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Perhaps it was the loud, incessant chatter of Gilderoy Lockhart behind the desk at Flourish and Blotts that finally got to her, but Hermione didn't linger long in conversation with Hagrid. She quickly purchased all the books on her and Glenn's Hogwarts supply list, bade Hagrid a quick farewell, and dragged Glenn out of the bookstore in a hurry.
"I just can't believe it. Gilderoy Lockhart is actually like that," Hermione said, swinging Glenn's small hand in hers as they walked. "It's just so… how do I put it… over-the-top? I can't imagine why Lavender and the others are so infatuated with him. Well, maybe Lavender is an exception."
Lockhart's behavior in Flourish and Blotts had clearly left a bad impression on Hermione. Thanks to Glenn's influence, she had grown far more mature than her peers and found it hard to understand why other young witches were so enamored with Lockhart.
"Just focus on the content of his books," Glenn said calmly. "I skimmed through some of them earlier, and there's actually quite a bit we can learn from."
That was true. The strange aura Glenn had sensed in the bookstore had quickly dissipated, and finding no clues about its source, he had shifted his attention to the textbooks they would soon need for their classes.
Using his heightened perception, Glenn had scanned through the contents of Lockhart's books and concluded that the man was indeed a skilled wizard. The detailed and authentic content in the books left little room for doubt.
However, Glenn refrained from commenting on Lockhart as a person. To him, the man had no value beyond the knowledge contained in his books.
At least Glenn was sure of one thing—he wasn't about to be charmed by another man.
Squeezing Hermione's soft little hand, Glenn decided that Hermione was far more interesting to him.
Hermione thought it over and realized Glenn was right. Knowledge was what truly mattered!
Abandoning her idle thoughts, Hermione walked hand in hand with Glenn as they strolled through Diagon Alley.
"Look over there…" Despite being more mature than her peers, Hermione was still a young girl at heart. Her attention was quickly drawn to something in a shop window, and she grabbed Glenn's hand, pulling him along as she dashed toward it.
...
Not long after Glenn and Hermione finished their shopping, September 1st arrived—the day Hogwarts reopened for the new school year. Their families, as usual, arrived at King's Cross Station an hour early.
"Have fun!" their parents waved as the two children prepared to leave. They had no concerns about their kids' academic performance.
Honestly, worrying about Glenn and Hermione's studies? That would be laughable. If anything, they were more likely to stress out the other students with their overachieving ways.
What their parents truly hoped for was that the two would have fun and enjoy their time at school.
Glenn nodded to their families before Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The little girl had grown bolder. Ever since Glenn had indirectly confessed to her at her grandparents' house, Hermione had stopped holding back. She was practically glued to Glenn's side, rarely letting go of his hand. Even when their families teased them with knowing looks, she pretended not to notice.
Her skin had grown much thicker (not literally).
Of course, her main motive was to stake her claim. She was well aware of how attractive her little Glenn was and knew she had to keep a close eye on him.
Not that she thought Glenn would be swayed by any lovestruck witch—or wizard, for that matter.
Yes, wizard. This was England, after all. If you know, you know.
Since they had arrived early, the Hogwarts Express was still empty. The two found an unoccupied compartment and took out their Classical Chinese textbooks from China, beginning to study together.
Their goal was clear: to master Classical Chinese this semester and move on to studying magical and sacred texts.
As I've mentioned before, time flies when you're engrossed in learning. By the time the two came back to their senses, the train was already filled with the lively chatter of young witches and wizards.
Just then, two familiar faces poked their heads into the compartment. "Ah, found you!"
Hermione looked up to see Neville and Draco standing in the doorway.
Tsk, two lightbulbs. She should've locked the door.
Hermione was visibly annoyed with herself for making such a rookie mistake.
It wasn't that she didn't like her two friends. She just preferred to spend time alone with Glenn.
A train compartment, a small, enclosed space—who knew what romantic or embarrassing things might happen?
The thought of the books Lavender had shared with her made Hermione's cheeks flush. Her mind began to wander, and a shy smile crept onto her face.
"Ugh…" Draco shuddered. He had never seen the proud and sharp-tongued Hermione Granger make such an expression. The sight was too much for him to handle.
"Only Glenn could tame Hermione," Draco thought to himself, glancing at his composed friend.
