Hermione Granger was absolutely thrilled.
Yet mere moments ago, she had been a nervous wreck.
When Professor McGonagall had appeared at their home and performed a few Transfigurations right in front of her family, Hermione's entire worldview had been fundamentally shaken. However, fascination had swiftly taken over. She had always believed in science, and science dictated that anything that exists must have a rational explanation.
But she was also smart enough to recognize that being Muggle-born was her greatest vulnerability.
This was especially true after the day in Diagon Alley when she had seen Warren Weasley perform magic with a mere snap of his fingers. She had learned from Professor McGonagall that he was actually a year younger than she was. It was terrifying.
Children raised in wizarding families began practicing magic practically from the cradle. Meanwhile, she had squandered nearly twelve years. It felt as though she were trailing a century behind every single one of her classmates.
She had spent the entire summer devouring textbooks and drilling spells with a frantic desperation.
Teaching herself magic was a grueling task. As the start of term approached, Hermione's anxiety mounted. The moment she boarded the Hogwarts Express, she eagerly sought out students from wizarding families, hoping to pump them for information.
Her first attempt proved successful. She shared a compartment with a girl named Susan Bones, who was friendly and approachable. Almost everyone in their carriage knew her aunt was Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Perfect.
But when Hermione cast a simple Mending Charm and attempted to discuss the theory behind it, Susan stopped talking to her completely.
Next, she tracked down the Weasley redhead at the back of the train, Ron Weasley. The boy she had briefly met was showing off his new wand to Harry Potter. The compartment contained both a Weasley and the Boy Who Lived, famous from Modern Magical History. It was too good an opportunity to miss. She had urged Ron to perform a spell. The results spoke for themselves.
Finally, Hermione had cornered Neville Longbottom. The round-faced boy, whom she had practically grabbed, was sobbing and laughing while kissing a toad. Honestly, it made her question the quality of wizarding education entirely.
I can't do magic. If it weren't for my Hogwarts letter, my family would have been convinced I was a Squib. Neville quivered beneath her intense gaze.
"You grew up in the wizarding world. How can you not know any spells?"
"If you really want to know, why don't you ask Warren Weasley? He's right over there. He just helped me find Trevor."
Warren Weasley. The name had haunted Hermione's nightmares all summer.
But after today's efforts, having finally gauged the abilities of her classmates, she could finally hold her head high. Following Neville's directions, she rounded a corner and spotted a familiar, tall, red-haired figure. He was strolling down the corridor, casually twirling his wand.
"Warren Weasley?"
Strangely, despite her confidence, the moment she called his name and he turned to fully reveal his handsome face, her heart began to race. Thump, thump. It felt as if it were trying to leap out of her throat. Was this the aura of a rival?
For a girl whose mind was usually occupied by nothing but her studies, the ringing in her ears was overwhelming.
Warren, however, wasn't surprised to see Hermione. The Hogwarts Express only had so many carriages. He nodded with a smile. "Hello, Miss Granger."
Before approaching him, Hermione had prepared a whole speech. Challenge him to a duel. Tell him she'd read all his papers and knew about his achievements in Potions. But faced with his greeting, her mind went completely blank. She could only reply stiffly, "Hello, Mr. Weasley."
"Is something the matter, Miss Granger?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but someone bumped into her from behind and shoved her aside.
A boy with pale platinum-blond hair and a pointed face stood there, flanked by two large, hulking thugs. His expression was pure arrogant contempt.
"Out of my way, you little Mudblood."
Without even glancing at Hermione, whom he'd nearly knocked over, he looked Warren up and down and sneered. "Another Weasley. I just saw one, dirty and stupid, hanging around Potter and his glasses. You're even stranger than him." He finally deigned to glance at Hermione, then quickly looked away, as if a second more would contaminate him. "And you're friends with this? Hair like seaweed, teeth like a rabbit."
He didn't get to finish.
Warren cut him off. "Draco Malfoy?"
Malfoy looked surprised for a moment, then puffed out his chest. "Yes. At least you're more knowledgeable than that idiot Ron."
Warren shrugged. "If I were you, I'd get lost. There's no mummy or daddy here to protect you on this train."
A faint flush crept up Malfoy's pale cheeks, and his eyes widened. He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, so you want to fight? Crabbe, Goyle, get him."
His two dim-witted cronies seemed eager for the task. Grinning, they lunged at Warren with a roar.
Hermione barely had time to gasp before she saw Warren raise his wand.
"Impedimenta."
The air in front of them seemed to thicken. Crabbe and Goyle charged into an invisible sticky bog. Their movements slowed to a crawl. An unseen force seized them, lifted them off the ground, and splayed their limbs out like frogs pinned to a lab table.
They screamed in panic. "Draco, help!"
They'd picked the wrong person to call. Draco barely had time to look frightened before Warren calmly pointed his wand at him. Red light flared.
"Expelliarmus."
Bam.
A tremendous force slammed into Draco's stomach. The corridor walls blurred past him. A moment later, he crashed heavily into the partition.
Dazed from the impact, his mind blank, he had no time to react. Another spell hit him before he could recover.
"Densaugeo."
Draco felt a tingling sensation in his mouth. He stared, wide-eyed, as his front teeth rapidly grew, extending past his lips and curling upward in a grotesque curve.
The shock was too much. He burst into tears.
He didn't wait for Crabbe and Goyle. He scrambled to his feet and fled toward the back of the train.
Students from nearby compartments poked their heads out to watch the commotion. Warren lifted the spell on Crabbe and Goyle, and they fled in tears, chasing after their master.
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