Chapter 58 "Hermione's Turmoil"

The Christmas holiday ended, and the young wizards returned to Hogwarts, transforming the once-deserted school back into its usual bustling atmosphere.

Their first class upon returning was Care of Magical Creatures.

On this chilly and damp January morning, no one was thrilled about spending two hours on the field tending to the mundane Flobberworms.

To their surprise, Hagrid had prepared a bonfire with salamanders inside to lighten the mood.

This class turned out to be quite fascinating.

Students gathered firewood and leaves to keep the fire burning.

Lizards that thrived on flames darted back and forth amid the crackling firewood.

When Skyler inquired, he learned that all the Flobberworms had succumbed to overeating lettuce.

Next on the schedule was the Alchemy class.

Alchemy classes were beginning to grow more engaging.

After students learned about the theory of matter Transfiguration and magical properties, Professor Borgin introduced the first practical lesson.

He had collected numerous broken alchemical objects from Hogwarts, including old broomsticks, damaged Sneakoscopes, and rusty Pocket Spectrometers.

He instructed the students to dismantle them to observe their inner workings.

Besides deconstruction, they practiced repair skills.

The Repairing Charm was only effective for mundane objects with physical damage, as most alchemical items contained intricate and potent magical components.

Attempting to repair them with the charm would mend their physical form but not their magical integrity.

Skyler noted an exception: the Elder Wand.

This powerful wand could repair other wands with its Repairing Charm.

Skyler suspected it could mend other alchemical objects, too, as long as they weren't overly large or intricate, such as the Vanishing Cabinet or the Mirror of Erised.

The students relished these practical lessons on restoring alchemical objects, as they felt they were gaining useful knowledge.

Professor Borgin even moved the broken Vanishing Cabinet into the classroom and declared that once they mastered the basics of restoring alchemical items, the next class would focus on repairing the cabinet.

Thursday evenings brought Harry's weekly Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons with Professor Lupin.

Lupin gave him special guidance on mastering the Patronus charm.

Harry grew anxious due to his struggles with learning the spell, even doubting Professor Lupin's teaching abilities.

This was a departure from the original book, as Harry was the first in his class to learn the Patronus Charm there.

In this alternate storyline, there were 60 young wizards who could cast the incorporeal Patronus, and many could cast corporeal ones as well.

Hermione had informed Harry that she managed to learn the spell with Skyler's guidance in just one night, while even his rival, Draco, had done the same.

Harry's belief that he was falling behind Draco left him quite frustrated.

This frustration hindered his progress in learning the Patronus charm, creating a vexing cycle.

In their Friday Potions class, Professor Snape introduced the subject of poisons for the first time, and, true to his penchant for complex themes, he covered "Undetectable Poisons."

These toxins were both colorless and tasteless, making them impossible to detect by conventional means such as a silver spoon. They posed a formidable challenge due to their insidious nature.

(Note: It appears the term "Undetectable Poisons" was mistranslated as "undetectable medicine" by the People's Agency. The author is frustrated with this and considers it below a pupil-level English level.)

What's truly astonishing is the stellar performance of all Slytherin students in this class.

Even the historically worst performers, like Goyle and Crabbe, demonstrated a capability to outperform Hermione.

This left the Gryffindor students flabbergasted.

Hermione displayed an expression of disbelief while Harry and Ron grew even more convinced that Snape was conspiring against Gryffindor, suspecting that he had given private lessons to the Slytherin students.

Harry conveniently overlooked that he was also benefiting from Professor Lupin's private tutoring.

However, Snape was entirely innocent.

Slytherin's impressive performance was largely attributed to Skyler's influence.

After sharing Snape's notes with the Slytherin third-years in September, they excelled in Potions, enabling them to surpass Gryffindor.

On Saturday, Ravenclaw faced Slytherin in a Quidditch match.

Under the leadership of Roger Davis, the Ravenclaw team displayed remarkable overall strength with a sharp and seamless offensive and defensive strategy.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough when facing the Slytherin team, notorious for their underhanded tactics.

Due to the constant fouls by Marcus, Cassius, and Monty, Ravenclaw lost two players to injuries.

While they secured several free throws to gain a 100-point lead, Draco was quicker in capturing the Golden Snitch, leading Slytherin to a precarious victory.

Draco had followed Skyler's advice by not using the Firebolt in this match and continued with the Lightbolt 2001.

According to Wood, this was a favorable outcome for Gryffindor, as a victory against Ravenclaw would place them second in the rankings.

As a result, Wood increased the frequency of team training to five times a week.

Considering Lupin's Dementor resistance training, which was more exhausting than six Quidditch sessions, Harry had only one night per week for all his homework.

Despite the intense workload, Harry remained calmer than Hermione.

The burden of Hermione's extensive homework seemed to be taking its toll.

Each night, you could find Hermione seated in a corner of the common room, surrounded by textbooks, arithmetic, divination charts, Runic dictionaries, Muggle studies on heavy objects, and a dense collection of notes.

She seldom engaged in conversation and responded curtly when interrupted.

The months shifted from January to February, with the harsh cold persisting.

