Draco and his group stood at the very back of the room. From there, they could take in every movement, every expression.
Perhaps because the setting and purpose felt so familiar, Pansy and the others couldn't help but study the room more closely, comparing it to their own.
It was an exceptionally spacious chamber, lit by rows of torches that made it resemble an underground classroom.
Along the walls stood a full row of wooden bookshelves, packed with magical texts. Hermione's eyes lit up the moment she spotted them, and she began reading the titles one by one:
"A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions,"
"The Dark Arts Outsmarted,"
"Self-Defensive Spellwork."
From the titles alone, it was easy to guess what the wizard who had chosen this room had in mind when opening the door.
Draco shifted his gaze away from the faintly excited Hermione and swept it across the room.
There were no chairs, but satin cushions were piled neatly in one corner for anyone who grew tired and needed to sit.
On the shelves at the far end stood various magical instruments—Secrecy Sensors, Sneakoscopes, and other devices of that sort—which drew plenty of curious looks from the Muggle-born students.
If you looked up, you would see a cracked Two-way Mirror hanging on the wall. Whether it still worked as intended was anyone's guess.
That was, more or less, the layout and contents of the room.
...
Because they had no access to new magic—and couldn't even freely wave their wands in class—this exchange gathering had come together quickly and without much resistance.
Judging by the number of people present, it could be considered half a success already.
Though it was called an exchange, Penelope had no intention of letting the first gathering turn into a free-for-all. Instead, she arranged for senior students to guide the session.
As for what would be taught, or which Charms would be practiced, that authority seemed to rest with the Head Girl and Head Boy.
"It's supposed to be training, but compared to ours, this is rather bare-bones."
Unlike Draco's setup, this place lacked proper training equipment. It felt almost empty. Whether that had been deliberate, or simply because this was the only room large enough to hold everyone, was unclear.
Hearing Hermione's quiet remark, Draco shot her a strange look.
Catching it, Hermione lifted a brow. "That look was rather rude."
Hermione's instincts weren't wrong—Pansy answered for Draco.
"Granger, you don't seriously think all that was already there, do you?"
"..."
Pansy's reminder made Hermione freeze. She looked sharply at Draco.
It wasn't that she hadn't considered the possibility. She simply couldn't imagine how Draco had managed to bring all that equipment into the school—let alone into the Room of Requirement.
So she had instinctively assumed those things had always belonged to the Room itself.
Apparently, she had been mistaken.
In any case.
Just as Hermione was feeling embarrassed and irritated under Draco's gaze, Penelope on the platform began calling everyone forward.
In truth, under the effect of the Undetectable Extension Charm, the space far exceeded most people's expectations.
As a result, more students had shown up than anyone had anticipated.
And among them were quite a few familiar faces.
...
Besides the group surrounding Harry Potter, Draco also caught sight of Luna.
Or rather, with the way she was dressed, it was impossible not to notice her.
That said, with Ginny holding her hand and practically tugging her along, it was hard not to suspect she'd simply been dragged here by her friend.
All of a sudden—whether by coincidence or not—Ginny glanced in his direction. The complicated look in her eyes made Draco frown slightly in confusion.
Come to think of it, ever since that morning, the youngest Weasley hadn't tried to stop Luna anymore.
Just as Draco withdrew his gaze, an excited voice abruptly cut across Penelope's speech.
"Head Girl! Before we start, I think we should come up with an official name."
The moment the words fell, there was a brief silence. Then the room burst into noise as everyone began tossing out their own ideas and opinions.
If the room hadn't been magically sealed, the commotion might have carried straight into the corridor.
"Right! How about the Anti-Umbridge Alliance?"
"No, that's too obvious. If someone lets it slip, we're done for."
"Then something simple—Magical Studies Society."
"No, no, no! That's way too plain. It doesn't sound impressive at all!"
"I think—"
"Listen to me!"
One suggestion was enough to set the already restless young wizards arguing enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the faintly helpless look spreading across Penelope's face on the platform.
A rational Ravenclaw wouldn't waste time on something so trivial.
In fact, most of the students arguing were from Gryffindor, and the one who had first proposed the idea was one of the Weasley twins.
As for which twin, Penelope couldn't tell at all.
Noticing the off expression on the "goddess" beside him, a certain wizard—the Head Boy—stepped forward without hesitation.
Boom!
A burst of flame shot from the tip of his wand, accompanied by a sharp explosion. Startled, everyone snapped their mouths shut and looked up at the Head Boy, who stood on the platform with his wand drawn.
"Today, aside from practicing the spells you've already mastered, we've also prepared a lesson. We hope you'll learn something from it."
In Draco's view, this Head Boy was somewhat lacking and entertained more than a few unrealistic ideas.
But among the majority of wizards, he was undeniably capable.
After all, no matter how biased Dumbledore might be, he wouldn't have been chosen as Head Boy without merit.
Sure enough, the moment he stepped forward, the entire room quieted and listened attentively.
At the back of the room, Draco watched the Head Boy—whose name he couldn't even remember—then heard his next words.
"The first spell we'll be teaching is… the Patronus Charm!"
The Patronus Charm.
Setting aside how difficult it was to cast, there was no denying that at this moment, it was the most worthwhile piece of magic they could possibly learn and master.