Chapter 415: A Cruel Joke
Chapter 415: A Cruel Joke
Upon seeing Kyle, Hermione forced a slight upward tug at the corners of her mouth, seemingly attempting to greet him.
However, with her heavy dark circles and her face looking like she was about to burst into tears, she didn't seem happy at all...
Kyle hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting down across from her.
"Hello, Kyle," Hermione said hoarsely.
Kyle glanced at the book open on her desk, 'On Why Muggles Need Electricity', alongside some others on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes...
"So, you chose to use a Time-Turner, didn't you?" Kyle asked softly.
Hermione's hand, which was holding the book, paused.
"Yes," she nodded. "I couldn't drop any of my classes, I just couldn't do it..."
"But you don't look like you're doing well at the moment," Kyle said. "Are you sure you can last until the end of the year?"
Hermione looked just like Lupin had on the train—like she might pass out at any moment.
Kyle had no doubt that, in a few months' time, she would fall asleep during exams.
"I don't know..." Hermione said, tugging at her hair in a slightly distraught manner.
Her voice was a little too loud, and it immediately drew some displeased glances from others nearby. Fortunately, Professor Pince was a fair distance away and didn't hear it.
"Can you tell me how you've been managing it so far?" Hermione asked. "You're taking all the classes and still getting high scores, even full marks...
"I always thought it wouldn't be difficult with a Time-Turner, but after using it, I realized it's not that simple."
Hermione tugged at her hair again. "The more I use the Time-Turner, the worse my memory seems to get, and it's hard to concentrate in class.
If this continues, I'll definitely get a lot of 'Exceeds Expectations' on my exams. I dare not think how disappointed Professor McGonagall would be if I don't get 'Outstanding' in every subject."
The more Hermione spoke, the more distraught she became, until she finally started crying for real.
She hadn't spoken much to anyone recently, especially after the Christmas holidays. She had told Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt incident, which had caused Gryffindor to lose to Slytherin in Quidditch.
Almost overnight, she had become the most unpopular person, and even Harry and Ron hadn't spoken to her since.
But Hermione didn't mind. At that time, her heavy workload had already left her a little breathless, and she didn't have time to care about such trivial matters...
It was only recently, after their win against Hufflepuff, that things had started to improve a little.
The problem was that Ron and Harry couldn't help much; they only made things more chaotic, and it was better when they didn't speak to her.
At least then, she wouldn't get angry about things unrelated to her studies... like when Harry sneaked out to Hogsmeade and was discovered by Professor Snape.
Hermione couldn't understand why Harry, knowing that Sirius Black was after him, would still go to Hogsmeade.
Was it fun to put himself in danger?
Kyle, sitting across from her, didn't know what she was thinking. He only assumed that she couldn't bear the torture of the Time-Turner.
This was normal. Percy had been the same at first. After using the Time-Turner, he had been a little hysterical for an entire school year, and as soon as the holidays arrived, he had hurriedly returned the device.
According to Diana, the Time-Turner could send your body back a few hours, but your mind wouldn't go back with it.
And human energy was limited; the more one used it, the sooner one would collapse.
Kyle tapped his fingers on the table. "Can I ask, are you using the Time-Turner every day?"
"Every day," Hermione nodded.
"And how much time are you turning back?"
"Before Christmas, it was about two to three hours. Now it's six hours," Hermione said.
Six hours?
Kyle shook his head.
That meant Hermione could only sleep after at least twenty-two hours had passed, and she had been doing this for nearly three months. No wonder her dark circles were so prominent.
"Also, try not to use the Time-Turner outside of class." Kyle continued, "I assume your schedule doesn't repeat itself every day, does it?"
"It repeats three times a week." Hermione replied.
"So what do you do with the rest of your time? Study and do homework?"
"No." Hermione shook her head, "Most of the time, I'm studying Ancient Runes, which is fascinating but incredibly difficult. One lesson a week is simply not enough."
At this point, Hermione looked up, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, "I heard from Professor Babbling that you received a perfect score on last year's Ancient Runes exam. The last student to achieve that was fifty years ago! Did you really manage to understand the lectures without using a Time-Turner?"
This was a question Hermione had wanted to ask for a long time. She spent countless hours studying Ancient Runes, yet she couldn't match Kyle's performance with just one lesson a week. It was frustrating.
"Well, our situations are a little different." Kyle replied vaguely, "During the holidays, I met someone who was very passionate about Ancient Runes. He offered me private tutoring, like a one-on-one lesson. I studied with him for the entire holiday, so it's no surprise I did well."
"Private tutoring?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, and a hint of envy tinged her cheeks.
"Was it Professor Babbling?"
"No." Kyle shook his head, "It was someone else who wanted to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but Professor Dumbledore didn't approve."
"Oh, why didn't he choose to teach Ancient Runes instead!" Hermione exclaimed in frustration, "Do you still keep in touch with him? Could you recommend him to teach here at Hogwarts? Maybe then we could have more lessons per week."
"I'm sorry, but he left last year, and I haven't been able to find him since." Kyle said with a hint of regret.
Hermione's face fell, her disappointment evident. She truly wanted more Ancient Runes lessons.
"Here's a suggestion." Kyle offered, looking directly at her, "Forget everything you learned in the first Ancient Runes lesson. It's of no use to you now. Just follow the order of the textbook. You'll find that the subject isn't as difficult as you think..."
"Forget?" Hermione frowned, "But the formula for rune combinations is important, isn't it? The book says it's the most crucial aspect."
Rune combinations?
If Kyle recalled correctly, that was the last chapter in Advanced Magic Runes.
In other words, it was something they wouldn't learn until the end of their sixth year.
Professor Babbling's mischievous sense of humor hadn't changed a bit.
"Just forget about it." Kyle advised, "Without mastering the arrangement and writing of magic runes, you won't be able to understand those combinations no matter how much time you spend. It's like Transfiguration; you first learn to turn a match into a needle, not a teacup into a rabbit."
"But..." Hermione blinked, "If that's the case, why did Professor Babbling teach us about rune combinations in the first lesson..."
"It's her idea of a joke." Kyle smiled, "Think about it. Has she mentioned anything related to runes since then?"
Hermione lowered her head and thought for a moment.
With Kyle's reminder, she realized that Professor Babbling hadn't discussed runes at all after that first lesson, and the subsequent lessons were much simpler.
Hermione slapped the table and exclaimed in frustration, "You mean I've been wasting my time all this while?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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