Hermione Granger was very happy.
But just a few minutes earlier, she had been filled with anxiety.
When Professor McGonagall appeared at her home and performed several Transfiguration spells in front of her entire family, Hermione’s worldview had been shaken.
At the same time, she had quickly become fascinated by magic.
She had always believed in science.
And science had always maintained one principle— If something exists, then it is truth.
But clever as she was, Hermione understood that being Muggle-born was her greatest weakness.
Especially after that day in Diagon Alley, when she had personally witnessed Vaughn Weasley perform a magical trick with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.
She had also learned from Professor McGonagall that he was actually a year younger than she was.
Hermione’s birthday was September 19th.
Had she been born just twenty days earlier, she would have enrolled at Hogwarts a year ahead.
The realization made her scalp tingle.
It was terrifying!
Children from wizarding families had been exposed to magic since they were young, while she had “wasted” nearly twelve years of her life.
Rounded up, she felt as though she were practically a century behind her classmates.
One could easily imagine her locking herself in her bedroom, clutching her head in despair.
As a result, Hermione spent the entire summer devouring knowledge and practicing spells with desperate determination.
Without anyone to guide her, self-studying magic was extremely difficult.
As the start of term drew closer, she became increasingly anxious.
That was why, after boarding the Hogwarts Express today, she had immediately begun searching for students from wizarding families, hoping to exchange knowledge and compare progress.
At first, things had gone fairly well.
The compartment she shared contained a girl named Susan Bones.
Susan was cheerful, friendly, and never bothered hiding things.
Nearly every first-year in the carriage knew that her aunt was Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
A perfect study target.
However, when Hermione cast a Repair Charm and tried discussing their magical progress, Susan abruptly stopped talking to her.
Afterward, she encountered another member of the Weasley family near the rear of the train—Ron Weasley.
The boy she had briefly met before was proudly showing off his new wand to Harry Potter.
Inside that tiny compartment sat both the “terrifying Weasley” and the Boy Who Lived from A History of Modern Magic.
Hermione clearly couldn’t pass up such an excellent opportunity.
So she urged Ron to cast some magic…
The results were best left unmentioned.
The last person she met was Neville Longbottom.
When Hermione stopped him, the round-faced boy was alternately crying and laughing while hugging and kissing a toad.
To be honest, the sight made Hermione begin questioning the quality of wizarding family education.
“I don’t know any magic.
If not for the Hogwarts letter, my family would’ve thought I was a Squib…” Under Hermione’s piercing stare, Neville trembled as he spoke.
“You live in the magical world and have been exposed to it since childhood.
How can you not know any magic?” “Y-you…
why don’t you go ask Mr.
Vaughn Weasley?
He’s over there.
He just helped me find Trevor.” Vaughn Weasley.
The nightmare that had haunted Hermione Granger for an entire summer.
But after half a day of investigation and gaining a clearer understanding of her classmates’ actual abilities, she finally felt confident enough to hold her head high.
Following Neville’s directions, Hermione turned a corner and immediately spotted the familiar tall, red-haired figure.
He was strolling through the train corridor, casually twirling a wand in his hand.
“Vaughn…
Weasley?” For some reason, despite believing she had already regained her confidence, the moment he turned around and that handsome face came into view, Hermione’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Thump.
Thump.
It felt as though it were about to leap out of her throat.
Was this the aura of a rival?
The girl whose mind usually contained only one word—study—found her ears buzzing.
Vaughn, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised at all to encounter Hermione.
The Hogwarts Express only had so many carriages, after all.
Smiling, he nodded.
“Hello, Miss Granger.” Before coming to find him, Hermione had prepared an entire speech.
She had considered challenging him to a spell competition.
Or telling him that she had read numerous newspapers and knew about his achievements in Potions.
But now that she was standing face-to-face with him, hearing his greeting firsthand, Hermione suddenly discovered that her mind had gone completely blank.
All she managed was a stiff response.
“H-hello to you too, Mr.
Weasley…” “Is there something you need, Miss Granger?” Vaughn asked.
“I…” Hermione had only just opened her mouth when someone coming from behind slammed into her shoulder and shoved her aside.
It was a pale boy with short platinum-blond hair.
Two large, burly followers trailed behind him.
His expression was unbelievably arrogant, as though he looked down on everyone through his nostrils.
“Move aside, Muggle brat!” Without even glancing at the nearly-fallen Hermione, the boy looked Vaughn up and down before sneering.
“Another Weasley.
I just saw one a moment ago.
Dirty, stupid, and hanging around with Potter and his ridiculous glasses.
And you…” His eyes narrowed.
“You’re even stranger.” Only then did he spare Hermione a glance from the corner of his eye before quickly looking away, as though another second would contaminate him.
“And you’re actually friends with someone like this?
Hair like seaweed and teeth as big as a rabbit’s…” Before he could finish, Vaughn interrupted him.
“Draco Malfoy?” Malfoy looked surprised for a moment but quickly lifted his chin.
“That’s right.
Looks like you have a little more sense than that idiot Ron.” Vaughn neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, he spoke lazily.
“If I were you, I’d leave immediately.
Because on this train, your parents aren’t here to protect you.” A faint flush appeared on Malfoy’s pale face.
His eyes widened in anger.
“What, you want a fight too?
Crabbe!
Goyle!
Get him!” The two dim-witted lackeys behind him were more than happy to accept the task.
With ugly grins, they charged toward Vaughn.
Hermione only had time to let out a startled cry before she saw Vaughn raise his wand.
“Impedimenta!” The air blurred for an instant.
Crabbe and Goyle seemed to slam headfirst into a transparent swamp.
Their movements slowed dramatically.
An invisible force restrained them, lifting them into the air with their limbs spread wide.
They looked exactly like two frogs pinned to a laboratory table.
The pair screamed in terror.
“Draco!
Help!” Unfortunately, they were calling the wrong person.
Draco had only just begun showing signs of fear when he saw Vaughn calmly point his wand directly at him.
A flash of red light erupted.
“Expelliarmus!” Bang!
Draco felt an overwhelming force crash into his stomach.
The train compartments on either side blurred past his vision.
The next moment, he slammed heavily into the partition wall.
The impact left his mind completely blank.
Before he could recover, another spell followed.
“Densaugeo!” An intense itching sensation spread through his mouth.
Draco’s eyes bulged.
He watched in horror as his front teeth rapidly grew longer and longer.
Within seconds they protruded past his lips and even curled upward slightly at the ends.
The consecutive blows finally shattered his composure.
He burst into tears.
No longer daring to stay, he abandoned Crabbe and Goyle entirely and fled toward the rear of the train, scrambling on all fours.
At the same time, students from nearby compartments noticed the commotion and poked their heads out to see what was happening.
Vaughn casually canceled the spells restraining Crabbe and Goyle.
The two boys immediately ran off crying after their master.