"Classes begin in earnest tomorrow."
Sterling absently fidgeted with his quill. An open Charms textbook lay spread before him, and beside the section on the Levitation Charm was a fresh scribble of ink.
"Hypothesis on the creation of 'Wingardium Leviosa variations' through controlled mispronunciation"
He had written it moments ago but immediately crossed it out, having discovered the actual answer in a book he'd borrowed from the library: "The Evolution of Spells".
Mispronouncing the incantation wasn't the real cause of magical accidents. Others had attempted the same mispronunciation, and even the original caster had repeated it multiple times without incident. It was simply an ineffective spell altogether.
"Yes, and our first class tomorrow is Transfiguration. I need to review more theoretical knowledge today... though I suppose you don't really need such preparation. Your Transfiguration abilities are nothing like those of an ordinary first-year wizard."
Hermione looked up from her towering pile of books, clearly irritated with Sterling.
"Magical talents can be so completely unreasonable. Sometimes I genuinely wonder if you're actually from a Muggle family, because you're demonstrably stronger than students who've been practising magic since early childhood."
"Hermione, even purebloods don't learn extensive magic before starting school... Like I've explained..."
Neville's voice grew progressively quieter under Hermione's intense scrutiny until he finally hid his face completely behind his Herbology textbook.
"The problem is that your learning experience is practically useless for the rest of us. I doubt anyone would want you to leave study notes in the common room library even if you were eligible. We're better off just reading the textbooks independently."
"You can't blame me for that. What I described really was my actual learning process... Shh! Madam Pince is approaching!"
The trio immediately lowered their heads, reading their books with exaggerated attention and breathing as quietly as possible.
On their first day in the library, they had witnessed two unfortunate Gryffindors being forcibly ejected by Madam Pince, whose glare could rival that of a hungry vulture. Even confident Sterling couldn't help but behave properly under her watchful eye.
"Oh, Neville, there you are!"
A red-haired, freckled boy suddenly materialised beside Neville's chair, accompanied by a dark-haired companion. The classic duo: the saviour and his faithful sidekick.
Coming from the pale blond Slytherin first-year's earlier assessment, Sterling found himself partially agreeing. They truly were inseparable.
"We've been exploring various castle routes. Honestly, I didn't expect to find you buried in the library. I assumed you'd be back in the dormitory playing chess with Seamus."
He possessed a naturally loud voice and fearless social confidence. While Harry Potter nodded politely toward Sterling and Hermione, his companion didn't hesitate to pull out a chair and position himself between Sterling and Neville.
"... I simply wanted to preview tomorrow's lessons..."
Neville's voice barely rose above a whisper. Indeed, he had originally intended to play chess in their dormitory but had been intercepted by Hermione at breakfast and convinced to join their library study session.
"Oh... who are you studying with exactly?"
His attention shifted from Neville's face, and his eyebrows rose dramatically upon noticing Sterling. Sterling immediately sensed approaching trouble.
"You're Sterling Page, aren't you? The Ravenclaw who collapsed off a chair and ended up in the hospital wing on the very first day?"
Hermione burst into uncontrollable laughter while Sterling covered his face in mortification.
He had merely fainted the previous morning from magical exhaustion, but since others remained unaware of the true cause, they assumed him to be a frail, pitiable child.
Robert had even expressed genuine concern the previous evening, suggesting that Sterling could purchase emergency healing potions during future Diagon Alley visits.
He had desperately attempted to dispel these embarrassing rumours throughout the common room, but his efforts only earned him sympathetic looks from the upperclassmen.
Sterling took a steadying breath, deciding to ignore the red-haired troublemaker whose emotional awareness rivalled Hermione's.
"Hello there, Boy Who Lived."
He extended his hand toward Harry Potter, who appeared genuinely surprised. Harry clearly hadn't expected someone to address him so directly by that famous title.
"Hello, Page."
Harry quickly shook Sterling's offered hand and patted his companion's shoulder. "This is Ron Weasley. We're both Neville's roommates."
"Hermione? What brings you here?" Ron suddenly noticed Hermione's presence nearby. She bit her lower lip, momentarily at a loss for words.
"I've been here from the very beginning. I'm a Ravenclaw, just like Sterling, and we're all friends with Neville. It's perfectly natural for us to study together, isn't it?"
Hermione replied with forced casualness before returning her attention to her Transfiguration textbook. Though she could recite most of it from memory, she hoped to completely memorise the earlier chapters before tomorrow's class.
Sterling quietly rubbed his eyes, activating his enhanced magical vision to observe the threads within Harry and Ron. Since the Sorting Ceremony, his mystical sight had grown considerably stronger, allowing him to perceive much greater detail.
Ron's thread appeared similar to those of ordinary young wizards but emitted a faint, distinctive glow that was subtle yet unmistakable.
Harry's magical signature was completely different. His thread was remarkably thick and shone with undeniably brilliant radiance.
Beyond observing the two boys, Sterling shifted his attention toward Hermione.
Her thread roughly matched Ron's general appearance, but he noticed her magical glow was gradually diminishing. It appeared much dimmer than it had been yesterday.
An uncomfortable silence suddenly enveloped all five students. Ron scratched his nose nervously while glancing at Sterling. Sensing that Sterling might say something potentially earth-shattering, Ron decided to break the awkward quiet.
"Don't you need to preview Transfiguration material? It's supposedly quite challenging, and Professor McGonagall has a reputation for being extremely strict."
Unexpectedly, Hermione responded faster than Sterling could. Unfortunately, her words only made the atmosphere significantly heavier.
Ron and Harry exchanged meaningful looks, as if this was the first time they'd heard about needing to preview required textbooks.
Sterling decided to defend Professor McGonagall's character. "Although she rarely smiles during interactions, she's actually a very dependable adult and genuinely kind teacher."
"Privately," he added silently, meaning classroom situations were obviously excluded.
Seeing the two boys relax immediately, Sterling smiled with amusement. He found their reactions quite endearing.
"Well then, we should continue exploring the castle... I believe our morning class tomorrow will be shared with you Ravenclaws?"
Ron stood to leave with Harry following close behind. Sterling got the distinct impression that this famous saviour was actually quite shy by nature.
How strange. Should the legendary saviour really possess such a reserved personality?
Though his mind wandered with this observation, Sterling waved farewell to their departing backs and returned his focus to the Charms textbook.
"Why didn't you encourage them to sit down and study with us?"
"I can't speak for Harry's study habits, but I absolutely guarantee that Ron wouldn't sit quietly and study properly."
Sterling's tone carried complete certainty. He was rarely wrong in his assessments of people's character.
"That's probably accurate... Neville, what's your opinion?"
No response came for an extended period, so both Hermione and Sterling turned their attention toward their friend.
"Neville? Neville?"
Hermione called softly, but Neville remained completely unresponsive.
Sterling and Hermione maintained respectful silence. Then, in the quiet library where even the smallest sound could be clearly heard, a gentle buzzing like a mosquito's hum filled the air.
Sterling and Hermione exchanged knowing glances and shrugged with understanding.
Both began turning their textbook pages much more quietly.