Astoria raised an eyebrow but did not object.
The broom was her sister's personal property, and how she chose to handle it was entirely up to her.
As for Daphne, she felt that anything which could annoy Malfoy was something she would be more than happy to do.
Inside the library, Rhys had already found a table and sat down with Hermione.
"I don't actually know much about the Internet either," Hermione said frankly, making it clear that she only had a limited understanding of this novel concept. She merely knew that her father's dental clinic used it to receive appointment emails.
"The Internet connects computers together—it's a kind of virtual connection. If I had to describe it, it's a bit like the Floo Network, except fireplaces are replaced with computers, or PCs. Information is sent the same way a person jumps into a fireplace to travel to the other end. Correspondingly, the information being sent can also be intercepted midway…"
With Hermione explaining it like that, Rhys's understanding of the Internet deepened another layer.
"Through the network, patients can book dental appointments more conveniently—of course, phone calls are still the main method. You do know what a telephone is, right?"
Rhys nodded. Although he did not fully understand the underlying principles, he knew that a telephone was a Muggle device used for long-distance communication, and he knew how to use one.
"Then how does the Internet manage to do all of this?" Rhys asked in confusion. He wanted to understand the principles behind the Internet so that he could try to recreate it at Hogwarts.
Hermione shook her head. That question was still far beyond the scope of a fourteen-year-old girl, especially since most of her energy in recent years had been devoted to studying magic.
"Maybe it works on the same principle as telephones?" she said uncertainly.
Rhys: "Then what's the principle behind telephones?"
Hermione: …
She thought for a moment, then told Rhys that sound is transmitted through vibrations. If you connect two cups with a thin string and pull the string taut, then even if the two people are dozens of meters apart, they can still talk to each other through the cups.
Rhys: !!!
He felt as though Hermione had pushed open the door to a whole new world for him.
"Of course, modern telephones don't rely on that kind of sound transmission anymore. They use electricity. The books I read over the holidays mentioned it. Vibrations convert sound waves into electrical signals, then those signals are transmitted through telephone wires, and finally converted back into vibrations, restoring the sound."
Rhys: "…"
"Sorry, could you repeat that?" He felt like he had only taken one extra breath, and suddenly he could no longer understand what Hermione was saying.
Hermione patiently took about half an hour to finally explain the principles clearly to Rhys.
"Amazing!" Rhys had only ever known lightning as something capable of causing tremendous destruction. He had never imagined that such incredible knowledge was hidden within it.
How did Muggles manage to achieve this?! How did they even come up with such ideas? Not just the use of electricity, but also methods of storing it. If he could store magic power in some kind of medium the way Muggles stored electricity in batteries…
Novel ideas bubbled up in his mind one after another, like champagne fizzing endlessly.
This was the effect of coming into contact with the wisdom Muggles had accumulated over thousands of years. Even a tiny spark of insight, once seen by an "old antique" like Rhys, could turn into a bolt of inspiration in his mind.
Rhys firmly believed that combining Muggle wisdom with magic might give rise to infinite possibilities and completely overturn the wizarding world.
This was the future of the magical world.
Moreover, after learning about the various inventions of Muggles, Rhys found a method that could thoroughly counter them. A wizard who had grasped the domain of "electricity" would likely be the one capable of exerting the greatest suppression on Muggles in the shortest time.
Compared to that, the water, fire, earth, and wind mastered by himself and his old friends were really just small-scale tricks. The domain of electricity was what could truly deliver an unimaginable blow to Muggles.
"You really know a lot!" Hermione's explanation had greatly broadened Rhys's horizons, and he could not help but praise the knowledgeable young witch.
"It's nothing, really. I just flip through some public school textbooks during the holidays," Hermione said shyly, a little embarrassed by such direct praise from Rhys.
"You actually still have the energy to self-study part of the Muggle curriculum during the holidays?!" Rhys asked in astonishment.
It was the first time he had ever encountered someone so eager to learn. Aside from Hermione, was there really anyone else at Hogwarts who could do this?
There were quite a few Muggle-born students at Hogwarts, but they almost never touched non-magical knowledge anymore, because it was completely useless to them.
Knowing about electromagnetic waves or memorizing the periodic table, would that help your O.W.L. results in any way?
Not at all.
Examiners would not give you an Outstanding just because you were very knowledgeable about Muggles—unless you were taking Muggle Studies.
Yet even that subject was rather abstract.
Any Muggle-born student who had taken it would be left wondering what exactly wizards were studying. The contents of Muggle Studies textbooks were practically like the ramblings of a dream.
"Your future is limitless. You are a true Ravenclaw," Rhys said, giving the highest praise he could offer to a Ravenclaw student.
They spent the entire morning discussing Muggle science.
As lunchtime approached, Hermione could not help but ask Rhys, "Did you really have no classes all morning?"
"I had History of Magic. I skipped it." Rhys ignored Hermione's shocked expression and told her that, in his eyes, this morning had simply counted as having no classes.
"If I think a class has no value, I won't attend it." Rhys was instilling his own rather radical views into the young girl when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, having just remembered something.
"Hey, didn't you have Defence Against the Dark Arts this morning? Are you sure it's really okay to skip a class like that?"
When he had been working for Helga, he had seen her timetable. He remembered that she had a class that morning for third-year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students.
Back in the Great Hall, he had vaguely felt that something was a bit off. It was only after Hermione asked him about his classes just now that he finally realized what it was.
Rhys felt that even with his relationship with Helga, he still could not get away with skipping class. Hermione, on the other hand, had actually skipped a Hufflepuff lesson just to "tutor" him. Wouldn't she be punished severely afterward?
Hermione's expression changed instantly.
"Don't ask so many questions… it'll be fine." She replied hesitantly, her words vague and evasive.
The change in Hermione's expression made Rhys sense that something was wrong.
Something's off with this girl. She's hiding something from me. Rhys quickly came to a conclusion.
A small slip of paper transformed into a paper bird and flew out of the library. Before long, it returned with the information Rhys wanted.
[Miss Granger was not absent today — White]
Rhys's eyebrows lifted.
_____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI