On the Hogwarts Express.
Cro and a wide-eyed Hermione boarded the train. After choosing an empty compartment, they both sat down.
"I saw so many kids our age! They must be first-year wizards like us. You won't believe what I—" Hermione began excitedly recounting everything she had seen.
She hadn't realized that everything she saw, Cro had seen too, since they were walking together. But Cro didn't point that out. Instead, he listened with interest.
Why wouldn't I pamper my treasure girl? Cro thought. Why leave that to some blonde kid? I'm going to outshine Ron in every way!
....
"I didn't expect wizards to use a steam train. I thought we'd fly to Hogwarts," Hermione said, taking a sip of water Cro handed her.
She drank eagerly, without any of the refinement one might expect from a young girl, her actions bold and unrestrained. Cro was used to her behaviour by now, and quietly continued reading his Intermediate Transfiguration guide.
"Steam train? This is no ordinary steam train. It's been enchanted with magic. I can't believe there's still a first-year who doesn't know that," said a sudden voice.
Both Cro and Hermione were startled.
Hermione, mid-sip, saw the newcomer and spat water all over her.
Cassandra, standing in the doorway, hadn't had time to react and was soaked. Her elegant, deep green dress, now drenched, clung to her even more vibrantly.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Hermione rushed over to help clean up the mess.
"What were you thinking? Was something I said so offensive that you had to spray me with water?" Cassandra snapped, her face turning dark with anger. Her usual haughty demeanor vanished as she stepped away from Hermione's attempts to help.
She glared furiously at Cro, who was smirking.
"What are you laughing at? Think this is funny? You may look decent, but you've got the brains of a troll!"
[Detecting intense anger!]
[Reward: Golden Chest!]
...
Cro struggled to suppress his laughter and drew his wand.
"Reparo!" he said.
A soft green light enveloped Cassandra's dress, instantly drying it and restoring it to its original state.
"First of all," Cro said, "you barged in without knocking, which startled Hermione and made her spill the water. Secondly, what you said wasn't entirely accurate. Not all first-years know about the train's magic. Not everyone is from a pure-blood family."
He pulled Hermione, who looked a bit guilty, over to comfort her.
"As a pure-blood, your family would have taught you about the wizarding world. But we half-bloods have to learn by reading."
Cassandra's face turned pale with embarrassment. Her hands clenched into fists, and her emerald-green eyes bore into Cro with fury.
"Are you saying I didn't earn my knowledge? That it was all handed to me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Cro smiled slightly. He didn't confirm or deny it, continuing to soothe Hermione.
[Detecting intense anger!]
[Reward: Diamond Chest!]
...
[Detecting intense joy!]
[Reward: Golden Chest!]
...
Cro's grin widened. Two treasure girls means double the chests, he thought. Cassandra had even given him a diamond chest, likely because her pride had been deeply wounded. For someone as confident in her intellect as Cassandra, being told that her knowledge wasn't earned would surely hit hard—especially coming from someone who had bested her before. A diamond chest couldn't fully capture the depth of her emotions.
"Well, if that's how you want to interpret it, that's up to you. But is that really the meaning behind my words? Don't you understand what I was actually saying?" Cro asked with mock surprise.
Cassandra's expression froze, and she gripped her fists even tighter, unsure how to respond.
"What he means," Hermione interjected quietly, "is that as a pure-blood, you have access to more resources. What might be common knowledge to you is something we half-bloods have to learn little by little."
Cassandra's face flushed with embarrassment. "I-I know what he meant! I don't need you to explain it!" she huffed, sitting down across from them.
"Don't misunderstand. Every other compartment was full, and they were all noisy. I prefer a quiet place to read, and I don't like being around loud people," Cassandra muttered, shooting Cro a glance.
After a moment, she added with a smirk, "I take back what I said earlier. You don't have the brain of a troll. At least, you're the smartest of the trolls."
Cro raised an eyebrow, amused. "Thank you for the compliment. I'm truly... honoured."
With that, he returned to his book, paying her no further attention.
Hermione leaned in closer, their heads almost touching as they read together, leaving Cassandra to stew in her frustration.
[Detecting intense frustration!]
[Reward: Golden Chest!]
---------------------
T/N:
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