Hermione continued learning new knowledge every step of the way while still keeping up with extracurricular activities. She truly was an outstanding teacher.
Thinking of this, George felt a hint of regret. It was precisely because of his deep understanding of the history of the magical world that he had discovered so many of its underlying problems. And it was through this understanding that he was able to tell Harry and Ron how incomplete and flawed magical education truly was.
With Hermione's talent, if she had lived in the Muggle world, everything would have gone smoothly for her. If she became a scientist, she might even change the world. But in the magical world, she could at best become a lawyer—a lawyer serving a population of only three thousand people. That was not bad by any means, but it undeniably wasted her potential.
Hermione Granger was completely immersed in her book when she suddenly noticed someone sitting across from her. She instinctively looked up—it was George.
Hermione lifted her chin, puffed out her cheeks like a little lion, and then buried her head back into her book. Seeing this, George smiled quietly to himself.
"What is this cute little girl angry about?" George wrote on a slip of paper and passed it to her.
"I'm not angry!" Hermione's cheeks puffed out even more, though she stubbornly refused to admit it. After reading the note, George took it back and quickly wrote another line: "You should have joined Gryffindor."
So that was it—Hermione was still worried about George not going to Gryffindor.
"Shouldn't our genius girl have been sorted into Ravenclaw? The Sorting Hat must've been knocked dizzy by that clever little brain of yours," George wrote and passed the note again.
Hermione's expression flickered. She avoided his gaze, clearly embarrassed. Her small hand crumpled the note slightly, leaving a crease at the corner. After a moment, she slowly began writing again.
"The Sorting Hat suggested Ravenclaw, but I chose Gryffindor." After hesitating, she gently handed the note back to George.
Seeing her look so awkward—like a student caught by a teacher in class—George couldn't bring himself to tease her further.
"Don't worry. Gryffindor is great. If you'd gone to Ravenclaw, it would've been inconvenient for you to tutor Harry and Ron," George wrote to comfort her.
Reading that, Hermione smiled, revealing a set of bright white teeth—then immediately felt shy and covered her mouth with her hand. In Gryffindor, she had not only met good friends like Harry and Ron, but had also built much better relationships with her classmates.
Hermione had been intelligent since childhood, but she relied too heavily on her intellect. After all, she was still a child. No matter how gifted, she couldn't understand the world the way adults did.
She worked desperately to be first in everything, hoping to earn admiration and recognition. But people who are overly hardworking and overly intelligent inevitably invite comparison. That may not be their intention, but it is the unavoidable outcome.
Those who work too hard often end up hurting others, and so they are frequently isolated. Hermione was no exception. Adults often used her excellence to pressure other children, turning her into "someone else's child."
This only pushed Hermione to work even harder, improving her grades further—but also making her less popular among her peers.
Even at Hogwarts, her diligence and brilliance could make others uncomfortable. Her effort, her Muggle-born status, and even her personality all became targets of criticism. It was unfair—but it was reality.
Fortunately, she met Harry and Ron. Each had flaws and contradictions of their own, but in the end, they came together and formed a deep friendship.
This time, Harry and Ron were luckier than before—and Hermione was luckier too. George's presence meant that the top rank was firmly occupied by him.
George's outstanding appearance naturally created distance between him and others. But he was a special "outsider"—almost like a shared rival—which strangely helped his classmates grow closer to one another.
Thankfully, George didn't mind. He even found it amusing to be singled out by a group of eleven-year-olds. For a mentally mature adult, constantly playing among children was a serious test of patience.
"At least there's still one assignment left…" Hermione refused to admit defeat as she looked at George, who was far taller than her and yet had even more homework.
She didn't know that George monopolizing first place actually improved her standing among her classmates. But she knew one thing—she was Hermione Granger, the one who had always been first. Even if her opponent was unimaginably strong, she would never give up.
Seeing the unyielding determination in Hermione's eyes, George felt both surprised and helpless. After all, he was an adult. Even though he was winning, he didn't feel any pride in defeating a child—yet Hermione's fighting spirit genuinely inspired him.
After so many years of preparation, George found that he didn't even have the courage to deliberately lose to an eleven-year-old—especially one he could learn from, even if she was a genius.
George also wouldn't allow himself to lose in any subject. For him, passing was the bare minimum. Even so-called "pay-to-win prodigies" couldn't escape competition.
Two people with equally strong wills were both capable of enduring a long battle.
The two silently competed, then buried their heads back into their books.
George was deeply engrossed in a travelogue about ancient wizards. As a first-year student, even access to the academy's library was heavily restricted. Advanced spells were out of the question, and even basic ones required a professor's permission.
The only books George could borrow were history texts, travel journals, and even odd anecdotes about ancient witches.
Fortunately, the books in the library all had clear origins. Regardless of their accuracy, the ones George selected were centuries old.
Reading the travelogue, George found it strangely fascinating. Though the book was ancient, the author's mind felt surprisingly youthful.
Gulliver's Travels recorded the journeys of a powerful wizard named Gulliver across various lands. Unlike standard wizarding history, it didn't dwell on fairies, elves, witches, or other beautiful races. Some accounts—such as the "Land of Giants" and the "Land of Villains"—were difficult to verify, but they greatly broadened George's horizons.
"Ancient wizards and modern wizards seem fundamentally different."This was a line from the twentieth ancient text George had read so far. Even from a casual reading, he had already gleaned useful information.
If history was "half speculation and half prejudice," then novels were "half lies and half truth."
As George read more ancient history and encountered different interpretations of the past, he continued to benefit greatly. After all, there was no such thing as absolute historical truth.
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