I Don't Believe It!

Ron felt like he had punched a ball of cotton. Left with no other choice, he turned to complain to Harry.

"Hey, why is your friend so weird? Is this really the time to study?" Ron sat in his seat, shaking his head. "Once we get to school, there'll be plenty of time to study."

"Yang likes reading. There's nothing wrong with that." Harry grabbed a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean and tossed it into his mouth. His expression immediately changed.

Curious, Ron put a bean of the same color into his mouth, then said with a bitter face, "Booger flavor. Disgusting!"

The two chatted about their future school life while eating snacks.

"Finally, I found you!" The girl excitedly pointed at Chu Yang, as if she had discovered a long-lost treasure!

Ron and Harry both looked at Chu Yang in confusion.

The girl's loud voice startled Chu Yang out of his reading. He pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" The girl plopped down beside Chu Yang and impatiently asked, "What was that magic you used in the wand shop?"

Chu Yang said helplessly, "That wasn't magic. I merely waved my wand according to Mr. Ollivander's instructions!"

The girl wore an incredulous expression, then shook her head. "Impossible. How could pure Magic Power produce such a terrifying effect?"

"Then I have no idea. I'm just a first-year like you." Chu Yang gave a casual explanation before lowering his head and continuing to read.

"Hey! Can you tell us what exactly happened?" Ron looked at the two of them, dying of curiosity, like a busybody eager for gossip.

Harry was equally curious.

So the girl told them everything that had happened earlier in the wand shop.

After hearing it, Ron and Harry wore expressions much like the girl's and stared at Chu Yang in amazement.

"Right! I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Hermione Granger. Just call me Hermione." Hermione introduced herself openly and confidently.

Ron and Harry introduced themselves as well, but when it was Chu Yang's turn, there was no response. Hermione turned and found him reading with his head lowered.

"There he goes again!" Ron rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Mate, seriously, there's no point putting on an act for us. We're all classmates."

Harry tugged at Ron's sleeve and said softly, "Ron, don't say that..."

Ron gave an angry laugh and asked, "Look at the way he flips through those pages. Does that look like he's actually reading properly?"

Harry immediately hesitated.

He truly had never seen anyone read the way Chu Yang did.

Standing beside Chu Yang, Hermione tilted her head to examine the book's cover and casually read aloud, "Practical Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"This book doesn't seem to be a first-year textbook." Hermione frowned slightly. She clearly remembered that the only textbook related to the Dark Arts was called "Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection" (Defense Against the Dark Arts).

She had already memorized that book inside out, and it was obviously not the same one Chu Yang held!

A thought flashed through Hermione's mind.

This was not a first-year textbook. It was a textbook for upper years!

Hermione snatched the book from Chu Yang's hands and began reading it carefully.

"Your behavior is truly unpleasant, Miss Granger!" Chu Yang frowned. "Whether you're a wizard or an ordinary person, you should maintain the most basic courtesy."

Hermione stiffly returned the book to Chu Yang and said unwillingly, "This book is far more profound and obscure than Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. Can you even understand it?"

Chu Yang said calmly, "As long as you finish reading Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, understanding this book won't take much effort."

Hermione choked on her words, blushing from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck!

As someone who had completely memorized Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, those words sounded to Hermione as though Chu Yang were calling her stupid!

Hermione shouted, "Being overly specialized is a very bad thing for a wizard! It's useless to only read things about the Dark Arts! What's more important is Magical Theory—that's the foundation!"

Hermione's loud voice made Chu Yang's head ache, so he impatiently recited the contents of the first page of Magical Theory, hoping to shut her up.

Sure enough, when Hermione heard him reciting, her voice abruptly stopped. She stared at Chu Yang in disbelief. "I don't believe you—unless you can recite the whole thing."

Then Chu Yang really did recite the entire book!

Seeing that Hermione still looked unconvinced, Chu Yang calmly recited the first chapter of each of the other textbooks as well.

Every time Chu Yang finished reciting a chapter, Hermione's expression grew more agitated.

"Your parents must have taught you in advance, so you could learn all this early and perform better at school." Hermione was indignant. If she had a family like that too, she would only have learned faster than Chu Yang!

Chu Yang closed the book and slowly said, "I did read these books in advance, but that was after I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter. I taught myself for a month at the Leaky Cauldron. No one ever gave me lessons."

"You taught yourself to this extent in just one month?" Hermione firmly shook her head. "I don't believe it. Your parents must have taught you!"

Harry could no longer stand it. He stood up and shouted, "Enough! Yang and I are both orphans. We don't have parents, and no one taught us any of this!"

"Orphans?" Hermione stared blankly at Harry. When she came to her senses, she immediately covered her mouth, her eyes full of regret!

For someone who grew up an orphan, nothing hurt more than bringing up their parents!

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to. I didn't know you were..." Hermione apologized to Chu Yang in a panic, her voice carrying a hint of tears. Her apology was heartfelt.

This was exactly the kind of atmosphere Chu Yang least wanted to see!

Couldn't they just sit quietly until they reached Hogwarts?

Chu Yang sighed and forced out a small smile. "Miss Granger, I actually don't care about being an orphan. The orphanage I came from was small and old, but everyone there was very kind."

"Every year, Headmistress Anna celebrated the birthdays of the children in the orphanage. She told us that even if our parents weren't by our side, there would still be people who loved us well in their place."

"I grew up in a very good environment. I won't feel ashamed or inferior because of my background."

"Yes, yes, I understand." Hermione nodded hurriedly, still looking apologetic. She thought Chu Yang was forcing himself to remain calm; the more composed he looked, the sadder he must have felt inside.

Even Ron stood up and began apologizing for his attitude. For a moment, even the snacks in his hands no longer tasted good.

The kind-hearted pair stood before Chu Yang and kept apologizing, making the atmosphere in the compartment increasingly heavy.

Good heavens!

What are you two doing?

I just wanted you to quiet down so I could read!

Was this really necessary?

Left with no choice, Chu Yang grabbed the snacks beside him and shoved them into Hermione and Ron's mouths, saying fiercely, "Eat! I'll forgive you once you finish them. Consider it your punishment."

Without another word, the two started eating.

The compartment immediately fell quiet. Chu Yang smiled in satisfaction and lowered his head to continue reading.

Harry looked utterly bewildered.

Was there really such a way to punish people?