The sickly, iron-fisted beauty in Harry Potter

"I hope we can get to know each other and become friends."

Harry chimed in, "This is the first time I've ever seen you make friends like this."

He really couldn't stand Hermione's current state. After all, she was considered a poor student in Muggle schools, and it was an instinctive rejection between different species.

Dolly, however, was still in a state of surprise and couldn't quite understand why Hermione had approached her.

After all, Dolly could never have imagined that it was her first close friend, Ollivander, who acted as the matchmaker.

"Why, don't you want to?"

Hermione's raised eyebrows were starting to falter; clearly, this facade of pride was about to be exposed.

However, Dolly didn't want to slap Hermione's face; instead, she wanted to touch Hermione's face to see what it felt like.

Is it the same as her own?

Just as Hermione's expression was about to break down and she was about to completely collapse, Dolly finally spoke with a sweet smile.

"Making friends is fine, but have you prepared a gift?"

"……Gift?"

"Otherwise, how would I know your sincerity if you suddenly rushed up to me and tried to be friends with me?"

"What if you're a scammer, or just joking?"

Hermione was momentarily at a loss for words; she hadn't prepared any gifts.

And she's never heard of the rule that you have to give gifts to others before you make friends.

"Here, this is a gift for you."

After saying that, Dolly shoved Crookshank, who still had a shrimp in his mouth, into Hermione's arms.

Both the person and the cat were stunned for a moment.

Chapter 24, Part 1: The Bet with Hermione

"Wait a moment!"

Hermione quickly intervened, saying that Dolly's gift was already beyond her expectations.

Why did you give her the pet?

Is this really a greeting gift? Or is this girl trying to abandon her pet?

Thinking of this, Hermione's little face flushed slightly with anger.

“Miss Dursley, it is a life, not a thing.”

"You can't just toss it around like that. It has its own feelings, and you need to respect its feelings!"

After saying that, Hermione lifted the cat in her hand and looked at the big cat with heartache.

When Hermione saw it still carelessly chewing on shrimp, her earlier righteous and assertive demeanor immediately weakened by a third.

"But I think it really likes you."

Dolly smiled and said, "And I think you'll like it too."

"Is that right, Crookshan?"

Upon hearing his name called, Crookshank turned and glanced at Dolly.

Does it like the witch in front of it?

How could it not know!

and many more……

Seeing Dolly's slightly narrowed eyes, Crookshan felt a chill run down his spine.

Looking at the little witch in front of me... well, it's not a bad thing to like her?

Crookshanks are not ordinary cats; they are actually half cat and half raccoon.

The cat-like creature is a magical creature that looks like a cat. Its fur has various spots, its ears are particularly large, and its tail is like a lion's tail.

The raccoon cat is very intelligent, likes to be alone, and has a certain degree of aggression.

Once a cat-like creature falls in love with a wizard, it will become one of his wonderful pets.

Crookshanks are clearly among the higher-class hybrids, and their intelligence far surpasses that of ordinary pet cats.

Moreover, Crookshanks at this time was not like it would be two years later, when Crookshanks had almost given up on wizards.

After being rescued by Hermione, it was naturally extremely grateful to Hermione, especially since Hermione really liked taking care of it.

To Crookshanks, Dolly was now a new master he had known for less than half a day.

It's really not a big deal that the owner was temporarily replaced by Hermione.

Crookshank swallowed the shrimp whole, then raised his tail high and lowered his head to fawn over Hermione's face.

Hermione was caught off guard when the furry Crookshanks rubbed against her.

That bit of imposing manner completely vanished, and she even giggled instinctively because of the itch.

She was so frightened by Crookshan's action of sticking out his tongue to lick her face that she almost threw Crookshan away.

Hermione's parents, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but come over, looking nervous.

They had just thought Hermione was going to make friends with young wizards her own age, but now Dolly had sent out a big cat.

I wonder how dangerous this big cat is, whether it will attack my daughter. If it leaves a wound on her face, Hermione will be heartbroken for a long time.

Fortunately, Crookshanks knew his limits and seized the opportunity to grab Hermione by the collar and climb onto her shoulder, then sat still.

Hermione finally calmed down and realized her lapse in composure.

Just as I was about to do something, like lifting this big cat off my shoulder, I felt the soft touch of fabric on my cheek.

It turned out that Dolly had used a handkerchief to wipe the spot Crookshanks had licked, since it had just eaten something and would definitely have left crumbs and the smell on Hermione's face.

"See, I didn't lie to you, Crookshan really likes you."

A gentle voice came from behind, and Hermione looked in the direction of the sound.

Her bright green eyes held a smile, her delicate features had a slight pallor, and the corners of her mouth were as radiant as the sun.

Each time her lips opened and closed, her hidden, perfectly aligned teeth gleamed with a warm white light, eventually transforming into the girl's sweet voice.

“I’m not joking. Since Crook Mountain is destined to be with you, then entrusting it to you for care is the greatest fortune for it.”

"As for me, I actually prefer the fluffy ones."

Hermione finally snapped out of her daze when she heard the name Pu Rongrong.

He subconsciously said, "Pu Rongrong isn't actually a qualified magical pet; they only have ornamental value."

"I think as students of Hogwarts, it's better to keep pets that can become our magical assistants."

"But isn't Pu Rongrong cute?"

Dolly retorted, "Pets are meant to be companions to their owners. If you only focus on their practical function, what's the difference between that and raising livestock?"

Hermione finally regained some of her composure and asked in an incredulous tone, "Shouldn't we prioritize our studies? We're all Hogwarts students!"

"Mr. Ollivander said you are a smart and intelligent girl, so why don't you understand this?"

Hearing this, Dolly finally understood how Hermione had come looking for her.

It seems she heard her name from Ollivander; Dolly really has to thank Ollivander now.

Otherwise, if Dolly wanted to get to know Hermione, she would have to wait until at least the freshman orientation dinner.

However, there is a downside to getting to know Hermione earlier: the two of them lose the opportunity to gradually get to know each other and grow closer.

If not handled properly, Hermione may keep her distance from Dolly for some time to come.

After all, Hermione was still a rather petty little witch at this point.

Dolly paused for a moment, then said, "How about we make a bet?"

"bet?"

Hermione frowned; she didn't particularly like the word, but she didn't directly reject it.

"You think getting good grades at Hogwarts is the most important thing, but I think experiencing the wonders of the magical world at Hogwarts is the most important thing."

"After my first year ends, let's have a competition to see who's more successful, shall we?"

Hermione's eyes lit up slightly.

She came to Dolly's side because of her competitive nature.

Dolly's words struck a chord with her, leaving her no choice but to agree.

However, Hermione was not a rash person, and she continued, "Then who will judge? We need to find a third party, right?"

“The professors, vice-principals, and even the headmaster of Hogwarts, if they are willing to give us a vote.”

"But I don't think it's that complicated. Maybe I'll just admit defeat when the day comes?"

Hermione reached out and grabbed Dolly's wrist, saying, "No, you can't give up."

"Since we've made a bet, we should settle the score fairly and squarely."

"If you deliberately admit defeat, then I can only conclude that you are not a suitable opponent."

Seeing Hermione's firm stance, Dolly nodded helplessly and said, "Alright, it's settled then."

"But since it's a bet, there has to be some stake, right?"

As Dolly said this, she pulled Hermione down and whispered in her ear.

Hermione's ears twitched involuntarily, as if Crookshanks had licked them again.

Chapter 25, Part 2: Hermione is taken to meet the parents.

What kind of bet do you want?

Hermione blinked and looked at Dolly.