Although Hermione was a Muggle-born wizard, her natural aptitude as a top student had led her to read up on this year's History of Magic material in advance.
After all, the notices from the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts only said they couldn't use magic in violation of the rules. Surely there was no problem with studying Xuejiao's textbooks without actually using magic?
Harry's name happened to be in the textbook...
When Hermione saw the year Harry was born, she even froze for a moment.
Good grief, a historical figure was actually the same age as me?
That had left Hermione curious about Harry for quite some time!
After all, he was "The Boy Who Lived"...
Voldemort, the leader of the Death Eaters, had terrorized the British Isles for so long and was reputed to be the most powerful Dark wizard in history!
Yet when he tried to kill Harry, Harry had reflected his own Killing Curse back at him. His fate and whereabouts remained unknown to this day, and he hadn't emerged to do anything evil in eleven years!
None of them were used to being around Harry yet, so naturally, they couldn't help being astonished to meet a legendary figure straight out of a history book.
Of course, alongside their amazement at Harry's fame and history...
What surprised Hermione and Neville even more was how Harry and Ron already seemed so close when school had only just begun...
They hadn't known each other before, had they?
During their introductions, one had said his name was Harry Potter, that he had grown up in the Muggle world, and that he hadn't even known what a wizard was before turning eleven.
The other was a descendant of a pure-blood wizarding family. Though very poor, his family certainly fit the definition of a pure-blood family, and was even one of the wizarding world's Sacred Twenty-Eight...
No matter how they looked at it, these two hardly seemed like childhood sweethearts who had known each other for years before today, did they?
Besides, Harry and Ron both said they were just "good friends" who had only just met, but Hermione found that a little hard to believe and couldn't quite agree with that assessment...
Would good friends let someone rest their head on their shoulder and then eat their food?
They were clearly an old married couple.
Still, the two of them chose to respect it, simply watching without interfering.
It wasn't without its benefits, either.
At the very least, the slightly intimate behavior Harry and Ron displayed had dealt an enormous shock to Hermione's young mind.
As a result, the annoying traits Hermione had in the original story hadn't surfaced even now. She simply watched Harry and Ron quietly...
Perhaps someone happy had chosen to give way, but it didn't matter. Quiet was good enough. Harry had given up trying now, too.
So Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley had been gender-swapped. What was the big deal?
With a little acceptance, the premise wasn't incomprehensible. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen related content on-ahem-in his previous life...
If he couldn't change it, he might as well roll with it. Harry had always taken things in stride.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last.
Not long after the Hogwarts Express set off...
Harry was engrossed in learning Petrificus Totalus from his textbook.
A burst of noise erupted right near their compartment.
"What's going on? Is there a fight in the next compartment?"
Ron seemed to have eaten his fill. Sitting beside Harry, he leisurely read a somewhat battered wizarding comic. Its story seemed to be the sort of legendary tale in which the great wizard Dumbledore battled the evil Dark wizard Grindelwald.
Naturally, he was also a little displeased by the commotion and curled his lip.
How rude, making that damned racket in a public area. Probably a couple of trolls smuggled over from the Appalachian Mountains?
Oh, forget it. It was only because I was full now. Otherwise, I'd have to go next door and watch the fun.
Poor Ron seemed to have forgotten that there was still a Hogwarts buffet waiting that evening. Eating so much now, ahem...
As the commotion subsided...
The door to Harry's compartment opened as well!
There stood a beautiful little blonde girl, dressed differently from the other young wizards in their plain black robes or Muggle clothes.
She wore an entirely dark green outfit. Silver patterns adorned her visibly expensive robes, accentuating her noble bearing.
Below, a neatly arranged, preppy pleated skirt further emphasized her identity as a wealthy young lady amid her youthful air.
With two extraordinarily burly muscle Barbies in tow, the blonde girl strode in haughtily.
"I heard the famous Potter was in here. Is that true?"
"Seriously, why won't Malfoy leave me alone?"
At the sight of this entourage, Harry's head immediately began to throb.
Wait, everyone who'd met me was right here.
Was Malfoy an employee of the KGB?
How had she somehow found out I was in this compartment and even made a special trip over with her entourage...?
Crabbe and Goyle were one thing. Whether they had been gender-swapped hardly made a difference to their appearance. At any rate, Harry's impression of them was about the same...
The problem now was that Ron, who had no filter, was sitting beside him. Hopefully, they wouldn't get into another fight in a moment...
Besides, since Ron's and Draco's genders were both off now...
It made Harry even more uneasy.
Wait, why was there a romantic showdown on the train too?!
That wasn't how the script went!!!
There was nothing for it. He had to face what was coming. Otherwise, who knew what other nonsense this haughty, contrary, wicked young heiress might get up to for the sake of saving face.
"That's me. I'm Harry Potter."
Harry reluctantly closed his book, patted Ron on the shoulder, and stepped straight out to stand directly opposite Malfoy.
To make sure Malfoy believed him, Harry even lifted his fringe to show his scar.
Ooh...
That pose actually looked pretty handsome...
Malfoy blushed a little, though she didn't notice it herself. She simply felt that she seemed to have seen this boy with his rosy lips and white teeth before.
"Oh, we've met. Diagon Alley, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, haven't we?"
When Malfoy saw that Harry was actually the person that redheaded thing had been leaning against, a surge of displeasure instinctively rose within her.
Of course, since they weren't close to begin with, Malfoy didn't say much about it.
The famous Potter fell within the category of "making friends" that her father had told her about. Having come over, she needed to introduce herself properly:
"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy. Perhaps you don't know, but we aren't the same sort of people as many other wizards..."
It was still that same arrogant drawl from before. Yet coming from Malfoy like this, there seemed to be a hint of something different amid that haughty emphasis...
That made Harry feel even stranger inside...
Before you continue