The recess time between classes was not too long, but it was just enough time for Hermione to complete the task.
As she stood up from her desk in the Transfiguration classroom, it seemed as if half the class turned to look at her. It wasn't just because standing up drew the eye; it was because Miss Hermione's presence—a combination of her ethereal beauty and that inexplicable "main character" aura—had already made her the focus of the first years.
Harry and Ron, still recovering from their dressing down by Professor McGonagall, were blissfully unaware of Hermione's intentions.
Across the room, Malfoy, who was joking with Crabbe and Goyle, noticed the movement. His expression soured instantly. He watched as Hermione made a beeline for the Gryffindor duo.
"Malfoy..." Crabbe grunted, noticing his boss's unkind face.
"Let's continue," Malfoy snapped, pretending not to care. But out of the corner of his eye, he watched Miss Hermione intently.
Beneath the table, his pale fists clenched. As a hunter, seeing his prey approach another—especially that scar-headed Potter—made him want to hit something.
"Hermione?"
Ron and Harry looked up curiously as she stopped in front of their desk.
Hermione looked down at them, her mind racing through the mission options. Compared with toilet brushes and notebooks, Hermione certainly knew that Basic Attribute +1 was the superior choice. Besides, it was just a joke. No big deal.
She adopted a sweet, slightly condescending smile.
"Ron, Harry," she began, her voice carrying clearly. "You were late today. Probably because you got lost, right?"
Harry frowned, doubts clouding his green eyes behind his glasses. He seemed sharp enough to hear the undercurrent of sarcasm in Hermione's tone. In Harry's impression, Miss Hermione was a gentle, modest, and beautiful girl. She shouldn't be so mean.
Ron's brain circuit was simpler. He just stared at Hermione, his heart skipping a beat at her proximity. He replied in genuine surprise, "Hermione, how do you know?"
Hermione's smile widened, but it wasn't healing. It was the smile of someone enjoying a private joke.
"Well," she said, her voice dropping to a mimicry of Professor McGonagall's clipped tone. "I think it is necessary for me to turn one of you into a map. That way, you will never be late in the future."
"..."
"..."
Harry and Ron froze at the same time. The reference to McGonagall's scolding was sharp and unexpected.
[Congratulations for completing Option 1 task. Reward: Basic Attribute +1]
Hermione felt a wave of satisfaction. She was getting more and more proficient at navigating the System's absurd demands. Without wasting any more time on the stunned boys, she turned on her heel and went back to her seat to pack her bag for the next class.
Ron looked at the stunned Harry and whispered, "Harry, do you think that Hermione is a little different today?"
Harry nodded slowly. "She seems to be teasing us on purpose. And she speaks like Professor McGonagall."
Ron looked a little dissatisfied, his ears turning pink. In the original timeline, Ron would eventually make Hermione cry by mocking her, sending her to the troll-infested bathroom. It showed a twisted logic: to win the favor of a girl, you must first engage in emotional warfare. However, for this version of Hermione, Ron probably didn't have the ammunition to win that war.
Across the room, Malfoy was suddenly in a good mood. He had been angry just moments ago, jealous of Hermione's attention to the Gryffindors. But after eavesdropping on their conversation, he laughed heartily.
She was mocking them!
Those two idiots had managed to arouse Miss Hermione's disgust.
Malfoy felt good about himself again. He started posing, running a hand through his slicked-back hair, trying to catch Miss Hermione's eye as she walked past.
But Miss Hermione's mind was entirely on her own System.
She opened the attribute panel. There were hundreds of stats. The cautious Hermione, sticking to the way of the Gou—survival above all—decided to invest this point strategically.
Current Stats Added:
Magic +1
Blood Volume +1
Low-key +1
Strangely, there was a Low-key attribute. Hermione read the description: Roughly translates to the convergence of personality and publicity. Increases the ability to blend in and avoid unwanted attention.
Hermione felt that she needed this very much. This magical world was too dangerous, and her natural beauty was drawing too much fire. Keeping a low profile was the way to survive.
The second class of the day took place in the dungeons. It was taught by Severus Snape.
Potions.
The classroom was cold, creepy, and lined with glass jars containing floating, pickled things. It was an extensive and profound art. If one learned this course well, they could brew fame, bottle glory, and even stopper death.
