"What stakes do you want?"
Hermione blinked, looking at Dolly.
Not only did she have no intention of refusing, but she was even more eager to try.
Half of it was driven by her competitive spirit, and the other half was the thought that with stakes, Dolly wouldn't be able to just give up.
Dolly shook her head. "I haven't thought of anything yet. How about the loser treats the winner to a meal?"
"No, absolutely not."
Hermione shook her head quickly. With such a trivial stake, couldn't one just concede casually?
She had to choose a condition that would make Dolly dare not concede easily.
Of course, the condition couldn't be too harsh, or the competition would lose its original meaning.
"Let me think..."
Hermione racked her brains, but her mind was blank for a moment. She had never experienced anything like this before.
Suddenly, she felt a soft, strange touch on the back of her head. She turned to see Crookshanks kneading his paws.
This gave Hermione an idea. "The loser, in the second school year, will be the winner's magic assistant."
"Unless there is something that must be done, without delaying studies, they must be on call."
"For a period of one month... no, a week?"
Hermione had originally wanted to say a month, but felt it was too much. After changing it to a week, she felt it was a bit too light.
At this moment, Dolly spoke up. "How about half a school year?"
"If you're scared, then this bet is over."
Hermione immediately followed up. "I'm not scared! I'm the one who will definitely win!"
"Miss Dursley, the losing party will be the winner's magic assistant for half a year. Don't you regret it then."
With that, Hermione extended her hand and shook Dolly's.
But as they shook hands, Hermione vaguely felt that something was not right.
Although she seemed to be the victor, she felt that this victory was not as satisfying as it should be.
Ah... wasn't the bet proposed by Dolly?
Hermione thought she had proposed the bet herself.
Before Hermione could think too much, Dolly had already changed the subject.
With someone as smart as Hermione, if she was given a few more seconds to think, she might have realized that she was the one who had fallen into the trap.
"Don't call me Miss Dursley anymore. Call me Dolly. We're friends now, aren't we?"
Dolly pulled Hermione to sit down, the two of them close together, their reflections visible in each other's pupils if they tilted their heads slightly.
"We... are friends?"
Her train of thought interrupted, Hermione was caught off guard. She had come looking for a rival, but ended up with a friend first?
Did their situation count as being friends?
"Of course we're friends. It's just that you haven't given me a welcoming gift yet."
"I've already given you Crookshanks. Once you've given me a gift, then we'll be real friends."
"You're not going to say we're not even friends, are you?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed, not from shyness, but from frustration.
Faced with the current Dolly, she really couldn't bring herself to say they weren't friends.
If they weren't friends, was everything she had just done just to be rivals with Dolly?
That would make her seem too arrogant and rude.
"But I didn't prepare anything..."
Hermione looked around anxiously and finally thought of something.
She quickly waved to her father. After Mr. Granger approached with large and small bags, she picked one out for Dolly.
"This book, The Book of Spells, is a magic book outside of the textbooks. The shop owner told me it's a bestseller."
"I was originally planning to study it myself when I got back. How about I give it to you now?"
Dolly took it and saw that it was a book of spells compiled by Miranda Goshawk.
And Miranda Goshawk herself was the author of the Standard Book of Spells series used at Hogwarts.
It could be said that in the field of spell teaching, Miranda Goshawk was a true expert.
Compared to the Hogwarts textbooks, the feature of this Book of Spells was probably, as the preface said: This spellbook will enable you to use some less basic spells to make your life richer, safer, and more colorful.
"Great, I'll take it."
After a quick flip-through, Dolly saw that even the Patronus Charm was recorded in it, and she immediately accepted it with satisfaction.
She probably wouldn't be able to learn most of the spells in it now.
But it was great for getting familiar with the casting postures first.
Most importantly, if she didn't accept it now, Hermione probably wouldn't be able to come up with a better gift, which would embarrass her.
That was not Dolly's goal.
Hermione also breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the book with some reluctance.
But she could go back and buy another one in a little while; it wouldn't take much time at all.
And this friend in front of her, although her arrival had been a bit of a whirlwind, was the most precious treasure for Hermione.
She had been worried about being isolated by the young wizards from wizarding families after entering the magical world.
Dolly handed the book to her father and said, "Let me introduce you. These are my father and mother, and this is my little brother, Harry Potter."
Dolly had expected a reaction from Hermione when she heard Harry's name, but Hermione's gaze didn't linger on Harry's face for even a second.
Clearly, at this time, Hermione didn't yet know about the title "the Boy-Who-Lived."
"Hello."
Hermione waved to the group somewhat reservedly, completely lacking the imposing manner she had when she first approached Dolly.
Thinking back now, Hermione herself found it strange. Why did she feel no pressure at all when facing Dolly at first?
Oh, right. For some reason, Dolly always gives off a very soft and frail feeling.
Although she had this question in her mind, Hermione didn't ask.
Because the next part became Vernon's show.
Seeing that the exchange between Dolly and Hermione was basically over, Vernon laughed heartily and extended his hand to Mr. Granger in the distance.
As a company executive, Vernon's social skills were naturally not a problem. In just a few words, he made the dentist couple, the Grangers, feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.
As for why Vernon, with such abilities, had had such a stiff relationship with Harry's father back then, the reason was actually very simple. One was someone he disliked, the other was the parents of his daughter's friend. Was there any need to say which was more important?
Naturally, he had to treat his daughter's friend's parents as more important than a business partner!
With a smart girl from a middle-class family to look out for each other, Vernon and Petunia could completely relax.
The Grangers obviously thought the same way. With the intentional push from both families, the two Muggle families quickly hit it off at the Leaky Cauldron, drinking together. The lively atmosphere even made the wizards wonder: since when did the Leaky Cauldron serve Muggles?
Afterward, the two families even took the Knight Bus together to leave the Leaky Cauldron, saying goodbye in front of Dolly's house.
Although both families lived in London, Hermione's house was further away.
....
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