Chapter 604: Memories of the Past
Chapter 604: Memories of the Past
Hermione felt as though she were in a dream, reminiscing about many past events.
From the panic of the Magic Surge in her childhood to the joy of receiving her Admission Letter at the age of eleven.
It turned out that Magic really did exist in the world!
Shortly after, the Professors from Hogwarts deliberately visited her home to convince her parents to let her attend the school. They informed her that she could access Diagon Alley, the market of the Wizarding World, through the Leaky Cauldron.
Hermione, eager to learn more, pleaded with her father to take her to Diagon Alley early. There, she not only bought all the items on her school list but also purchased a large number of extra Magic books from Flourish and Blotts.
Firstly, she wanted to understand more about this magical Wizarding World.
Secondly, Hermione was concerned that she might fall behind her classmates once school started. She believed that those from Wizard families had already learned a lot of Magic and she couldn't bear the thought of being the least proficient in her class!
However, when she finally entered Hogwarts, Hermione realized she had overestimated the gap. The Young Wizards from Wizard families weren't much more skilled than she was.
In fact, she often completed the Professors' assignments first in class, and the homework that many found challenging was quite easy for her. She even had plenty of time each day to read extra Magic books and expand her knowledge!
Her rapid progress made Hermione somewhat proud and complacent.
Until a few days into the term, she faced her first setback outside the Library. She was defeated by a peer!
"Everyone has their own suitable learning method!"
The words of the blond young wizard stuck with her.
After demonstrating his Transfiguration Spell, he arrogantly turned and left, leaving her standing alone!
Hermione was angry, but more so, she was competitive. She refused to believe she was inferior to anyone. In the following days, she worked even harder, but the gap between them only seemed to widen.
She was no longer the only one excelling in class. The detestable Ivan always managed to answer questions before she could, as if deliberately trying to outdo her.
This only made Hermione more furious!
However, it also made her pay more attention to the blond young wizard. She noticed that Ivan had cheated during the first flying lesson by using his foot to lift the broom, earning praise from Madam Hooch.
Hermione found this way of gaining the Professors' approval highly distasteful.
Later, Ivan's conflict with Malfoy further irritated her. If she hadn't successfully cast the Levitation Charm, Malfoy could have fallen and injured himself, resulting in a significant loss of House Points for Gryffindor!
While dealing with Ivan, Hermione also struggled to get along with the other young witches and students. The Gryffindor young wizards were particularly mischievous and often disregarded the school rules!
This was something Hermione could not tolerate. If they were caught breaking the rules, Gryffindor would have no chance of winning the House Cup that year!
Unfortunately, no one seemed to enjoy her lectures, and her attempts to persuade them were often in vain.
Even Hermione faintly felt that she was being isolated. The only ones who could still be considered friends were Harry, Ron, Ivan, and a few girls from her dormitory.
However, things did not go as she wished!
A few days later, she accidentally overheard Ron's complaints behind her back. Only then did she realize that her last few friends were probably just a product of her own wishful thinking.
This made Hermione unable to hold back her emotions, and she fled to the girls' bathroom, where she cried for hours, even missing the Halloween feast.
After crying for who knows how long, Hermione heard a loud commotion from the corridor outside. Out of curiosity, she wiped her tears and walked out. The first thing she saw was a Troll standing at the other end of the corridor!
Before this, she had only seen such disgusting, massive creatures in books, but now one was right in front of her. Fear made her forget to run, and she could only stand there, frozen, as the Troll approached step by step.
At that moment, Hermione thought she was going to die, but Ivan suddenly appeared, carrying her to safety from the Troll's swinging club. He effortlessly used a few Transfigured Iron Thorns as traps, successfully killing the massive monster!
Tension, confusion, fear, gratitude, and a mix of indescribable emotions flooded Hermione's mind.
The young witch wanted to continue thinking, recalling the moments she spent with Ivan after that, but her subconscious was urging her to wake up quickly...
Ivan, who was watching everything unfold, was deeply moved. He never realized that he had such an image in Hermione's mind.
Reflecting on it, he did indeed have a bit of a bully's attitude back then, putting Hermione through a lot.
Of course, he wasn't doing it intentionally. Ultimately, it was all about earning House Points to boost his own strength.
Being able to take down a Troll halfway through the school year was only possible because of his prior preparation, regular practice, and the House Points he had saved up!
Ivan still remembered that thrilling battle. If not for the Power-Up Mode, he would have had to flee in a panic.
However, after revisiting the memory through Hermione's perspective, Ivan realized that from an outsider's point of view, he looked absolutely amazing!
Whether it was the quick counterattack after rolling to dodge, or the precise calculation of the Iron Thorns' landing points to restrict the Troll's movements, everything was perfect and seamless. The battle lasted only a few seconds before the Troll fell at his feet.
Ivan indulged in his narcissistic thoughts while also experiencing the young witch's complex emotional changes.
Just as Ivan was looking forward to more, the dream world suddenly became unstable, shaking as if in an earthquake. Finally, the entire world shattered, and Ivan's consciousness was ejected.
When Ivan recovered from the shaking, the System's prompt was already echoing in his mind.
[Ding, after some practice, your Legilimency proficiency has significantly increased, currently at Level 3 (781/800)!]
Hermione was gasping for breath, cold sweat on her forehead. Resisting Legilimency with sheer willpower was not easy, especially since Ivan had not even used any additional Magic. Otherwise, her resistance would have been futile.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ivan, too concerned to celebrate his increased Legilimency proficiency, asked anxiously.
(End of Chapter)
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