If witnessing with her own eyes that magic truly existed in this world had left Hermione somewhat shocked, then the Young Wizard's smiling words directly sent chills down the spine of the bushy-haired little girl.
It was as if memories from the past were attacking her. Hermione felt her scalp tingle and her back turn cold, wanting to run away, yet the only door leading outside was behind Ian.
She glanced back at the office where her father, Mr. Granger, and Ms. Elena were, but the door was tightly shut. In the end, she did not gather the courage to seek her father's protection.
"Y-you... you... what are you talking about? I don't understand, I don't understand at all." Faced with the choice between admitting and denying it, Hermione chose to play dumb—the very thing she had always despised most.
The law of "it smells so good" was still working its magic across time and space.
"You know that the person standing before you is a wizard—that is, a magician as you understand it, right?" Ian's movement of raising his wand made Hermione's gaze sharpen slightly.
Her entire body visibly stiffened, and the panic on her face clearly showed that she was worried Ian would cast a spell on her.
"You... you wizards have to obey the law too, right? In the United Kingdom's legal system, deliberately harming someone is one of the gravest crimes."
"Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 states that you could be sentenced to life imprisonment at most!" Hermione clearly did not merely enjoy reading in her daily life. She could actually recite British legal provisions by heart. Who knew whether it was also because she had managed to think quickly under pressure.
Though the little girl stammered at first, she became