"Here—your Trevor."
Ark quickly handed the toad back to the chubby boy, who clutched it to his chest as though it were treasure.
Yes, Hogwarts allowed young wizards to bring pets, and toads were on the list. But Ark honestly couldn't fathom why anyone would want one. Did people actually believe they symbolized wealth? Whatever the reason, he wasn't a fan. He preferred pets that were cute and good-looking—cats and owls were both fine, dogs too. But best of all were magical creatures: unicorns, phoenixes, mooncalves, bowtruckles... creatures with real beauty and wonder.
"Thank you!"
The round-faced boy, oblivious to Ark's distaste, gazed at him gratefully while hugging Trevor tight.
The girl, on the other hand, suddenly looked excited.
"That was the Summoning Charm, wasn't it? I read about it in a book!" she burst out, her words tumbling over each other. "It's supposed to be a fourth-year spell. Don't tell me—you're already a fourth-year?"
"No." Ark shook his head. "I'm a brand-new student. First year."
"First year?" Her eyes widened. "The same as me? But—you already know how to use the Summoning Charm!"
Could this be the difference between a wizarding family's child and a Muggle-born?
Yes—that had to be it. Unlike her, they'd grown up surrounded by magic. Of course their abilities and grades would be higher.
The thought made her uneasy.
Ark caught the flicker of worry on her face, and his lips curved faintly.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not from a wizarding family. I'm a Muggle-born. I'd never touched magic before this. I only learned the Summoning Charm from a book—The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4." He gave her a pointed look. "Didn't you say you'd read about it too? You must be quite the studious young witch."
His praise, freely given, brought a blush to her cheeks. She ducked her head, clearly flustered but also pleased.
"Magic books are just so fascinating. I never get tired of reading them. I didn't read Grade 4—I found the Summoning Charm in another book, one about understanding the Wizarding World better. I bought several, actually!"
Ark chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"They are fascinating," he agreed. "Whether it's books or anything else about this world—it's all interesting." He smiled and offered, "I should introduce myself properly. I'm Ark Byrne, about to start my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Oh!" She blinked, realizing she hadn't introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm starting at Hogwarts this year too."
The name was hardly unfamiliar.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger," Ark said warmly. Inwardly, though, he added another greeting with a wry grin: Nice to meet you, Miss Know-It-All.
The undisputed heroine of the Golden Trio. Ark had recognized her the instant he'd seen her.
After all, in his old world, some people joked the Harry Potter films could've been titled Hermione and Her Two Useless Men. Compared to scatterbrained Harry Potter and perpetually sulking Ron Weasley, Hermione was the backbone, dragging them through crisis after crisis with her practical magical knowledge. Without her, the series might as well have been called The Return of Lord Voldemort.
"I—I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom," the round-faced boy mumbled, breaking into Ark's thoughts.
"Hello." Ark smiled at him kindly.
That easy friendliness earned him a visible spark of trust from both Hermione and Neville. Hermione, especially, seemed like a child desperate to find someone who understood her. Her words came in a breathless stream—nervous but eager—as she peppered Ark with questions about magic and Hogwarts.
She was desperate to know how students actually learned, whether it was normal for someone to master higher-level spells before first year. She confessed she'd been studying on her own before coming, but worried she'd fall behind.
Ark soothed her patiently.
This was, after all, the future Minister of Magic—the magical world's equivalent of Britain's Prime Minister. As long as she stayed on the original track, she'd be an invaluable ally to anyone, not just Harry and Ron. Ark had no plans to cling to her, but it certainly didn't hurt to start off on the right foot.
And honestly, her fears were groundless. Hogwarts students weren't nearly as brilliant as she imagined. Even plenty of pure-bloods, with their grand family lineages, were hopeless when it came to actual magic.
Hermione assumed that growing up in the Wizarding World gave them a huge advantage. She had no idea how wrong she was. Most magical children spent their childhood playing, not studying. Very few shared her drive.
The truth was, plenty of new students couldn't cast a single decent spell. The fact that she'd already learned everything in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 put her ahead of most.
Not ahead of Ark, of course—but aside from him, no other first-year would be stronger than Hermione.
"Really?" she breathed, still skeptical, as though the idea that wizard-born children weren't superior was impossible.
"It's the truth," Ark said seriously. "Ask Longbottom—he's from a wizarding family. His whole family are wizards."
Hermione turned quickly toward Neville, but he dropped his gaze to the floor, shame darkening his round face.
Mentioning his family only seemed to wound him.
Because Ark's words were all too accurate—Neville was proof that a wizarding background didn't guarantee talent. His strict grandmother demanded excellence, but he was forgetful, clumsy, and struggled to perform even simple magic. Despite endless practice, progress never came. He was left with nothing but failure and humiliation.
How could he not feel ashamed, standing beside a boy who could summon objects with ease and a girl who had already mastered half a textbook's worth of spells?
Hermione, though, relaxed at last. She'd feared she'd be left behind. Knowing the reality—that she wasn't at such a disadvantage—brought obvious relief.
But she didn't leave. Instead, her eyes lit up again.
"I read in Hogwarts: A History that the school has four Houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." She leaned closer, curious. "Byrne, which House do you want to be in?"
"I want to be in Gryffindor!"