Little Hermione didn't need to think about all that. Right now, she only needed to worry about being two years behind before the race had even begun.
That was two whole years!
Before she had even started school, someone else was already two years ahead.
At that rate, wouldn't he finish all six years of Hogwarts coursework in a single year?
Fall behind at the start, and she would stay behind. Miss Hermione Granger had been near the top of her class in primary school. Was she going to become one of the worst students in the Wizarding World once she reached Hogwarts?
Worry, anxiety, and fear struck Hermione all at once. At last, the little girl clutched Hogwarts: A History and burst into tears.
She didn't want to do something so embarrassing in front of so many people. She simply couldn't hold it in.
Someone her own age was discussing lessons and study plans with an adult, and she couldn't even understand what they were talking about.
For Hermione, who hated to lose, it was torture.
Hearing Hermione cry, Isaac left his address with the manager.
The manager would send the books to his home by owl later. Isaac was about to comfort Hermione when he caught Mr. Granger giving him a wary look.
"Mrs. Granger, it's lovely to see you again. And I believe this must be Mr. Granger."
Isaac nodded to Mrs. Granger, who was comforting Hermione, then greeted Mr. Granger despite his less-than-friendly expression.
"Oh, Isaac. May I call you that?
Do you know what's wrong with Hermione?" Mrs. Granger wanted to comfort her daughter, but she had no idea why Hermione had suddenly started sobbing.
So she turned to Isaac Waldore, who had made a good first impression.
"Of course, ma'am." Isaac nodded, looking a little puzzled himself.
"Miss Granger became rather upset when she heard me say I'd finished the entire Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration this month..."
Isaac didn't need to say more. Mr. and Mrs. Granger immediately understood why Hermione had lost her composure.
Their daughter was fiercely competitive and always pushed herself to study harder.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger saw nothing wrong with that.
Since the drive came from their daughter, all they could do as parents was support her.
After Hermione received her textbooks, she had studied hard at home for an entire month. They had held back their own curiosity about the magical world and waited until her excitement about magic had eased a little before coming to Diagon Alley together.
Now that Mrs. Granger knew why Hermione had broken down, she could comfort her more effectively.
Mr. Granger's gaze softened toward Isaac, too. He even looked a little sympathetic.
It wasn't Isaac's fault he was so capable. His daughter's sudden outburst must have startled the poor lad as well.
"Isaac, I've heard about you. Come on, let's give the ladies some space. How about we get something for the men to drink?"
At the Leaky Cauldron, Isaac and Mr. Granger each held a mug of Butterbeer. They clinked mugs and took a long drink.
Isaac had heard plenty about Butterbeer in his previous life, so he was curious to try it.
But once he did, it was nothing special. It wasn't as good as he had imagined, though it wasn't bad either. It was a fairly ordinary drink.
Still, Butterbeer really did look like a frothy mug of beer, and it contained a little alcohol.
It was popular with young people.
The name did most of the work. If they had called it buttery sparkling water, it wouldn't have been nearly as popular.
Mr. Granger set down his mug, gave Isaac a wink, and asked:
"By the way, Isaac, where's your family? Didn't they come to Diagon Alley with you?"
"I don't have any family. I'm an orphan," Isaac answered calmly.
Isaac might have been calm, but Mr. Granger certainly wasn't.
What had he been thinking, asking a question like that?!
His wife had told him about Isaac's stall, and he had assumed the boy was selling things for the experience.
He hadn't expected a child so young to be struggling to make a living.
And he had gone and asked about it so casually. The more lightly Isaac took it, the worse Mr. Granger felt.
"Please don't look like that, Mr. Granger.
It isn't your fault. Besides, I'm used to being an orphan by now."
Mr. Granger wanted to slap himself right then and there.
But he was afraid that would frighten Isaac.
"Then... where do you live now?" Mr. Granger forced himself to calm down before asking.
"Number 12 Medway Street. A kind gentleman sponsors me and has given me a place to stay."
Mr. Granger paused. He knew the street. It wasn't far from their home, and its houses were more upscale.
Which meant number 12 Medway Street was worth more than their own house.
The gentleman really was kind.
But then Mr. Granger remembered that Isaac, like his daughter, would be going away to a Wizard school.
Would the kind man sponsoring young Isaac think he had gone astray when he left his old life behind to study in the world of Wizards?
Not every guardian was as open-minded and accepting as Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
So Mr. Granger raised his concern tactfully and offered to visit if Isaac needed someone to explain things.
And if Isaac really did have to leave number 12 Medway Street, they had a spare room at home.
Isaac had only met Mr. and Mrs. Granger twice, but he could already tell they were genuinely good people.
Even when showing kindness to an orphan, they took care not to hurt his pride.
Isaac gave Mr. Granger a warm smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Granger.
The kind man sponsoring me is a Wizard too. But because of some painful events in his past, he won't be returning to Britain for a long time.
For now, it's just Mr. Anthony and me at number 12 Medway Street.
Mr. Anthony is the gentleman's butler, though he's a Muggle."
Only then did Mr. Granger's guilt ease a little.
For an orphan—no, for anyone—Isaac had been fortunate.
Even children from ordinary families were unlikely to meet such a benefactor when they grew up and went out into the world.
"Well, it sounds as though you're doing all right, Isaac.
To life!"
Feeling better, Mr. Granger raised his mug and drank with Isaac again. But he hadn't forgotten why he had sought the boy out.
The Wizarding World was still unknown to him, and Mr. Granger wanted to learn more.