Professor McGonagall was not an easy professor to persuade. Yet, at the same time, she was the easiest to convince.
Neither side won the argument, but in the end, she approved the club.
"I hope your members truly understand spells, rather than just barely managing to cast them," she said earnestly, still skeptical about the club.
Robert understood her concerns but didn't fully agree. If everyone completely mastered every spell they learned, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't need the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. St. Mungo's wouldn't have a spell damage ward, nor would they have to deal with such a bizarre array of patients daily.
It was said that, aside from a few cases of long-term hospitalization due to curses, most of the patients ended up there because of their own reckless mistakes.
If that wasn't proof enough, consider how, during Voldemort's reign of terror, many Ministry officials couldn't even cast a proper Shield Charm! The Ministry had to resort to ordering protective items from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Although forming this club might lead to the twins losing some business in the future, Robert cared more about the safety of his peers. At the very least, he wanted his members to understand what kind of spell was coming from their wands—whether it was meant for protection or harm.
Beyond that, he could do nothing.
Even though he knew Voldemort would eventually be defeated, how many would fall before that happened?
Setting those grim thoughts aside, Robert happily informed Cedric that they could proceed to the next step.
With the club established, they needed to promote it. Robert and Cedric sought out the twins, and the four of them spent an afternoon working on a promotional poster.
"Why do you fear exams? Because you don't understand their hearts! Exam Study Club—Explore the secrets of exams the way you would a young lady's!"
The embarrassing slogan, paired with pink hearts full of questionable implications, made Robert feel that his club was destined to become Hogwarts' first social club rather than a training ground for powerful wizards.
As for who wrote the slogan… Well, it was a collective effort—everyone contributed a line, and with the club name added in, the phrase came together naturally.
When the posters covered every classroom and corridor of Hogwarts, Robert had doubts.
Would this really attract members?
Summoning all his thick-skinned determination, he endured a full week of Professor McGonagall's piercing, inescapable stares. Then, on Saturday morning, the first batch of members arrived.
Plenty of wizards showed up, but… even more witches!
"I… I just wanted to see how you plan to explore the secrets of girls," one shy witch said. "If there's any inappropriate behavior, I'll definitely report you to Professor McGonagall."
You were sent by Professor McGonagall to spy on us, weren't you?!
Robert's instincts were spot on. The bizarre slogan had indeed attracted a bizarre group of wizards—mostly teenagers struggling with unspoken crushes. In no time, the Exam Study Club turned into a so-called Love Church.
The absurd name felt like an omen—was the club doomed already?
After all, the conflict between churches and wizards could fill an entire epic.
Faced with this situation, Robert remained expressionless and handed out assignments.
"Get to work, boys! Solve those problems, girls! Once you're buried in endless exam questions… Who will have time to think about romance?"
After suppressing the young wizards with a flood of difficult problems, attendance dropped significantly by the second and third meetings. The ones who remained were the serious students aiming for high scores. Robert no longer needed to drown them in assignments.
As Christmas approached, the club finally found its rhythm.
Surprisingly, Percy joined as well and even shared his study techniques.
"Uh, I've been reviewing past materials to prepare for the upcoming O.W.L.s," Percy explained. "If anything seems off, feel free to discuss it with me."
A Ravenclaw witch glanced at his notes, smiled, and took out her own notebook. "Perfect, we can study together."
She had long, wavy brown hair and fair skin. As she spoke, she casually tucked a loose strand behind her ear, revealing a delicate pink-hued neck.
Percy's face turned bright red.
"I—I'm Percy. Percy Weasley," he stammered.
The witch found his reaction amusing and chuckled. "Penelope. Penelope Clearwater. Nice to meet you, Mr. Weasley."
Robert gave her a curious glance. So, this was Penelope. She was indeed beautiful—no wonder Percy couldn't forget her.
But…
"Ahem, you two, keep it professional! This is a serious club!" Robert said sternly. "Now, where was I?"
"Counter-charms?" Fred checked his parchment. "Stopping a spell's effects… Sounds useful! But why doesn't it work on the Unforgivable Curses?"
Robert waved a hand dismissively. "It's a general counter-charm. Do you know what 'general' means? It doesn't undo complex spell effects. Many Dark Arts spells have layered effects, especially Unforgivable Curses."
Fred slumped in disappointment. "Then what's the point? Dark wizards won't just throw simple hexes at us."
Robert stroked his chin. "Well, if you get hit by the Dancing Feet Spell, Jelly-Legs Jinx, or Full-Body Bind, you can break free without needing to drink Madam Pomfrey's disgusting potions. Would you rather drink that or be instantly freed?"
Fred shuddered, recalling the foul-tasting potions Pomfrey prescribed for recovery, energy restoration, and counteracting spell damage.
"Counter-charms sound great!"
"Speaking of which…" Robert snapped his fingers. "Do you think enchanted hats would sell well?"
"What kind of enchantments?" The twins perked up. Ever since their Skiving Snackbox was banned, they hadn't been motivated to develop new products.
Robert tapped his notebook and said matter-of-factly, "Didn't we just talk about it? Counter-charms!"
(End of Chapter)