After a busy morning, it was noon. Everyone ate lunch and went back to their rooms to rest. When Draco woke up from his nap, Hermione was already sitting at her desk, flipping through something.
"Is your wife reading?" Draco asked, resting his chin on his hand.
Hermione replied, "Yes, I'm researching some historical materials about the North America Wizarding World. Would you like to take a look together?"
"No, it's too boring."
Upon hearing that it was historical material, Draco immediately refused.
"It's not boring at all," Hermione said, turning back to the previous page. "It describes a magical university that operates independently, not affiliated with MACUSA, called Brakebills School of Magic."
These words immediately piqued Draco's interest, and he sat up. "There are such independent magic universities?"
"Hmm." Hermione's tone was also slightly intrigued. "The spellcasting system at this school is completely different from our current Wizarding World. They don't need wands; they rely entirely on precise hand gestures, unique pronunciations, and extremely strong mental focus to drive the magic within their bodies."
"No wonder it's a university; their spellcasting is so advanced."
Draco remarked with a sigh.
Hermione shook her head and said, "It's very advanced and convenient, but the book also says that Wandless Magic is much more dangerous."
"A wizard's wand acts as a buffer, steadily channeling energy outwards. Brakebills's system directly receives the primal energy through one's own spirit—without any medium to isolate it. Once the spirit dissipates, the magic will spiral out of control and backfire on the caster."
"Is that so? What else does the book say?"
Hermione turned the page and continued reading, "It says that the school's admissions process is extremely unique; it doesn't recruit openly, but actively seeks out people with special mental talents."
"Furthermore, the academy and Ilvermorny do not have any dealings with each other, and it is not a magic school registered with the International Confederation of Wizards."
"Therefore, it is extremely difficult for outsiders to find the school's location, and even if they do, it is extremely difficult to get in, because the interview selection process is very brutal. Those who are eliminated will have their magic-related memories erased and be sent back to Muggle society."
"That sounds quite interesting. Magic driven entirely by the mind, without any wands, and with such mysterious admission rules—I'm really curious to see it for myself."
"Honey, are you interested?"
"A little," Hermione replied, then added,
"However, there is very little information about it in books, and MACUSA maintains a cautious distance from this school, discouraging wizards from actively seeking it out. Besides, it's called a magic university, so it definitely admits adult wizards."
"That's a hurdle," Draco thought for a moment and then made a plan. " The Restricted Section at Ilvermorny School might contain more information. Let's go there and look for some materials."
Hermione hesitated for a moment. " Ilvermorny's Restricted Section looks very strict. Can we go in?"
"I don't know if we can get in. We'll see when we get there."
With that, Draco threw back the covers, got up, and got out of bed.
Hermione shook her head helplessly. She was always strict and orderly, but when it came to seeking knowledge and adventure, Draco would always make exceptions for her.
The two told Trillian and Selene that they had teleported to the foot of Mount Ilvermorny. They flew up using a magical broom and arrived at the school gate, where the gatekeeper was the same man as before.
The man remembered the two of them and smiled when he saw them, "You've come at the right time; it's Professor Luo Na on duty again."
Hermione was very happy to hear this:
"That's great, please let them know."
The man nodded and then notified Professor Luo Na.
Not long after, Professor Luo Na appeared at the school gate.
Upon seeing the two, Professor Luo Na smiled warmly, "Good afternoon, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy."
Good afternoon, Professor Luo Na!
Hermione and Draco happily went to greet them.
Professor Luo Na led the two into the campus, asking as they walked, "What are you planning to do this time? Going to the library again?"
"We would like to take this a step further and request permission to access your esteemed school's Restricted Section to examine the files."
Hermione revealed the true purpose of her trip.
Professor Luo Na stopped and looked at them with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so eager to explore your curiosity."
Young people are always curious about taboo knowledge, and the more tightly sealed a place is, the more they want to explore it. Professor Luo Na, who has seen a lot, was not surprised.
After her smile faded, she solemnly explained the strict rules, " The Restricted Section isn't a place you can just walk into. You need to schedule an appointment, then two professors will jointly approve it, and finally it's handed over to the librarian."
"Thank you for your help, Professor Luo Na," Hermione said sincerely.
"Come with me." With that, Professor Luo Na turned and led the two through the long corridor to her office.
The office wasn't overly luxurious, but rather exuded a warm and inviting atmosphere. Green plants adorned the desks and windowsills, and several dynamic oil paintings depicting Magical Creatures from North America hung on the walls. Various plant specimens and magical ores were neatly arranged on the bookshelves.
Hermione exclaimed, " Professor Luo Na, your office is so beautifully decorated, and those magical plants are so well-maintained!"
Professor Luo Na smiled and said, " Miss Granger, you flatter me. These little guys have been with me for many years. When I'm tired from grading homework, looking at them helps me relax a lot."
After they were seated, Professor Luo Na waved her magic, and two cups of warm fruit and flower tea floated to her lips. The tea was fragrant, delicate, and had a mellow, sweet aftertaste—a special tea drink made by Wizarding World to soothe the mind.
"Have some tea and rest for a while," Luo Na said. "The application process for the Restricted Section needs to be filled out carefully; there can be no carelessness or mistakes."
After thanking them, both of them drank tea.
After Professor Luo Na finished speaking, she pulled out a drawer and took out two formal documents with a strict format and the school emblem.
Application form for permission to read in the Ilvermorny Restricted Section.
She pushed the form in front of the two of them, pointing to the items on it and explaining, "You need to specify: the applicant's identity, where they are from, the specific research topic, which types of files they need to consult, and the purpose of the consultation."
"Most importantly, you must promise not to learn dangerous magic, not to copy highly dangerous content, not to divulge confidential information, and to guarantee that you will only read within the Restricted Section and never take any documents away."
Hermione and Draco each picked up a quill and solemnly signed their names in the applicant section. After writing their names, Hermione handed her form to Draco and said:
"You write the research topic and the list of available files."
Hermione was afraid of making a mistake, but Draco was always more cautious and knew how to choose his words carefully, so as not to reveal too much of his true intentions while ensuring that the approval would be granted smoothly.
Based on the materials Hermione had looked through in the library last time, Draco pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote down the research topic on the form:
The evolution of legislation concerning various dark creatures in the history of North America wizarding society; a comparison of the governance approaches of the Europe and North America magical systems towards other races; and a compilation of historical cases for reference.
File type to be consulted:
1. MACUSA Historical Archives: Contains records of modern dark creature control laws and past ethnic conflicts;
2. Archives related to magical schools: historical documents and official evaluation files of unregistered magical schools in North America.
Professor Luo Na took the application, glanced at it, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips. She looked at the two of them and asked, "Have you decided on your research topic and checked the files? Is that all?"
She didn't believe that two young people would go to such lengths to sneak into the Restricted Section just to conduct legitimate academic research. Young people, what one isn't after for forbidden magic and secret spells?