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Chapter 555: Student Clubs
Chapter 555: Student Clubs
The owl carrying the letter flew into the blue sky, quickly becoming a small black dot and finally disappearing. Felix had a premonition that this would be a long journey.
During the previous school year, he and Uriel had several exchanges, where they roughly discussed some of Felix's true thoughts, such as using newspapers to seize public opinion, improving laws through systems, accumulating experience through pilot projects, safeguarding with powerful forces, and maintaining sufficient patience.
The experiences of his newly acquired pen pal were a warning to him. If he acted too hastily, he would become an enemy of the world. Although he was confident he wouldn't end up like Grindelwald, failing to realize his vision was a failure in itself, let alone plunging the world into war.
If he had to describe Felix's mindset, he thought of a philosophical paradox—the Ship of Theseus.
A ship that had sailed for hundreds of years, every time a plank decayed, it was replaced, and so on, until every plank and every rope on the ship was no longer the original ones. Was the final ship the original Ship of Theseus, or a completely different ship?
There were many more extensions of this thought, but Felix was not interested in the answers to these questions and certainly wouldn't bring them up for discussion. Such questions lack a universally accepted standard of judgment. What is new, what is old, what is part, and what is whole—everyone has a different understanding.
His thoughts were more practical. Felix knew that if the ship had never replaced its decayed planks or been regularly repaired, it would never have survived the bumps and corrosion of hundreds of years, and there would be no tormenting question later on.
The same applied to the Wizard's Ship.
Felix intended to be the one who continuously replaced the planks. As for who would be the philosopher who questions everything to the core, Felix smirked. Who cares! He only hoped that this person would appear as late as possible. Ideally, not until he had thoroughly inspected and repaired the Wizard's Ship from top to bottom, and the people on the ship would be surprised to realize: How is it different from the original?
"I just want to be someone who rolls a snowball, saving time and effort... but now I've become a ship repairer. What about Voldemort? A rat gnawing on the planks, or a fungus corroding the hull? And Dumbledore? Grindelwald, wouldn't he be the last hotheaded ship repairer who was forced to step down?"
As Felix walked towards the Ancient Runes classroom, he hummed softly, "I am a ship repairer, with great repair skills~" He entered the classroom happily, stood on the platform, and began teaching the seventh-year students.
"Professor seems to be in a good mood", Cedric whispered.
"Professor, do you have any good news to share?" Lee Jordan raised his hand and asked casually.
"Ah", Felix said lazily, "there is one. Professor Mcgonagall invited me to participate in the student club evaluations. I've never experienced it before, but I think it will be interesting."
"Does the school have such things?" Lee Jordan asked bewilderedly. "I remember when I founded the 'Loudmouth' club, I only had to fill out a form, and that was four years ago..."
"How many members does your club have?" Cedric asked, puzzled.
"Just me", Lee Jordan said.
"So you've never applied for a meeting place?" Cedric inhaled sharply.
"No—"
"Does the school provide any funding for activities?" Cedric's deep gray eyes fixed on him.
Lee Jordan's mouth dropped open, and Fred and George Weasley's did too.
"That's the key", Cedric summarized in a low voice.
"We seem to have missed something, George", Fred slowly realized.
"Yeah, we didn't get any word at all", George said, feeling frustrated.
"Cough", Felix cleared his throat. "It's normal that you don't know. I only found out after asking Professor Mcgonagall. The relevant information is only sent to student groups that have registered with the Student Council... Now, let's start the class. Today, we will learn a runic circuit that can be applied to various items that need fire protection, such as amulets or building materials..."
The bell rang, and the twins instantly dashed out of the classroom, down the stairs, and to the notice board in the entrance hall, scanning it with wide eyes.
"Sure enough, there's nothing on it", Fred said, disappointed.
"Hey", Harry greeted them, holding a form, with Ron and Hermione following him, ready for lunch.
Fred and George Weasley glared at them, scaring the three of them.
"What's that in your hand?" Fred asked.
"Uh—Professor Mcgonagall gave me this form. She said it's about the Frontline Watchtower, some kind of review and evaluation, but I haven't had a chance to look at it closely", Harry said vaguely.
Fred suddenly jumped over, putting one arm around Harry's shoulder and the other hand spreading out the parchment Harry was holding. George's movements were almost identical, and the two of them sandwiched Harry between them, causing Harry to protest continuously.