The Ravenclaw match was fast approaching, yet Harry hadn't placed an order for his new broomstick.

After every Transfiguration class, he would approach Professor McGonagall to inquire about the Firebolt.

Ron stood optimistically behind him while Hermione averted her gaze and hurried past.

On Thursday night, Harry finally encountered Professor McGonagall in the Gryffindor common room after attending the fourth class of Professor Lupin's Dementor training.

He received the Firebolt he'd been waiting for from her.

Back in the common room, his excited teammates gathered around Harry.

Captain Wood exclaimed, "With the Firebolt, we'll sweep Ravenclaw, riding high as the seven stars!"

Everyone marveled at the Firebolt from every angle for about ten minutes before the crowd gradually dispersed.

Harry and Ron then noticed Hermione.

She was the only one who hadn't joined them, diligently working on her homework and avoiding their gazes.

Approaching her table, Harry and Ron finally caught her eye.

"I got it back," Harry said with a smile, hoisting the Firebolt high.

"See, Hermione? It's absolutely fine!" Ron added.

"But—maybe at the time," Hermione replied, "I mean, at least you know it's safe now."

"Yeah, I think so too," Harry agreed, "I'd better put it away—"

"I'll do it!" Ron asserted, "I just want to give this baby a little boost."

He held the Firebolt with great care, as if it were a fragile piece of glass, as he ascended the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Meanwhile, Harry was in the midst of a conversation with Hermione, making an effort to mend their friendship, when Ron's abrupt shout resonated from the dorm room.

The entire common room fell silent as everyone's attention shifted to the stairs. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, and then, abruptly, Ron burst out, clutching a sheet splattered with a large stain.

Furious, he flung something onto Hermione's Runic translation homework.

Hermione and Harry hurriedly moved to inspect it, discovering a few long cat hairs lying amidst the peculiar, pointed words.

Amidst the watchful eyes of their peers, Ron and Hermione engaged in a heated argument.

Ron accused Crookshanks of devouring Scabbers, providing no opportunity for Hermione to explain herself.

He vented his frustration at Hermione as if he was exorcising his anger, even suggesting that Slytherin had manipulated her, causing her to forget her duty as a Gryffindor.

This incident created a significant disturbance and reached the ears of students from other houses, including Skyler.

Hermione, deeply affected by this turmoil, became emotionally fragile, on the verge of tears at any moment. This ordeal hit her hard, making her even more solitary.

She spent more time alone in the library and less time returning to the Gryffindor common room to rest.

Two days later, Gryffindor faced off against Ravenclaw in a Quidditch match.

Thanks to Harry's remarkable performance and the excellence of the Firebolt, Gryffindor secured an easy victory with a lead of 200 points.

Unlike in the original storyline, Draco, who had grown somewhat more mature and composed during this semester, did not resort to using dementors to disrupt Harry's game with his friends.

As a result, Slytherin did not endure any humiliation through point deductions.

After the game, the entire Gryffindor team, along with other students, celebrated in the common room.

A vibrant party continued until the evening.

Fred and George went missing for a couple of hours, only to return with a bottle of Butterbeer, Fizzing Pumpkin Juice, and bags brimming with Honeyduke's sweets.

However, there was one notable absence from this cheerful gathering.

Hermione sat in a corner, baffled, her attention engrossed by a hefty book titled "The Life and Social Habits of the British Muggle Family."

When Fred and George began their juggling act with Butterbeer bottles, Harry took the opportunity to leave the gathering, approaching Hermione and inquiring, "Why didn't you attend the game?"

"I've been to the game, Harry." Hermione's gaze remained fixed on her book, and her voice sounded strangely high-pitched.

"I'm glad we won," she continued, "I think you did great, but I must finish reading this book by Monday..."

"Come on, Hermione, you should eat something," Harry suggested, glancing at Ron, who now seemed content.

He couldn't help but wonder if Ron's improved mood could help reconcile Hermione's feelings.

"I can't, Harry. I have 422 pages to read!" Hermione's voice grew somewhat hysterical, and she cast a worried look toward Ron before whispering, "I'm afraid he won't want me to join you."

This matter was apparent, as Ron had deliberately chosen this moment to loudly proclaim, "If Scabbers isn't eaten, he can feast on a few of those Fudge flies. He's always been fond of eating..."

Hermione suddenly burst into tears.

Her nerves had been taut lately, whether due to the demands of classes and studies or the recent turmoil.

It had left her in a state of melancholy. Harry, however, had not anticipated this response—her actual tears.

Before Harry could react, Hermione hurriedly placed the hefty book under her arm, tears streaming down her face. She panicked, flung the door open, and fled the Gryffindor common room.

"Can't you give her a break?" Harry couldn't help but say to Ron. Then he glanced toward the doorway and added, "It's already late. I think we should bring her back soon..."

Ron, too, looked toward the partially open door.

He seemed conflicted but remained resolute. "No," Ron replied firmly. "If she's upset—though she never admits when she's wrong, that's just how Hermione is! She still acts as if we were on vacation or something..."

Harry hesitated, sighed, and left the common room with an expression of helplessness.