The Room of Requirement, or the Come and Go Room, as it was known by some students and staff, was being used for the training sessions that Neville, Hermione, Cedric and I were in.
As a seventh-year boy, Cedric was a fundamental help, since he would help Neville a lot more, to improve and be a support when I showed him why he failed so badly in any magic casting.
"No matter how much effort I put in, it doesn't work." Neville says, overwhelmed with frustration.
"Nev." I call, trying to get his attention, and divert him from his frustration a little. "What do you feel when you try to cast your magic?" I ask, seeing Nev fall into thought while Cedric had a gleam of recognition in his eyes.
Hermione was trapped in her thoughts, trying to come to some conclusion with the little information she had.
"I feel a kind of heat, so when the magic is about to be cast, it's like it has to go through the tip of a funnel, only it feels holey and clogged at the same time." tries to explain the boy in the best way possible.
"Have you been putting much more effort into casting your magic, whatever it may be?" Cedric looks at the boy, with a very worried expression.
"Yes." says the boy, quite embarrassed. "The few times I did it right, I would have to put much more force, even in a simple Leviosa." he explains once more.
"Your wand." I finally say, receiving a nod from Cedric, confirming my words. "The wand is not suitable for you. Ollivander always says that the wand chooses the wizard, and among other things, the magical core of the wand must be compatible with the user's personality."
I explain as I sit down, giving Nev the chance to think about it calmly.
"It's my father's wand. Grandma said it was a way for me to have his courage and power, to return my family's honor and prestige back." he says, somewhat upset.
"That might not be a bad thing, Nev." I say, trying to cheer the boy up.
"But if the wand isn't right, how can that not be bad, Harry?" Hermione asks, receiving a nod from Nev, grateful for the help.
"Hermione, think of it this way." I say, and use my wand to transmute a chair into a gym weight. "There's 200 kg of weight there. Imagine that you only have that weight, but you can't lift it.
Every day, you're there, trying your best to lift that weight. One day, you lift it for the first time, but very little. Then, you lift it again, but although it's still very little, it's more than the first time.
This keeps happening over and over again, until one day, you manage to lift it correctly, but because the load is quite heavy, and you're always struggling to lift it, your body gets tired, and things seem to go back to square one." I give the girl all the clues she needed.
Her mind starts to run wild. Her eyes seemed to follow her mind, going to Nev, the wand in his hand, the weight transmuted. Cedric beside her, just had a smile of someone who already knew the answer, but found it amusing to see the girl's effort.
"Oh." the girl says finally. She then has a look of bright admiration looking at Neville, who blushes heavily at this. "You are the second most amazing wizard I know, Neville." she declares, making the boy turn into a tomato.
"And who would be the first, Miss Granger?" Cedric asks teasingly.
"My boyfriend." she answers promptly, slightly puffing out her chest. As she does this, due to the gym clothes we were wearing, my mind exploded, with little pink ponies, dancing and singing a hellish song.
'Damn Hormones, Damn Hormones, lalala lalala la...'
I try to divert my thoughts, and when I return to the focus of the conversation, Hermione is already finishing her explanation to Neville.
"... So, if, or rather, when you get a wand that is suitable for you, your spells and enchantments will be powerful and so easy, that beating the shit out of more experienced wizards like Cedric would not be difficult." she finishes.
"I-I need to talk to Grandma." he says, somewhat hopeful, excited, but much more worried about perhaps the old woman's reaction.
"A wizard's first wand costs 7 galleons, Nev. I believe you have that in your pocket. On the next trip to Hogsmeade, we can use the floo, pay a visit to Ollivanders and return to the castle.
If we talk to Flitwick or Madam Sprout, I'm quite sure they would take you some weekend if asked." I tell the boy.
"If they can't, I would be happy to accompany you, Neville." says Cedric.
"I'm going to check on my wallet before I go find one of the teachers." he says, standing up hurriedly.
"If you're short of coins, I can lend you some and you can pay me back when you can, no rush or pressure." I say, so he knows I'm supporting him.
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Just a week later, Neville was once again in the Room of Requirement, this time with a proper wand, and his job now was to control his magic. Cedric was emphatic, explaining that Nev's spells were as powerful as the teachers', despite his lack of experience.
So we established a much stronger training, with Neville being the cannon, shooting at me, while Hermione and Cedric would do the same, and hinder my defensive movements and dodge.
Cedric had the same type, but it was Nev and I who were the cannons, since he was much more experienced, while Hermione hindered him.
Neville was a suitable partner for Cedric in one-on-one duels. I would be too, but leaving Neville to duel Hermione was a big no for now.
As the days went by, our group grew, with Luna, Anna and Susan, as well as Cho joining our study group. This was what would be considered the basis of the DA in the future, but only time would tell if that would happen.
With their addition to our training, Cedric and I were fine with doing heavier fights, while the girls helped each other. At the same time, I inserted a two-against-the-rest, one-against-all training for future situations.
At first, it wasn't well received, but since this would also help in the future, despite not being our focus, they still happened at least once a week.