The first rays of morning sunlight illuminated the room.
Luke stretched and yawned as he opened his eyes.
"Hermione!"
Luke turned his gaze to the sofa in the corner, finding Miss Hermione still asleep.
"It's seven in the morning; wake up quickly."
He walked over, calling Hermione to rise.
The soft bunny ears, changed the previous night, had returned to their original state, leaving Luke feeling a bit wistful.
Considering there was a class later and not wanting to upset Hermione, he restrained his impulse to change them back.
"Well--"
Hermione emitted a soft hum and slowly opened her brown eyes with a perplexed look, appearing incredibly cute.
"Good morning."
Luke sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch the girl's head with a chuckle.
"Good morning, Luke."
Hermione felt the touch in her hair, and her awareness began to fully wake.
She sat up, supporting herself with one hand while rubbing her drowsy eyes with the other.
She had slept well and felt equally comfortable.
"Come on, let me help you with your hair."
Luke, just awake, cleaned up with a spell since there was no bathroom in the Room of Requirement.
Maybe I should add a bathroom next time we come in? he thought.
Hermione obediently turned her head away.
Her slightly tousled brown curls were transformed by Luke's spell into a low curly ponytail, with a few strands hanging down in front of her forehead.
"Perfect."
Luke admired his handiwork, nodding in satisfaction.
Indeed, Hermione looked cute with any hairstyle, especially with her face.
"Are you satisfied?"
He handed her a mirror.
Hermione covered her mouth and yawned, squinting at herself in the mirror.
In the reflection, she could see Luke's smiling expression, and her brown hair sparkled in the morning sunlight.
"Satisfied!"
Hermione nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips as she swung the low ponytail she had just tied.
She suddenly felt that spending the night here in the Room of Requirement, where they could freely talk, was a better choice than the silent dormitory.
I can't fathom what Luke had in mind. Lost in his thoughts, Hermione discreetly cast a glance at him as he fixed her hair imperfections.
"Come on, we've got Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class this morning," Luke reminded, the events of the previous night lingering in their minds.
The two of them hadn't forgotten today's lesson. After a quick tidy-up, Luke led Hermione out of the Room of Requirement.
Following a simple breakfast, it was time for class. Professor McGonagall, teaching them for almost a semester, focused on reviewing elementary Transfiguration spells, a topic they were familiar with. The end-of-semester exam requirement was to transform a lively rat into a teapot. Luke was confident in his abilities; he could effortlessly turn a teapot into a mouse if needed. Hermione, after days of dedicated training, had mastered the deformations proficiently.
However, Harry and Ronald were struggling, their teapots sprouting legs and dashing around the room. Other students faced similar challenges.
"You two can earn an O with me," Professor McGonagall declared with a smile, recognizing the exceptional effort of the two wizards. To receive an O (Outstanding) was a remarkable accomplishment.
Luke took it in stride, but Hermione was elated. "Our Transfiguration Spell can get an O rank!" she whispered happily, shaking Luke's arm.
In the wizarding examination hierarchy, O represented the best, a perfect score. Beyond that were E, A, P, D, T, denoting Excellent, Acceptable, Poor, Dreadful, and Troll, respectively.
"You deserve it, Miss Beaver!" Luke chuckled, acknowledging Hermione's dedication. He had witnessed her practicing the transformation spell diligently every day, a level of perseverance beyond ordinary wizards.
Miss Hermione glared at Luke, her petite teeth almost audibly grinding, clearly displeased with the name Beaver.
"No, no, my dear Miss Granger," Luke teased, sensing her disapproval.
Luke swiftly adjusted his words as he noticed Hermione taking his hand and moving closer.
"Humph!" Hermione huffed, tilting her head and snorting, pointedly ignoring the boy beside her.
In their recent classes—be it Potions or Magic History—the duo operated like emotionless answering machines, accumulating points rapidly. While Hermione excelled in Magic History, Luke held his own in the other subjects.
An amusing incident occurred during the joint Gryffindor and Hufflepuff class on magical techniques taught by Professor Flitwick. Despite being from Slytherin, Luke outperformed the students from the two other houses, earning Gryffindor unexpected points.
After Charms class, Hufflepuff students, who hadn't contributed any points, stared at Luke in disbelief. Professor Flitwick's classes were typically theoretical, requiring some thought to answer questions. However, Luke and Hermione promptly responded, leaving the usually studious badgers perplexed.
"Am I doing something wrong?" Luke wondered, feeling the scrutinizing gazes directed at him.
"Um!" Hermione nodded, attributing Luke's swift responses to her lack of points. Even if they had tried to grab points, their answers were identical.
"Next time, I'll hold back a bit!" Luke teased Hermione, his laughter soft and reassuring.
With Slytherin solidly leading the scores, Ravenclaw secured the second spot. Meanwhile, Harry's efforts propelled Gryffindor to the fourth position. It seemed, barring unforeseen circumstances, Slytherin was poised to claim the House Cup this year.
....
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