"You two are such a letdown, Harry, Ron."
In the Gryffindor seats, Hermione sighed deeply like a parent. "You not only cost Gryffindor points, but you'll likely face harsh school punishment too. Don't you two have any sense?"
Harry and Ron stayed quiet and didn't reply.
But Hermione kept going. "Ron, this is mostly your fault! You know how to drive, so why do something like that?"
"Hey, drop it!" Ron, already upset inside, got mad right away. "We missed the train. What else could we do but fly to school that way?"
"You could have contacted your family. They'd figure something out." Hermione shot back.
"Damn it, I just didn't want them knowing I was late!" Ron clenched his teeth. "And late because I was messing around—they'd kill me!"
"So it all comes back to you messing around!" Hermione huffed. "You even dragged Harry into it. You should feel ashamed."
"Enough!" Ron's face turned bright red with anger. "Stop your endless nagging. It annoys you and annoys us too. Stay out of our business and mind your own!" With that, he turned away and ignored her.
Harry saw Hermione look stunned, her eyes turning sad, so he tugged Ron's sleeve. "Wasn't that a bit harsh?"
"Harsh? Me?" Ron snapped back, clearly annoyed. "She's the one being too much! Who does she think she is, lecturing us like she's so superior? I say ignore her too, or she'll turn you into a goody-goody."
Uh.
Harry froze for a moment, not sure what to say. Truth was, he hated Hermione's lectures too. Sometimes she acted just like a little teacher. But since they were friends, he put up with it.
Today, though, seeing Ron's attitude, Harry decided he wouldn't put up with it either. He turned away to think about what punishment he'd get. Would they really kick him out?
Hermione saw her two friends ignoring her and turned her head the other way too. Fine, whatever—like she cared!
That's what she told herself, but the girl still felt hurt. She hadn't done anything wrong—they had. She was just trying to help them. Why did it turn out like this?
She couldn't figure it out. Right then, a gasp came from around them. "Quick, look—who's that at the staff table?"
Hermione, Ron, Harry, and the other young wizards who heard the shout all looked up at the staff table.
"That's Gilderoy Lockhart? Oh my gosh! He's really coming to teach at Hogwarts?"
"I read his book Break with a Banshee. It's so good! Full of life and fun, with super exciting parts!"
"Me and my mom are both his biggest fans!"
Hermione spotted Lockhart too, grinning ear to ear and standing tall. A flash of admiration lit up her eyes. She'd read his whole series over summer break.
The books made her see him as a brave, kind wizard who loved helping others—a perfect hero. How could anyone not love and look up to him?
Lockhart saw the huge stir he was causing and smugly brushed back his bangs. He stood up slowly, like he was about to share some wise words.
But then the kid who gasped spoke up again. "I don't mean Lockhart—the one sitting to the right of Professor Snape!"
To the right of Snape?
Hermione blinked and looked over at where Gerald sat. What she saw was a very young face.
He had striking blue messy hair, a strange dark red mark on his left cheek. Golden eyes, very pale skin. Slim fingers resting on the table, his face showing no emotion at all.
"He... he is..." Hermione's eyes went wide, her face full of disbelief.
If Lockhart had been a pleasant surprise, Gerald was a total shock.
The young wizards who followed wizarding news saw Gerald's face and went pale with shock or just stared blankly. Only Harry Potter looked confused. "What's going on? Is that guy famous? Wait, he looks about our age. But why is he at the staff table?"
"Harry, you don't know him?" Ron turned to his friend with a strange look. "You really don't know him?"
"Wh-what?" Harry blinked, totally puzzled. "Is he more famous than Lockhart?"
"Lockhart? That guy isn't fit to shine his shoes!" Ron didn't answer, but a voice came from behind Harry.
He turned and saw two red-haired teens—the Weasley twins. Harry still couldn't tell if it was Fred or George.
"He's that amazing?" Harry glanced at Gerald on the staff table. He had to admit the boy was handsome—maybe too handsome. That weird mark on his left cheek gave off an eerie, mysterious vibe.
"Amazing? He's a monster!" Fred slapped Harry's shoulder with a sigh. "At nine years old, while we were still playing with mud pretending it was candy, he passed every N.E.W.T. exam! All with perfect scores!"
"N.E.W.T.s? Those are the Hogwarts graduation tests, right?" Harry was stunned. "But nine? Wizards usually awaken around eleven, don't they?"
"Normally, yeah. But Zikrein is different." Hermione couldn't hold back and chimed in. "He was a Silent One at five. His magic burst out and wiped out his whole neighborhood. It got the Ministry and Professor Dumbledore's attention. That same year, Dumbledore brought him to Hogwarts."
"Whoa, that's incredible!" Harry sucked in a breath, amazed. "So what's a Silent One?"
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