"Huh?"
Neville hadn't expected Hermione to make that request. He froze for a moment before recovering and nodding repeatedly. "Oh, okay. Sure."
Hermione stood up and walked straight over to Neville's former seat.
Then she cast two Levitation Charms to swap their plates.
Harry, Ron, and the others didn't understand, but this wasn't the first time Hermione had done something strange. They were used to it by now.
Don't ask. She had her reasons.
"Rabbit eyes, harp strings fine, turn this water into wine!"
Seamus Finnigan hadn't noticed the change beside him. He was still wholly absorbed in tapping away.
Across from him, Harry watched for a while, then turned to Ron beside him and asked quietly:
"What exactly is Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?"
He'd been at it all lunchtime. Harry had watched for ages without figuring anything out, and now he was thoroughly confused.
Did I choose the wrong house? Why is Gryffindor full of weirdos...? Harry wondered.
Ron covered his mouth and snickered quietly. "He's trying to turn that water into wine. Yesterday he managed to make tea, but then..."
Boom!
Before he could finish, a deafening blast rang out.
The entire Great Hall fell silent in an instant.
Everyone jolted and turned toward the source of the noise.
Seamus sat there looking dazed, his entire face scorched black. Thick smoke was still pouring from the glass in front of him.
Everyone: "..."
A second later, the Great Hall erupted with laughter.
Hermione could barely hold it in either. She lightly covered her mouth, amusement showing in her eyes.
Although she'd known in her previous life that Seamus was one of Gryffindor's many oddballs, capable of turning any spell into a Blasting Curse, seeing it firsthand was still rather shocking.
He really was born to blow things up.
He definitely had a gift for casting Blasting Curses beyond his own magic level.
Fortunately, Hermione had sensed the danger and fled in advance.
Neville, however, had suffered badly. Sitting closest to Seamus, he'd been caught directly in the explosion. Half his face had turned pitch-black too, and a patch of his hair had been burned away.
When Neville shot her a resentful look, Hermione averted her eyes and pretended nothing had happened.
Harry and the other young wizards nearby who had noticed the seat swap could no longer contain themselves and burst out laughing.
Classic Hermione.
Amid the laughter, the doors suddenly opened on their own, and a flock of owls flew in.
Countless owls found their bearings, flew over the young wizards' heads, and dropped the parcels clutched in their talons onto their intended recipients. The scene instantly descended into chaos, punctuated by cheers.
It was time for the fortnightly mass delivery again.
Whenever this time came around, parents sent all sorts of things to their children studying at Hogwarts.
They ranged from everyday necessities such as clothes to magical items.
Hermione and Harry stood out in particular. Their parcels were the largest of anyone's, and they clearly contained something good.
Everyone's attention was drawn to them at once.
Eager to find out what the two had received, everyone scrambled to help unwrap the parcels.
Soon, two brand-new broomsticks appeared before them.
"Th-this is..." Harry froze.
Hermione was surprised too. Wasn't this the new broomstick Professor McGonagall had given Harry? Why had she received one as well?
Oh, right. I joined the Quidditch team too.
That explains it.
"Wow..." Ron exclaimed. "That's no ordinary broomstick. That's the latest Nimbus 2000!"
The words "Nimbus 2000" were engraved near the top of each broomstick.
"Wow!!!" The young wizards gathered around gasped, their eyes filled with envy.
These things were incredibly expensive. Their status in wizarding society was on par with supercars in her previous life.
Ron bent down and carefully stroked the broomstick, utterly enchanted and unable to tear himself away.
Hermione knew that one of Ron's dreams was to join the Quidditch team and win the championship. Even the scene he saw in the Mirror of Erised showed him as captain, holding the Quidditch Cup on the winners' podium.
Unfortunately, he really didn't have much talent for Quidditch. All he could do was watch Hermione and Harry play with longing in his eyes.
Though Harry was startled by the enormous surprise, he didn't let it go to his head. Instead, he frowned. "Who..."
At the staff table, Professor McGonagall was stroking an owl and giving the pair a knowing look.
Harry finally understood. He smiled and nodded his thanks, warmth filling his heart.
Hermione stood and slowly offered a wizard's bow toward the staff table. Her graceful bearing drew glances from all around.
"What elegant manners!"
"A perfect wizard's bow. There's not a single flaw. Is she really Muggle-born?"
"Perhaps that's the difference between ordinary people and geniuses!"
Conversation buzzed around them.
The commotion caused by the two Nimbus 2000s gradually subsided, and everyone began opening their own parcels.
Ron was still stroking Harry's broomstick, unwilling to let go. Helpless, Harry could only open Ron's parcel for him.
It turned out that Ron had received a rolled-up copy of the latest newspaper.
Wizarding newspapers were much like ordinary ones, except their photographs were moving videos that gave readers a better understanding of what had happened at the scene.
Harry opened the newspaper and began reading.
A moment later, he let out a small sound of surprise.
Harry tapped Ron and pointed to a section of the paper. "Someone broke into Gringotts!"
Ron's attention was immediately drawn back, and he looked anxiously at Harry.
Gringotts, the only wizarding bank, was run by goblins and specialized in safeguarding wizards' assets.
The Weasley family had little money to begin with, and their expenses constantly exceeded their income. Naturally, the news made Ron nervous. He was afraid someone had stolen what little they had left.
"Don't worry, it wasn't your family's vault," Harry said quickly. "It was Vault 713. But someone had already emptied it earlier that day, so nothing was stolen."
"...Huh?" He finally realized. "Isn't that talking about me and Hagrid?"
Harry murmured, "Just before I came to Hogwarts, Hagrid took me there to get the money my parents left me. He also went to Vault 713 to collect something and told me not to tell anyone about it... oh no!"
Finally realizing he'd let the secret slip, Harry hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth and looked around. Only after seeing that no one had noticed him did he sigh in relief.
Hermione: "..."
Tight-lipped, are you?
Still... after two months of school life, the main plot is finally about to begin.
Naturally, Hermione knew what Hagrid had taken.
The Philosopher's Stone.
An alchemical creation made centuries ago by the alchemist Nicolas Flamel, it was the only one of its kind in the world. Its greatest power was its ability to produce a potion that broke the limits of lifespan and granted immortality!
It had normally been kept in a Gringotts vault by Flamel's friend Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had somehow received word that someone intended to steal the Philosopher's Stone, so he'd sent Hagrid to retrieve it in advance.
As for where the Philosopher's Stone was now...
Besides Hogwarts, "the safest school in the world," was there any other option?
Before you continue