On the vast, manicured lawn of the Quidditch pitch, the atmosphere shifted from tragic to excruciatingly awkward. The wind whistled softly through the goal hoops, carrying the scent of damp earth and the unspoken tension of a performance abruptly ended.
Hermione felt that her acting skills were worthy of an Academy Award. As for why she was so confident? It was because the System delivered the payout immediately.
[Congratulations for completing the optional task. Reward: Basic Attribute +1]
Ding.
The reward arrived almost the instant she finished her tearful monologue. It was a ringing endorsement from the System—a digital thumbs-up for her melodrama.
Now that the task had been successfully completed and the stat point secured, there was no need for Hermione to continue degrading herself. Her demeanor changed instantly.
She sniffed, wiped a tear that was halfway down her cheek, and looked at the flattened insect in her hand. With a blank, indifferent expression, she opened her fingers and let the remains of "Little Barnaby" drop into the grass.
"Since you have left me mercilessly," she deadpanned, staring at the green blades, "then I don't need to miss you anymore."
Perhaps it was because the adrenaline of the performance had faded, but at this moment, the embarrassment hit her like a physical blow. Hermione felt her face heat up. She was cringing so hard she felt she could dig the foundation for a three-story house with her toes right there in her shoes.
"Primary school sister..." Oliver Wood stammered, still reeling from the emotional whiplash. "We are very sorry that we accidentally hurt your little pet..."
He was trying to apologize, even though a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him something was off. Who keeps a beetle as a pet?
In order to quickly end this scene before she died of shame, Hermione waved her hand dismissively. She turned her beautiful face away, offering them a side profile illuminated by the setting sun.
"Forget it," she said coolly. "I don't blame you. Let's just leave this here. There will be no future for us."
After finishing her cryptic sentence, Hermione didn't wait for a response. She turned on her heel and ran. She fled the pitch, her robes billowing behind her.
It wasn't just because of the embarrassment. It was also because Hermione didn't want to establish too much causality with these main characters. To survive in this dangerous world, Hermione held onto a simple philosophy: If I can't beat the plot, surely I can hide from it?
As long as she didn't get tangled in the threads of fate with dangerous characters, danger couldn't touch her.
"..."
Harry and Wood stood in the cooling evening air, watching the back of the girl as she sprinted toward the castle.
"This junior..." Wood scratched the back of his neck, a bemused smile creeping onto his face. "Has she always been this cute?"
Wood didn't know how else to describe the bizarre interaction, so he settled on "cute."
Harry adjusted his glasses, looking at the empty space where she had stood. "Well, she has always been quite popular. As far as I know, many boys like her."
Wood turned to look at his new Seeker, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Harry must be among them, right?"
Harry was immediately embarrassed. His face turned a shade of red that rivaled the Quaffle, and his green eyes darted away in panic behind his lenses.
"No, no, Mr. Wood," Harry stammered, waving his hands. "Don't talk nonsense."
Wood laughed, patting Harry firmly on the shoulder. "What's her name?"
"Hermione Granger."
Wood nodded, his expression turning sage-like, the look of an older brother imparting wisdom. "Harry, a beautiful girl like that is sure to be popular. Don't be stupid. If you miss the opportunity, it will be gone."
There seemed to be a story in Wood's words—a shadow of past regret. After all, love that cannot be obtained, and the regret of losing it, is a rite of passage. Harry was still young, but he would understand eventually.
"By the way," Wood added, looking at the spot where the beetle had fallen. "We killed her little pet during practice. It's bad luck. I will buy a pet tomorrow, and you can give it to her for me. As compensation."
Harry wanted to say no. Although Hermione was very committed to the performance just now, simple logic suggested that it was impossible for a polished little beauty like Hermione to actually adopt a random beetle as a beloved pet.
The way she had discarded the body—like tossing a used tissue—confirmed she was likely just joking or being dramatic.
However, in order not to owe anything in his heart, and because he didn't want to contradict his captain, Harry nodded. "Okay."
On Hermione's side, she slowed to a walk as she reached the stone corridors of the castle. Her mind was busy calculating.
She needed to decide where to add the Basic Attribute obtained from this mission.
In fact, she really wanted to add it to [Low-key].
In the real world she came from, being a beauty was manageable. You just cleaned yourself up, dealt with suitors, and lived your life. But this magical world was different. It was lethal. And instinctively, Hermione had a sense of fear.
Being targeted by Malfoy again had made her even more uncomfortable. She really wanted to be low-key. Invisible.
