Self-Interest Is the Eternal Driving Force

"Of course I can keep a secret, but shouldn't this be a good thing? Why can't Neville and the others know?"

"What do you think?"

Jon looked Hermione straight in the eye without saying anything.

Hermione was a smart girl, after all. She quickly understood.

"It's to protect them. After all, Voldemort's followers tortured them into this state before. If word got out that they had recovered, Voldemort definitely wouldn't let them go."

"Correct. See? You can figure these things out on your own, so don't ask about everything. You're a very smart girl. Learning to think for yourself is far more important than answering a teacher's questions.

"Of course, your intelligence needs to be concealed a little. There's no need to appear too sharp in class. Just like before—answer what you should answer. As for things you shouldn't answer, or things you shouldn't know, just pretend you don't know them."

"But, Professor, you didn't actually need to bring me here, did you? If I wasn't supposed to know these things, then why did you tell me?"

"I brought you here—or rather, let you see these things with your own eyes—because I don't have the habit of hiding things. I'm not Dumbledore. For many matters, I prefer to show you directly. No matter how much is said in class, it can never compare to the impact of seeing it firsthand.

"Besides, I told you before: I chose you, so you have the right to know all of this."

Because she had been chosen, she had the right. It sounded somewhat uncomfortable, but Hermione knew that if she still felt upset about it, she would be being ungrateful.

Jon was willing to tell her these things because he trusted her—and because he valued her.

"But what if I accidentally let something