Before the boys arrived for magical training, I was already in the Room of Requirement preparing the clones I would need for the day. Since it wasn't a school day, I could stop following the professors, but because I had to attend a meeting with the Hogwarts staff and wanted to investigate Dumbledore closely in case I discovered something, I created four: one to attend the meeting in my place, one with just enough mana to remain invisible for the rest of the day, and two others who would work on repairing the Vanishing Cabinet.
I took the cabinet out of my storage bracelet and left it in a corner of the room for the clones to handle. While I was giving instructions to the other two, a door appeared near the wall where I was standing, and I saw the boys enter. I turned my attention back to the clones and said,
"You know what to do."
Both clones nodded and headed towards the still-open door. Just as they were about to leave, one of them vanished. The boys watched them for a moment before walking to the area where we would be practicing spells. Once the door disappeared again, I created another clone to meditate, as I would be using more mana than I currently had. When I approached the boys, I said,
"Perhaps you'd also like to leave a clone to help replenish your mana, as today we'll be looking at some more complicated spells and reviewing the other spells from the school year... Neville, what did your grandmother say? Did she take you to Ollivanders?
" "Yes, she came early yesterday. That's why I had to leave Hagrid's hut and get my new wand... it's just that I haven't practiced much with it yet.
" "I think it would be good if you started with a spell you know well, as it will be easier for you to notice the differences and get used to the new wand more quickly."
Neville nodded and went over to the practice dummies, taking out his wand and pointing it at them. I turned to Hermione and Luna.
"I'll be teaching Harry a couple of new spells. One is the invisibility spell my clone used a moment ago, and the other is a shield. Both spells were taught to me by my family, and they're a bit tricky at first, plus they require more mana than the clones' spells. I'll teach you the basics today, and then we'll move on to the spells for the school course... Harry, I'm going to need you to create another clone with half the mana you have left, in addition to the one you summoned for meditation, so he can continue with the school spells. I want you to keep practicing the clone spell. I know you're close to being able to create a third clone, and I'd like you to be able to cast all three at the same time by the end of today's training."
Harry and Luna nodded, and Hermione said...
"I still can't believe how you can make more than 10 clones so easily, and it's so hard for us to make even two.
" "Hmm, I don't know if it's because it's related to my magic, since it's a family spell, or if it's because of the training I've been doing since I was little, and besides, you've only been training for a few months... if it's because of the training, that would explain why Harry can make one more than you, since his Quidditch training helps him...
" *BOOM!!!*
We jumped at the sound of an explosion, and when we turned toward it, we only caught a glimpse of Neville flying backward. I barely had time to cast a spell to break his fall. We ran to him to see if he was hurt, but when we got to him, Neville still had his wand pointing upwards, and his face was a picture of complete surprise.
"Neville, are you alright?
" "I... I did that?"
I chuckled a little at Neville's expression once the worry that he was hurt subsided, since he was clearly fine, and I said, half-jokingly,
"Well, Neville... that was clearly you... maybe you need to use less mana when casting spells from now on... you don't need to put so much power into your training.
" "I... I don't need to use so much... I..."
For a moment, it looked as if Neville wanted to cry, and he had a big smile on his face. I could understand his emotion since for a large part of his life he thought he was a terrible wizard and almost a Squib, since he always had trouble performing even the simplest spell and always had to put a huge amount of his mana into casting a weak one. All of that had made his self-confidence very low, and he became very shy. I just hope he can regain some confidence now that he has a wand suitable for him, and once he gets used to it, I'm sure he'll be a great wizard.
***Meanwhile, in the staff room***
All the Hogwarts professors and Selene's clone were seated around a large round table. Once the meeting seemed about to begin, Selene's clone spoke first, in the serious tone she usually used when behaving as the Ravenclaw heiress, just as her grandmother had raised her.
"Before we begin, I'd like to know if the headmaster has a habit of missing staff meetings, or if it's just this time because of the tournament... and I'd appreciate it if you could be honest about it, please."
The professors exchanged glances, and it was Professor McGonagall who answered.
"Usually, Albus... Headmaster Dumbledore only attends the meeting we have at the end of the year."
Seeing her nod with a neutral expression, Hagrid hastened to add, a little nervously,
"Dumbledore is a good man and always has a lot of work to do. It's not that he's uninterested in school affairs."
The clone relaxed his expression a little more, noticing that not only Hagrid seemed a bit nervous, but Professor Trelawney as well, and he gave them a small smile before speaking.
"I understand, Hagrid. So, since it seems our headmaster won't be coming in today, I think we can begin... very well, I believe all of you, or at least most of you, heard about my conversation with Deputy Headmistress McGonagall..."
Seeing all the teachers nod, he continued.
"That's good, as it saves us time that we can use to look at other things. There's also something I'd like you all to keep in mind... whenever these kinds of meetings or similar ones are held, I will attend as Selene Ravenclaw, who is in charge of Hogwarts, but once outside, I'm just another student, and I expect to be treated as such. I know some of you felt nervous when you learned that I had the power to hire or fire professors, and even more so when you found out that I wanted to evaluate your performance as professors. I know some of you may have felt offended at the thought of being judged by a teenager."
The expressions of some teachers changed slightly at her words.
"I just want you to know that what I'm trying to do is, more than anything, ensure that the students receive a good education and that they can trust their teachers to give them the education they deserve without making any distinction between them... what I'm doing, and I'm not sure if it's been carried out or not, is something all headteachers should have done since it's part of their responsibilities... so far I can say that most of you are doing a good job... although... there are a few details from some of you that I'd like to mention, and I hope those involved can do something about it."
Professor Sprout raised her hand and, seeing her nod, said,
"Miss Ravenclaw, are these observations based solely on what you've seen in the fourth-year course, or have you checked the other courses as well?"
Selene's clone smiled at the Herbology teacher and replied,
"That's a good question..."