After hearing Harley, Hermione nodded thoughtfully, then felt a little regretful.
"It's a shame. Mum and Dad said before the term started that they were taking me to France for the holidays, so I probably won't be able to watch the match."
"This match isn't open to the public." Harley ruthlessly crushed Hermione's hopes. "There won't be any spectators watching in person, just a few reporters at most."
"Oh, come on. If you ask Professor Snape, he'll definitely agree." Hermione pursed her lips.
"He favors you so much. Never mind. I can just read the newspaper reports and look at the moving pictures afterward."
Harley didn't reply. Instead, she looked through the recipes Professor Snape had given her.
They were all Potions that sixth-year students would learn, and each one included both the standard recipe from the textbook and Professor Snape's own improved version.
Professor Snape had also left questions alongside the recipes, such as asking Harley to consider why he had made those improvements based on the original recipe and the properties of its ingredients.
He had even specifically noted that he'd made those improvements when he was only in his fourth year, without anyone guiding him.
With her own teacher guiding her, second-year Harley ought to be able to understand them.
For the rest of the holidays, Harley happily studied the Potion recipes and barely left the castle.
It wasn't until the day before the students were due to return that Harley finally left the castle and went with Hermione to visit Hagrid.
The two of them trudged through the thick snow toward Hagrid's Hut, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
As Harley gazed at the sea of trees, she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have neglected something very important during the holidays—
She'd forgotten to