Qin Yu stared, a little stunned, at the primary-school bullies dangling from the tree.
A split second earlier a voice inside him had whispered what to do, he'd acted on that impulse—and to his amazement it had actually worked.
Had he really made it happen just by willing it?
So this is what channeling magic with intent feels like, he wondered.
Hermione, for her part, gaped at the scene in shock and muttered, "Since when did my wishes come true this easily?"
But when she turned and caught the thoughtful look on Qin Yu's face, a new idea struck her.
Could it have been him?
"Run!" she blurted, and yanked Qin Yu toward home.
…
They sprinted a good distance. Once the school gate was out of sight, Hermione finally slowed to a jog.
"Was it you who made them float up there?" she asked, eyes wide.
Qin Yu saw no point hiding the fact he was a wizard—Hermione would find out sooner or later—so he nodded openly. "Yes, I put them in the tree."
Hermione clapped both hands over her mouth in astonishment. Then, checking that no one else was around, she whispered, "You don't know? The Ministry of Magic forbids underage magic in front of Muggles!"
This Hermione already knew a fair bit about the wizarding world; Ministry officials had visited young witches and wizards like her.
The detail told Qin Yu that this world differed a little from the Harry Potter timeline he remembered.
He had long since noticed the magical textbooks she kept hidden under her pillow.
"Relax," he chuckled. "No one saw, and besides, nobody ever told me about that Ministry rule."
"But I just told you!" Hermione insisted, stubborn as ever.
"You really are a model student." He ruffled her brown curls.
"You're a kid too—don't talk like a grown-up!" she huffed, smoothing her hair.
"Tell me, though," Qin Yu coaxed, "did hanging them in the tree make you feel better? Were you happy?"
"It was satisfying to see them punished…" Hermione admitted, then added quickly, "but a witch shouldn't bully Muggles. It's wrong."
"Why is it wrong?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Because… because it's the rule!" She couldn't give a deeper reason.
Seeing how serious she looked, Qin Yu stopped teasing and tousled her hair again. "Come on, let's go home for dinner."
…
All the way back Hermione chattered like a little songbird.
"If you can do magic, how did Dad's car even hit you?" she suddenly asked.
"Probably because I didn't have the power yet," Qin Yu shrugged. "The magic came after the accident—Heaven's compensation, I suppose."
That sounded unbelievable to her, but since he couldn't explain it either she let it drop. Instead she said excitedly, "I'm a witch too! I'll be going to Hogwarts someday… only next year, because my birthday's September nineteenth. I always wanted someone like me to talk to, and the first wizard my age is you!"
(Note: Hogwarts accepts students who have turned eleven by 1 September, so Hermione, born 19 September, starts at age twelve.)
Seeing Qin Yu's calm expression, she asked, "Aren't you the least bit surprised?"
"Should I be? The moment you quoted Ministry rules I knew you were a witch." He smiled.
"Oh. I blurted it out," she sighed, then sternly reminded him: "You really mustn't use magic in front of Muggles, all right?"
"Yes, yes, my dear Prefect! Now, can we go? I can already smell Aunt Jane's beef stew." Qin Yu spread his hands.
Hermione's stomach growled in reply. Trying to stay solemn, she nodded. "As long as you understand how serious this is. Let's go home."
The aroma drifting on the breeze finally broke her composure; she grabbed his hand and dashed through the front door.
…
"At dinner, Mrs Granger asked curiously, "Hermione, what's got you so cheerful?"
"Mm—secret. Can't tell you." Hermione glanced at Qin Yu and flashed him a conspiratorial smile.
"Our little Hermione is growing up—she's already keeping secrets," Mr Granger teased.
"Dad, you always said everyone has a right to privacy. I'm exercising mine," Hermione replied primly.
"Quite right," he laughed. "We promise not to pry."
Watching the warm banter and the happy family atmosphere, Qin Yu felt a pang—would he ever see his own family in the other world again? But brooding wouldn't help; for now he had to live well in this one.
Hermione noticed the brief shadow cross his face and wondered what he was thinking.
"Hey! Last piece of beef—if you're not eating it, I will!" Qin Yu declared loudly.
Whatever melancholy he'd had was gone, the gentle smile back on his lips.
"No! I want it! I hardly had any!" Hermione cried, guarding her plate.
Her fierce expression made the adults and Qin Yu laugh out loud.
…
That night, lying in the attic bed, Qin Yu found sleep elusive.
The power inside him worried him. He often felt it drifting through his body at night, as if a dragon were clearing every pathway, and each morning he woke bursting with energy.
Power stored too long must erupt one day—that was the feeling he couldn't shake. Yet the "system," as he called the mysterious voice, still hadn't shown up to tell him how to avoid disaster.
…
Saturday, the weekend.
Wanting the children to enjoy their day off, the Grangers took Hermione and Qin Yu to the biggest local zoo.
Hermione loved zoos; she thought animals were easier to get along with than people and never gave her nasty nicknames. Qin Yu felt a twinge of sympathy—life as an "oddity" in the Muggle world wasn't easy.
He himself wasn't keen on zoos. In his previous life he'd been allergic to animal fur and always avoided cats and dogs. Still, he reasoned that this new body might not be allergic. Besides, how could he refuse Hermione's pleading eyes?
I'm only testing whether I'm still sensitive, he told himself firmly. Absolutely not caving to a cute girl.
The family set off by car, reached the zoo, and began exploring.
But as Qin Yu and Hermione approached the Reptile House they heard a commotion—people screaming and bolting for the exit.
A moment later a huge, brilliantly patterned boa slithered out of the building.
—Breaking the Fourth Wall—
You've probably noticed: for plot reasons I've tweaked the canon setting and shuffled some timelines. Please don't worry about it too much.
And don't fret if you've read only a little—or none—of the original Harry Potter books or films. This story has plenty of original material. When canon events do appear, I'll annotate them.