Starting from this chapter, we begin Volume 2: The Chamber of Secrets.
Now, let's get into Chapter 20.
Summer vacation. It was a blissful time for many students, and this was no different for the students of Hogwarts. Some spent it playing with friends, others were engrossed in Quidditch practice. Most of them forgot about their homework and enjoyed their free time. But were there students diligently finishing their homework and voluntarily studying magic during this break?
Hermione Granger was one of those exceptional students, although her existence might seem questionable.
It had been a week since the start of summer vacation. Today, her best friend Leonard Taylor was returning from the great alchemist Nicolas Flamel's place. Right now, she was waiting for him in Leo's study room.
(Within this week, I finished my homework on the first day. In the remaining six days, I mastered flying and managed to handle Corporeal Physics somewhat decently. I've also gone through all the textbooks for 6th and 7th years. Even with all this, I can confidently say that I'm still far from Leo. The gap might be widening. But I'm progressing step by step! I have to keep working hard!)
In the same year at the school, there was no one else who could surpass Hermione in her studies, except for Leo. In fact, there were few among the upper years who could surpass her. Nevertheless, her ultimate goal lay far ahead. She must keep aiming for that. Hermione raised her clenched hand high above her head, gathering her determination.
In that moment, Leonard Taylor appeared silently. In regular Apparition, there was usually a 'pop' sound. Leo had modified this aspect using House Elf magic as a reference.
Hermione, caught off guard, froze in the same position with her hand raised, her face flushed.
(Leo!? It's not fair to suddenly appear like that! He saw me in this weird posture...)
She cleared her throat and spoke to Leo.
"Welcome back, Leo. How was it?"
"Hello, Hermione. It was... amazing!! The inspiration behind the Philosopher's Stone's creation, its development history, purification methods, and the issues. I was taught all of that, and we discussed challenges and further developments passionately every day. For now, creating the Philosopher's Stone is possible, but that alone won't change anything. I intend to further develop this."
"It sounds like you had a great experience. I've also grown a lot in this past week! I'll show you the results."
The two of them moved to the magical experiment space. Leo had high expectations for how much Hermione had progressed.
Hermione focused her magical power and began to levitate. Then, she zoomed through the air with as much agility as a broomstick, performing intricate maneuvers and sudden stops. At first, Leo wondered if she was losing control, but as he watched her execute various acrobatic movements and quick stops, he became certain that she had complete control. Notably, she was maintaining impressive speed without appearing to strain herself, and she was fully aware of her surroundings.
As Hermione descended, she aimed her wand at a target dummy, and with the spell "Corporis Physicalis" she unleashed a series of attacks - impacts, stabs, slashes, and more. In the end, she demonstrated the ability to apply force from different directions with a single spell. Although Leo hadn't taught her this, she had independently realized that by splitting her power, she could generate simultaneous impacts in multiple directions. This exceeded his expectations.
Finally, with maximum force from above and below, she crushed the dummy.
Hermione exhaled deeply, signaling the end of her demonstration, and Leo applauded her wholeheartedly.
"Wow, Hermione, that was beyond impressive! Most people wouldn't reach this level of mastery with just regular effort. You have even mastered other methods that I didn't teach you. You are truly remarkable!"
"Thank you, Leo! For flying, I collaborated with Ms. Ferris and used physical enhancement magic for control. I also enhanced my kinetic vision with my own adjustments. I've come a long way in using Corporis Physicalis"
"That's great! Since you've mastered Corporis Physicalis would you like to try some combat training during the rest of the summer vacation? With your skill in this spell and other magic, you could handle most situations."
"You're right. Just like potion-making, you don't learn magic just from books; you have to practice it. I'm up for it."
After a short break, Leo completed his homework.
He enjoyed dinner with Hermione and her parents, making plans for the future.
They spent time discussing all the things they wanted to do together.
August 1992
The summer vacation was in its second half, and the list of materials for second-year students at Hogwarts had arrived. The
Taylor family, accompanied by Hermione, had come shopping in Diagon Alley.
Leo and Hermione were looking at the list, feeling puzzled.
"There are so many textbooks by this Lockhart person. Who is he, anyway?"
"Leo, do you know who he is?"
"I haven't come across his name in any magical research societies. Dad, do you know him?"
Earthkin shook his head in response, seemingly having no clue. Instead, it was Ferris who answered.
"Some sort of handsome adventurer, maybe? Something like that. My friends at school used to fall in love with him. Those books listed there seem to be compilations of his adventures. I've been bored to tears listening to stories about how amazing he is for hours. Perhaps the new teacher is a witch who's a fan of this Lockhart."