The paper had only a short line: "This is to invite the student club—Frontline Watchtower, affiliated with the Student Council, to participate in the professor's evaluation. Those who pass will receive all necessary venues, equipment, and funding from the school. Please prepare the relevant materials in advance."
Below is a list of materials. Fred glanced over it, which roughly included the club's purpose, scope of activities, and a list of existing members.
After reading, Fred sighed deeply.
"George, we absolutely can't miss this. This is our only chance to leave the name of the 'Mischief Alliance' in the trophy room."
"Mischief Alliance?" Harry asked in surprise. "I've never heard of it."
"It was just founded", Fred said immediately.
"When did you two become model students like Percy?" Ron deliberately feigned shock, circling around them.
Fred wagged his finger, "Oh, Ronnie, we're not like Percy. This is just a step in our grand plan", he lowered his voice, "George and I are doing everything we can to leave more of our mark on the school—"
"Exactly", George winked at them, "We've mapped the Black Lake, buried 72 secret treasures, and even sneaked into Filch's office to copy all the forbidden materials from over the years—"
Ron swallowed hard, looking at him with awe.
"—and gave them to Mafalda", George gasped.
"To who?" Harry was taken aback, nearly losing his grip on Fred and George Weasley.
"Mafalda", Fred rubbed his shoulder, "I have to admit, our relative is a genius. She recently started a new business, writing biographies for people."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's expressions froze, as if petrified.
"Think about it", George patted Ron on the shoulder, "sneaking our glorious history into the Library and waiting for someone to discover it—"
Hermione huffed, "I think you two are just trying to groom a few more students to carry on your mischief."
"You got it", Fred grinned.
"That's our dream", George nodded vigorously.
They shuffled off.
"Know what I'm thinking?" Harry gritted his teeth.
Ron and Hermione looked at him, "Riddle's diary", Harry said strangely, "They know about the Marauder's Map, so they'll probably set up something similar to guide mischievous students to find the treasures they buried..."
After lunch, Felix appeared in the staff room. Professor Mcgonagall was indeed there, looking very busy with a stack of papers on a makeshift desk.
There was another person in the staff room, Professor Cuthbert Bins of History of Magic. He seemed to be asleep, his ghostly body lying on a transparent armchair by the blazing fireplace, snoring loudly.
Professor Mcgonagall looked up and adjusted her glasses, "The news has been spread?"
"Everyone who needs to know does", Felix pulled a chair over and sat down, "With those big-mouthed students around, it'll become an open secret soon. I expect the sign-ups to be overwhelming..."
Professor Mcgonagall smiled faintly, then pursed her lips, "Will it work?"
Felix shrugged.
"Sometimes, doing something is better than doing nothing. We don't want to see Slytherin House students isolated because of the war. If we can prevent one foreseeable problem, it's worth it. After my experiment with the Rune Club, it's time to expand this approach to the entire school."
"So you suggest that each club should include members from at least two houses?"
Felix nodded, "I agree with the way Hogwarts divides young wizards into different houses. It brings a clear benefit: new students immediately feel a sense of belonging and develop a competitive spirit. But there should also be cooperation after the sorting, which will increase the cohesion among the four houses."
Professor Mcgonagall smiled openly.
A moment later, her sharp gaze, behind her round glasses, scrutinized Professor Bins and the armchair he was lying on. One might easily mistake them for a single entity: a peculiar ghostly chair with feet extending toward the fireplace.
"Can the things in Classroom 7 be taken out?" Professor Mcgonagall asked softly.
Felix thought for a moment, "The students definitely can't take them out. But ghosts are special. Last Easter, they managed to bring food to the Great Hall, so I think they can maintain it for a while..." He wasn't particularly interested in the castle's ghost population, focusing only on two who had bravely moved forward.
Since Classroom 7 was opened to students, everything inside was managed by a few memory cores.
Over the next two days, as Felix had predicted, various clubs became the new center of discussion. Students began to gather information in every way they could. Once they learned that the first step was to find three people and register with the student council, they became eager. When someone proudly displayed their approval letter and assessment form from the student council, the students couldn't hold back any longer and started taking action.
Especially when Ron inadvertently said, "If I start a music appreciation club, could I apply to purchase a magical gramophone?"
