Domino—well, Hermione—stumbled to his feet, clutching the wall for balance.His—her—hair was a wild bush of chaos, and that stupid nightgown kept tangling around his legs.
He glared at the glowing blue screen still floating beside him."Okay, system," he said, voice wobbling between anger and panic. "Tell me this straight. Which Harry Potter movie is this? Please don't say something cursed."
The system made a ding! noise that sounded far too cheerful for someone who just hijacked a man's soul.
[Analyzing timeline...]Detected era: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."Year: 1995. Dumbledore still alive. Voldemort active. Emotional damage level: extreme.
Domino stared."Of all the damn movies… you dropped me into the depressing one?"
The system blinked.
Correction: statistically, all are depressing.
"Thanks," he muttered. "Really comforting."
He looked down again, flexing delicate fingers that were definitely not his.Hermione Granger. Smartest witch of her age.And now possessed by a dead guy who couldn't even pass college math.Lovely.
"Okay," he muttered, pacing. "Order of the Phoenix means… Umbridge. Pink frog woman. Harry screaming about Voldemort. And me—well, her—probably leading a study group. Great."
Another ding.
Quest Updated!Attend breakfast with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.Pretend to be Hermione Granger.Bonus reward: dignity (unlikely).
Domino groaned. "You're mocking me."
Observation: 83% chance of public humiliation within five minutes.
"Fantastic."
He grabbed the nearest robes hanging on the chair—neat, folded, labeled "Prefect Granger."The badge gleamed at him, judgmental.He sighed, pulling it on.
A knock at the door nearly made him jump out of his borrowed skin.
"Hermione! You coming or not?"It was Ron's voice, muffled and sleepy.
Domino inhaled sharply, looking at the mirror again.Big brown eyes. Intelligent stare.He pointed at himself. "Okay, Domino. Just act smart. Speak with big words. Correct everyone's grammar. You've got this."
He opened the door.
Ron stood there in the Gryffindor corridor, yawning. Harry was behind him, glasses crooked, hair defying gravity as usual.They both smiled. "Morning, Hermione."
Domino froze. His brain crashed."Uh—uh—morning, fellas?"
Ron blinked. "Fellas?"
Harry frowned. "You okay, Hermione? You sound weird."
Domino forced a grin. "Oh, no, no. Perfectly splendidly wonderful, mate. Just… feeling the vibes of academia."
Both stared.Ron leaned toward Harry. "She's finally gone mental, hasn't she?"
Domino's fake smile twitched. "Shut up, you—uh—ginger delight."
"What?" Ron blinked. "What did you just call me?"
"Nothing! Let's go eat breakfast, yeah?" Domino said quickly, shoving past them before he could make things worse.
The system flickered beside him again as he walked down the moving staircases.
Warning: uncharacteristic behavior detected. Timeline integrity: 89%.Try harder to act like Hermione Granger.
Domino whispered through gritted teeth, "You try being Hermione Granger when you woke up wearing her pajamas!"
Affirmative. Beginning behavior simulation tutorial.
"Oh no you don't—"
Before he could finish, the system projected a hologram of Hermione's face giving a calm lecture.
"It's Leviosa, not Levio-sah!"
Domino groaned. "I hate this."
And somewhere deep in Hogwarts, a new chaos was just beginning.
Domino closed the door after Ron's knock faded away, pressing his back against it.His heart was pounding like a drum.He looked around the room again — soft pink curtains, stacks of books, a perfectly folded uniform hanging by the wardrobe.
He sighed. "Alright, Domino. You've survived worse. You once parallel-parked in front of your boss. You can handle this."
The system popped up again, glowing innocently.
Next quest: Equip standard Hogwarts uniform.Reward: +1 sanity. (Temporary)
He shot the screen a glare. "You mean I have to change?"
Affirmative.
He looked down at himself — still in Hermione's sleep shirt, hair a frizzy storm cloud, bare legs freezing in the morning air.He groaned. "This is so wrong on so many levels."
Domino turned his back to the mirror. "Okay, no looking. No touching. Just… mechanical procedure. Like changing a doll. Yeah."
He grabbed the skirt, blazer, and tie, mumbling to himself the whole time."Not my body. Not my body. I'm just a guest. I'm a polite spiritual squatter."
The system, ever unhelpful, dinged again.
Warning: excessive blushing detected. Temperature rising.
"Shut up," Domino hissed, trying to pull the uniform over his head without actually looking down.Of course, he got the tie tangled in his hair, the skirt backward, and somehow ended up hopping on one foot, swearing under his breath.
He tripped — crashed against the bed — and smacked his head on a stack of Transfiguration textbooks."Perfect. Brilliant. Ten points from Gryffindor… me."
The system buzzed cheerfully.
Tip: Mirror observation may increase dressing efficiency by 78%.
Domino pointed at it. "If you say 'look in the mirror,' I swear—"
Noted.
When he finally managed to tie the last button and brush the chaos from his hair, he turned toward the mirror just to check.And froze.
Hermione Granger stared back — prim, sharp, composed.No hint of the panicked guy trapped behind those brown eyes.
He blinked. "...Damn. No wonder everyone listens when she talks."
The system chimed again.
Appearance check: passable. Behavior simulation: 46% human, 54% disaster.
Domino rolled his eyes. "That's generous."
He took one last breath, grabbed Hermione's wand from the desk, and whispered, "Alright, Miss Granger. Let's make it through breakfast without traumatizing anyone."
As he stepped toward the door, the system flickered once more.
Reminder: Do not accidentally cast spells. Or flirt with Harry Potter.
Domino frowned. "Why would I—"
Statistical prediction: 17% chance.
He groaned, opening the door. "This is going to be a long semester."