Despite it being the first day back to school, Allen Harris maintained his usual pace, heading to the library after dinner to continue his self-improvement.
At the beginning of that period, the library was quite deserted; apart from a few people scattered around the large hall, there was no one else .
After politely greeting Madam Pince , Allen immediately noticed Hermione Granger , buried among a tall pile of books .
From Allen's point of view, Hermione , with her bushy hair, looked like a furry cat, rubbing her head back and forth among the piles of books.
He smiled involuntarily and went straight to Hermione's side.
"May I sit down?" Allen asked.
"Of course, please do."
Hermione looked up and smiled when she saw Allen.
Allen stared at Hermione in astonishment ; her eyes were red and swollen from crying. They were bloodshot, her face pale, and she looked exhausted.
"Didn't you get a good rest during the holidays?" Allen couldn't help but lower his voice. "I remember, you finished your homework long before the holidays!"
Allen's gaze wandered over the pile of books on the table.
"..."
Allen rummaged through the dusty archives one by one and instantly understood what Hermione had been up to.
" Do you want to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Elimination of Dangerous Creatures ?" Allen asked, but his tone was quite confident.
A glint of admiration appeared in Hermione's eyes. "As expected of Allen, you immediately guessed the reason. Yes,I want to help Hagrid so he can successfully defend Buckbeak ."
Allen looked at Hermione and admired her deeply: What a wonderful girl! Intelligent, hardworking, and extremely loyal.
"What about Harry and Ron ?" Allen hadn't forgotten that the reason Hermione refused to go on holiday with him was because she wanted to stay with Harry .
Hermione bit her lip, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.
He thought thatbecause of the fire arrow, Harry and Ron might never want to be friends with him again. Now, the only person he could call a friend was Allen!
The moment she met Allen's compassionate gaze, her strength and defensiveness vanished instantly.
"Ah, my mistake, I shouldn't have mentioned them. From what I know of Harry and Ron , those two wouldn't have the patience to read such boring, thick books." Allen slammed his hand against the tall stack of books.
" Hermione , you're truly the most hardworking and patient Little Witch I've ever seen ," Allen praised.
"Allen, I'm just a little smart, that's all. I haven't found a clear path yet," said Hermione , wiping the corners of her eyes and looking a little embarrassed.
"Well, Hermione , would you like to hear what one of my friends thinks?" Allen hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
Hermione had apparently spent the entire holiday preoccupied with Hagrid's work ; would what Hagrid was about to say upset her?
However, he couldn't stand the fact that Hermione was working so hard and getting such unsatisfactory results .
"Of course, Allen, I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts. You're the smartest, wisest, and most knowledgeable male wizard I know ."
Hermione smiled mischievously and showed her two front teeth.
He suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
Allen found Hermione particularly endearing , and his previous hesitation vanished. "You're not just saying that because I was the best of the year, are you?" he teased.
"Of course not." Hermione always found chatting with Allen very comfortable and enjoyable, a completely different feeling from being with Harry and Ron .
Harry and Ron always needed his encouragement and help, but Allen always helped them unconditionally.
"Actually, Hermione , I don't think it's very smart to spend so much energy on these archives," Allen said seriously.
Hermione looked up and listened carefully. Knowing that Allen wasn't the type to talk without reason, she suppressed her urge to argue.
"First, you're not an expert in the various laws and regulations; second, even if you spent a lot of energy learning these rules, you might not be able to write a defense that will touch people's hearts..."
Allen looked at Hermione's expression and noticed she was watching him intently, showing not the slightest sign of hurt.
Allen continued, "Third, no matter how perfectly written your defense is, can you be sure that Hagrid has memorized it completely and can express it clearly in emotional moments?"
Obviously, Hagrid , who carried giant blood , was weaker at controlling his emotions.
Hermione seriously considered Allen's words; though they were difficult to hear, their logic was undeniable.
" Hermione , being so busy won't do you any good except exhaust you," said Allen.
"So what can I do? I don't know how else I can help Hagrid ." Hermione looked a little upset.
Allen offered him warm comfort: "Actually, you did a very good job already, at least much better than Harry and Ron ."
"But it won't work, will it?" Hermione bit her lip.
Aside from gathering information and writing defense drafts, he didn't know what else he could do to help Hagrid .
"Perhaps we could hire a defense attorney for Hagrid ," Allen suggested.
"That's a brilliant idea!" Hermione's eyes lit up.
A professional lawyer could not only help Hagrid finalize his defense draft , but also accompany him to his court appearance before the Committee for the Elimination of Dangerous Creatures .
"But that might require a lot of money, and Hagrid ... probably doesn't have that much." Hermione worried again.
"I think, as a friend, I'm ready to support Hagrid in overcoming this difficulty ," Allen said generously, touching his nose.
"Oh, Allen, you're so kind. I have a few Galleons here too , not many, but..." Hermione felt a little embarrassed; she knew that the few Galleons she had might not even be enough to hire a lawyer for a week.
"Of course you can, the intention is what matters." Allen winked, not turning down the Little Witch's kindness.
"But we don't need to tell Harry and Ron . You know Ron's family situation . Even though Harry has money , it needs to get him through to graduation!"
Hermione nodded, sensing that Allen had thought everything through in great detail.
School started again the next day. On that cold, damp January morning, the last thing anyone wanted was to spend two hours in the schoolyard.
To their surprise, Hagrid lit a fire filled with salamanders to cheer them up .
This lesson was particularly interesting; as the students gathered wood and leaves to keep the fire alive, flame-loving lizards scurried back and forth among the crackling logs.