Chapter 22: Hermione Granger
The girl plopped herself down, her bushy hair bouncing with the movement. Penelope and Cho paused their magic practice and turned to look at her curiously. Vizet, still holding his wand, also shifted his gaze toward the unexpected visitor.
"Oh! I've tried a bit of magic at home!" the girl said excitedly, her words spilling out like a rapid stream. "Just simple things, of course. Nothing too advanced. I thought I knew all the spells we'd learn this year, but I've never seen that one before!"
She paused for a breath, her enthusiasm undeterred by the group's silence. "Strange things have always happened around me, even before I got my Hogwarts letter. I knew it was magic — it had to be! And as far as I've read, Hogwarts is the best school for it!"
Hermione took a moment to steady herself, glancing at the others with a mix of confidence and awkwardness. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Hermione Granger. What are your names?"
Penelope was the first to recover from the verbal whirlwind. She smiled politely. "I'm Penelope Clearwater, and this is Cho Chang."
Hermione turned her attention to Vizet, her eyes sparkling. "And you? You're the one who did that spell — Accio Chocolate Frog! That was amazing! I saw the frog fly right into your hand!"
Penelope's expression turned incredulous. "Wait… did you actually cast a Summoning Charm? That's fourth-year magic!"
Vizet nodded modestly, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to Hermione's excitement and Penelope's disbelief. "I practiced it a bit earlier. It was the first time I managed to make it work."
Penelope blinked in astonishment. "You've barely started at Hogwarts, and you've already mastered a fourth-year spell?!"
Vizet scratched the back of his neck, recalling his earlier attempt. "Well… when I was practicing, I tried to visualize the object clearly. And… I remembered something a friend told me... and it just worked."
Penelope leaned closer, intrigued. "Can you show us again?"
Vizet glanced at Cho Chang, who still held Penelope's notebook. "I'll give it a shot."
He raised his wand and pointed it at the notebook, taking a moment to focus. He pictured every detail of the notebook: its worn edges, the faint ink marks on the cover, the way Cho Chang's fingers rested on it. He added the "wish" that Luna had once described — a desire to hold the notebook in his own hands.
"Accio notebook!"
The notebook shot out of Cho Chang's grasp like a dart, cutting through the air in a perfect line before landing firmly in Vizet's hand.
Penelope's jaw dropped. "Merlin's beard! You made that look so easy! And I've been struggling all day to make it move an inch."
Hermione practically bounced in her seat, her awe palpable. "That's incredible! Did you read ahead? Did you already finish all the first-year textbooks? Or maybe even the fourth-year ones?"
Vizet shook his head. "Not really. I just listened to Penelope's advice and followed her notes."
Penelope groaned dramatically, covering her face with her hands. "This is so unfair! I'm a prefect, and I've been practicing magic for years. Meanwhile, you just sit in on a practice session and casually master advanced spells!"
Cho Chang chuckled and patted Penelope's shoulder reassuringly. "You're a prefect, Penelope. That means the professors trust you. And you've been working so hard. Maybe you're just a little too stressed out right now."
Vizet hesitated, then spoke thoughtfully. "Miss Clearwater, have you eaten anything today?"
Penelope looked up, confused. "No, I haven't had time. I've been patrolling the train all morning."
Cho Chang's face lit up. "There's your problem! My grandfather always said, 'A hungry wizard is a half-baked spell.' You need to eat something."
"She's right," Vizet agreed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a box of Chocolate Frogs, handing it to Penelope. "Here. Replenish your energy. Sugar helps with focus, and it might even lift your spirits."
Penelope hesitated, then accepted the chocolate with a small smile. She unwrapped the box, muttering, "I guess it can't hurt..."
As she bit into the Chocolate Frog, Vizet added, "Your notes are really helpful. They're the reason I managed to cast the spell at all. There's nothing wrong with your magic — you're just tired. Once you've rested, you'll be back to your usual level."
Penelope seemed to relax at his words, her shoulders losing their tense stiffness. "Maybe you're right," she admitted. "Thanks, Vizet. And… nice work on the Summoning Charm. You're a natural."
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"How did you manage that?" Hermione asked, her tone laced with both curiosity and frustration. "Why did she listen to you so easily? My classmates never take me seriously."
"Did I even do anything?" Vizet replied with a shrug. "I just told her to eat some chocolate. Sometimes, people just need a little bit of normalcy to reset."
"She mentioned she has O.W.L. exams this year, right? Pre-exam nerves are completely normal. The anxiety gets worse the closer you get to the date. If she's like this now, I can't imagine how she'll handle things later in the year!"
Hermione tilted her head, studying him closely. "Were you raised as a Muggle? You seem pretty familiar with exams. But… I read in Hogwarts: A History that most wizards avoid sending their children to Muggle schools. They usually educate them at home to maintain secrecy."
She finally took a proper look at Vizet. His features were sharp but soft in an approachable way, and there was an unusual calmness in his expression — a steady maturity far beyond his years.
"Wait a second," she said, realization dawning in her wide brown eyes. "Are you Vizet? The Obscurial they mentioned in the Daily Prophet?"
She hurriedly added, "I mean, I'm not afraid of you or anything like that! It's just that I'm new to the magical world, so I… well, you understand what I mean, don't you?"
Her words tumbled out in a rush, leaving Vizet with little room to interject. He could only offer a helpless nod. "Maybe you don't need to explain so much. Sometimes saying too much makes things worse — it's easy to create misunderstandings that way."
Hermione paused, her brow furrowed as if recalling something unpleasant. "You might be right. That does happen sometimes, doesn't it?"
Before Vizet could respond, Penelope interrupted with a sudden shout. "Accio notebook!"
Her voice was confident, commanding, and clear.
The notebook slipped from Vizet's grasp and soared back to Penelope's outstretched hand.
"I did it!" Penelope exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement. She handed the notebook back to Cho Chang and tried again. "Accio notebook!"
The notebook flew straight to her hand once more.
"This is it! This is the feeling I was missing earlier!" she said, practically glowing with energy. "I don't know what was wrong with me before, but now it feels natural again."
She glanced at Hermione, her curiosity piqued. "Miss Granger, what were you looking for earlier? I feel like you came here with a purpose."
Hermione snapped back to attention, a flustered look crossing her face. "Oh no, you're right! I came here to help Neville find his toad!"
"His toad?" Penelope shuddered slightly. "I can't say I'm a fan of toads. Hogwarts already has plenty hopping around the grounds. If Neville wanted one for practicing magic or testing potions, he could just request one from the school."
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "Testing potions? You mean people actually use pets for that?"
Penelope, now fully revitalized, spoke with ease. "It's not so common anymore, but back in the Middle Ages, wizards preferred toads as their go-to magical companions. They were incredibly useful for conducting all kinds of experiments."
She continued, "There's even a section in A History of Magic about Muggles' misconceptions of wizards. They used to believe wizards turned people into toads. To be fair, it is possible to do that, but the spell requires immense magical skill. Nowadays, the Ministry of Magic strictly forbids the abuse of toads, which is why fewer wizards keep them as pets."
Hermione listened intently, a mixture of fascination and mild disgust crossing her face. Finally, she said, "Miss Clearwater, thank you! I've learned so much, but I really need to help Neville. I promised I'd find his toad!"
She stood up abruptly, ready to leave the compartment.
"Wait." Vizet's calm voice stopped her. "Miss Granger, let's go together. We'll find the toad."
Hermione turned back, momentarily surprised, before giving a small but genuine smile. "Alright. Let's go."