"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Who's at the door?"
"Little one, it's time to eat!"
"Got it, Mom! I'll be right there as soon as I finish this page!"
"Don't tire yourself out..."
"I know, I know..."
The impatient, childish voice of a little girl came from inside the room.
Harvey could easily imagine that Mrs. Granger's daughter was probably a rebellious child who was often mischievous and disobedient.
After notifying her daughter to eat, Mrs. Granger led Harvey to the dining room on the first floor of the villa.
Harvey walked into the dining room, and the aroma of roasted meat hit his face. He saw that the carved solid wood dining table was wiped spotless, and it was already laden with a variety of exquisite dishes.
Tender, juicy roasted lamb chops sizzled with a savory scent, seasonal vegetables were arranged neatly, and there were also handmade desserts.
Looking at this table full of food, Harvey's appetite was greatly stimulated.
But after taking a seat, he still politely waited for Mrs. Granger to speak, refraining from touching the delicious food in front of him first.
"Child, if you're hungry, just start eating. Our family doesn't have that many rules. Oh, I almost forgot, there's crispy bread in the oven. I need to go check on it..."
With that said, Mrs. Granger hurried into the kitchen.
And Harvey didn't hold back, directly diving in to enjoy the feast before him.
...
Five minutes later.
More than half of the food on the table had already been wiped out by Harvey.
At that moment, a highly disgusted, childish voice sounded from behind him.
"Good grief, you ate it all. What am I supposed to eat?"
Harvey awkwardly turned his head to look. He was just about to apologize, but when he saw the person's face, he was so stunned that he forgot to even chew the meat in his mouth.
A little girl wearing a light pink puff-sleeve dress with a bow at the neckline, possessing a face as delicate as if she had stepped out of a comic book, was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at him angrily.
Harvey's mind was reeling. This pretty and lively little girl was clearly Hermione!
Had he transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter?
"Hi... I... I'm Harvey Ferguson, nice to meet you!"
From the first moment he laid eyes on Hermione, Harvey felt his heart pounding fiercely, and he even started to stutter.
"Hermione Granger!"
However, Hermione didn't give Harvey a good look. She pulled a long face and coldly replied with her name.
Filled with resentment, she turned and marched into the kitchen, ready to cry to her mother about having no food to eat.
Harvey's eyes remained locked on Hermione until she disappeared from view; even the food in his mouth lost its appeal.
In the kitchen.
Under little Hermione's tearful complaints, Mrs. Granger had to whip up another table of fresh dishes to barely pacify her daughter who was throwing a tantrum over having no food.
During the meal, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
Hermione kept her head down and focused solely on eating, completely ignoring the apologetic glances Harvey occasionally threw her way.
Mrs. Granger couldn't figure out what was going on with these two kids; they seemed to be naturally at odds with each other.
...
After lunch, Harvey sensibly walked into the kitchen, preparing to help Mrs. Granger wash the dishes.
But he was shooed out by Mrs. Granger, who used the excuse that he was too young and she was worried he would break the fragile plates.
Harvey's childish appearance indeed couldn't give others a sense of reliability.
Before leaving, he asked for the date. Upon learning that he was in London in the year 1991, Harvey slinked out of the kitchen.
As he returned to his room, he pondered.
This point in time was exactly when Hermione would receive her Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Would he have a chance to enroll at Hogwarts?
Thinking of this, Harvey began to worry. Could it be that he had no magical talent and wouldn't be able to witness the dreamy magical world?
Keeping his head down and lost in thought, before he knew it.
Harvey had arrived on the second floor of the villa. Passing by Hermione's room, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
Hesitation, curiosity, apprehension...
Various complex emotions flashed through his mind one by one.
Earlier at the dining table, Hermione had acted extremely cold.
Harvey worried whether disturbing her now would just make him even more annoying to her.
But if he didn't meet this girl who made his heart skip a beat, he figured he would be tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night.
His thoughts began to wander...
Harvey shook his head, tossing all the thoughts out of his mind.
Hesitation leads to defeat. Decisively, he reached out his hand, ready to knock on the door.
But with a "click," the door lock opened on its own.
"Is this my superpower?"
"No, this is a magical world. Could it be that I subconsciously used the Unlocking Charm?"
"Forget it, I can't be bothered to overthink this. This must be the will of heaven!"
Harvey pushed the door open directly and saw Hermione sitting at her desk, staring blankly at a book.
Looking at the little girl's exquisite profile, he suddenly felt a bit of regret.
Was it a bit impolite of him not to knock?
Hearing the sound of the door opening behind her, Hermione turned around with a face full of complaint, "Mom, why did you come in without knocking?"
Seeing that it was actually Harvey, her delicate brows instantly knitted together, and she asked angrily, "Why did you come in? Who allowed you to enter someone else's room without permission?"
Harvey was extremely embarrassed. Leaving felt wrong, but staying here also felt very rude.
"Uh... I came to ask about your... your... your progress in learning magic!"
Harvey tentatively blurted out a bunch of incomprehensible words.
Hermione had intended to call her mother to kick this rude guy out of the room, but when she heard the word 'magic', she paused. Her expression softened, and she asked, "What do you mean by progress in learning magic?"
As long as he caught her attention, it meant he had chosen the right angle of approach.
While feeling secretly smug, Harvey gathered his thoughts. A Hermione of this age must have surely noticed her own abnormalities.
He had to start bluffing using 'magic' as a common language...
No, it was 'guiding'!
And so, Harvey began to introduce his origins.
"You saw me come out of a portal back then, right?"
Hermione curiously nodded her little head, not noticing that he had already breached the boundary of strangers and stepped within half a meter of her.
"Actually, I come from another world. It's a fantasy world filled with gods, sorcerers, aliens, and superheroes."
Harvey said this while taking a seat on her princess bed.
Seeing this, Hermione frowned slightly, but captivated by the new world he described, she didn't say anything.
"I can't remember my parents at all, so just consider me an orphan."
Harvey's tone was somewhat low and melancholic.
Hearing that he was an orphan, Hermione pursed her lips, and her impression of Harvey gradually improved.
No wonder he ate like a starving ghost...
Harvey continued speaking: "That world was too dangerous. During a crisis, I accidentally discovered that I could open a portal leading to other worlds."
"And so, I came to this world."
Pausing for a moment, Harvey expressed his gratitude with a sincere face: "Speaking of which, I have to thank you and Mrs. Granger for saving me."
"Otherwise, in the state I was in back then, I probably would have died on the streets with no one caring."