Chapter 423: Hermione's Diary
Chapter 423: Hermione's Diary
Hermione Granger sat at her desk, propping her chin on her hands as she gazed absentmindedly at the snowy landscape outside her window.
Moments ago, she had finished her holiday homework ahead of schedule and was now flipping through her diary, reflecting on the events since she had received her owl and embarked on her journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In just a few short months, everything had changed in a truly magical way.
Now, Hermione had made two good friends at school and had also encountered a mysterious senior student and his rather chubby British Shorthair cat.
Life at Hogwarts was even more fascinating than she had imagined, and she and her friends were even on the trail of someone named Nicolas Flamel.
Unfortunately, so far, they had not made any significant progress, and her family had no idea who this Nicolas Flamel was.
Suddenly, the hoot of an owl broke the silence from outside, and she immediately leaned out the window before hurrying downstairs to see who had sent her a letter.
"Mom, I just heard an owl. Did you see my letter?" Hermione called out as she entered the living room, where her family was watching television.
Her father, Mr. Granger, a dentist, smiled and handed her a letter, his previous worries about his daughter not making friends at school melting away.
It seemed that Hermione had indeed found companionship.
What she had told them earlier was likely true, and they could finally rest easy.
Hermione glanced at the sender's name on the letter—it was from Harry.
She began opening the letter as she made her way back to her room. The message was short, simply mentioning that Professor Snape had sent a Christmas gift to Albert, which Albert had then passed on to Draco Malfoy.
That revolting-looking gift had found its way to Malfoy? Hermione recalled the name and felt no fondness for the blond-haired boy from Slytherin. While she didn't intentionally shun others, the students from Slytherin were particularly unpleasant.
She agreed with Albert's assessment: Malfoy was just a spoiled brat.
As for Snape, Hermione had a strong distaste for the Potions master, especially after he had tried to jinx Harry during the last Quidditch match. She even questioned why Dumbledore would hire such a person to teach at Hogwarts.
Don't tell her that Snape's intention was merely to knock Harry off his broom to prevent Gryffindor from winning the Quidditch match. If that were the case, it was truly despicable.
Moreover, the idea of someone like Snape giving a Christmas gift was bizarre.
Speaking of Christmas gifts, Hermione felt a bit glum. Aside from her parents, she hadn't received any presents from anyone else.
Her relationship with the other girls in the dormitory was cordial but not close enough for exchanging gifts, and her good friends Harry and Ron had obviously forgotten about it.
From the start, Hermione hadn't expected Harry and Ron to give her a Christmas gift, and she even doubted if the two of them ever thought about it.
Not receiving any greetings from friends on Christmas Day, not even a card, was disappointing, even though she had anticipated it might turn out this way.
Harry's letter was brief, and Hermione finished reading it quickly. It only mentioned Snape's gift to Albert and Albert's decision to let Harry deal with it, with no news about Nicolas Flamel.
In fact, Hermione hadn't expected Harry and Ron to find any information about Flamel. How could she rely on two boys who weren't keen on visiting the library to quietly search for information? Perhaps they had already forgotten about it.
If she wanted to find out about Flamel quickly, her best bet was still Albert, but the genius seemed reluctant to involve the trio in whatever was hidden in the restricted section on the fourth floor, as instructed by Dumbledore.
Hermione took out her Wizarding Cards from the box and spent some time arranging Albert's card on top of the deck.
Before meeting Albert, she had always considered herself a little genius. But now, she finally understood what true genius entailed.
Not only did Albert excel academically and possess a wide range of talents, but he had also published several well-received papers in magazines and created the popular Wizarding Cards game, which had taken Hogwarts by storm.
Could a student really accomplish all that? And at such a young age?
Every time she heard about Albert's exploits, she couldn't help but feel that he was extraordinary.
Perhaps there was truth to Albert's prophecies. Maybe he had foreseen something and that was why he didn't want them involved.
Hermione felt perplexed, not because she doubted Albert's prophecies, but because those ambiguous predictions always seemed like deceptions, no matter how she looked at them.
She hadn't forgotten Albert's prediction that he would find friends before winter, and while she had indeed made friends, it didn't seem to have much to do with the prophecy.
After all, it ultimately depended on her own efforts.
Had she been deceived?
Was it a white lie? Albert probably realized it, which was why he said those words to comfort her at the time.
She should be grateful to him.
In fact, Hermione had expressed her gratitude. When she sent Albert a Christmas gift, she included a thank-you note.
She admired the senior student, having collected several of Albert's published papers in magazines. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to understand the content of the papers yet.
In the dormitory, her roommates occasionally discussed Albert, and they all shared a sense of admiration for him. Outstanding boys like Albert were always a topic of conversation among the girls, especially one as brilliant as Albert.
Many saw Albert as the next Dumbledore.
Hermione agreed with that assessment. While she wasn't very familiar with Albert and they had barely exchanged a few words, she was quite acquainted with his cat, having fed it often last semester.
She hoped that one day she and Albert could become good friends.
Remembering this, Hermione felt annoyed at her own boldness. Asking Albert for help had perhaps been taking advantage of his kindness.
With these thoughts, she put away Harry's letter and began writing in her diary for the day.
(End of Chapter)
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