Bookworm

"Miss Granger, you came running over and questioned us like that. Are you a professor?"

Kate frowned and shot back at the girl before them without the slightest politeness.

That was right—the one who had stopped Noah and the other three was Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. However, her attitude was so haughty that it was rather hard to tolerate.

Noah, however, knew that the main reason she acted that way was because she was overly sensitive. He had once read a related report saying that, as a Muggle-born, Hermione felt somewhat inferior within the entire wizarding world.

That sense of inferiority drove her to strive harder. Of course, it was also why her personality seemed so forceful, though in truth she was not nearly as strong-willed as she appeared.

Otherwise, she would not have hidden alone in a bathroom and cried over trivial matters. It was all merely a protective shell she had put on.

Of course, no matter how much he understood her, it did not mean Noah would accept that kind of attitude.

Noah had never liked sucking up to people. Even if sucking up might get him everything in the end, the process itself disgusted him.

So when Kate spoke to Hermione so unfriendly, Noah had no intention of stopping him.

One was his roommate, a roommate he was very close to. The other was a student from another House acting aggressively. Even an idiot knew which side to choose.

"I..." Kate's words left Hermione at a loss. She immediately realized she might have done something wrong.

These were not her own classmates, much less familiar people like Harry and Ron!

They were Ravenclaw students. Having thoroughly studied the school's history, she naturally knew how many outstanding wizards Ravenclaw had produced. Of course she knew how exceptional the students there were!

"Enough, Kate."

Seeing Hermione grow so nervous that she no longer knew what to say, Noah shook his head. "Miss Granger, if you want to know so much, naturally you need to read more books. It has never been a secret. Besides, I think you should return to the Gryffindor common room. Rather than wasting time here with us, wouldn't it be better to go back and learn something new?"

After saying that, Noah did not care what Hermione thought. He directly led Evan and the other two toward the eighth floor.

Unfortunately, Noah had not told Hermione that sometimes, even if you wanted to read those books, you could not. After all, not everyone had a system and the Room of Requirement.

"That was rather unkind of you, Noah," Evan suddenly said as they climbed the stairs.

"Was it? I don't think so." Noah smiled. Of course he knew what Evan meant, but so what?

"She's actually quite smart. If she were a Ravenclaw, I really would consider inviting her. What a shame." Kate shook his head as well, apparently feeling that it was a waste for such an intelligent and studious girl to end up in Gryffindor.

"What does someone else's choice have to do with us? All right, how about we study Charms today? Should we summon Professor Flitwick and have him teach us something more advanced?" Luns chimed in as well. He was eager to get to the Room of Requirement.

Speaking of which, Evan and the other two all had very distinct personalities. Evan was a rather shy boy with an exceptionally solid grasp of theory. His talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts was especially outstanding; among the three, he had mastered the Patronus Charm the fastest.

Luns was more outgoing, though he probably would not be so cheerful around strangers.

He had memorized the History of Magic and was interested in both Transfiguration and Potions. Naturally, what he loved most was studying and mastering all kinds of charms.

Finally, there was Kate. He acted solemn around strangers, but in front of friends like Noah, his true nature emerged—his head was full of dirty jokes and bad ideas.

Moreover, his talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms was the highest among the three!

As for Noah?

He had practically finished all the first-year books already and had long begun studying material beyond the curriculum. With the system's help, he had surpassed his roommates by who knew how much!

Name: Noah Finneal

Age: Eleven

Mage Level: 5

"Anything works. I don't have an opinion anyway." Noah shrugged indifferently. In the Room of Requirement, they could do whatever they wanted as long as everyone agreed.

"We weren't planning to ask you, all right? You were the first to discover that place, and you were also the first to become proficient with low-level charms. What would be the point of asking you?" Kate rolled his eyes. Noah was simply beyond comparison.

"All right, let's not talk about that. By the way, I heard Quidditch is about to start. Aren't you interested?" Noah decisively changed the subject.

"No. Rather than wasting time watching that, I'd rather see whether I can master some new charms."

"Aren't you afraid people will call us bookworms?"

"Don't people already think Ravenclaws are all bookworms?"

"..."

The group chatted and laughed as they headed straight for the eighth floor. Although they encountered quite a few Gryffindor students on the way, neither side had any interest in greeting the other.

They had lost quite a few points in Potions Class because of Harry, while these four had earned plenty of points for their House. With such a contrast, why would they even dream of speaking with Noah and the others?

Thus, Noah and the other three made their way there smoothly. Aside from carefully checking their surroundings before entering the Room of Requirement, everything was no different from usual.

Just as Noah and the others began working busily once more, Harry, though not in especially high spirits, still took his broom and headed toward the Quidditch training grounds.

Ron did not look much better either. He had not helped Harry at all when Harry was being reprimanded today, and he felt utterly useless.

"Ron, in Charms Class, were they also the first ones to cast the charms?" Just as Ron was feeling ashamed of his own performance, Harry suddenly asked him.

"Huh?"

Ron did not react at first, but he quickly nodded. "Yes. In the first Charms Class, it was Mr. Phileas who mastered the Levitation Charm first. It was more or less the same afterward. I heard those guys are all in the same dormitory."

"Is that so? They really are impressive." Harry's voice was somewhat low, and it was obvious that he was in a terrible mood.

He had always believed his magical ability was not bad, but reality proved otherwise. Aside from standing out somewhat in Flying Class, he seemed to be rather awful at everything else.

"Harry, don't worry. They're just bookworms. I think once they get onto a dueling stage, they probably won't even be able to react." Ron noticed Harry's mood and could only try to comfort him.

"Is that so? Maybe. I really hope they're only bookworms." Harry muttered to himself. The shadow Snape had cast over him was simply too great.