What truly upset Hermione wasn't just the incompetence of the two boys, but the realization that the gap between her and Owen seemed to have widened.
Over the holidays, she had gone on a trip with her parents. While she still read, she had less time for it, and absolutely no opportunity to practice spells. It was nothing like the convenience of being at Hogwarts.
Yes, she was ranked first in the year, but that was only because Owen hadn't taken the exams. Not to mention, the author of the Revised History of Magic Notes was Owen himself...
She had tried to convince herself not to compare herself to him. But every time she remembered that Owen was the same age as her, yet so far ahead simply because he started learning magic three years earlier, her pride shattered.
If Owen can do it, why can't I?
It's just studying and practice. If he can do it, so can I!
Early the next morning, the young witch woke up and ran into Owen just as he was heading out for his morning run. "Mr. Corlett, may I join you for training?"
"Of course!"
Owen welcomed any student willing to join the morning workout. He even took the time to teach Hermione the proper breathing rhythm for long-distance running and how to use that rhythm to circulate her magic, accelerating its growth.
About halfway through the run, Hermione noticed a group of Slytherins running too. As they passed, the snakes greeted Owen with genuine warmth and shot appreciative glances at her.
Hermione wanted to ask about it, but she couldn't break her breathing rhythm, so she settled for communicating with her eyes.
Luckily, Owen understood. "I started the early morning runs. Back when I was rotating through the four Houses, the other three Houses joined in for a while. Unfortunately, except for Slytherin, none of them stuck with it."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"Do you think wizards only need magic and don't need a strong body?" Owen smiled at the witch running beside him. "Wait until we finish running; you'll understand."
Today was the 10th, the day of the monthly dueling class. The instructor was Owen. The students... well, there were no strict rules on attendance, but every single Slytherin showed up. And now, Hermione was there too.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, seeing the students waiting for him, Owen didn't waste words. With a wave of his wand, a circular amphitheater rose from the ground. The students quickly scrambled to find good seats.
Hermione sat down too, but as she touched the realistic wooden texture of the seat, her mind raced. This is Transfiguration. And it was cast silently. Is Owen... already approaching the level of the professors?
"Today, Hermione joined our morning training. She wants to know why a wizard needs a strong body. So, let's explain it through a duel. Mr. Rosier, please join me for a no-rules duel."
A seventh-year student stepped out from the crowd. With composed elegance, he walked down from the stands, stood opposite Owen, and raised his wand in a dueling salute. The moment his wand lowered, Rosier attacked. "Expelliarmus!"
Mid-flight, an earthen wall rose in front of Owen. Owen himself leaped to the top of the wall and fired back a Disarming Charm. Rosier dodged, firing two spells in rapid succession while on the move. Just then, the first spell hit the earthen wall, shattering it. Owen dropped in freefall, perfectly dodging the other two spells.
A duel—such a spectacular duel—unfolded right before the students' eyes. The Slytherins had seen this before, but they were still thrilled. Hermione, however, was witnessing a real wizard duel for the first time, and her face flushed with excitement.
It was also her first time seeing that magic could be cast while running, and that the movements of the body and the swing of the arms could be used to mask the spellcasting gestures.
Owen, however, hadn't moved from his original spot since the start. The seventh-year, on the other hand, hadn't stopped moving once.
If that were me...
I would have lost already.
With Owen intentionally holding back, the duel lasted twenty minutes. When the seventh-year Rosier was too exhausted to run anymore, the duel naturally ended.
Owen waved his wand again, and the stands vanished, gently depositing the students on the ground. He smiled at them. "Mr. Rosier has improved significantly. Once he masters a few more powerful spells, becoming an Auror will be no problem for him."
Applause erupted!
In Slytherin, Owen's prestige among the students was higher than Snape's. Of course, that was largely because Professor Snape had zero interest in building prestige among students and was happy to see Owen keeping the snakes in line.
The rest of the time was dedicated to spell practice. First and second-year snakes stood still, reciting incantations and practicing wand movements. But third-years and above practiced casting while moving. Their goal was to master body control and use their physical momentum to simplify spell gestures.
Hermione intended to join the first and second-years, but Owen pulled her aside. "You're already proficient with incantations and gestures. Join the third-years for practice."
Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Owen placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Be good. Go on."
The young witch walked away, blushing furiously. Owen let out a long sigh.
They say "using a point to lead a surface," but that method didn't work at Hogwarts. He couldn't drag the whole school along!
Slytherin persisted because Owen had activated their pride. But the other Houses? They weren't motivated by the same triggers.
Hermione, however, was motivated. Among the third-years, she saw Draco Malfoy. Because he often mocked Harry and Ron, Hermione disliked him. But seeing him now, she had to admit... Draco had skill. At least...
Thinking of Harry and Ron, the young witch let out a heavy sigh.
---
At breakfast, Hermione recounted exactly what she had seen that morning. Ron listened with a sneer. "Just them? Hmph. All that practice is useless!"
Harry looked worried, but then he noticed something strange. Hermione had no intention of arguing with Ron. She didn't even look at him. She just kept eating. And her appetite seemed much larger than usual?
Ron mistook Hermione's silence for weakness and grew even smugger. "Hah! See? Even Miss Know-It-All has nothing to say."
Hermione couldn't tolerate that. Having eaten her fill, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin, then shot Ron a look of utter disdain. "Owen was right. You truly are stubbornly foolish and completely brainless!"
With that, she turned and walked away. The morning training had been incredibly rewarding, and she planned to stick with it!
The young witch never lacked persistence; she had just been applying it in the wrong places.