Leo and Hermione responded with mild disinterest.
Upon arriving at Flourish and Blotts, the group was taken aback. There was an enormous crowd gathered there. It seemed that the famous Lockhart was holding a book signing event. Sadly, Harry Potter, who had come for shopping, had been caught and was being made to take photos with him.
"Oh my, he's certainly handsome. But my Erskine is undoubtedly the better man."
Ferris declared this with confidence. Erskine blushed but looked pleased.
(He has a good face, that's true.)
Hermione's comment was equally short and to the point. She couldn't quite understand why the other girls around her were so excited.
Lockhart dramatically announced that he would be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year..
Leo and Hermione couldn't help but feel a sense of unease
Harry is on his way back after being released from the crowd. He seems to be accompanying the Weasley family.
Hermione went over to greet them, with Leo following along.
"Harry, Ron! Long time no see."
"Hermione, How have you been??"
"Long time no see! ...Huh? It's Taylor."
Ron gave Leo a disapproving look upon seeing him. To make matters worse, someone else he didn't like appeared.
"It's hard for famous people to go to the bookshop, isn't it, Potter?"
Draco Malfoy approached with sarcasm.
A Weasley girl named Ginny seemed to step in, and further escalation occurred with the arrival of Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy, resulting in a heated argument turning into a brawl.
"What should we do, Leo? Should we try to stop them?"
"Uh... Let's step back. It looks like it's about to explode."
Taking Hermione's hand, Leo walked away from the scene.
Just as they reached the wall, angry voices exploded.
"What on earth are they doing? Those idiots!"
Leo and Hermione, who had anticipated this and silenced the sound, along with everyone else except for Ferris, were now covering their ears.
In an instant, the bookstore fell into silence.
"Uh, Erskine... When, when did you start watching?"
"That's not important right now. Arthur Weasley! How can adults behave like this, fighting in public like this? Aren't you the head of a department at the Ministry of Magic? Show some responsibility!"
"But... Lucius..."
Ignoring their exchange, Erskine called out to Lucius Malfoy, who was attempting to flee.
"You're still quite good at running away, aren't you, Lucius Malfoy? Aren't you part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, right? How about behaving a bit more appropriately? Azkaban suits you just fine. It's not too late, should I throw you in?"
Lucius glared hatefully at Erskine. However, when met with Erskine's stern gaze, he promptly left the bookstore with his son.
"Now then, Arthur. How about we go for a drink afterward? Of course, it'll be a lecture. So, Mom, I'm counting on you with these two."
"Understood. But don't be too hard on them, okay?"
Arthur was led away by Erskine.
The Weasley brothers and Harry could only watch. Molly Weasley, the mother of the Weasley family, bowed her head and said, "Thank you."
"Erskine is amazing, isn't he? He silenced them with just a few words, and even Lucius Malfoy ran away," Hermione remarked.
"Father can be really terrifying when he's angry. It seems the Malfoy family had some painful encounters with him during their days as Death Eaters, so perhaps Lucius has some lingering trauma."
Other than the shopping incident at the bookstore, there were no major troubles, and their shopping trip concluded without further ado.
After returning home, they decided to read a few of Lockhart's books. However, as the descriptions didn't quite match real magic or magical creatures, they concluded that they were works of fiction. Nevertheless, the books were enjoyable to read as novels.
(To think that such books are being published as if they were factual. A con artist, perhaps... This charade will probably unravel during classes at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, the headmaster, would likely see through it, maybe.)
For now, they had decided to get Lockhart removed during the first class.
The next day, when Leo asked Hermione for her thoughts on the books, she replied,
"The content was interesting. If he's been through those adventures, he's certainly fit to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That's assuming the content of the books is accurate, though."
It seemed that Hermione also had her doubts about the book's contents.
Leo felt relieved. It was good to know that Hermione wasn't the kind of person who would be fooled just by someone's good looks.
The remaining days of summer vacation passed in a flash. Tomorrow marked the beginning of their second year.
Leo's ten rings were now complete, and the adjustments were finished. With this, there should be no issue with data collection in actual combat scenarios.
In the blink of an eye, the remaining days of the vacation passed by. Finally, tomorrow marked the beginning of their second year.
Summer vacation... it feels nostalgic, doesn't it?
Hermione's level has already reached the point where she can compete with an average Death Eater.
Hermione didn't fall for Lockhart's charm. Thanks to Leo, she leveled up, and she can see through lies.
So, stay tuned for the next chapter.