Questions

A moment later, Hermione returned to Luke's side.

"Finished saying goodbye?"

Luke asked with a smile.

Hermione nodded, thanked Luke again, and then noticed the Crest on his chest.

"This is...?"

As he headed toward the train carriages, Luke said, "This is my family's Crest."

Hermione followed behind him and nodded silently. If she had still been somewhat confused by the occasional hostile looks before, she now seemed to understand something.

But only vaguely. After all, she was still just an eleven-year-old child.

Luke noticed that something was off with Hermione and could only smile reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. You'll learn many things later. Just understand that Hogwarts, and a large number of Wizards, can still manage basic equality."

"You added so many qualifiers that it doesn't sound very reassuring."

Hermione said helplessly.

"The current situation will change."

Luke only said that much and offered no further explanation.

Hermione gave Luke a long look but did not ask anything else.

The two entered the carriage in silence and chose a small compartment to sit in. After putting away his own things, Luke helped Hermione stow her luggage as well. Neither of them suggested separating.

For now, Luke was the only person Hermione knew, so there was no need for her to leave him.

As for Luke, he did not really care. If Hermione were not with him, he could not say who might enter this compartment. It was better to keep Hermione nearby. At least she was smart enough, rather than one of those idiots who pretended to know things they did not.

"Do you know a lot of spells?"

After they finished putting away their luggage, Hermione sat in her seat and asked.

"I know quite a few. There are plenty of spellbooks at home. Practice them a little, and you'll learn them."

Luke answered as he stroked Book's fur.

Luke was not boasting. Ordinary spells were naturally not very difficult, and common spells were often quite simple. Of course, anyone who could create variations of common spells was an absolute genius. At least, Luke could not do that yet.

As for more complicated spells, especially Dark Magic, thanks to Luke's extraordinary talent—enough to earn him a "special invitation" from Azkaban—he found them even easier to learn than everyday spells.

Looking at the little black cat Book on Luke's lap, Hermione's eyes showed a hint of envy. The kitten was simply too adorable, though it did not seem very fond of playing with people.

"I practiced a few simple spells at home too. Can all students from Wizard families cast spells?"

What Hermione truly cared about was the latter question. She was genuinely worried that she would not be able to keep up with the school's pace.

What if the teachers taught according to the pace of students with prior experience? What if her talent for spells was actually quite ordinary? What if...

Hermione could think of dozens of reasons why she might no longer be an outstanding test-taker. And those reasons put tremendous pressure on her.

Seeing Hermione's worry, Luke could not help sighing inwardly.

This child will achieve great things!

"Don't worry. Young Wizards can only learn very few spells at home. For one thing, learning them really does depend on talent. Your talent is excellent—I can tell from the fluctuations of magic around you. For another..."

A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Luke's face. "For Young Wizards from Wizard families, what they learn is spells and basic magical theory. Tell me, Hermione, would ordinary children in the Muggle world be used to the things you study every day?"

Hermione really wanted to say, "They would!"

But in truth, even in the ordinary world, she was an exception.

"No, they usually don't like mathematics or grammar. But I love them!"

By the final sentence, Hermione's face was full of pride.

Luke opened his mouth but failed to say anything.

He had never expected Hermione to so naturally remove herself from the category of ordinary children.

"More or less. They usually aren't as enthusiastic about learning spells as you are. Compared with you, their greater advantage lies in the things they absorb through everyday exposure—common knowledge, or little private tricks taught by their Mom and Dad."

This was something Luke found rather emotional as well. Compared with Wizards like Hermione and Harry, who had always lived in the Muggle world, children from ordinary Wizarding families lacked sufficient interest in things that came so easily to them. They often picked up mischievous spells with ease, yet dismissed formal and serious spells with disdain.

In this respect, Wizards were no different from ordinary people.

"Can you tell me something about the school?" Hermione asked again, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "The older student who came to guide my enrollment only gave a simple introduction and showed us how amazing magic was."

"Uh, under normal circumstances, underage Wizards aren't allowed to cast spells outside school." Luke first poured cold water over Hermione's hopes, crushing any thought she might have had of secretly getting ahead during winter and summer breaks. "The summer that just passed—the period before first-years enroll—is a special privilege, provided their magic does not go out of control. The students responsible for guidance receive special permission, though there are limits on both time and number of uses. And since there are not many new students each year, even those slots are pitifully few."

Normally, students were responsible for guiding new arrivals. Someone like Hagrid was already an exception, let alone Professor McGonagall. Luke knew this was the Gaunt Family's influence.

"And the school's four main Houses..."

"I know. I read about them in Hogwarts: A History. Clever Ravenclaw, brave Gryffindor, gentle Hufflepuff, and noble Slytherin."

Hermione quickly cut in, wearing an expression that practically said, "Praise me already." Luke felt that, in Hermione's eyes, he seemed to have taken on the role of a teacher. It left him both amused and helpless.

"That's right, and your descriptions are clearly much gentler." Luke praised her as Hermione wished. "Put less kindly: Ravenclaws think everyone from the other Houses is stupid; Gryffindors think everyone from the other Houses is a crybaby; Hufflepuffs think everyone from the other Houses is too stubborn; and Slytherins think everyone from the other Houses is useless."

Hermione felt that Luke's words contained a little too much information, and she found it difficult to take it all in at once.

Luke did not care whether she could accept it and continued, "Prejudice itself is normal. But when prejudice turns into discrimination, that really goes too far. That does need to change. Every House has produced quite outstanding Wizards. Gryffindor goes without saying—Headmaster Dumbledore came from there. Slytherin has produced both good and bad people: the good include its current Head, Professor Snape, while the bad include Dark Lords like Voldemort. Ravenclaw has produced an outstanding Wizard Duel champion, who is also its current Head, Professor Flitwick. And seemingly unremarkable Hufflepuff produced an exceptionally brilliant senior whom I greatly admire—Professor Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

"Which House do you want to join, Hermione?"