"You've got permanent detention?"
Theo followed Rock, his face a mask of pure disbelief.
"Yeah, but it's not the end of the world," Rock replied. He sounded calm, but he was actually pretty annoyed. On the bright side, he'd still be heading to Snape's storeroom to watch him brew potions.
He honestly didn't mind that part—even if it meant dealing with Snape's constant trash-talking—because the learning experience was gold. What really bothered him was why Dumbledore was setting this up. There was no doubt in his mind that Dumbledore was the one pulling Snape's strings; he'd been overthinking the whole thing since last night.
He just couldn't figure out the "why" yet.
They reached the study group's hangout, and Theo pushed the door open. Everyone inside turned to look at them. Michael caught the look on their faces and looked surprised. "What's up? You guys look like someone just rained on your parade."
Theo immediately launched into a dramatic retelling of the situation for the rest of the group. By the time he finished, everyone was looking at Rock with pure pity.
Indefinite detention with Snape? That sounded like a nightmare.
Noticing the mood was getting a bit heavy, Padma quickly changed the subject. "By the way, where's Adam?"
"He went to go get Neville," Theo said, his excitement returning. "We've been researching this for so long, and we're finally ready to pull the trigger on the plan."
Since their last meeting, Neville had kept coming to the study group, but he'd seemed distracted and heavy-hearted. Theo and the others had noticed, of course. But they couldn't say anything to him until they had a solid plan in place.
Rock slapped his cheeks to snap himself out of his funk and looked at the group. "Alright, while we're waiting for Neville, let's do one last walkthrough of the plan."
"You got it!" Michael said, turning to the chalkboard to start writing. Everyone pulled out their notebooks, ready to review the fine details.
They were deep in discussion when the door creaked open. Everyone turned to see Adam holding the door handle with one hand and reaching back with the other.
"Neville, come on. Just one step. Just come inside," Adam said, his voice soft, like he was coaxing a scared puppy.
Rock stood up and peered out. Neville was practically being dragged; his feet were shuffling weakly on the floor, and his head was hanging low.
"What's going on?" Rock asked, blinking.
"I accidentally let something slip, and well..." Adam looked helpless. He really hadn't expected Neville to be this sensitive.
Rock sighed and waved Adam inside, then stepped out to face Neville. "Neville, we're friends, right?"
That caught Neville's attention. He looked up and nodded. "Yeah."
"I know... if I keep using this wand, I might never be able to cast spells as smoothly as you, Rock," Neville said. His voice was steadier than usual, though it still had a slight tremor. "I know this wand might... really not be the right fit for me."
Inside the room, Theo, Michael, Terry, and Padma all walked over, exchanging worried glances.
Neville took a deep breath. "But I don't want to give up on it. It was my father's."
Theo reached over and swatted the back of Adam's head, whispering, "Dude, what exactly did you tell him?"
Adam rubbed his head, looking wounded. "I just said, 'Neville, we found a great way to fix your wand problem.' That's it!"
The whole group was speechless. They hadn't realized such a simple sentence would strike such a chord with him.
Rock stepped closer. "Neville, do you think we're trying to talk you into getting rid of it?"
Neville blinked, confused. "Aren't you? I've seen you guys researching stuff lately, and I saw you asking the professors questions, so I just... I assumed..."
Rock patted Neville on the shoulder and led him into the room, pointing at the chalkboard. "Look. This is what we've actually been working on."
Neville looked up, and his jaw dropped. He instinctively moved closer to the board.
"Turning a Mismatch into a Unique Casting Style..."
Neville read through the "Three-Phase Training Regimen" line by line:
Phase 1: Establishing a Core Connection. Hold the wand daily and practice basic mana flow to start a "dialogue" with the wood.
Phase 2: Emotional Response Testing. Check how the wand reacts to different moods to find its "sweet spot."
Phase 3: Reconstructing Spell Frameworks. Relearn spells based on a logic that both you and the wand understand.
"Neville, we know how much this wand means to you," Rock said softly. "We weren't looking for a way to replace it. Honestly, we shouldn't even suggest that. What we've been working on is how to help you understand the wand on a deeper level—so you and the wand can grow together."
"After all," Rock added, "The wand chooses the wizard, but the wizard can also choose the wand."
"Exactly," Theo chimed in, nodding. "I actually gave up my gaming time to study The Principles of Wandlore. It says right there: you have to understand the wand's inherent nature instead of trying to force it to change."
"And I went through the entire book Wizard-Artifact Synergy," Terry said, leaning on Michael's shoulder and wiping his nose.
"I borrowed the Magical Artifact Maintenance Manual from the house-elves," Adam added, picking up a Moonflower from the table. "I even asked Professor Sprout about it. she confirmed that 'Moonlight Soaking' works. Keeping the wand near Moonflowers can soften up any aggressive energy it has."
"Madam Pomfrey told me that wand-mismatch usually shows up as 'Thaumic Stress Disorder,'" Padma said, holding up a jar of ointment. "If you force it too hard and get a magical backlash, using this daily will fix you right up."
"I talked to Professor Flitwick, too," Michael said with a shrug. "He once mentored three students who used inherited wands. He said the key is finding a common language, not trying to dominate the wand."
"Even the Ministry's post-war reports mention a 'Wand Adaptability Crash Course' they ran," Rock said, waving a document. "68% of the people who took it were in sync with their wands within two weeks."
Rock lowered his voice playfully. "But don't tell anyone I have this file. If Grandpa Theseus found out, he'd probably chase me down with his wand."
"He's getting a bit slow in his old age, though," Rock joked, "so you'd better finish reading it in this room."
Neville stood there, his knuckles white as he gripped his father's wand, completely overwhelmed.
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