[Night exploration complete. Special skill unlocked: Stealth Lv.0 (0/100)]
…So this thing is encouraging him to sneak out more?
Rock's expression twisted a little. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he tip-toed back toward the dorm.
He eased the door open. Adam and Theo were still fast asleep. Rock quietly set his backpack down, put away his clothes, and slipped straight under the covers.
As he listened to Theo mumble in his sleep, Rock stared up at the star-patterned canopy and sank into thought.
---
The next morning, Rock woke to Adam and Theo calling his name.
"Dude, you seriously scared me," Theo said, dropping onto Rock's bed. "I woke up and saw you still knocked out. Thought something happened."
"Thanks for worrying." Rock rubbed his face. "I just stayed up too late reading."
"Reading?" Adam blinked—then spotted The Invisible Guide to Invisibility sitting beside Rock.
"For real, man." Theo stood and passed Rock his robe from the chair. "You don't have to push yourself this hard."
"Thanks." Rock took it. "Yeah, I'll pay more attention to the time."
Robes on, the boys headed to the washroom.
Cold water finally woke Rock up for good, and he trailed after Adam and Theo toward the main castle, feeling much more alive.
---
"By the way," Theo said suddenly, wearing a weird expression, "did either of you feel like someone was watching us last night?"
"Can you not?" Adam deadpanned.
Ever since he found out Adam was scared of ghosts, Theo had taken every opportunity to torment him.
"No, seriously!" Theo waved his hands. "I really felt someone watching me. I was half asleep."
Rock, who had been listening to a gossiping portrait, froze.
Wait… don't tell me his sleep-talking was actually him sensing me?
"Rock, didn't you say hardly any ghosts come into Ravenclaw?" Adam's face had gone pale.
Rock rubbed his forehead, pretending to think, then snapped his fingers.
"Oh—right. That must've been me getting up to get a drink of water. I checked to see if you guys kicked off your blankets."
Theo thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. I didn't feel any danger, just… eyes."
Adam finally relaxed—only to turn around and interrogate Theo about all the other times he'd spooked him on purpose.
Rock quietly scratched his nose. How is Theo's half-asleep intuition this sharp?
---
The first class that morning was History of Magic. Honestly? Boring as ever.
Even when Rock tried to take notes like he did in Defense class, nothing useful came out of it. History of Magic was the epitome of reading straight from the textbook.
Then the afternoon brought Herbology—Adam's least favorite subject.
Adam declared today "a hopeless day," and Rock and Theo could only shrug. Adam still hadn't found a class he genuinely liked.
Life at Hogwarts kept moving forward. Rock finally had time to follow the training plan he'd made, squeezing in breaks to hang out and wander the castle with Theo and the others.
He even ran into the Weasley twins again. Lately he hadn't seen them sneaking out of Hagrid's place during morning runs. They were always wandering around with a map.
The Marauder's Map, huh?
Rock sighed. He'd originally planned for his grandpa Newt to mail him special cat treats so he could get friendly with Mrs. Norris and maybe snag the map from Filch's office someday.
Another missed opportunity.
---
One weekend, Rock walked into the library and instantly noticed Hermione wasn't in a good mood.
"What's wrong?" He put down his quill and waved a hand in front of her face.
"Oh—sorry!" Hermione blinked back to reality. "Just… something on my mind."
Rock nodded. No pressing. People talk when they're ready.
After struggling with herself for a moment, Hermione finally looked up and asked quietly:
"Rock… do you think I'm… not fitting in?"
"Not fitting in?" Rock paused, pretending to think. Then he shook his head. "No. Honestly, I'm glad I have someone who actually enjoys studying to talk to."
Hermione smiled a little, though the sadness was still there.
Then she suddenly launched into a rapid-fire, breathless explanation. By the end of it, she exhaled shakily.
She'd clearly been holding all this in for a while.
"So… did I do something wrong?" Hermione asked, eyes searching his for an answer.
Rock didn't reply right away.
It was obvious:
Most kids don't like people who are noticeably smarter than them.
Not that Gryffindors weren't smart—just that, compared to Hermione, they felt less so.
Hermione had always been a top student in the Muggle world, basically a school celebrity. Then she came to Hogwarts and found out no one cared about grades. Even troublemakers were more popular than she was.
Of course her sense of balance collapsed. Add in her naturally stubborn personality…
When she saw someone doing something wrong, she'd call it out instantly, in that lecturing tone of hers.
But Gryffindor's little lions? Eleven-year-olds with pride and attitude?
No way they were going to take that quietly.
And if she acted superior, they weren't going to humbly accept it—they'd shut her out.
Hermione fidgeted at Rock's silence.
"Hermione," Rock finally said softly, "I get how you feel. You've read everything—textbooks, extra books, all of it. You know the answers. But when you speak up, instead of praise, you get pushed away."
"That really isn't fair. And yeah… it hurts."
Hermione's expression softened. Finally, someone understood.
"I have a thought," Rock continued, "but it might sound a little weird."
"Tell me," Hermione said quickly. She wanted things to change.
"Knowledge matters a lot to you," Rock said, tapping her notebook. "You want to help people with it. But when you correct someone directly, it can feel like showing off."
"It hits their pride."
"So next time," Rock suggested, "instead of saying, 'You're wrong,' maybe try, 'Wanna look at this together and see if there's a better way?'"
Hermione blinked—actually stunned for a moment.
Rock quietly waited. It really was the truth. If he had been an eleven-year-old wizard, he wouldn't have been any more patient than the others.
"Thank you… but Rock," Hermione hesitated, "you kind of sound like the old guy who lives next door to us. You know—the type who's seen everything and just sits there giving wise-old-grandpa advice."
Rock: …
…Flip the table.
Where's his wand?
He's about to launch an Epic Meltdown Blast.