The last Charms class before Halloween.
Following Sherlock and Harry, Hermione earned another point for Gryffindor.
The Ravenclaw students taking class with Gryffindor burst into applause.
This was customary.
The Eagles and Lions had decent relations, and they didn't mind participating in this mutual congratulation.
However, this time they were surprised to discover that although Hermione had earned Gryffindor a point, she hadn't received the same treatment as Sherlock and Harry.
Everyone treated her coldly.
Clearly, no one appreciated Hermione's show-off style of demonstrating her excellence.
Even her own housemates acted this way, so the Ravens naturally relaxed and stopped as well.
The scene became quite awkward.
Professor Flitwick didn't notice anything wrong and continued correcting students.
Unfortunately, by the time the bell rang, Ron still hadn't succeeded.
If it had only been that, it would have been bearable.
Ron felt he had no talent for Charms—he accepted it.
It wasn't that big a deal.
But Hermione kept chattering complaints beside him:
"Why won't you listen to me?
If you'd do it the way I said, you could definitely make the feather fly!
Then Gryffindor could earn another point, and we could close the gap with other houses..."
"Shut up!"
Ron, already frustrated, couldn't take it anymore and shouted.
"Nagging all day long, constantly talking about points and school rules—did I come to Hogwarts to listen to this?"
Hermione seemed startled by Ron's sudden outburst.
Instead of arguing back as usual, she just stood there holding her books, staring blankly at Ron.
Ron had apparently been holding this in for a while, because his verbal assault was now at full power, rivaling Hermione's previous lectures:
"No wonder nobody can stand you!
Honestly, you're like a nightmare!
I never asked for your help! Never! And I don't care about earning points!
Granger, after all this time, haven't you noticed?
You don't have a single friend!"
Thud.
Hermione's books hit the floor.
The next moment, tears welled up in her eyes. She turned and ran without looking back, even bumping into Harry on her way out.
Ron was stunned.
He hadn't expected Hermione to react so strongly.
At this moment, he suddenly felt somewhat regretful.
Harry, who had been knocked aside by Hermione, naturally wouldn't hold it against her. He watched her fleeing figure disappear into the crowd, then looked back at Ron:
"That seemed a bit harsh."
"So what? I was just telling the truth."
Ron was still being stubborn.
However, even without Sherlock's analysis, Harry could see the uncomfortable expression on his face.
Clearly his heart wasn't as at peace as his words suggested.
Unexpectedly, Sherlock bent down to pick up the books Hermione had dropped, stuffed them expressionlessly into his own bag, and said:
"Ron was right."
Harry looked shocked: "Sherlock, how can even you..."
Sherlock said flatly: "That's simply the truth."
"Alright..."
Harry sighed.
Thinking about it, this was typical of Sherlock's character. Saying such things was unexpected yet reasonable.
He was just that kind of person.
Looking at Ron again, having gained Sherlock's support seemed to ease his mind considerably.
Then...
"But I think you should probably apologize to her later."
Harry: Σ(｀д′*ノ)ノ
Ron: Σ(°△°|||)︴
What was this situation? Was he flip-flopping?
"Why should I?!"
Ron couldn't take it anymore. "You just said I was telling the truth."
"I can sense that you're nervous right now."
Sherlock's gaze fixed directly on Ron. Under his piercing stare, Ron guiltily turned his head away.
Harry: |(*′口`)
At this moment, Harry had a strong feeling that Ron would definitely be convinced by Sherlock in the next moment.
"If you had a clear conscience, you naturally wouldn't need to find her, but you don't."
"Not everyone can treat other people like air the way you do."
Ron muttered under his breath.
He increasingly felt that Sherlock didn't seem like an eleven-year-old boy at all.
Forget peers—even his prefect brother Percy probably wasn't as mature as Sherlock.
Although Sherlock hadn't said much, Ron was predictably convinced.
However, since running off, Hermione hadn't returned.
She didn't reappear in Charms class, or even for the entire afternoon.
Ron wanted to ask others but couldn't bring himself to—after all, quite a few people had witnessed him making Hermione cry.
It wasn't until he went to the Halloween feast that he overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend that Hermione was crying heartbrokenly in the girls' bathroom and refusing comfort.
Hearing this, Ron felt even more awkward.
With this weighing on his mind, even the colorful Halloween decorations in the Great Hall lost their appeal.
Even so, Ron still didn't think the situation was too serious.
Because the Halloween feast was much more sumptuous than usual.
The delicious food was simply too tempting, transforming him instantly into a dedicated eater.
He thought he'd fill his stomach first, then bring Hermione some food later.
Judging others by himself, Ron figured that no matter how angry Hermione was, a good meal would fix everything.
Then he began devouring food with gusto.
While eating, he forgot all about Hermione.
This continued until halfway through the meal, when Professor Quirrell—who had become something of a laughingstock—suddenly burst into the Great Hall.
His face was full of terror, and that much-criticized large turban sat crookedly on his head.
Such an entrance naturally drew everyone's attention to him.
He stumbled and ran to Professor Dumbledore's side. Perhaps because he was too nervous, without regard for all the students and staff watching him, he stammered:
"Troll! There's a troll loose in the dungeons! Thought you ought to know."
As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed face-first onto the floor.
He had actually fainted.
This left several professors who had wanted to scold him for speaking out of turn without a target.
Quirrell's actions were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, throwing the entire Great Hall into chaos.
"SILENCE!"
Even Dumbledore had to use his wand to produce several purple fireworks to control the situation.
At this moment he was calm and composed, completely unlike his eccentric manner at the opening feast.
"Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
His demeanor also affected the students. Percy naturally handled this with skillful ease.
"I'm a prefect!
Older students, make way for the first years!
Please note, I am a prefect!"
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