King's Cross Station, September 1st.
The train attendant rubbed his temples wearily.
Every year on this day, he patiently explained it again and again.
"I'm sorry, we really don't have Platform 9¾ here!"
Unfortunately, not long after each explanation, the next person to ask a question would arrive.
And they were all teenagers!
Not only that, but some strange people always seemed to appear inside the station.
Their behavior and clothing were different from those of ordinary people.
For example, this burly man with a full beard was wearing a floral dress for some reason.
It made him want to vomit!
A girl with messy, dark brown hair was equally speechless; before encountering the magical world, she had always thought these people were doing performance art.
It wasn't until today that she realized these were wizards who knew absolutely nothing about the Muggle world!
"Wizards have a natural contempt for Muggles, and their inherent arrogance makes them rarely try to understand Muggle life."
"It's not surprising that this problem has occurred."
Hermione turned her head in confusion, looking at the gentle voice behind her.
"Hello, my name is Argus Grindelwald, a first-year at Hogwarts."
Hermione Granger!
He was right!
Argus's smile widened: "You're a first-year at Hogwarts too, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes, yes! But I've been looking for ages and still can't find Platform 9¾. I don't know where the train conductor is either!"
Hermione looked troubled and confided in Argus.
"Of course the train conductor wouldn't know. You should ask those strange-looking people; they're the wizards!"
"Oh yeah! How come I didn't think of that!" Hermione exclaimed as if waking from a dream, her eyes filled with surprise.
"No need for all that trouble, come with me, I'll take you inside."
Noticing the suitcase in Hermione's hand, Argus, taking advantage of the platform's cover, drew his wand and pointed it at her luggage.
"Reducio!"
The box, half a person's height, instantly turned into a matchbox. Argus picked it up from the ground and put it into Hermione's pocket, who looked astonished.
"Hurry up, we're going to be late!"
Finding the third pillar between platforms nine and ten, Argus, to Hermione's bewildered surprise, led her headfirst into it.
It wasn't until she was seated in the compartment that Hermione realized what had happened.
"You just used a shrinking spell? Is that something we learn in first year? Why don't I remember it at all?"
"No, I want to read the first-year textbook all over again!"
Please, stop fretting!
Although Argus was also an avid reader, he was not as intense as Hermione.
Before long, she had devoured all the books.
No wonder she maintained the top ranking for so many years in the original story.
"No need to look anymore. Shrinking spells are not within the scope of first-year magic; they are only introduced in the second semester of second year."
"If you want to learn, I can teach you."
"Really?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid that Argus would notice.
Argus didn't care about any of that, and took out his wand to teach Hermione how to cast it.
Not long after, two identical red-haired heads poked their heads in.
"Hey George, we've interrupted a young couple's sweet talk!"
"There's nothing we can do. Who would have thought that our dear Ronnie would abandon his poor brothers to go find other friends?"
The two were laughing and joking, their clothes somewhat worn and bearing some burn marks.
Argus knew their identities without even having to guess.
The famous Weasley twins!
"Hermione and I met at the train station, and we were just discussing spells."
"If you two can't find a seat, feel free to come in and sit."
Argus opened the compartment door for the two of them and gave Hermione a reassuring smile.
"Oh, Merlin's black stockings! Are all the first-years this advanced these days?"
"When we first enrolled, we hadn't even read any books, and they're already discussing spells!"
Fred feigned surprise, then sat down opposite Argus with a grin.
George plopped down next to Fred and pulled a large stack of parchment from his bag.
"Stop talking, Fred, hurry up and finish your homework. I was going to borrow some from someone else, but who knew Percy would be watching so closely!"
"If we don't finish, Professor McGonagall will definitely cause us trouble."
"It's a pity our experiment isn't finished yet. If Ronnie hadn't complained, we would have definitely completed it!"
Hermione stared blankly at Fred and the other, looking as if she doubted the world.
Before entering the compartment, the only wizards she had close contact with were Professor McGonagall, who had taken her to Diagon Alley, and Argus.
Both of them were exceptionally charming!
Although the wizards at the station were a bit... cringe-worthy, it was only because they didn't understand the Muggle world.
Therefore, she always had the misconception in the magical world that everyone here was like Argus.
Knowledgeable and polite.
But these two guys in front of her...
"George, have you finished your History of Magic homework? Let me copy it!"
"It seems to be finished. Let me check it!"
Hermione couldn't resist the sight of George frantically searching.
"That's not right! Homework should be done by yourself!"
"Another Professor McGonagall! If you've ever been sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, you'll know this happens all the time!"
George wasn't angry at Hermione's words and joked with her nonchalantly.
After handing Fred his History of Magic homework, he immediately began studying potions.
"Hey Fred, where did you get the bezoar from again?"
"Inside the dog's belly? I think so, but I can't quite remember."
"Just fill in anything for now..."
Hermione, standing to the side, held a thick book, her ears perked up as if she were secretly wondering if she remembered what they had said.
Hearing their flawed answers, she could no longer tolerate it.
"No, what dog's belly!"
"The bezoar is taken from the stomach of a goat!"
"Really?"
George's eyes lit up, but then a look of doubt appeared on his face.
Hermione puffed out her cheeks in anger: "I've given you the answer, believe it or not!"
"If I remember correctly, the bezoar is indeed taken from the stomach of a goat and is very effective in detoxification."
George was pleasantly surprised by Argus's reply.
"Dude, you're not kidding me, are you? This is stuff that third-year students learn; only Snape would give such instructions in advance!"
"If you're referring to the content of Chapter 3: The Prodigy's Shocking Prep
"Dude, you didn't memorize the whole book, did you? This book is half a foot thick!" George exclaimed incredulously, covering his mouth in an exaggerated manner.
Hermione, who was sitting next to Argus, couldn't sit still any longer.
She sensed something was wrong when Argus was explaining the second-year curriculum to her!
She had initially thought the other person was also doing pre-studying, just with more material to prepare.
She never imagined the difference would be so huge!
While she hadn't even finished memorizing her first-year books, Argus already knew all the knowledge from the third year!
How could she, who was always so assertive, possibly tolerate this!
"I wouldn't say I need to memorize it all, but I should be able to remember most of the content."
"Savior, you are our savior!"
The way Fred and George looked at Argus was as if they were seeing the light of the world.
Ignoring Hermione's pouting lips, which could hold a soy sauce bottle, he shoved her aside with his hip.
"Could you take a look at this for me? These are the materials needed for the shrinking solution."
"Daisy root, shrivelfig peel, caterpillar, a drop of leech juice, and a mouse spleen."
"This, the use of wormwood..."