Chapter 83: Hermione Wants to Leave School
Mrs. Granger gently stroked Hermione's head."You are an independent person. You have your own life. You will experience your own sorrows and your own happiness. We can support you and guide you, but we cannot stop you from being yourself."
"Dad…" Hermione whispered softly.
"You've always been very sensible. Even as a child, you were much smarter than both of us—especially smarter than your father when he was young." Mrs. Granger blinked playfully.
"Haha, was Dad really that silly when he was little?" Hermione grinned and laughed.
"Well… that's a bit… maybe we shouldn't talk about that…" Mrs. Granger hesitated, then quickly changed the subject."We can tell how much you love Hogwarts. You love magic, and you're very talented. More importantly, you have many important friends there."
"Friends…" Hermione's eyes trembled at the word.
She still couldn't let go of the idea of leaving school. But what she couldn't bear to leave behind wasn't magic, nor the strange and wondrous magical world—it was her close friends: Harry, Ron, George, Neville, Luna…
Hermione had always been smart, but no matter how intelligent she was, she was still a child. Children find it hard to hide their feelings, whether love or dislike, which often makes their kindness or hostility very obvious.
Those who fall behind are disliked, but those who excel are often envied and resented as well. Hermione's primary school life hadn't been happy. She was too young to know how to hide her true thoughts and desires, and her parents had never intended to teach her such disguises.
But during her year at Hogwarts, she made friends she had never had before—true friends. They studied together, encouraged each other, trained together, and fought side by side. Together, they protected the Philosopher's Stone and defeated the great evil of the wizarding world.
"Your father and I will support and protect you. After graduating from Hogwarts, if you want to continue your studies, you can go on—we can apply to Cambridge, Yale, or Harvard. You'll definitely pass the exams," Mrs. Granger said confidently.
"Yes, I can," Hermione replied. She knew those universities were difficult to get into, but she was confident she could succeed. Even if time was tight and the workload heavy, with magic, she believed she could do it.
"If you want to become a witch after graduation, we'll support that too. You'll become a wonderful witch—at the very least, a happy one," Mrs. Granger said with a smile.
"Mom…" Hermione looked at her with admiration, as if gazing at the stars.
"Alright, sweetheart. You should get some sleep now. I'll finish reading and go to bed too." Mrs. Granger pulled Hermione close and kissed her firmly on the forehead.
"Good night, Mom," Hermione said shyly, hugging her teddy bear as she ran out. After saying goodnight from the doorway, she gently closed the door.
Once outside, Hermione's expression became firm.
Hermione sat in a corner of a café, watching pedestrians hurry past through the large glass window. People walked with purpose, chasing their lives, trying to understand their own confusion.
The door opened.
A tall, well-built man in a suit and polished leather shoes walked in. His broad shoulders made the suit look like armor, and his handsome face resembled that of a movie star. The café patrons couldn't help but glance at him, wondering which celebrity he might be.
The man walked straight to Hermione, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and sat down.
"What made you suddenly invite me out for coffee?" he asked.
"Thank you. One coffee, with sugar and milk, please," he added quietly to the waiter.
Hermione smiled. "Wow, George, you're dressed so formally today. I thought having coffee would be something serious."
"If you put me in a gym, I could recognize most of the equipment. But when it comes to coffee, all I know is that it boosts metabolism—and adding sugar and milk makes it less bitter so I can drink more," George said, taking the cup from the waiter.
"Tell me why you suddenly want to quit school," George said, slowly stirring his coffee. He still remembered how shocked he was when Hermione called him.
When Hermione told him she had decided to leave school, it felt to him even worse than if Dumbledore had called to say Voldemort had fully returned—though George didn't even know if Dumbledore would ever use a phone.
Hermione explained everything that had happened in Diagon Alley and her thoughts. Her voice trembled slightly. It was a hot day, yet she held the hot coffee with both hands, perhaps using the steam to hide her red, swollen eyes.
George fell silent for a long time.
This situation was far more complicated than he had expected. If it were any other problem, it might have been easy to solve. In modern society, most problems stem from money—careers, dreams, family—all can often be improved with better finances. For him, money was not an issue at all.
Even if the Grangers opposed Hermione going to Hogwarts, it wouldn't have been difficult. Encouraging someone to pursue freedom—especially when you can offer real support—is actually simple. People naturally long for freedom. When you have resources, ideas, and determination, freedom is within reach.
But Hermione didn't want to go back to school.
She didn't want to be separated from her parents.She didn't want to hear others call them "Muggles."She didn't want her parents to worry about her.
"Have you talked to your parents?" George finally asked, trying to find another angle.
"My mom told me they support me. They love me. They just want me to be happy. Even though they're worried, they still let me go to Hogwarts. Even though they're worried, they support my choice. They just want me to be happy…"
Hermione's voice choked.
"And that only makes me more determined to leave. I love them."
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