After lingering a bit in the Quidditch shop, Harry figured it was about time, so he tugged Hermione to leave.
But Hermione was staring at a giant poster, unwilling to move. On the poster, a curvy, wavy-haired witch was riding a broomstick, streaking silver trails across the sky, flashing a dazzling smile directly at Hermione.
Hermione was captivated.
"You like this kind of sport too?" Harry was stunned, his worldview shaken.
Wasn't Hermione the quiet type who buried her nose in books?
"Who said I like Quidditch? I just suddenly realized that riding a broomstick can look… really elegant."
"Wrong," Harry said, dead serious.
"What do you mean, wrong?"
"It's not the broomstick that looks good. It's that this witch looks good. Whether flying on a broom looks elegant or not depends entirely on your face. Just imagine—if that poster showed Hagrid riding a broom, would you still find it beautiful?"
Hermione tilted her little head and seriously imagined the scene, then looked again at the pretty witch on the poster—and shuddered.
She no longer had the slightest desire to fly a broom.
"And also…" Harry whispered conspiratorially, "If a girl rides a broom for too long… her legs might… not stay together properly. Just think about it. How ungraceful would that be?"
He said this right into Hermione's ear.
Her eyes went wide. She looked at the radiant witch on the poster again—this time with a hint of horror.
Twelve-year-old girls already vaguely understood certain things.
She quickly grabbed Harry's hand and practically ran out of the Quidditch shop, as if some demon were chasing her.
Harry then noticed that Hermione was walking a little funny—her steps were small and her legs clamped tightly together.
Who would've thought a simple joke would leave such a psychological scar?
Harry, a bit flustered, tried to say a few comforting words to her—
"Ah!" Hermione squealed. Just hearing what Harry said made her instinctively clamp her legs even tighter—only to realize Harry had been teasing her all along.
She covered her face and bolted ahead.
…
A while later, Harry was holding Hermione's small hand, repeatedly apologizing.
Truly, "a wicked tongue is fun for a moment… but too much wicked tongue and you're done." Ha…
The two of them made their way to Flourish and Blotts, only to see the bookstore was surrounded by layer upon layer of people, all in a noisy bustle.
Voices of an argument drifted out from inside.
Harry listened closely, then breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like the spark of this term's big incident had still happened.
He'd been worried that since he destroyed the Voldemort soul fragment inside Quirrell last term, the timeline might've changed. If Voldemort's other Horcruxes had grown cautious and gone into hiding, that'd be a problem.
Thankfully, the diary Horcrux was still going to make it into Hogwarts.
The argument inside escalated. Then came a wave of gasps from the crowd, followed by the sound of things crashing to the floor—someone had clearly started fighting.
A moment later, the sounds of combat ceased. Then came Lucius Malfoy's venomous voice, launching into a tirade of insults against the Weasleys.
Harry stayed outside, quietly enjoying the show, holding back the excited Hermione who wanted to rush in.
Soon, the crowd parted. Harry and Hermione quickly stepped back to avoid being knocked over by adults.
Lucius and Draco Malfoy emerged, heads held high.
But Harry noticed Lucius' perfectly styled silver hair was now disheveled, and one of his eyes was blackened.
Harry was not normally one to laugh—he'd been trained—but it was getting really hard to hold it in.
Lucius passed by Harry, saw the effort he was making to suppress a grin, and his expression turned dark.
With a cold huff, he stormed off.
Draco finally spotted Harry, and immediately wilted—the arrogant tilt of his chin vanished.
Harry grinned and waved at him. Draco, seemingly flattered, started to smile—then quickly corrected himself, trying to mimic his father's cold demeanor. The result was awkward and unconvincing, and he scurried off after Lucius.
Hermione mused aloud, "Malfoy acts like such a bully at school, always picking on other kids. But why does it feel like he's so scared of you?"
"Maybe he wants to be friends," Harry said lightly. "You know how it is—if he's trying to get close to me, he has to be very careful to keep up a good image. He's not like you—you already have my heart. He's still dreaming of winning me over."
Hermione: "…"
"Why's the crowd still here?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Maybe you didn't notice the massive banner on the window?"
