On a Saturday morning, only a few people were awake early in the Gryffindor common room, including Miss Hermione Granger.
She sat diligently by the fireplace, making careful notes with her quill. Beside her, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Memory Headband rested on the table.
From time to time, she would put on the headband to review the lesson, carefully recording each new piece of knowledge.
'This Memory Headband is truly amazing... I can review memories repeatedly. Even if I didn't catch something the first time, I can study it again. Professor Hamilton is truly a genius...'
'But even geniuses have their quirks,' Hermione thought, biting the end of her quill in slight exasperation. Professor Hamilton hadn't spoken a single word all year.
Harry had mentioned seeing her in Knockturn Alley, and even then, he hadn't heard her speak.
'She is truly an eccentric person...'
Within two weeks of the new term, Professor Hamilton had already surpassed all previous Hogwarts staff to become the most mysterious figure among the student body.
First of all, she wasn't a Hogwarts graduate, which was already highly unusual. Secondly, she never spoke out loud and kept her true appearance completely hidden.
It felt as though she was hiding in the castle to conduct horrific experiments.
Of course, many students found this brilliant—especially Fred and George Weasley. The twins had somehow acquired two silver masks and often slouched around, pretending to be Professor Hamilton to scare the younger students.
Ron, however, remained quite frightened. Even though Headmaster Dumbledore had healed him after the memory-projection incident, the painful recollection of facing the Killing Curse still affected him deeply.
'That kind of trauma won't disappear anytime soon,' Hermione noted.
She had also heard the wilder rumors. Some students whispered that Professor Hamilton was a Dark Witch who enjoyed tormenting rats.
Hermione, of course, didn't believe a word of it. Ron really did carry his pet rat in his pocket, and Professor Hamilton had shown absolutely zero interest in it.
'But I'm really curious about where Professor Hamilton came from, what she looks like, and what she's done...'
Hermione was completely unaware that she had mentioned Professor Hamilton far more frequently than Gilderoy Lockhart over the past two weeks.
'The mysterious Professor Hamilton... she's just so intriguing.'
Hermione pondered this for a few seconds before shaking her head. No matter how curious she was, dwelling on it wouldn't yield any answers. After all, she couldn't exactly investigate Durmstrang Institute alumni records, could she?
'Moreover... it seems the other professors barely interact with her either.'
Hermione rarely saw Professor Hamilton in the Great Hall. On the rare occasions she did, the professor simply gathered leftover food and hurried back to her office.
She never took off her mask. It was no wonder the Weasley twins joked that it was a cursed Dark artifact that permanently bound itself to the wearer's face.
Realizing her mind was wandering, Hermione shook her head and forced her attention back to her studies.
'Professor Dumbledore said... love is the most powerful magic... and the Unforgivable Curses have no counter...'
She wrote slowly and deliberately, but quickly stopped with an exasperated sigh.
'No, I'm still too curious about Professor Hamilton's true identity... her past and her secrets. There's only one place in Hogwarts where I might find those answers.'
Packing up her notebook, Hermione left the Gryffindor common room and headed straight for the library.
The corridors were mostly empty. It was almost ten o'clock on a Saturday morning, and most students were enjoying a rare sleep-in.
It wasn't until she reached the library entrance that she spotted a somewhat unfamiliar face.
A girl with red hair stood timidly in a corner, muttering quietly to herself.
"Go left out the door, then down the stairs... finally through the main gate... follow the path and you'll find... Hogsmeade..."
'Hogsmeade?' Hermione glanced at the student in surprise. 'Is she already a third-year?'
Only students in their third year and above were allowed to visit the village on Hogsmeade weekends. But shouldn't the older students have already left by now?
'And... why would she be navigating to Hogsmeade from the library?'
Pursing her lips, Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Are you heading to Hogsmeade?"
"Ah!" Startled, the red-haired girl flinched violently and stumbled several steps back.
'Am I really that scary?' Hermione wondered.
Frowning slightly, Hermione repeated, "Are you trying to go to Hogsmeade?"
"Ah... yes... I... I'm going to..." the girl stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "To Hogwood... no... Hogsmeade."
'She's a very strange person... Have I seen her before?'
Hermione racked her brain for a few seconds before pointing out, "It's a bit late to leave for Hogsmeade now."
"Professor McGonagall usually organizes the departing students much earlier in the morning."
"Ah..." the girl whimpered, sounding genuinely distressed. "It's okay... I can..."
"That won't work," Hermione interrupted, shrugging. "Students need permission to leave the castle grounds... and you have to be at least a third-year."
"I'm already... I'm already a third-year..." the red-haired girl whispered defensively, nervously twiddling her fingers together.
"All I need... all I need to know is how to get there..."
Hermione felt a spark of irritation.
'Didn't I just say you need approval? Even if you tried to leave now, you wouldn't find a professor to sign off.'
Furthermore, Hermione was entirely certain that visiting the village required a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian.
'Did your parents even sign your form?'
Honestly, Hermione had serious doubts about whether this skittish girl could even navigate her way back to the castle once she arrived.
"I... I have to go..." the girl whispered miserably. "To buy... to buy some things..."
'I can't really help her with that... Wait... she just needs to buy things...' An idea struck Hermione.
"Do you know Hagrid?" she asked.
"Ha... Hagrid?" The red-haired girl froze, a look of mild terror crossing her face. "I know him... he... he doesn't eat people, right?"
"Nobody thinks he eats people," Hermione said, her frown deepening at the bizarre assumption.
"I'm... sorry," the girl squeaked.
"I just mean that Hagrid mentioned he was heading down to Hogsmeade today," Hermione explained.
"You could ask him to pick up what you need. Do you know how to get to his hut?"
"No... I don't really know..."
"Go straight down this corridor, turn right, then left, and go down one flight of stairs. Finally, walk straight out the oak front doors and you'll see his cabin near the edge of the forest."
"Ah..."
Seeing that the girl still looked completely dazed, Hermione sighed. She pulled out a spare piece of parchment and her quill, quickly jotting down the directions.
Tearing the page free, she handed it over. "This should help, right?"
"It's just surprising," Hermione couldn't help but add. "Shouldn't you have been at this school for three years already? How do you not even know the way to Hogsmeade or Hagrid's hut?"
"I'm sorry..." the girl mumbled, shrinking in on herself. "I... I didn't know this was... common sense..."
"It's not common sense... it's just basic navigation around the grounds." Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "Anyway, I've written down how to find Hagrid for you."
'You'd better go find him soon,' she thought. "If you wait too long, he'll leave without you."
"Ah... well... thank you," the girl said softly, clutching the scrap of parchment like a lifeline.
"You're welcome." Hermione offered a brief smile before turning and quickly walking into the library.
She still needed to uncover Professor Hamilton's true identity. 'There's no time to waste out here.'