Hermione, who had been about to discuss the various applications of Transfiguration spells with Evan, began to notice an increasingly fervent look in his eyes.
"Evan, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, feigning composure.
"Come with me first, I'll explain later!" Evan, to the astonishment of Harry and Ron, urgently grabbed Hermione's wrist and ran.
Hermione, still confused about what was happening, was whisked away by Evan, sprinting along. Harry and Ron, snapping out of their shock, hurried after them, fueled by curiosity.
Along the way, due to Evan's recent popularity, many recognized him. His act of dashing through the corridors with Hermione in tow sparked a wildfire of gossip among the students.
It was big news, indeed!
After all, the story of Evan heroically saving Hermione from the troll the night before had spread like wildfire, and this scene fueled wild speculations. Some younger witches looked on with disappointment, but their curiosity got the better of them, and they followed.
Fred and George even whistled excitedly as Evan and Hermione passed by, giving Evan a big thumbs-up.
With an ever-growing audience trailing behind, Evan was baffled by the commotion, and Hermione, realizing the gazes directed at her, blushed deeply, her mind racing with wild thoughts. The route, however, began to feel familiar.
Wasn't this the way to the library?
Sure enough, the library doors soon came into view. Evan, uncharacteristically ignoring the library's hushed traditions, briskly ushered Hermione into a sitting area. He then grabbed a book he had not finished reading, "Basic Potion Formulas and Ingredient Analysis," and thrust it into Hermione's hands, pointing to a specific section.
"Hermione, this book's third chapter, seventh section talks about the opposing medicinal properties of Blackthorn and Mandrake, but why are they both used together in many potion brews...?"
"Um... ah?" Hermione snapped out of her daze, still flushed, embarrassed by her misinterpretation, and wishing she could hide among the books. Recognizing the book Evan handed her as one she had read before, she quickly regained her composure and got into the groove.
"That's because Blackthorn's medicinal properties are too intense, so it's usually balanced with the milder, yet opposing, Mandrake to neutralize the effects..."
After Hermione's explanation, Evan, under the guise of academic exchange, flipped through the pages, asking Hermione to elaborate. When he came across a topic he knew, he would also chime in for a mutual discussion...
Harry, Ron, and the other gossip-seekers, who had arrived breathless and curious, were greeted by this harmonious scene.
"They actually... they're here to study?" George, as part of the gossip crowd, nearly thought he was hallucinating.
What in the world was going on?
The rest were equally bewildered. They had come all this way just for this?
"I think I'll go back to playing Wizard's Chess," Ron said, dumbfounded.
"Wood probably wants me at Quidditch practice right now," Harry agreed, nodding. They didn't want to waste their precious time in the library.
George and the others were reluctant to leave, hoping for more drama, but the growing crowd at the entrance soon caught Madam Pince's attention.
"Silence! If you want to stay in the library to read, then quiet down, or else leave immediately!" Madam Pince said impatiently.
Seeing that Madam Pince was about to evict them, the crowd of nosy students dispersed, disappointed. Few wished to stay.
Evan, immersed in his academic pursuits, was oblivious to the commotion, reveling in the rapidly increasing proficiency shown on his system panel.
Hermione seemed to know everything about the basic theoretical knowledge, regardless of the subject, effectively saving Evan the step of cross-referencing with other books.
Moreover, Hermione's comprehension abilities far exceeded Evan's usual state, so after her explanations, the efficiency of his learning naturally skyrocketed.
Hermione's presence was like a learning accelerator. Compared to his usual pace of studying without the experience card, his proficiency was growing more than twice as fast!
After discussing over a dozen pages, Hermione looked up at Evan nervously, fearing she had made a mistake.
After witnessing Evan effortlessly defeat the troll and cast an exquisite Transfiguration spell, Hermione couldn't help but feel that he was leagues ahead of her. Her anxiety during the explanation stemmed from the fear of making errors.
"Hm? Why have you stopped?" Evan, who had been engrossed in Hermione's explanations, suddenly realized the silence and turned to see Hermione looking at him nervously.
Evan quickly grasped the situation and reassured her.
"What you just explained was spot on... I happen to agree."
"Over here too, exactly my thoughts..."
"However, I have a different understanding of this part..."
...
The next few hours were spent in intense study and discussion between Evan and Hermione.
Thanks to the extensive knowledge he had accumulated over the past half-term, Evan was able to maintain an equal footing in their discussions.
Before he knew it, Evan had revisited several books he had read but not fully grasped, pushing his understanding to one hundred percent completion!
[Ding, "Basic Potion Formulas and Ingredient Analysis" reading progress has reached one hundred percent, reward: five academic points]
[Ding, "Advanced Transfiguration Spells" reading progress has reached one hundred percent, reward....]
...
The academic points gained from reading a wealth of books, combined with previous rewards and spell upgrades, allowed Evan's academic points to once again surpass the hundred mark.
Without any hesitation, Evan took advantage of the momentum and selected several challenging books. He activated the Study Prodigy Experience Card and began to read rapidly while explaining to Hermione, returning the favor for her help.
Evan had expected this to significantly slow down his learning rate under the experience card, but to his surprise, after merely stating his views and explaining them, Hermione immediately understood.
Her learning and memory abilities genuinely humbled Evan...
What Evan didn't know was that Hermione was also under immense pressure, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She had to run her already sharp mind at full speed to grasp the increasingly complex concepts Evan explained.
This left Hermione, who thought she had a slight edge in theoretical knowledge after their discussion, feeling a bit dismayed. Perhaps Evan's previous questions were to gauge her progress, and now he was showing his true level of expertise.
Tips:
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