Everything proceeded as usual. There were weekend combat training sessions and regular daily classes. The only notable difference was that Ryan began teaching the Patronus Charm during combat training—something that had started at Hermione's request.
The Patronus Charm was indeed an advanced spell. Even a genius like Hermione, who could often master magic simply by reading textbooks, faced considerable difficulty. After two full days of practice, she could only produce faint wisps of silver smoke. Clearly, she was still quite a distance away from being able to cast a fully formed Patronus.
The days passed steadily until, one Friday after lunch, Ryan returned to the dormitory and heard someone knocking at the door.
Fortunately, she didn't barge in this time, Ryan thought as he walked over and opened the door.
Standing outside was Hermione, her expression serious. She held a thick notebook in her hands.
"What's this?" Ryan asked after they sat down, pointing to the notebook that Hermione had placed on the table.
"This is the information I gathered from the library," Hermione replied, opening the notebook. It was filled with densely packed notes in her precise, beautiful handwriting. "It's about Muggle-born wizards, Muggles, and pure-blood wizards. I compiled it after listening to what you said last week."
"Fortunately, Castrobruzau is an international school. I was able to find a wide variety of information from all over the world in the library. While reviewing this material, I discovered a few things I had never noticed before," Hermione explained while scanning her notes.
"In fact, compared to the past, the status of Muggles and wizards has improved. For example, decades ago in the New World, intermarriage between Muggles and wizards was prohibited due to the Rappaport Law. Britain's situation wasn't much better. Wizards who wanted to marry Muggles were required to surrender their wands and completely cut ties with the wizarding world. But now, things have progressed. Intermarriage is allowed, and wizards can reveal their identities to Muggle family members in some cases."
"You mean the magical world is already changing and improving, so we don't need to promote change ourselves?" Ryan asked, clearly puzzled. He had expected Hermione to harshly criticize the magical world's shortcomings. Instead, she was pointing out its progress, which made him uncertain of her overall stance.
"No, of course not," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I just want to point out that change is possible. The wizarding world has made progress, and we should study the successful examples of reform and use them as a model for our own efforts. But even with that progress, the attitude toward Muggles and Muggle-born wizards is still deeply problematic and needs urgent reform."
"For instance," she continued, "I found several cases where wizards committed murder, but the severity of their punishment varied greatly depending on who the victim was—whether a pure-blood, a Muggle-born, or a Muggle. The offender's own bloodline also influenced the ruling. That clearly shows that blood status still heavily affects how justice is administered in the wizarding world."
Hermione paused, her hands trembling slightly. "And I'll never forget what happened at the bookstore last year. Lucius Malfoy humiliated my parents—right in front of me. Most of the other wizards present just ignored the situation. No one stood up for my parents. And it was all because they were Muggles and couldn't do magic."
Her voice shook with emotion. "Remember when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban? The newspapers said he killed twelve Muggles in one go on a busy street. But the wizarding world focused entirely on the wizard who was killed. The Muggles' deaths were blamed on a gas explosion. There was never any public apology or compensation. No one was held accountable. That kind of callousness toward innocent lives is appalling."
Hermione quickly composed herself and concluded, "That's why I want to change things. Many of our relatives and friends are Muggles. When pure-blood wizards controlled everything, the magical world was filled with prejudice and discrimination. We can't let them become victims of magical indifference again."
Ryan sat up straighter, sensing Hermione's conviction. "So what do you suggest we do?"
Hermione looked thoughtful. "I've spent the past week researching someone who brought about large-scale change in the wizarding world: Gellert Grindelwald."
"Grindelwald?" Ryan repeated. "Wasn't he the dark wizard defeated by Dumbledore?"
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "But regardless of his reputation, he was the only one in recent centuries to trigger major reforms in the wizarding world. I believe there are valuable lessons in his approach—though of course not in his violent methods."
"Grindelwald believed that the growing power of Muggles, especially their advancements in technology, would eventually threaten the existence of the magical world. To protect wizardkind, he argued that wizards should abandon outdated traditions and take control of the world."
"He claimed he didn't hate Muggles. He said they simply lacked vision and needed wizards to lead them. That's why he wanted to rule them."
Ryan frowned. "That sounds like the usual propaganda you hear from tyrants. Every villain has a justification that sounds noble on the surface."
"True," Hermione acknowledged. "But here's the difference: Grindelwald promoted equality among wizards. He insisted that blood status didn't matter. Pure-blood, half-blood, Muggle-born—it made no difference to him. His vision appealed to the masses of non-pure-blood wizards, especially those close to the Muggle world. They rallied behind him."
"In the end," she continued, "many ministries of magic that had been dominated by pure-bloods were weakened after Grindelwald's downfall. The war forced the magical world to acknowledge the strength and value of non-pure-blood wizards. Many outdated laws were changed, and the influence of pure-blood families was reduced in many regions."
Hermione stood up now, visibly energized. "But Britain was mostly untouched by Grindelwald's war. So the pure-blood hierarchy here remained largely intact. Professor Dumbledore has tried to bring change gradually over the years, but with limited success."
"Most of Britain's recent progress happened only because You-Know-Who's defeat decimated many pure-blood families. With their influence weakened, the system was forced to make room for others."
"That's why I believe now is the best time to act. The power of pure-blood wizards is no longer unshakable. Muggle-borns and half-bloods have grown in number and influence. But the remaining pure-blood elites are still desperate to hold on to their authority."
"This means we don't have to lead a revolution overnight. We're not alone in wanting change. What we need to do is start small—right here, among our classmates. If we can change people's minds, even a little, that influence will grow over time."
"We have years ahead of us. If we start now—patiently, strategically—we can change the very structure of British wizarding society from within," Hermione concluded.
Ryan looked at her, his expression solemn. He knew she was right. And with allies like her, perhaps true change was finally within reach.
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