Hermione's POV
The morning after our shopping excursion to Diagon Alley, I, Hermione Granger, hurried toward my destination. Of course, my destination was the Taylor residence. Starting today, Leo would be teaching me magic intensively until our enrollment.
Last night, I couldn't fall asleep as I thought about the excitement of my first visit to the magical world and the upcoming studies.
I consider Leonard Taylor to be my one and only friend, or rather, my best friend. Simultaneously, I've set a goal to eventually surpass him.
When we first met, he immediately interjected, which I found quite rude. However, he hadn't said anything wrong, which only added to my frustration. After several such exchanges, I had to admit that he had a faster mind and a better grasp of things than I did. I no longer harbored anger like before; instead, I genuinely respected him. I must emphasize that I never felt uncomfortable around him. I strived to get closer, to stand beside him, and ultimately, to surpass him in both magical and non-magical aspects.
Even though I later discovered that he was a wizard, and we were going to the wizarding world together, my determination to surpass him remained unshaken.
Yesterday, when we went to Diagon Alley together, it became apparent that he was well-known and highly regarded in the wizarding world. In contrast, I was starting from scratch when it came to magic. Nevertheless, I had no intention of giving up. The gap between our goals had grown wider, but that only fueled my determination. I needed to study as much as possible before going to Hogwarts.
"In any case, it starts today... According to this map, it should be around here," I murmured to myself.
I stowed the map to the Taylor residence in my bag and pulled out another item I had been given. It was a blue coin adorned with geometric patterns.
"They said this will help me recognize the place..."
As soon as I muttered those words, the coin emitted a soft light, and in the next moment, a house appeared where there had been none just seconds ago. Startled, I rang the doorbell.
The door swung open quickly, revealing a woman with long brown hair inside.
"Hello! Who might you be? Hmmm? A young girl? Around Leo's age, I suppose. Lost, perhaps? What's your name? Do you have some business here?" she asked.
"Um, nice to meet you! I'm Hermione Granger. I was called here by Leo... I mean, Leonard. Is he at home?" I replied.
"Oh my, Leo's friend, you say!? Oh dear, what should I do? Leo having a friend visit, and a girl no less! I never expected this! I'm Leo's mother, Ferris Taylor. I'm just so surprised!" she exclaimed.
Ferris's unexpected reaction left me rather flabbergasted for a while. However, she eventually realized she had left me standing there and ushered me inside.
"I'm sorry about that. I had heard that Leo would have a visitor, but I never imagined it would be a friend, let alone a girl! Anyway, I'll go get Leo now, so please make yourself comfortable on the sofa," Ferris said.
With that, Ferris left the room, and I took the opportunity to look around the house. Despite being a wizard's home, there didn't seem to be anything particularly out of the ordinary. It was a very ordinary house, which was somewhat surprising.
After a while, Ferris returned with Leo.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! By the way, what brings you here? Just to visit? Is Hermione starting at Hogwarts this year too? What's your favorite food?" she asked, bombarding me with questions.
"Mom, she's a bit overwhelmed right now, and you're bombarding her with questions all at once," Leo intervened.
"But, Leo, a friend has come to visit you! And a girl! I'm just so excited to ask her so many things!" Ferris replied.
Despite Ferris's relentless questioning, Leo seemed unperturbed. He simply said, "Hermione, I don't doubt your abilities, but are you worried about keeping up with schoolwork? Shouldn't you start studying the school's curriculum sooner rather than later?"
Hogwarts was a school of magic. Naturally, the curriculum was heavily focused on magic, which was something I had only recently discovered actually existed. I wondered if I could keep up with the studies, handle magic, and so on. At first, I was filled with joy and hope when I found out I was a witch, but as I approached the stage of actually being taught magic, doubts had gradually begun to creep in.
Leo, however, didn't seem to care about my inner turmoil.
"I believe there are other Muggle-born students, and they do just as well as wizard-born children at Hogwarts. You shouldn't worry. You're talented. I don't mean in the sense of being able to do magic, but in terms of your quick thinking, observation skills, and comprehension. These qualities will become crucial when dealing with magic. For now, I'll start by teaching you the basics and then increase the pace according to your abilities. Plus, there's a chance that my own perspective on magic might lead to new discoveries, and learning about magic from a Muggle's viewpoint seems interesting," he said.
Just being told that I was talented by him warmed my heart. More than the information that there were other Muggle-borns, that one statement completely reversed the direction of my feelings.
"It seems you're getting motivated. Alright, let's begin your studies. I'm not a teacher, but I do magical research. From now on, I'll explain magic to you based on my own perspective."
"Hogwarts subjects, including magic, can be broadly divided into three categories, in my opinion. First, there are spell-related subjects. These involve using magical power and spells to bring about various effects. This includes spellwork and transfiguration."
"Secondly, there are magical creature-related subjects. These involve handling magical creatures, both plants and animals. Subjects like herbology, magical creature care, and potion-making fall into this category."
