Strange plunged headfirst into the Portal and vanished in midair.
A second later, he stumbled out of another Portal barely a meter away, completing a point-blank teleport before collapsing to the ground, shaken by lingering fear.
"See? You've got it now, haven't you?"
Hermione shrugged and spoke breezily, as though nothing had happened.
"You..."
Strange was so furious his vision went dark, but he dared not lash out, afraid Hermione would throw him again.
Even the Ancient One couldn't help smiling at his bedraggled state.
She walked over to Strange and said evenly, "It seems you've mastered the technique for opening Portals."
Strange: ...
The Library.
Strange sat in a corner, poring over a thick tome of magic with his brow furrowed.
Suddenly, a chill swept over him, and his body gave an involuntary shudder, as though some dangerous creature were approaching.
He looked up to see Hermione walking toward him.
Hermione came over and greeted Wong. "Hi, neighbor Wong!"
Wong, the neighbor next door, put a hand to his forehead in resignation. "Miss Hermione, I've told you many times. My name isn't 'neighbor.'"
Hermione shrugged with a grin, walked straight into the Restricted Section, and deftly pulled out an ancient tome with eerie runes embedded in its cover.
She began leafing through it without a care for anyone else, as though everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Strange stared at Hermione's back, full of questions.
After wrestling with himself for a while, curiosity finally won out. He sidled up to Wong and asked quietly, "Wong, this Hermione... who exactly is she?"
Wong gave him a surprised look. "You don't know?"
Strange looked utterly lost. "Should I?"
Wong shook his head and said nothing more.
This only made Strange more curious.
He pointed at the forbidden