moved closer, he caught sight of Harry's disorganized notes and hesitated for a moment before pointing at the book. "If you don't mind, may I take a look?" he asked. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! 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