"Hmm?" Sensing Draco's odd gaze, Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and shot him a dangerous look.
"Ah, ahaha, I was just feeling a bit queasy from taking the Knight Bus earlier. Don't mind me, Hermione," Draco said, scratching his head and laughing nervously.
"Hmph." Hermione huffed, unconvinced. That guy was definitely thinking something inappropriate just now.
Neville, meanwhile, noticed the book Glenn and Hermione were reading. Unable to make sense of the text, he asked curiously, "What book is that? The language doesn't look like English."
"This is Classical Chinese, a unique written form from China. It's written in Chinese characters, so of course you can't read it," Hermione replied, her tone as haughty as ever. Though her words weren't exactly polite, she still answered Neville's question.
Draco let out a sigh of relief. Now this was the Hermione he knew. Whatever that earlier version of her was, he wanted no part of it.
Noticing Draco's reaction, Hermione smirked coldly. "Draco Malfoy, you were definitely thinking something rude just now." She whipped out her wand and sent a Stupefy spell flying his way.
Draco yelped, "I wasn't! I didn't! Don't accuse me!" He dropped his suitcase and twisted his body to dodge the spell.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Hermione declared, standing up with her wand raised.
"Wait, wait, don't fight! Let's talk this out!" Neville pleaded, looking back and forth between them. A magical duel on the Hogwarts Express was definitely not a good idea. If they had to fight, couldn't they at least wait until they got to Hogwarts?
"Don't stop me, Neville. Draco needs to be taught a lesson. I'll use this as an opportunity to see if he's been slacking off over the summer," Hermione said, glaring at Draco.
Neville hesitated. The warning in Hermione's eyes was clear. He glanced at her, then at Draco, who was frantically signaling for help, and made his choice…
He sat back down.
"Traitor! Longbottom, you traitor!" Draco shouted as he dodged another spell and bolted into the corridor.
Not that he was scared, of course!
As a gentleman, it was only right to yield to a lady.
Draco Malfoy, hands on hips.jpg
Hermione, of course, wouldn't actually chase Draco down the train. That would be against school rules. She merely wanted to scare him a bit. With a satisfied huff, she put away her wand.
Glenn clapped his hands.
"Thank you," Hermione said sweetly, curtsying like a proper lady.
Neville, sitting across from them: …
As long as you two are happy.
Time on the train passed quickly. Draco, seeing that Hermione hadn't come after him, sheepishly returned to the compartment, only to be met with a scornful look from her.
During the journey, the Weasley twins stopped by with their younger sister, Ginny, to ask if anyone had seen Harry and Ron.
"They're missing?" Hermione frowned. Those two troublemakers were probably up to something again. "We haven't seen them."
Disappointed, the Weasleys left to continue their search.
"Potter and Weasley always have to do something special, don't they?" Draco muttered, munching on a green apple as he quietly mocked the absent Harry and Ron.
"Draco," Neville said disapprovingly. Harry and Ron were his friends, and he didn't appreciate hearing them being badmouthed.
Though… to be fair… they did have a knack for getting into trouble.
At one point during the journey, Glenn thought he heard something strange outside the window. But before he could activate his heightened perception to investigate, the sound disappeared, as if it had been a figment of his imagination.
Glenn was certain he hadn't imagined it, though. He mentioned it to his friends, but none of them had heard anything.
"Probably just the wind," Hermione suggested, putting the matter to rest.
Glenn nodded. Whatever it was, it likely wouldn't affect them. No need to dwell on it.
Before long, the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station. Just like in their first year, Hermione shooed the three boys out of the compartment so she could change into her robes, then swapped places with them.
Following the crowd off the train, they watched as a group of first-year students, all a head shorter than them, excitedly took in their surroundings. Hermione smiled at the sight.
Last year, she had probably looked just like that. Time really did fly.
As expected, Hagrid was there to lead the first-years across the Black Lake. Glenn, Hermione, and their friends waved to the giant as he guided the small group toward the dark forest.
"But if we're not taking the boats across the lake, how do we get to Hogwarts?" Neville asked.
Hearing a question she knew the answer to, Hermione puffed out her chest proudly and let out a smug little hum.
"I know! It's mentioned in Hogwarts: A History."
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