As the saying goes, there are three bonds that make men brothers: climbing through windows together, fighting in battle together, and... well—cough!
Although Hermione was a pretty girl, the same principle seemed to apply to her too.
When Harry and Ron were willing to risk their lives to find her, Hermione's impression of them shifted a little. At the very least, she no longer found Harry so disagreeable.
So, after the troll incident, while they couldn't exactly be called inseparable friends, their relationship had improved a lot. Of course, she still often clashed with Ron Weasley over various issues...
Besides that—
Another reason Hermione was able to settle into Gryffindor so quickly might be that she had been keeping a much lower profile lately.
Though she still eagerly raised her hand in class, she no longer went around quoting the textbook at everyone.
And when faced with typical Gryffindor foolishness, the young witch had learned to turn a blind eye.
Gradually, the other little lions seemed to forget that Hermione had once spoken up for Draco...
But if there was one thing that had changed the most about Hermione, it would be her relationship with Draco.
It was as if the two of them had become strangers overnight.
No, more accurately, Hermione had been deliberately avoiding Draco.
They hadn't exchanged a single word, not even a glance.
Maybe she simply didn't know how to face him.
She knew it was her actions that had caused the rift between them, and that she was the one who should apologize first.
But it had involved Dark magic—something she'd been taught since entering the wizarding world was only used by evil wizards.
That kind of clash in values… Hermione felt she needed time to come to terms with it.
Yet before she realized it, as time went on, she found their relationship had quietly changed. And by then, she no longer had the chance to ask, to understand, or to persuade Draco.
Maybe that's what happens—if you don't speak up right away, you just never get the courage to say what needs to be said later.
And just when Hermione thought it was all over between them, that they'd never cross paths again...
She never would've guessed that the events to come would bring them back together once more...
…
The troll incident had quickly faded from memory, thanks to the professors' deliberate efforts to keep it under wraps.
Though it was still mentioned occasionally, something new had happened that shifted everyone's attention—and the center of this new drama was none other than the boy who, up until now, hadn't shown any special talent and had even been reduced to a side character in Ron's stories.
Harry Potter!
"Harry, we all heard—you've been made Seeker for our team!"
"Wood really kept it quiet. I mean, we're the Beaters—he could've at least told us!"
"Well, that's because Professor McGonagall told him not to."
The "Wood" Harry referred to was, in fact, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
And the ones who had loudly approached Harry were none other than the infamous red-haired troublemakers of Gryffindor—Ron's older brothers, George and Fred.
What they were shouting about was loud enough for the entire Great Hall to hear, and chaos quickly broke out among the students nearby.
Even the Slytherin table, some distance away, could hear them clearly.
"What? A first-year made the Quidditch team?!"
"Who is it—Harry Potter?"
"That's incredible!"
"What's the big deal? I could've done that too..."
Quidditch truly was the national pastime of the wizarding world.
It didn't take long before the news of Harry Potter joining the team spread like wildfire. It wouldn't even take until tomorrow for the entire school to know.
Maybe this was exactly why Professor McGonagall had insisted they keep it a secret until now?
But at this point, even if Harry wanted to keep it quiet, there was no way he could.
Because the first Quidditch match at Hogwarts was just around the corner...
...
And just then—perhaps by coincidence—
As owls poured into the Great Hall like they did every morning, all eyes were drawn to a long, slender package carried by six long-eared owls.
It was the first time any of the young wizards had seen such a large delivery, and they couldn't help but be curious.
Even more surprising was that the recipient appeared to be Harry Potter—who had already become the talk of the school.
Just as Harry reached out to open it, another owl swooped down, landed in front of him, and casually snatched a piece of meat off his breakfast plate...
"Harry, there's a letter with the package—hurry, open it and see what it says!"
For whatever reason, Ron always seemed to jump in and make decisions for Harry at times like this, deliberately raising his voice to grab everyone's attention.
And just like that, every young wizard in the Great Hall was now staring their way.
Hermione, standing nearby, shot Ron an annoyed glare for taking over without asking.
"Uh, let's see... it's from Professor McGonagall. As for the contents..."
Before Harry could finish reading, Ron had already started tearing open the long parcel left by the owl.
Maybe this kind of spotlight really was addictive?
As that thought crossed his mind, Ron pulled the wrapping aside and finally saw what was inside...
"What's this?"
"A broomstick?!"
"This streamlined handle... the polished heartwood shaft... and look! It's got 'Nimbus 2000' engraved with magic!"
"There's no doubt about it—this is the brand-new Nimbus 2000!!"
The Weasley twins shoved Ron aside and crowded in.
At that moment, the two of them acted like a comedy duo, taking turns dramatically announcing what Harry had just received.
Excited by the commotion, all the students in the hall surged forward, eager to get a closer look at the Nimbus 2000...
"It really is a Nimbus 2000?!"
"Just let me touch it—just once!"
"Harry's my roommate. He'll let me ride it, right?"
"Yeah yeah, after you're done, let me have a go!"
"Hey, stop pushing!"
"Who just grabbed my butt?!"
The chaotic scene made Draco frown—he couldn't understand what everyone was getting so worked up about.
Beside him, Goyle and Crabbe were annoyed at how much attention Weasley was hogging...
"That so-called Chosen One not only broke school rules, he joined the Quidditch team as a first-year—and now he gets the latest broomstick too."
"So arrogant. Stupid Gryffindors."
Unlike the rest of the excited students, the two gluttons beside Draco were clearly bitter about all the attention Harry Potter was receiving, like he was the star of the show.
On the other side of the hall, Pansy was sulking on Draco's behalf...
"Draco, aren't you going to do anything about this? I know how good you are at flying. If you became a Quidditch player, I'd buy you a broomstick even better than the Nimbus 2000!"
Her dramatic offer made Draco laugh as he patted her on the head.
"Look over there. Harry Potter and his friends are in for it now."
"What is it?"
Following Draco's gaze, Pansy and the others spotted Professor Snape—dressed in his usual black—striding toward Harry Potter with a face like thunder...