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Alongside the article ran a line of bold headlines:
SHOCKING! Ministry of Magic's Harsh Interrogation Backfires , Gets Demolished Instead!
Hogwarts Third-Year Sweeps Through Ministry , Aurors Powerless!
Dumbledore's Heir? The Terrifying Library Witch!
The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched. That explained why everyone kept staring at her.
She hadn't expected the Daily Prophet to move this fast. It all happened yesterday, and by morning the papers were already printed and circulating everywhere. No wonder it was the wizarding world's perennial top seller , they actually had some skill. Fudge probably hadn't even had time to react before the newspapers were flying across the country. Any longer and he definitely would've killed the story.
Western reporters were fast. The wizarding world, it turned out, was no exception.
Harry edged carefully toward her, his face caught between two distinct expressions: Are you okay? and That was incredible.
"Hermione — is all of this actually true?"
He knew the Daily Prophet had a long and storied history of exaggeration for the sake of a good headline.
Unfortunately for everyone's sense of comfort, this time it didn't.
Hermione set the paper down and gave a small nod. "Yeah. That's right. I did it."
The Great Hall erupted in a collective sharp intake of breath.
The students stared at her like she was some prehistoric creature that had wandered in through the front doors. They'd always known Hermione was powerful, and they'd always known she didn't back down , but actually going head-to-head with the Ministry of Magic? Actually demolishing it?
This was simply... too good.
Ron was gaping at her, mouth open wide enough to fit an egg, worship written plainly across his entire face.
"Hermione, you , you're just too — "
He was so overwhelmed he couldn't string a sentence together.
"The whole Ministry couldn't stop you, you're just , you're just , absolutely f*ing , "
[BEEP]
Ron had combed through his entire vocabulary for something adequate and eventually landed on that. After a great deal of internal struggle.
What's the point of the bleep? Hermione rolled her eyes. Everyone heard exactly what he said.
Also , your father works at the Ministry of Magic, Ron. Why are you cheering?
The uproar only grew louder after that. The Gryffindor table was surrounded within seconds, packed so tight there was no breathing room.
"Hermione, tell us — did you actually demolish the Ministry?"
A senior student shoved his way to the front, gossip practically radiating off him.
"I heard you nearly killed a senior Deputy Minister?" a girl followed up, her tone carrying an unmistakable edge of excitement and barely-concealed glee.
"I heard Fudge almost wet himself?"
Ron's eyes went wide. That question, in particular, was deeply satisfying to him.
Hermione pressed a hand to her forehead.
How much did Hogwarts hate the Ministry of Magic, exactly? Because from the look of things, watching the Ministry get humiliated was bringing people more joy than finding a sack of Galleons on the ground.
"Oh , Hermione!" A girl suddenly pushed forward, a suspicious flush on her cheeks. "I heard Professor Lockhart has a new Auror working under him. Ethan Hunt? Is he handsome? Can you introduce us?"
"Yes! I want to meet him too!"
"Hermione, please!"
"He sounds so dreamy..."
The atmosphere shifted completely. One moment: revolutionary admiration. The next: schoolgirl enthusiasm.
The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched.
"Fine. When I get the chance, I'll ask around for you." She gave them a pointed look. "Good luck with your celebrity crush."
Then she let her gaze sweep over the group with something like pity.
Help. Someone in this room wants to date Voldemort.
"Yes! Long live Hermione!"
The girls erupted in celebration.
Hermione looked around at the sea of worshipful, admiring, almost fanatical faces , and a thought surfaced, unbidden.
If she raised her hand right now and called for followers, formed her own organization , something like the Death Eaters, but hers , would the whole hall answer?
Before she could entertain the idea further, a pale, slender hand reached through the crowd with uncanny precision, seized her wrist, and dragged her clean out of the chaos.
"Come with me!"
The hand's owner didn't wait for a response. She simply ran.
They sprinted through the corridors of Hogwarts together, left turns and right turns, doubling back and winding through passages, until they finally skidded to a stop in a quiet, out-of-the-way hallway far from the noise.
The hand's owner leaned against the wall, breathing hard, chest rising and falling.
Hermione looked at the strange, bright girl in front of her. A river of silvery-white hair tumbled over her shoulders.
"Hah... hah..."
Luna got her breath back before she spoke. "I could see you were getting a bit overwhelmed. So I made an executive decision." She tilted her head, expression hovering between apologetic and quietly pleased with herself.
Hermione blinked, then laughed in spite of herself. "I don't mind."
Luna blinked back. "So , the Ministry of Magic business. Was all of that planned?"
A pause. Her voice turned faintly probing. "The goal was to get Professor Lockhart into position... and to take their magical artifacts?"
Hermione didn't answer directly. She simply raised one eyebrow.
Luna took that as a yes. She didn't seem surprised. "But that Ethan Hunt," she continued, half to herself, tilting her head in thought. "Where did he come from? He actually held his own against you..."
She went quiet. Something shifted in her expression.
Then her eyes lit up.
"Oh! I know!"
She clapped her hands together. "Ethan , that was Senior Riddle, wasn't it?"
Hermione watched Luna work through it with obvious satisfaction, and felt a smile pull at her mouth. She nodded. "That's right. It was him."
Luna let out a delighted sound and bounced twice on the spot, clapping. "I knew it! I knew it!"
She looked exactly like a girl who had just found buried treasure.
Hermione studied her, something quietly impressed settling in her chest. Whether Luna got there by intuition or by logic, the result was the same.
Terrifyingly clever, this one.
Then Luna's expression changed. Her lower lip pushed out. Her cheeks puffed up like an annoyed pufferfish.
"You did something that fun and you didn't bring me!"
She planted her hands on her hips, silver hair shifting with the movement. "I've been practicing so hard to keep up with you!"
To prove the point, she raised her wand and gave it a light flick.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Silver light bloomed in the dim corridor, and a lifelike hare appeared from nowhere , luminous and vivid, bounding in cheerful circles around them, leaping along the stone floor.
"Alright, alright. Don't be cross."
Hermione looked at Luna's unhappy face and reached out, resting her hand gently on top of Luna's head and giving it one slow, deliberate pat.
Luna's eyes slid shut almost immediately, like a cat being stroked the right way.
Hermione kept her voice soft. "When the timing is right, I'll take you somewhere far more interesting than the Ministry. I promise , at least a hundred times more exciting."
Luna's eyes flew open.
"Really? What's it like?"
"You'll find out when we get there." Hermione smiled and said nothing more.
Luna's expression went completely helpless with curiosity.
Hermione looked at her and her silver hare, and felt a quiet kind of admiration settle in her chest.
Genuinely exceptional talent. Not a step behind Hermione herself, and Hermione had more than a few unfair advantages in this world. Luna just seemed perpetually reluctant to push herself , a certain comfortable laziness to her by default. But Hermione could feel it: for her sake, Luna was already working against her own nature. Already trying.
That meant something.
...
A few more weeks passed at Hogwarts. The heat from the Ministry of Magic incident cooled by degrees, until it was little more than hallway legend.
Hermione counted the days. Decided it was time.
She made her preparations, stepped into the girls' bathroom, and vanished.
Not sure how many people are still reading, but , little preview: Skye is coming.
➤ Next: Strange's Extreme Magic Training
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