Hermione Granger

As the days went by, Yulian quickly adjusted to life at St. George's Primary School and soon became the star pupil of his class. He was mild-mannered and friendly, excelled in his studies, and could recite poetry in French. Before long, he had won over his classmates.

Thomas was his best friend. The two often played together during breaks and talked about all sorts of things.

Yulian gradually realized that St. George's Primary School was full of talented children. Though they were all Muggles, many of them had remarkable gifts.

Some children had a natural talent for music and could play the piano with ease. Others excelled at sports, running and playing football with skill. There were even children who seemed like little adults, deeply interested in politics and economics.

But Yulian never forgot who he was. He carefully hid his magical abilities and never revealed them at school. He knew his grandfather's warning was right: the wizarding world and Muggle society each had their own rules, and casually breaking the barrier between them would only cause unnecessary trouble.

The first test after Christmas arrived as scheduled. It covered three subjects—language, mathematics, and science—and was meant to assess how well the students had settled back into their studies after the holidays.

For the other students, the test was a considerable challenge. For Yulian, it was no trouble at all.

The bell rang to signal the end of the test, and the students put down their pens and handed in their papers.

Thomas came over to Yulian, looking glum. "Yulian, those math problems were so hard. There were several I couldn't do. You must've finished them all, right?"

Yulian nodded. "Yeah, I finished them all. They seemed pretty easy."

Thomas's eyes widened. "Wow, you're amazing! I'm sure I did terribly on this test."

Yulian smiled and reassured him. "Don't worry. I don't think you did that badly."

A few days later, the test results were announced.

Mrs. Davis walked into the classroom with the score sheets, a pleased smile on her face. "Everyone did very well on this test. Our new student, Yulian Black, did especially well. He got full marks in all three subjects and came first in the class!"

A wave of surprised exclamations rang out across the classroom. The students all turned to look at Yulian, their eyes full of admiration. Thomas excitedly slapped him on the shoulder. "Yulian, you're incredible! Did you use cheat codes or something?"

But a girl with brown curls in the front row suddenly turned around, her brows furrowed, her eyes seeming to say, That's impossible! I'm supposed to be first!

Yulian only smiled faintly, not giving it much thought. Coming first in an elementary school test was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

What Yulian didn't notice was that the girl in the front row turned to look at him again. When she heard he had come first, her brows knitted slightly, and a flash of defiance crossed her eyes.

The girl had thick, fluffy hair and bright, sharp eyes. She sat perfectly straight, her back ramrod-straight and her hands resting on the desk, looking thoroughly attentive.

After announcing the scores, Mrs. Davis began going over the test. Yulian listened with only half an ear. His gaze happened to pass over the brown-haired girl, and he saw that she was staring at him with an unmistakably challenging look.

Yulian had only just transferred, after all, and still didn't know everyone in the class.

"Hey, man." Yulian nudged Thomas with his elbow. "Who's that girl?"

Thomas followed Yulian's gaze. "Oh, her? Hermione Granger."

"So that's her."

Yulian remembered Hermione Granger, the brains of the Harry Potter stories. What a coincidence.

Hermione was exceptionally smart and hardworking, and she had always been top of the class. In this life, his sudden arrival had ended her reign. No wonder she was looking at him like that.

Hermione noticed Yulian watching her. She didn't look away. Instead, she met his gaze, her eyes growing even more resolute.

She had been one of the best among her peers since she was little and strove for perfection in everything she did. Losing this test to a new transfer student had left her deeply frustrated.

When the bell rang, Hermione packed her schoolbag and walked straight over to him, holding out her hand. Her voice was clear and bright. "Hello, Shiloh Yulian Black. I'm Hermione Granger."

She deliberately said his full name, her voice crisp and firm, with a hint of proud playfulness, as if to say, I'll remember you.

Yulian stood and shook her hand. "Hello, Hermione. It's nice to meet you."

"You did very well." She looked straight into his eyes, her tone serious. "But I'm not going to keep losing to you. I'll beat you on the next test."

Yulian smiled, unbothered. "I look forward to it." He could sense Hermione's stubborn determination, and it reminded him of the person he had been in his previous life.

Hermione nodded and left the classroom. Watching her go, Yulian's lips curled slightly upward.

Thomas came over to Yulian. "Don't mind her, Yulian. She's always like that." Thomas clearly didn't like Hermione. "She came first on every test before, and she's always trying to lecture people. She's so full of herself."

Spring came quietly to London. The once-brown lawns at St. George's Primary School gradually turned a tender green, and the cherry trees in front of the school building filled with pale pink and white buds. When the wind blew, delicate petals fluttered down, settling on the corridor windowsills and the students' textbooks.

Ever since that test, an unspoken bond had grown between Yulian and Hermione Granger—or, more precisely, an "academic rivalry."

Hermione was still the same hardworking girl. She was always the first to arrive in the classroom and the last to leave. During breaks, she often sat reading, as if knowledge were her most precious treasure.

And Yulian, drawing on the experience of two lives and a maturity beyond his years, continued to hold firmly to first place in the class. From time to time, when Hermione got stuck on a difficult problem, he would discreetly give her a hint.

"The logic in this math problem doesn't work. Try dividing the circle into equal parts. Don't rush to plug anything into the formula yet."

During one break, Hermione was frowning over a word problem, her finger tracing a jumble of lines across her scratch paper. Yulian passed her desk, glanced at the problem, and spoke softly.

Hermione looked up. Surprise flashed in her brown eyes behind her round glasses, then gave way to stubborn defiance.

"Of course I know that. I just hadn't figured it out yet." She argued back, but still followed Yulian's suggestion and started working through it again.

Before long, a relieved smile spread across her face. "I really solved it! Thanks, Yulian." It was clear that Hermione enjoyed competing, but held no ill will.

"It was nothing." Yulian smiled and returned to his seat.

Thomas, watching nearby, was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand why Yulian was getting so close to Hermione.

As far as he was concerned, Hermione was clever but far too serious and rigid. She wasn't lively and fun like the other girls, and her two prominent front teeth didn't make her especially pretty, either.

"Yulian, why are you always hanging out with Hermione? All she does is read and work on problems. She's like a bookworm. Is that really the kind of girl you like?" Thomas leaned close to Yulian and complained in a low voice.

"Everyone has their own taste, haha." Yulian put down his book and joked. Then he turned to Thomas and said earnestly, "Hermione's smart and hardworking. And she isn't a bookworm—she just has a stronger thirst for knowledge than we do."

Thomas pursed his lips, clearly unconvinced. But he didn't say anything more. Yulian was his best friend, after all, and he respected his choice.