Hogwarts' Golden Glory

The next day, in the final twenty-four hours before the Hogwarts Express departed, the castle was filled with the hurried atmosphere of packing luggage and the excitement of impending freedom.

Hermione Granger, a witch usually known for her meticulous planning and efficient execution, has fallen into a rare state of "behavioral disorder" that she herself cannot understand.

It all stemmed from Luna Lovegood's ethereal invitation in the library yesterday, and Kane Malfoy's damn "keep an open mind" response.

At breakfast, Hermione "happened" to sit in a spot where she could clearly see the Ravenclaw table (the furthest end from the Gryffindor table, for which she had to take a long detour).

She stirred the oatmeal absentmindedly, her gaze fixed on Luna.

Luna was spreading marmalade on... a pickled cucumber, then taking small bites while reading an upside-down magazine.

The carrot earrings were replaced with two small silver propellers that emitted a slight buzzing sound. Hermione squinted, trying to decipher some hidden message or potential threat from this absurd breakfast combination and accessory.

"Is she practicing some kind of special digestion spell?" Hermione whispered to Ron, who was struggling with a sausage beside her. "Or is that propeller earring some kind of communication device? A secret communication tool for The Quibbler?"

Ron, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "Who? Oh, that crazy girl Lovegood? It's news when she's not acting weird. Hermione, your bacon's getting cold."

He was completely out of sync with Hermione's train of thought.

Harry glanced at Luna, then said hesitantly, "She's just... a little special, Hermione. It probably doesn't mean anything by it."

"So special that you invited a guy you've only met a few times to your house for summer to study harassing flies?" Hermione blurted out, her tone a bit sharp.

Harry and Ron were both taken aback and looked at her strangely.

Hermione blushed and quickly buried her head in her porridge, pretending that she hadn't said anything.

In the morning, Hermione "just happened" to need to go to the owlhouse to mail a letter to her parents, detailing her final grades and summer vacation plans.

She calculated the time Kane might spend at the greenhouse giving a final check on the Devil's Web he was in charge of (he had mentioned it briefly), and chose a route that "might overlap".

As a result, she wandered around on a secluded spiral staircase for a full twenty minutes, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, before realizing that the staircase would get stuck at the third quarter of every odd-numbered hour.

When she finally arrived at the owl hut, she only saw Hedwig, Errol, and the other owls preening their feathers.

Hermione, feeling annoyed, had the school owl deliver the mail. On her way back, she "unexpectedly" bumped into Kane, who was coming out of the library, in the third-floor corridor.

He was holding a long, thin box wrapped in dark green silk.

"Hi, Hermione," Kane greeted her. "Sending a letter?"

"Yes, that's right. What is this...?" Hermione's gaze fell on the box.

"Oh, and a small token of appreciation for Mrs. Pince, thanking her for making an exception and lending me the book," Kane said readily. "A bottle of homemade parchment-preserving ink that won't leave stains or marks, and some magical camphor wood shavings to repel bookworms. Not very expensive, but practical."

Hermione's mind immediately went into overdrive.

Send a thank-you gift to Mrs. Pince!

So thoughtful!

Compared to her own verbal thanks, this seems so... careless!

Shouldn't she also prepare something for Mrs. Pince?

But is it too late to prepare now?

"Very...good idea," Hermione said somewhat dryly, while her mind was frantically searching for something presentable yet not out of place.

In the afternoon, while most students were packing their bags or playing, Hermione went straight back to the common room and dug out all her notes and clippings on "unconventional magical creatures" and "fringe magic theory"—things she had collected mainly for critique and correction.

She frowned as she read the information about "Harassing Fly (a suspected form of magical parasitic behavior involving mental interference, lacking physical evidence)" and "Curved-Horned Snoring Beast (generally considered a fictional creature, possibly related to Confusion Charms or collective hallucinations)."

She was trying to understand the logical basis of Luna's worldview in order to... in order to what?

She couldn't quite explain it herself, but perhaps it was so that if Kane really brought up these things with her next time, she wouldn't be completely unable to join the conversation.

"Hermione, why are you looking at this?" Ginny Weasley curiously leaned closer, looking at the crooked sketch on her parchment that looked like a harassing fly.

"Academic research," Hermione said without looking up, her tone serious. "Broadening one's knowledge. Some fringe theories may seem absurd, but understanding their structure can help refute them." She drew two lines under "lack of substantial evidence."

Ginny blinked, clearly not quite believing it, but didn't ask any more questions and turned to pack up her Quidditch poster.

In the evening, while enjoying the last dinner of the semester in the Great Hall, Hermione finally found another opportunity to speak with Kane.

Although the long tables of Slytherin and Gryffindor were far apart, the crowds were mixed when people left.

She took a deep breath and walked over to Kane, who was talking to Draco and a few Slytherin classmates. Pretending to be casual, she said, "Kane, regarding your summer research plan, I suddenly thought that if you need some more 'mainstream,' verified reference materials, I can lend you some of my notes and reading lists. For example, Chapter 3 of *The Core of Magical Theory*, the section on magical stability, I think would be very helpful for your idea of ​​improving your protective spell."

She spoke a little fast, trying to make her suggestions sound purely academic and helpful.

Draco raised an eyebrow beside him, drawing out his words: "Wow, Granger, so enthusiastic? My brother's reading list is probably long enough to circle Hogwarts."

Kane considered it seriously for a moment: "Thank you, Hermione. Chapter Three of *The Core of Magical Theory*... is indeed worth reviewing. Your notes must be very well organized. However..."

He changed the subject, a smile playing on his gray eyes, "I might take it to Lovegood's house and see if I can find some...interesting annotations for those classic theories from a 'non-mainstream' perspective."

Hermione's smile froze instantly. Bring the mainstream theoretical books she recommended to "annotate" Luna's father's absurd clippings? This was an insult to academia! She felt her temples throbbing.

"Well, that's fine..." she managed to squeeze out a few words, "Looking at things from multiple perspectives... Heh, heh heh."

She chuckled dryly, feeling like a fool, and quickly turned and slipped back into the Gryffindor crowd, leaving Draco watching her retreating figure with amusement, before glancing at his brother who remained unperturbed.