Looking at Hermione sitting opposite him, her face glowing with a hint of pride after everything she had just said, Ryan was stunned. He hadn't expected a teenage girl to be capable of such deep and thorough thinking.
"When I was your age," Ryan thought to himself, "I was still obsessing over whether I had collected all the instant noodle cards." He couldn't help but sigh at how different people could be.
Then again, it made sense. This was the girl who founded the House-Elf Rights Association in her fourth year. With that in mind, it wasn't too surprising that by third year, with sufficient access to data and analysis, she could extend her insight into matters closely related to herself and her family.
After listening to Hermione's comprehensive analysis, Ryan exclaimed, "That was brilliant! After hearing your explanation, I realize how inadequate my own thoughts were on this issue. You've completely clarified something I had only vaguely considered."
Hermione blushed slightly at his praise, then replied, "I've been delving into this topic in the library all week. What surprised me was how the bloodline-related issues in the wizarding world have roots that stretch back thousands of years."
She paused, and seeing Ryan's focused gaze, she continued.
"But in the Western wizarding world, there have only been two major turning points. One occurred during the Age of Discovery, when certain wizards wantonly slaughtered Muggles, leading to mass resentment. In response, some Muggle-born wizards resisted the use of Muggle power, which triggered the infamous witch hunts. The movement spread rapidly and was later exploited by dark wizards, resulting in devastating casualties on both sides. That conflict eventually gave rise to the International Statute of Secrecy."
She took a brief breath before going on. "The second major shift came when Grindelwald defied the Statute of Secrecy under the pretense of protecting the world. Ironically, this rebellion helped accelerate the equal rights movement within the magical community. Today, it's a widely accepted belief that non-pure-blood wizards are just as legitimate. So, while Grindelwald was evil and attempted to spark a full-scale war, we still owe him some thanks for the ideological change he sparked."
"Looking through historical records from a few decades ago, I even got the impression that his original intentions may not have been entirely malicious—in fact, they could even be considered noble. Unfortunately, his methods turned completely dark later on. That's a warning to us all."
She looked serious as she concluded, "Both of those changes came at the cost of war. I want to find a way to bring about change with as little loss as possible—minimizing casualties while transforming the wizarding world."
Ryan, moved by her vision, asked, "So where do you think we should start?"
The idea Hermione presented was compelling, and it coincided with Ryan's own private thoughts. He was genuinely curious to hear what concrete plans she had in mind.
"Well… I think we should start a reading club," Hermione said hesitantly.
Ryan blinked, visibly surprised by the answer. He had expected something more dramatic, given the magnitude of what she'd just discussed. A reading club felt almost anticlimactic.
"A reading club?" he repeated.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "What did you expect? Like I said, because of the war more than a decade ago, the British wizarding world is currently in a rare period of peace and balance. There's no major conflict brewing at the moment. I believe that to change the world, subtle, incremental influence is more effective than sudden, radical movements. So, why not start with a reading club?"
Now it made sense. Ryan finally grasped Hermione's reasoning. With Voldemort gone and the wizarding world enjoying a period of fragile calm, it was logical to pursue a long-term, non-confrontational strategy.
Ryan reflected that if things remained peaceful, he might miss the chance to reshape the wizarding world during times of upheaval. This peaceful path would take decades, but unless a better method came along, Hermione's approach seemed like the most sensible plan for now. Besides, by the time any real change happened, Ryan's own strength would likely be much greater. He could adapt to whatever came.
"You're right," he said finally, nodding seriously. "I jumped to conclusions. So, how do you plan to develop the reading club?"
"That's what I'm getting to now," Hermione said, flipping to a specific page in her notebook. She read aloud:
"Our short-term goal is to promote our ideals through the reading club—attract like-minded individuals regardless of bloodline and share magical knowledge. Since the wizarding world still places a high value on strength, compensating for our current knowledge gap is essential. I know you've mastered a lot of advanced material, and I hope you'll make some sacrifices by sharing that knowledge. Resources are scarce right now. This reading club might be the only place people can learn more in the short term."
"No problem," Ryan agreed immediately. If you wanted to change something, you couldn't do it alone. Even powerful figures like Dumbledore and Voldemort had followers. Sacrificing a bit of personal advantage to win public support was a price worth paying. Besides, he could control the content and audience, ensuring things wouldn't spiral out of control.
Hermione, clearly encouraged by his support, continued with a happy tone: "Our long-term goal is to create a magical world where people are judged not by their bloodline, but by their abilities and character."
"So, you're saying, 'I have a dream'?" Ryan asked playfully.
"Yes," Hermione said with a slight smile. "I think there's a lot of truth in that speech, so I borrowed a few ideas from it. Any objections?"
"None at all," Ryan said earnestly. "I think it's great. Please go on."
"If you decide to join, then the reading club will have two members," she said. "I plan to approach a professor and officially apply to make it a school-sanctioned club. That way, we can recruit members openly. Of course, to avoid unnecessary conflict at the start, I'll describe the reading club as a learning mutual aid group in the application. Once we gather members, I'll start to influence them gradually."
Ryan was a bit taken aback. "Wait, aren't you always the straightforward type? Why take such a roundabout approach now?"
Hermione gave a wry smile. "Because the books I read said that clearly dividing people into camps early on will only provoke conflict down the line. I want to avoid those unnecessary battles. So even though this approach isn't really my style, I'm willing to change—for the sake of my dream."
She shrugged, half helpless, half resolved.
"Of course, we won't be launching activities immediately since we're still abroad," she added. "Let's use this time to organize our ideas and prepare promotional materials. That way, we'll be ready to go the moment we're back at Hogwarts."
With that, Hermione ended the conversation by laying out a concise, actionable plan.
After she left, Ryan lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, thinking carefully about everything she had said.
Once he'd gone through the entire discussion in his mind, Ryan concluded that while Hermione's approach was still a bit naive and lacking in certain areas, the overall direction was absolutely right.
Having made that judgment, Ryan decided that this was something worth taking seriously.
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