As soon as those words were spoken, they sent shockwaves through the air.
Before long, a student put the idea into practice. More shockingly, they succeeded, and the Student Council approved the name. As a result, various clubs sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Felix, of course, knew that once the initial enthusiasm faded, most of these clubs would be ignored and automatically dissolved the following year. However, he was also certain that some would survive, and each one would serve as a small version of the Rune Club, bridging the gap between the four Houses.
By leveraging the school's existing system with minor adjustments, Felix achieved his goal and felt reasonably satisfied. He, the ship repairman, had replaced another rotten plank.
If time were to stretch on, what would Hogwarts eventually become? Felix believed that time would brew everything.
The only ones who had it tough were the male and female Head Boys, who had to review all the bizarre club names. Despite catching Professor Mcgonagall's subtle hint to loosen the standards, they were still taken aback by the more outlandish proposals.
"Pranksters' Alliance? What on earth is that?" the male student council president asked, looking shocked.
The female Head Boy leaned over to take a look and said indignantly, "I knew it was the Weasley twins! I caught them digging holes all over the school just the other day!"
"What should we do?"
"Reject it, of course! Oh, forget it, let them change the name." The female Head Boy thought for a moment. "We can't suffer alone, I'll call in some help..."
...
Ron and Hermione were still a bit dazed when they were called over, and seeing Malfoy only added to their confusion. Then, the two Head Boys brought over a thick stack of documents and said to the prefects from all four Houses, "Each of you will handle a portion, and we aim to complete the review today."
Malfoy frowned, looking at the empty-handed Head Boys. "What about you two?"
"We'll do the final review", the male student council president said matter-of-factly.
"Make sure there are no House names, no discriminatory language, and no encouragement of rule-breaking. Names like Pranksters' Alliance are out of the question!" the female Head Boy said, grinding her teeth.
Once the work was distributed, the time required was reduced to a fraction of what it would have been. After a busy night, all the reviews were finally completed.
By the weekend, a large piece of parchment was posted on the notice board in the entrance hall, illuminated brightly by a quartet of magical lamps.
A group of students gathered around it.
"Announcement:
The following clubs have been approved by the Student Council:
Music Appreciation Group, Muggle Film Appreciation Club, Popping Paper Card Club, Magical Automaton Dueling Club, Chocolate Frog Card Battle Club, Exploration Team of Classroom 7, The Horned Snorkack Exists Club, Frontline Watchtower, Grilled Fish Alliance, One Book a Week Club, Bouncing Ball Dancers Alliance, S.P.E.W. ...
These clubs may recruit members during the last weekend of this month and participate in the professor's evaluation on the first weekend of December. Successful clubs will receive support in the form of activity venues, professor guidance, equipment, and startup funds.
Membership Requirements:
1. At least three official members.
2. At least two Houses represented.
3. ...
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood under the notice, reading through the list of club names, trying to figure out who had founded each one.
"Look, Harry Potter Fan Club! Dennis, our application was approved!"
Harry closed his eyes in pain, his face turning red with embarrassment as he tried to pretend he didn't care. He quickly glanced to the side and, sure enough, saw the Creevey brothers cheering. Ron read aloud, puzzled, "This name is weird, 'Oath to Defend the School Rules Club.' Who came up with that? If Percy hadn't graduated, I would have thought it was him..."
As he spoke, Ron's jaw dropped when he saw Fred and George Weasley high-fiving each other.
Additionally, they noticed—
"S.P.E.W.?" Harry stared at Hermione, dumbfounded.
Hermione looked away guiltily, her face turning red. "Well, I thought if S.P.E.W. could become a permanent club like the Gobstones Club, it would keep the issue of House-elf treatment in the spotlight... I promise, it won't interfere with the activities of the Frontline Watchtower!"
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance.
"Know what I'm thinking?" Ron asked, his face pale.
Harry nodded in understanding. Currently, the only members of S.P.E.W. were Hermione, Ron, and Harry. The thought of their names being printed under "S.P.E.W." and displayed in the Great Hall in two weeks, and possibly read out loud in front of the professors a month later, filled them with dread.
Harry's only thought at the moment was that, whether it was the Harry Potter Fan Club or the mysterious S.P.E.W., they must, absolutely must, not recruit any members!
(End of Chapter)
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