Indeed, pasted on the front glass was a huge sign:
GILDEROY LOCKHART
Autograph Signing Today – Featuring His New Autobiography: "Magical Me"
Come Witness the Dazzling Wizard in Person!
"This is the author of our Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook for this year!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's go in and buy an autographed copy! If our teacher recommends him so highly, he must be impressive."
Smack.
Harry flicked her on the forehead.
Hermione clutched her head and looked at him pitifully.
"Remember—he's a complete fraud."
"Oh." Hermione nodded obediently, not even asking why.
…
Inside, the Weasley family had gathered around Mr. Weasley.
He looked like a proud rooster after a victory, grinning despite the bruises on his face.
"Ow—easy!" he hissed as his wife gently examined his injuries.
"You're so reckless," Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Why must you always go head-to-head with the Malfoys?"
"It's that git Lucius—always out to get me," Arthur Weasley snapped. "He's been trying for ages to get me sacked from the Ministry."
"And yet you still…" She abruptly stopped herself.
Arthur chuckled awkwardly.
At that moment, Harry walked over with a warm smile. "Ron, is this your family?"
Ron had noticed him earlier but hadn't expected Harry to actually approach him.
They weren't close, rarely spoke.
Ron stammered proudly, "This is Harry Potter, my classmate."
His parents' eyes went wide with awe.
Fred and George were busy squabbling as usual. Percy, ever the goody-two-shoes, was buried in a book titled How to Be a Model Student Council Leader.
Ginny glanced up at Harry—then quickly looked away, hugging a cauldron full of secondhand books with one ear of her cauldron missing.
Harry looked at Percy, his expression a bit complicated: Maybe this kid will end up saving the world. Clearly I'm slacking as the so-called Savior. Perhaps I should study something like "How to Rule the World as the Chosen One."
Ron's parents were thrilled to talk to Harry. He chatted back casually.
But his eyes kept drifting toward Ginny's books. Pretending curiosity, he reached out and picked one up.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked a bit embarrassed. Ginny tried to take it back, but the moment her hand touched it, she yanked it back like it was scalding.
"Oh wow!" Harry said in amazement. "This is a book by Wozkid!"
The Weasleys looked at each other, puzzled. "Wozkid? Who's that?"
Harry replied with admiration, "He was a wizard who specialized in inventing new spells. Sadly, there's very little record of him—I only read a brief mention in an obscure book. I never thought I'd come across a first-year spellbook of his! It might contain traces of his spellcraft ideas!"
Embarrassed, Harry added, "Uncle, Auntie—would you mind if I borrowed these books? I know they're rare. I'll return them as soon as I'm done reading."
Hearing that the old books were "rare," the couple's awkwardness eased.
Mrs. Weasley hesitated. "But Ginny needs those for her classes this year…"
Harry "suddenly realized," "Oh, that's easy—I'll just buy her new ones."
"This…" They seemed tempted, but also guilty—like they were tricking a child.
Harry didn't say more. He simply dashed toward the shelves.
Hermione, who had been watching Harry closely, was trying to understand his real motives.
Yes, real motives. She could tell his smile was fake.
Normally, Harry's smile was reserved—even cold. She'd grown used to that expression.
But just now, his grin had reached his eyes. It gave her goosebumps.
She was sure he had an agenda—but still couldn't figure out what.
There was no need to search hard. The store had already sorted all required books by year.
Harry quickly found the stack of brand-new textbooks for first-years, paid for them, and returned to Ginny.
"Um, Harry, not all of those old books were…" Mrs. Weasley began.
But Mr. Weasley gently nudged her, cutting her off.
Harry cheerfully took the grimy old books out of Ginny's cauldron and replaced them with the fresh ones.
Then he suddenly paused, his expression flickering—then quickly recovered.
He had seen Ginny's eyes—red and tearful.
The shy young girl felt humiliated… ashamed.
Harry didn't think he'd done anything wrong, but—if this could plant a seed in her heart, that was just fine too.
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⚡🦉 THE REBIRTH OF HARRY POTTER 🦉⚡
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📢 MAGIC REBORN! 📢
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The wizarding world is changing.
Old destinies twist, familiar names return under new shadows, and magic itself may follow a different path this time.
🪄 A second chance.
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⚡ A wizarding world reborn.
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