Hermione felt that she was indeed a studious child, and she was genuinely interested in the subject.
She reviewed the ingredients in her head: Daisy roots, fig skins, caterpillars, rat spleens, a drop of leech juice... Shrinking Solution ingredients. A few drops can turn a toad back into a tadpole.
Hermione also found that after her Basic Attribute Low-key +1 took effect, the number of boys peeking at her in class began to decrease slightly. The gazes slid off her more easily, less fixated.
At the same time, although Professor Snape was not as outwardly loud as Professor McGonagall, his eyes were black tunnels of terror. The cold aura emanating from his body made the freshmen afraid to breathe too loudly. Therefore, students naturally kept their eyes on their cauldrons.
Even Malfoy stopped looking at the eye-catching Miss Hermione, his focus drawn to the intimidating Potions Master.
In the original story, Hermione and Harry often sat together in this class. Here, Hermione made a strategic choice. She sat far away from Harry. She knew that Professor Snape had a particular vendetta against Harry Potter and would target him relentlessly. Hermione didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
But the System option quest didn't seem to be planning to let Hermione go so easily.
As Snape began his introductory speech—"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class"—the blue light curtain popped up.
[Option 1: Interrupt Professor Snape. Tell him his speech is not good, and ask him to come down so you can speak instead. Reward: 1 Primary Potions Book (Advanced).]
[Option 2: Tell Professor Snape that Harry did not listen carefully in class and suggest he should be punished. Reward: Basic Attributes +1]
[Option 3: Be as light as a cloud and gentle as the wind. Have nothing to do with yourself. Reward: 1 Pure Cotton Hat.]
Looking at these three options, Hermione felt mentally drunk.
The reward for Option 1 was enticing. An "Elementary Potions Book" from the System would likely be as intuitive and powerful as the Magic Book she already had. It would fast-track her to becoming a female scholar deity.
But Hermione didn't have the courage!
If she stood up in class and said, "Brother Snape, you can't do it, sit down and let Big Sister teach," she would be famous throughout the school... as a corpse or a expelled legend. Hogwarts couldn't accommodate that level of audacity.
Option 2 had high economic value—another stat point. However, she had already teased Harry and Ron during the break. That was banter. Reporting Harry directly in class to a teacher who hated him? That was betrayal. It would shatter their relationship completely. Plus, being a snitch was universally annoying.
Hermione wanted to keep a low profile, make a fortune in silence, and pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger. She didn't want to be the most hated student in Gryffindor.
So, gritting her teeth, Hermione finally decided to be calm and watchful. To not get involved in Harry's affairs, and certainly not to offend Professor Snape.
Just be herself.
Sure enough, even without Hermione meddling, Professor Snape took the initiative to pick up the sting. He found trouble with Harry Potter almost immediately.
"Potter!" Snape said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry looked blank. It was the first day; of course, he couldn't answer the obscure questions.
"I don't know, sir," Harry said quietly.
"Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything."
Snape continued to grill him on bezoars and monkshood.
Hahaha!
Malfoy and his goons covered their mouths, snickering as Harry was scolded.
In the original timeline, Miss Hermione would have been sitting nearby, her hand shooting into the air, frantically waving, desperate to prove her knowledge.
But the Hermione here sat quietly in the back, far away. As a time traveler who hadn't memorized the textbook yet, she genuinely didn't know the answers either. She had to admit, she still had a long way to go to become a top female student.
[Congratulations on completing the task. Reward: 1 Pure Cotton Hat.]
The low-key Hermione successfully completed the Option 3 task.
Feeling the new item in her inventory—getting the pure cotton green hat again—Hermione glanced across the dungeon. She looked at the insolent Malfoy, who was still snickering at Harry's misery.
The gift she promised to give him last night had arrived.
Malfoy caught her gaze. He immediately stopped laughing. He misunderstood completely; he thought Miss Hermione was looking at him with interest. Boys of this age always have an inexplicable confidence.
He straightened his robes immediately, puffing out his chest, showing what he thought was a handsome, aristocratic profile.
He was very happy that Hermione had taken the initiative to look at him. If only he knew what color the hat in her pocket was.
PLS SUPPORT ME AND THROW POWERSTONES .