But Hermione also discovered that the System options were unwilling to let her be lonely. It kept pushing her into the spotlight.
So, Hermione made a pragmatic choice. She simply added this precious 1 point to [Defense].
Current Stats:
[Magic +1]
[Blood Volume +1]
[Low-key +3]
[Agility +1]
[Defense +1]
Although Defense looked similar to Blood Volume (HP), these were two completely different concepts in her mind.
Defense was damage mitigation—protecting yourself from harm, thickening the skin, resisting the blow. Blood Volume was the health pool. If you stab someone with low HP, they bleed to death. If you stab someone with high HP, their blood is "thick," and they survive the blood loss.
She felt a slight tingling sensation as the stat applied, her skin feeling microscopically tougher.
"Hermione—"
A familiar voice suddenly echoed off the stone walls, stopping her in her tracks.
She turned her head. It was Ron Weasley, standing near the entrance to the courtyard.
With a girl he liked in the picture, the boy had begun to dress himself up intentionally. His usually messy red hair was slicked back with what looked like an excessive amount of water, and his robes were tucked in neatly.
Hermione couldn't help laughing when she saw him. "Why are you dressed like this?"
Ron looked at Hermione. Even though she had [Low-key +3], he couldn't stop seeing her glowing face. He was ecstatic just to be in her presence.
"I think..." Ron mumbled, touching his wet hair. "I think it looks more mature if I dress up like this."
Hermione smiled, a genuine, amused expression. "You're a kid. What are you doing trying to look so mature?"
Ron blushed, looking down at his shoes. He was a little too embarrassed to say: I am doing it for you.
As they walked together down the corridor, they attracted the attention of passers-by.
In the original story, Hermione didn't actually get much attention, and the students around her didn't care who she was with. But here, some passing boys of the same grade looked at Ron with undisguised envy.
Ron's heart beat faster. He wanted to make Hermione spend more time with him. He felt that unless Hermione had a specific reason to stay, she would avoid him and Harry intentionally.
At this time, Ron reached into his pocket and took out the green hat Hermione had given him. He placed it carefully on his slicked-back head.
"Does it look good?" he asked earnestly.
Hermione looked at the bright green fabric against his red hair, forcing down the urge to laugh or cry at the cultural implication only she understood.
"Not bad..." she managed to say.
"Hermione," Ron said, seizing the moment. "I'm actually waiting for Harry. Why don't we wait for him together?"
He looked at her hopefully. "Don't you wonder how Harry is doing with his Quidditch training?"
Not curious! Hermione screamed internally. I am not at all curious!
Hermione opened her mouth to refuse. She wanted to say that she was tired and had to go back to rest. After all, it wasn't appropriate for her to be hanging around with two boys all day long. As a normal girl, she should go find a few like-minded girlfriends—maybe Parvati or Lavender.
However, at the critical moment, the omnipotent blue light curtain popped up again, blocking Ron's hopeful face.
[Option 1: Reject Ron's invitation, go back to sleep. Complete the task, Reward: 1 Pair of Comfortable Pajamas.]
[Option 2: Tell Ron that you know Quidditch very well, and he doesn't need to hear it from Harry. Complete the task, Reward: 1 Loud Whistle.]
[Option 3: Wait for Harry with Ron, and successfully trigger the Restricted Corridor on the Fourth Floor plot. Complete the task, Reward: Basic Attribute +1.]
The appearance of this System option made Hermione feel a little embarrassed and resigned.
Although Hermione wanted to avoid danger all the time—just like adults want to avoid overtime and students want to avoid homework—sometimes, fate forces your hand.
Or rather, the lure of stats forces your hand.
This may be life, she thought with a sigh.
"Okay," Hermione said, her voice sounding a little against her will, so she didn't look very happy on her pretty face. "Let's wait for Harry together."
Harry didn't keep Hermione and Ron waiting too long.
He appeared from the direction of the grounds, looking windblown but happy. Seeing Ron waiting for him didn't surprise Harry; after all, they lived in the same dormitory.
And Harry knew that Ron would be dying to hear about his unexpected appointment as Seeker.
It was just that Harry didn't expect Miss Hermione to be there, leaning against a stone pillar with a look of mild resignation.
"Ron, Hermione," Harry offered a greeting, smiling.
Without waiting for Ron to ask about the training, Harry took the initiative, remembering his captain's instructions.
"Hermione," Harry said seriously. "Senior Wood expressed his deep apologies for our accidentally killing your pet, Little Barnaby. So, Senior Wood decided to buy a pet tomorrow to compensate you."