Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 346 The Imitation Effect

Hogwarts.

The exam week had just ended, and the professors working overtime under the Huanggang model had already finished grading the exam papers.

Then a huge ranking list was posted in the auditorium.

The exam has already been held; how can students recognize the gaps in their abilities if rankings aren't established? How can we highlight the role of role models and encourage struggling students to emulate high-achieving students?

So at lunchtime that day, all the students gathered around the score leaderboard.

Hermione found the third-year rankings and glanced at them: "First place: Hermione Granger. GPA 3.9. Total credits 23."

The young girl breathed a sigh of relief; her position as the top female star was secured, and all her hard work this year had paid off.

Third-year students can already choose elective courses. In order to better measure students' learning, Hogwarts introduced a grade point system. Required courses are worth two to three credits, and elective courses are worth one to two credits. Hermione chose a lot of electives and got good grades, which is why she got first place.

"Harry! You're second!" Ron shouted.

Sure enough, Hermione glanced down and saw the following line: "Second Place: Harry Potter. GPA 3.9, Total Credits 19."

She turned around, looking for Harry, only to see him nod slightly before returning to the empty table to eat.

He didn't seem to care much about grades.

Ron called him twice, but Harry didn't seem to hear him; he was holding a thick book and eating bread.

"Sometimes I feel like Harry's a completely different person," Cho Chang chimed in. "Hermione, you're amazing, first place again!"

"It's been almost two years, and he still doesn't seem to have gotten over it..."

Hermione sighed.

Because they belonged to different houses, although the common rooms were connected, they didn't see each other often. In addition, their elective courses were different, so apart from practical classes, she didn't have much contact with Harry this year.

But she could sense that Harry had changed a lot.

He seemed to be being pulled by something, heading in a direction very different from his past self.

He used to be passionate and impulsive, but now Harry is calm and composed, his rationality and persistence seeming to have been possessed by Tom.

"I took a psychology course," Qiu Zhang said. "The teacher said it's called the 'losser identification effect.' When a person loses someone important, they may unconsciously imitate the characteristics of the person they lost because they can't bear the loss. This makes all or part of the characteristics appear in themselves in order to make up for the pain of loss."

"Harry seems to be looking more and more like Tom now."

The two returned to the table and sat down, ready to begin their meal, when Draco approached them. "Granger, I need your help with something."

For the past two years, Draco Malfoy has been a member of their Hero group after Tom left, and his personality seems to have improved a lot, with a good relationship with them.

"What's wrong?"

“A physics problem,” Draco said. “I need to understand the wave equation, and I know you’re teaching yourself advanced physics. Only you can help me.”

"What do you need it for? Our practical course doesn't cover this topic, does it?"

"This summer, my dad arranged an internship for me—an opportunity to work alongside a teacher. He gave me some materials and told me I had to learn them."

"Teacher?" Hermione glanced at him.

Among the members of the practice group, only one person was referred to as "teacher" instead of "professor".

Today, even the students of Hogwarts know who the person who has effectively ruled the British wizarding world is.

Hermione was still quite clueless about the future and employment, but she could understand why Draco and the Malfoy family valued this opportunity. "Okay, I'm free tomorrow morning. Come find me in the Ravenclaw common room."

After Draco left, Cho Chang mysteriously approached Hermione and asked, "Draco has changed a lot in the last two years. But instead of going to the upperclassmen, he's been coming to you. Does he like you?"

Hermione is in third grade, while Cho Chang is in fourth grade, so they're certainly not uninterested in romance.

"Huh?" Hermione was shocked by Cho Chang's wild imagination. "I'm already thankful he doesn't call me a Mudblood, okay?"

Although Draco has become much more humble on the surface, his inherent arrogance has not completely disappeared; it has simply transformed into something else—this guy is said to now have a group of followers in Slytherin.

The two chatted for a while when suddenly an owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of Harry. It was almost holiday time, and there were usually very few letters at this time, so Hermione and the others all looked towards Harry's position.

The latter picked up the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and suddenly froze.

He dropped an apple he was holding onto the table, spilling his juice, but he seemed completely oblivious.

The next moment he suddenly stood up, the letter fell to the ground, he didn't pick it up, but ran out in a daze.

"Harry, Harry..." Ron was startled by Harry's state. "Where are you going?"

Hermione and Cho Chang exchanged a glance. "What's wrong, Harry?"

They went to where Harry had been sitting and picked up the letter.

"Dear Harry: I regret to inform you that your godfather Sirius Black passed away yesterday. The funeral will be held tomorrow evening. I think you should be able to see him one last time."

The letter was unsigned, but Hermione was shocked by its contents.

"Oh my god, Harry..." Cho Chang covered his mouth, "He must be so sad."

……

Harry didn't know how he left the school or how he got back to Weasel Hill.

After receiving that letter, he felt like he was in a dream, and he couldn't remember many of the details. It seemed that he encountered Filch when he was running out of the castle, and then he was blasted away by his own spell.

Then a professor stopped him, and he seemed to say something to the professor, and he even seemed to cry. Finally, Professor Flitwick took him away from the school, and he was sent home.

He stood in front of the two-story wooden house again, but the familiar person who would greet him with a smile at the door was gone.

Some vegetables and flowers have been planted in the yard, and a hoe stands next to the door, as if its owner might return at any moment.

Harry pushed open the door blankly. On the living room table was a bottle of wine, a wine glass with a little red wine left, and a newspaper. It seemed that Sirius had just had a drink here and then went out for a while, and would be back soon.

Harry suddenly felt that something must be wrong. Although the professors seemed to have confirmed it, he still couldn't believe it. Sirius might just be away for a while, and he should be back. The letter might just be a prank...

But soon, in the evening, Mr. Weasley came over, along with several wizards from the neighborhood, and took Harry to a place.

Then he met Sirius Black.

Sirius Black lies in a wooden plank, as if asleep.

(End of this chapter)