“Proud little lady, try this one.”
Ollivander smiled as he took a wand box from the middle of the shelf and handed it to Hermione.
Hermione eagerly opened it.
Inside was a slender, pointed brown wand with fine vine-like patterns wrapped around the entire shaft.
To everyone’s surprise, the moment Hermione held the wand for the first time, a yellow glow shone around her.
“It looks like a perfect fit. Vine wood, dragon heartstring, twelve inches long, with a pleasantly supple flexibility.”
Ollivander nodded in satisfaction.
“Vine wood wands are rather uncommon, and I’ve noticed that their owners are always witches and wizards with great ambitions.”
“Miss Granger, you are destined for extraordinary achievements.”
Hermione was obviously very pleased with both the wand’s appearance and Ollivander’s introduction.
She glanced at Fel’s wand with undisguised disdain.
Black, thick, and ugly!
After Professor McGonagall escorted everyone back to the Leaky Cauldron, they chatted for a little while longer.
After explaining the enrollment date, King’s Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and other important details, she left.
Fel could not help but sigh at how responsible Professor McGonagall was.
If it had been Hagrid instead, who knew what would have happened.
Even with Harry Potter, Hagrid had forgotten to tell him how to reach the platform.
…
That night, lying in bed, Fel tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
After the excitement of discovering magic had faded somewhat, the memories in Fel’s mind began to trouble him.
Fel decided to list all of his questions one by one and think of the answers.
Otherwise, he really would not be able to sleep.
According to those memories, Voldemort, the future Dark Lord, would return and plunge the wizarding world into chaos.
What should he do?
Transfer schools?
Run away?
Stay out of the magical world and live as a Muggle?
Fel rejected every option.
He had no connections and no qualifications to transfer anywhere.
If he wanted to learn magic, Hogwarts was his only choice.
Besides, now that he knew he could learn magic, how could he possibly abandon it because of a dark future that might not even happen and willingly remain a Muggle?
He had already formed a deep bond with Hermione, and he truly loved Mr.
and Mrs.
Granger.
They had raised him despite not being his biological parents, and he could never repay that kindness.
Most importantly, Fel had never been a coward.
He had already been in plenty of fights.
Maybe it was because he was still young and did not understand the fear of death, or maybe it was because there were people he absolutely had to protect.
Some people, however, are born to be lions, standing proudly upon the grasslands, fearless in the face of danger!
In any case, Fel made up his mind to protect everything he already had.
He would fight him head on!
Fel began thinking about his future study plan and the dangers awaiting him each school year.
On this very night, the soul of a hero began to reveal itself.
…
During the following days, neither Fel nor Hermione even left the house, even when Fel’s school friends came to invite him out to play football.
“There is already a tragic barrier between us.”
Fel sighed, but all those years of playing sports and running around with his friends had indeed given him a strong body and quick reflexes.
Even though his birthday was close to Hermione’s, and Hermione, as a girl, matured earlier than he did, he was still half a head taller than her.
“Wizards need physical fitness too.”
Leaning against the large bed, Fel put down The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and spoke to Hermione, who was lying beside him reading Hogwarts: A History.
“I didn’t see anything in the spellbook saying that casting magic requires physical fitness. A wizard’s magical power is practically limitless.”
“The only differences are spell strength and how much stamina or mental energy you use. At worst, you’ll be too exhausted to lift your arm.”
Hermione looked puzzled.
Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and after several days without proper care, it had become even messier.
“Think about it. During a battle, wizards don’t just stand there taking turns attacking each other. They have to dodge.”
“That requires agility.”
“And even if you’re hit by a spell, someone with a stronger body might be able to take one more hit and defeat the opponent instead.”
Fel explained his reasoning.
Hermione puffed up her cheeks.
“Fel, you’re not allowed to get into fights anymore! The teacher has already talked to Mom several times because of you.”
“Have you ever thought about why I get into fights?” Fel spread his hands helplessly.
Hermione was actually a very helpful person, but she was not very good at expressing herself.
Whenever she helped others with their studies, her tone tended to be sharp and straightforward, like a little adult who loved teaching people.
That did not make her very popular.
Those mischievous children did not understand how valuable a friend who sincerely helped them improve really was.
Instead, they preferred friends who encouraged them to fool around together.
They even gave Hermione insulting nicknames behind her back and mocked her to her face.
Fel rarely fought for himself.
Most of his fights were to protect Hermione.
Thanks to his protection, Hermione was hardly ever bullied by those troublemakers.
Instead, she ended up making quite a few female friends.
Hermione naturally knew all of this.
She was simply worried that Fel would get hurt from fighting.
She buried her face in her book and mumbled something under her breath.
Fel could not hear what she was saying, but he noticed that her ears had turned slightly red.
…
Fel and Hermione once again disagreed on what they should study.
Hermione welcomed every subject. This story is hosted at g.com.
Relying on her extraordinary memory, she had read nearly every textbook before school even began.
She found every book fascinating.
Fel, on the other hand, was only interested in books related to spells.
Ever since that night when he thought seriously about his future, he had already planned his studies.
Subjects like History of Magic, Astronomy, and Divination would be useless in the coming war, so he could completely give them up.
Besides, he had never heard of Hogwarts making students repeat a year.
As for subjects unrelated to combat magic, he planned to pay attention during class but would not spend any time reviewing afterward.
If he earned an A, that would be good enough.
Even if he got a P, he would not care.
For Herbology and Potions, he intended to devote a small portion of his effort so he could at least earn an A or an E.
First, both subjects were useful for combat support and survival.
He might not master them, but he needed to understand them.
Second, he had no desire to have a certain old bat spraying venom at him while endlessly mocking him for having the brain of a troll.
The truly important subjects were Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Fel intended to devote almost all of his energy to those.
He absolutely had to earn an O, and not just barely.
He wanted perfect scores.
If he scored one hundred, it would only be because the exam was worth no more than one hundred points!
Because of that, Fel had already read The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration, and The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self Protection several times.
Fel’s memory was no worse than Hermione’s.
He could not claim to know every theory by heart, but he had already mastered the fundamentals.
“Fel, I really don’t understand why you only read the books for Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Honestly, are you planning to get a P in every other subject? Maybe even worse?”
Hermione looked extremely worried.
Her worst nightmare was seeing a teacher holding her report card with the words “Failed” written across it.
“Failing isn’t such a terrible thing, Hermione. A lot of that knowledge simply isn’t useful to me.”
“You know I don’t like things that are too theoretical. Magic is much more interesting. Don’t you think so?”
That was all Fel could say.
Was he supposed to tell Hermione, ‘I’m a prophet.
Voldemort will return in the future, and all of us will be in mortal danger’?
She would probably think he had burned his brain from a high fever.
Besides, those memories were Fel’s greatest secret.
He worried that revealing them recklessly would create a butterfly effect with unimaginable consequences.
It would be far better to let events unfold naturally while only interfering at the most critical moments.
At the same time, he could keep a low profile during his first year while everyone was still growing.
Otherwise, if he died young, there would not even be a place left to cry.
Hermione had no way to change Fel’s mind.
She understood his personality well enough.
She had tried to change him before, but eventually she gave up.
Fel rubbed his hands together and took out his blackthorn wand.
It was time to practice magic!