What's wrong with you two?
Hermione's face froze, and she forced a stiff smile. Compared to the strange superpowers and organizations in Marvel, what she least wanted to deal with were the seemingly safe but actually dangerous professors at Hogwarts.
Although she didn't think they would do anything to a twelve-year-old girl, the matter of time travel and the magic book was her deepest secret. A secret she didn't want anyone to discover.
And in Hogwarts, there were masters of Legilimency everywhere, especially Dumbledore. Although it was generally not used on first-year students, the risk was always there.
However, she had no choice but to come to Hogwarts to learn magic systematically, as it was the easiest and most convenient way.
A second later, Dumbledore looked away, as if it had been just an accidental glance.
"Are you overthinking this..."
Phew, that was nerve-wracking.
Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that his last glance was a bit peculiar. She shook her head to dismiss such thoughts and focused on the present.
Following the procedure, Dumbledore recommended the must-see attraction of Hogwarts to the freshmen: the Forbidden Forest, and then announced the start of the Sorting Ceremony.
Professor McGonagall took out the list, called out names one by one, and publicly announced their house assignments.
"Hannah Abbott!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Draco Malfoy!"
"Slytherin!"
"Susan Bones!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Ron Weasley!"
...
"Harry Potter!"
The hall buzzed with excitement again. As someone famous for defeating Voldemort, Harry Potter's name was well-known.
After a little debate with the Sorting Hat, Harry was finally placed in Gryffindor.
The Gryffindor students cheered: "Haha, Harry Potter belongs to our Gryffindor!"
"Hermione Granger!"
Finally, it was her turn.
Although she was called last, when she should have been before Harry, now was not the time to dwell on it. She quickly stepped forward and placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
The Sorting Hat seemed to be in a dilemma. It was the second time after Harry Potter that it didn't respond immediately.
"Hmm... courage, perseverance, intelligence, ambition... you possess all these qualities, but you require more ambition..." After a long pause, the Sorting Hat whispered in a voice only Hermione could hear: "Then it's Slytherin..."
"Stop, Gryffindor!" Hermione interrupted in her mind.
First choice, no transfer allowed.
Goodness, time travel almost sent her straight to Slytherin.
Luckily, she reacted quickly.
Do I look like someone with the potential to be a dark wizard? Hermione thought to herself.
Although Slytherin seemed to match her personality, it wasn't a suitable choice for her.
Hermione knew very well the extent of discrimination against Muggle-born wizards in Slytherin.
If she really went there, she would definitely end up fighting with most of them the next day.
It's not that she couldn't take them on, but it would be really inconvenient.
And there was another important reason for choosing Gryffindor: to keep Harry Potter under her watch. Familiar with the original plot, she knew that once he got into trouble, she could seize the opportunity for her own benefit.
This advantage was not available in the other three houses.
"Okay, okay..." The Sorting Hat said helplessly. Although it could detect intelligence and personality, it had to respect the individual's wishes.
Then came the loud announcement: "Gryffindor!"
Another new student joined, and Gryffindor erupted in cheers.
Ron nudged Harry next to him.
"Hey, look, the quiet girl from the train compartment is also in Gryffindor. She was so proficient with spells even before starting school. I thought such a genius would be sorted into Ravenclaw."
Harry covered his forehead and forced a smile, looking towards the podium.
Hermione knew it was the scar left by Voldemort reacting to Quirrell, but Harry was looking at Snape instead.
Starting off with blame on the first day, well-deserved.
Ron gestured to the empty seat next to him and waved at Hermione.
Hermione didn't refuse the invitation and sat down next to the two boys. Only then did she have time to observe the professors in front of her.
Snape, in his black robe, really looked like a big bat.
The shortest one should be Flitwick...
Dumbledore... How did you go from Jude Law to this? What have you been through all these years?
The one next to him is the Flying Instructor, what's his name... I forgot.
And...
Hermione's eyes fell on the last one.
He was dressed like a quirky character, but there was no speaker in his hat, only Voldemort.
Quirinus Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who allowed himself to be possessed by Voldemort.
Voldeloy.
The troublemaking villain of the first year.
Reborn as a professor at Hogwarts.
He wanted the Philosopher's Stone, but failed at the hands of a first-year student.
Both life and reputation were lost.
Pitiful, Quirrell, pitiful.
Looking forward to your performance.
Hermione withdrew her gaze.
The Sorting was over, and the banquet began amidst laughter and joy. Dumbledore raised his glass, looked in Harry's direction, smiled, and Harry nodded slightly.
But Hermione always felt that Dumbledore might have been looking at her, sitting next to Harry.
Hermione pretended not to notice and simply enjoyed her dinner in silence.
...
The next day.
Hermione woke up early, borrowed a few books from the library, and headed straight to the classroom.
The time travel function had fully recharged last night, but she chose not to return to Marvel. Instead, she stayed in the dormitory to avoid missing the first magic class at Hogwarts.
Attending class didn't make much difference to her, but she didn't want to leave the professors with the impression of being a maverick.
Especially since she was still in her developmental stage.
While Marvel was still on her mind, at Hogwarts, Hermione had already crafted her own persona, and now she just needed to play her part.
The first class that morning was Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class.
Hermione was the first to arrive. Following her previous life's class strategy, she headed straight to the back row, where only the early risers could sit, and opened the book "Hogwarts: A History."
The book content, as the title suggests, discusses the history of Hogwarts' founding, including the founders of the four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.
In addition to wanting to learn more about this world, Hermione had personal reasons for choosing this book.
Regarding the classification of [Ancient Magic] in the magic book, although the original book contained relevant content, her first thought was the game "Hogwarts Legacy."
Whether there were elements of "Hogwarts Legacy" in this world, she thought there might be clues in this book.
Just as she was engrossed in reading, freshmen began trickling into the classroom in groups.
It seemed that after a night, students had begun forming their own small groups.
Some sought to connect with Hermione, but sensing the aura of solitude she projected, they hesitated and eventually gave up.
At that moment, a gray and white cat jumped onto the desk and elegantly walked in front of Hermione with its graceful feline stride.