Taking the envelope from the owl, Hermione turned around and comforted the cat, which was once again agitated by the owl's presence.
She opened the envelope.
"Dear Hermione Jane Granger,
Thank you for your concern. I wish you a happy new semester at Hogwarts.
Signed: Minerva McGonagall."
Hermione: "..."
Goodness, this cat professor is quite polite.
When she received the admission letter from Hogwarts, Hermione had written a short thank-you note and sent it back with the owl, purely out of courtesy. She hadn't expected Professor McGonagall to actually reply.
Shaking her head, Hermione glanced around the room. This was the room of the original Hermione in the Harry Potter world.
As for how she appeared here, she had the magic book in her mind to thank.
After acquiring it in the Marvel world, Hermione, once she calmed down, realized something important.
She was now in the Marvel world. Although Hogwarts had accepted her, she couldn't attend school!
How could she practice spells in this situation?
Moreover, how could a twelve-year-old girl with no family survive on her own?
Unwilling to give up, Hermione flipped through the magic book and discovered two icons on the last page: an "M" and a castle.
The "M" was gray and unresponsive, but the castle was colorful.
Without hesitation, Hermione touched it with her mind, and she was transported back to the Harry Potter world.
The castle icon on the page turned gray, while the "M" became colorful, with a progress bar appearing beneath it.
Hermione quickly understood what this meant.
After repeated trials, she confirmed that the magic book allowed her to travel between the Marvel and Harry Potter worlds, but it required a cooldown period.
Each time she crossed worlds, she had to wait about twelve hours for the progress bar to fill before she could cross again.
So, after buying a wand and some books in Diagon Alley, Hermione recorded the magic she could access and immediately returned to the Marvel world to practice.
Separated by a world, the Ministry of Magic couldn't possibly track her misuse of magic.
After packing her bags and bidding farewell to her parents in this world, Hermione made her way to King's Cross Station.
To be precise, she headed for platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station, where the train to Hogwarts was located.
Upon reaching the platform, Hermione realized that a spell had been cast to obscure it from Muggle perception, as people around her were oblivious to the students passing through the wall.
Otherwise, onlookers would have been astonished to see people seemingly walking into a solid wall.
Hermione remembered that there was a time limit for the platform's opening, so she didn't waste a moment. She clutched her ticket tightly and walked straight through the wall.
If she were late, she would indeed hit the wall.
After passing through, her surroundings became clear, and she found herself on a special platform.
Not far away, a steampunk-style train was stopped at the platform, and many young wizards were loading their luggage onto it.
After boarding the train, Hermione found an empty compartment and sat down.
Leaning against the window, her reflection showed a cute face of an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, but her eyes held a maturity that belied her age.
There was so much on her mind.
Harry Potter, Marvel...
Dumbledore, Voldemort, S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers...
the mysterious magic book in her mind.
And... time travel.
Just as she was lost in thought, the compartment door suddenly opened.
"Huh... there's someone here?"
A boy with glasses apologized upon seeing Hermione.
"Sorry, sorry, but the other compartments are full. I noticed there's an empty seat here. May I sit?"
Hermione glanced at him and nodded slightly without speaking.
"Thank you." The boy with glasses sat down.
Hermione recognized him immediately.
Harry Potter?
Why wasn't he with Ron?
Or had he ended up in the compartment where they were supposed to be?
Hermione wasn't particularly concerned with this question.
The original work, whether in movies or books, only showed a part of the world. She had no idea where the two would sit.
She didn't even know where she was supposed to be.
Soon after, a red-haired boy entered the compartment and asked the same question.
Ron Weasley.
Harry Potter secretly glanced at Hermione, and when she didn't respond, he nodded and gestured to the seat next to him.
"That scar... you're Harry Potter!"
Just like in the original, Ron recognized Harry's identity and exclaimed.
Harry, the affluent student, displayed his generosity, leaving the less fortunate Ron in awe. The two quickly formed a strong friendship, just as in the original tale.
After the commotion, both boys turned their attention to Hermione.
They finally realized that the quiet girl in front of them didn't react to Harry Potter's name at all.
Given his fame due to the Dark Lord, Harry Potter was widely known in the wizarding world.
Feeling their gaze, Hermione glanced at Harry, her eyes finally settling on his glasses.
"Reparo."
Casting a repair spell, she mended the horizontal crack on his glasses, as a greeting and to appease her own obsessive tendencies.
Repair spell proficiency +1.
Harry and Ron were once again amazed, never expecting a first-year student to master spells so well before even starting school.
Hermione looked out the window again, ignoring the two boys.
Facing Harry Potter, she wasn't as awestruck or enthusiastic as other young wizards.
Firstly, she had already read the books and watched the movies in her previous life, making her quite familiar with the two boys before her.
Secondly, she wasn't interested in playing childish games, even though her current body was that of a young girl.
...
As night fell, the train finally arrived. After getting off the train and taking a boat, the first-year students were guided by Hagrid and others via a water route to Hogwarts.
Seeing the enormous and magnificent castle before her, even Hermione, who had seen countless towering structures in her past life, couldn't help but be awed.
"Indeed, seeing something on a screen can never compare to experiencing it in person."
Climbing the stairs, they arrived at the banquet hall.
As expected, Professor McGonagall was standing by the stairs, wearing a green robe and a pointed wizard hat, just like in the original story.
A faint commotion came from the door behind them.
Ron and Draco still didn't get along, engaging in a heated argument and dragging Harry into it.
After a minor disturbance, everyone entered.
As they passed Professor McGonagall, she looked at Hermione and suddenly said:
"Miss Hermione Granger."
Hermione paused, her mind racing.
Hmm?
Compared to other students who rushed to the front row, she preferred staying at the back, avoiding attention.
She hadn't expected to be noticed like this.
Hermione turned to McGonagall, "Good evening, Professor McGonagall."
McGonagall looked down at her for a moment, then smiled warmly.
"Miss Granger, thank you for your concern. I wish you a happy new semester."
The same words as in the reply letter.
Hermione realized it must be because of the letter she had written earlier.
"Thank you, and I wish you success in teaching," she replied with a polite smile.
Arriving at the center of the auditorium, beside the senior students on either side, the row of professors at the front was most noticeable.
Especially the old man with a white beard in the middle, who resembled Gandalf.
The old man stood and looked around, first pausing on Harry Potter, then his gaze shifted directly to Hermione at the back.
Hermione: ???