"Lastly, there's the third category, which encompasses everything else. Magical history, Muggle studies, and similar subjects deal with history and culture, so they don't involve the use of magic directly. Divination and other fields that deal with the soul and mind also fall under this category."
I nodded in understanding. I made a mental note of spells, magical creatures, and everything else.
"First, let's start by explaining what magic is before we delve into spell-related subjects. You'll need to experience magical creature-related subjects firsthand because you can't learn everything from books. We can leave the third category for later. For the next month leading up to your enrollment, we'll focus on spellcasting and such."
It seemed like we were finally starting the actual lessons. I needed to pay close attention and engrave everything into my mind.
"Magical power is the one and only difference that distinguishes wizards and Muggles. Whether you can generate magical power within your body or not."
"The quantity and characteristics of magical power are inherent traits, and they're difficult to change. Quantity determines how much magic you can use. To put it in Muggle terms, think of it like the gasoline in a car. The amount affects the speed and distance the car can travel, just as it affects the number and strength of spells you can perform."
"Characteristics, on the other hand, don't vary much between individuals, but they influence your aptitude in certain areas of magic. People with unique magical characteristics might struggle to use magic in most areas but excel exceptionally in one particular field."
"Spells are tools that assist in converting magical power into magical phenomena. The key is not just saying the spells but having a clear image of what you want the magic to achieve. Magic transforms magical power based on that image. Spells are used to establish that image, so more experienced wizards can perform magic without reciting spells. However, saying the spell strengthens the effect by reinforcing the image."
"The establishment of the image, in other words, understanding how to handle magic, is crucial. Magic works best when your mind is in a normal state. Conversely, attempting magic with a fatigued or unstable mind can lead to failure and even dangerous mishaps. Anxiety, agitation, lack of confidence, panic; trying to use magic under these mental states can result not only in failure but potentially in fatal accidents."
"Lastly, there's the wand. Its role is to provide a pathway for efficiently channeling magical power out of the body. By using a core from a creature with an affinity for magical power in the wand's core, it guides magical power toward the intended magical effect. Like spells, it's just a tool to assist in using magic. However, wizards are highly reliant on wands. Although it's theoretically possible to use magic without a wand, humans have weaker innate abilities for channeling magical power outward compared to other magical races. To perform wandless magic, a deep understanding of magic regarding the specific spell is necessary. Wands play this role, but creating them requires specialized knowledge. By the way, any object can be used as a substitute for a wand as long as it channels magical power effectively, although it's not very common."
Magic power, spells, imagery, mental strength, wands... I repeated Leo's words in my mind, taking notes. I understood what was needed to use magic, but...
"Leo, I've grasped the minimum requirements for using magic. However, I can't quite imagine how magic works without seeing and trying it for myself."
"Well, what I just explained is the absolute basic structure for using magic. Most people probably think that they need their wand and to say spells to perform magic, without consciously thinking about magical power. I checked the textbooks that Hogwarts provides, and there's hardly any explanation about magical power or wands; it mostly focuses on the spells and their effects. However, when you really want to accomplish something with magic, being aware of these principles can help you gain finer control and even explore more complex applications of magic. I can guarantee that knowing these things will improve your magical abilities."
Listening to Leo's words, I realized that the foundation was crucial in everything.
Afterward, we began the course with simple magic. First, Leo demonstrated, then I attempted. He pointed out any mistakes and areas for improvement. I adjusted the specific imagery, pronunciation, and wand movements. Even if I made mistakes repeatedly, Leo provided timely advice, which reduced my failure rate significantly.
The first week primarily focused on simple spells, like moving objects. In the second week, we delved into basic curses and defensive spells, along with handling low-risk magical creatures. By the third week, I had reached the level of third to fourth-year students in terms of spellwork. In the fourth week, we reviewed what we'd learned so far and did some preliminary study for Hogwarts. Since I had progressed faster than expected, Leo introduced me to slightly more advanced magic in this final week.
According to Leo, my understanding was beyond his expectations. Yet, from my perspective, Leo, who called me talented, seemed to be operating on a whole different level. Apparently, he had unique "sight" that allowed him to perceive magic and magical power as formulas or colors.
In any case, I had gained a significant amount of knowledge and skill in the month leading up to my Hogwarts enrollment. My goal was still far away, but I was determined to study even harder and eventually surpass him. Just wait and see!
During this time, Harry Potter was spending his days in the cupboard under the stairs.
Author's note :
This time, I decided to tell the story from Hermione's point of view.
I want to challenge different narrative formats.
The Taylor residence is protected by Leo's development of a simplified Loyalty Charm. Instead of a guardian, a coin serves as its substitute.
It's a basic form of protection, so it might be detected by more skilled wizards.
Thanks to Leo, the ultimate cheat, teaching me magic, Hermione's abilities have improved significantly in this story. I haven't decided how far we'll take it yet.
Next time, we'll cover Hermione's journey up to her arrival at Hogwarts.