Harry Potter: Wizards Supersmacy

Chapter -5.

After a few classes, Brian started to feel like he wasn't really ahead in his studies. Not wanting to waste any time, he dedicated almost all his free time to studying. He quickly got the hang of what he had already learned and even started looking ahead to what was coming up. Coming from a test-focused education system, he actually knew how to study better than Hermione!

But, oh boy, the textbooks in the magical world weren't exactly the best. Relying solely on them left him scratching his head in confusion at times. So, he found himself spending a lot of time in the library, hunting for different materials while Madam Pince, the librarian, kept a watchful eye on him.

Malfoy found Brian's dedication pretty puzzling; he had never been one to enjoy studying. His main interest was always in teasing and mocking Harry Potter and his friends.

Brian was just as confused by Malfoy's attitude, but whenever he asked, Malfoy would just lift his chin and say in that signature tone of his, "It's Potter who doesn't know what's good for him. He'll always regret not joining Slytherin and picking Gryffindor and that bunch of Weasleys instead."

In his downtime, Brian stumbled upon the tapestry of a giant beating a troll on the eighth floor of the castle, which led him to the Room of Requirement.

Honestly, he had completely forgotten where the Room of Requirement was, only remembering it was near a tapestry with a giant. After searching the castle for days, he was relieved to find that there weren't too many giant paintings around!

Right now, he didn't really need the Room of Requirement; most of his energy was focused on mastering spells. He was trying to learn the Disillusionment Charm so he could sneak into the restricted section to find the book "How to Close Your Mind." He thought it would help him relax a bit instead of constantly worrying about catching Dumbledore's attention.

But reality hit hard. With his current skills, he just couldn't manage to learn the Disillusionment Charm, which was meant for older students; he was lagging behind in both magical power and knowledge.

He was hoping the Room of Requirement might offer him a little help.

Unfortunately, it didn't; there were no loopholes for him to take advantage of, and it was clear that nothing significant had happened there.

Brian's academic journey faced some bumps, and he could only keep learning bit by bit. During this time, he became friends with Daphne Greengrass.

Daphne loved to sit by the window in the common room, resting her hand on the sill while propping her chin up, gazing at the enchanting view of the lake outside.

Whenever a large shadow passed by the window, her bright blue eyes would widen, and she'd lean closer to the glass, curious to see what kind of creature it was.

Sometimes, while Brian was reading by the fireplace, Daphne would come over with questions she didn't quite understand. They started to get more comfortable with each other, to the point where Daphne would occasionally tease him.

She had a cool exterior but was warm on the inside; she could be a bit distant with strangers, but once you got to know her, you'd find she loved to laugh and make light-hearted jokes. She was genuine and friendly with her friends and always willing to lend a hand.

Most of the time, she was an independent young woman.

What made Brian feel at ease was that even though she acknowledged the idea of pureblood, she wasn't extreme about it and didn't bring it up all the time.

Through their chats, Brian learned that Daphne had a younger sister who was two years younger than her, but her sister wasn't in great health, and Daphne worried she might not receive a letter from Hogwarts.

Brian often took the time to chat with Daphne, which made him feel younger and more energetic instead of letting himself sink into loneliness.

Everything was going along just fine. With his constant studying, his grades started to shine, making him one of the top students in Slytherin. Of course, he still had a bit of a gap compared to Miss Granger, mostly because his wand was a bit unruly.

One day, while standing in front of the library bookshelf, Brian reached for the last copy of "Hogwarts: A History" on the top shelf, only to find another hand resting on it.

"Sorry, you go ahead," they both said at the same time.

Brian was taken aback and pulled his hand back, only to realize the other hand did the same.

"Why don't you take it? If you need this book, I just wanted to borrow it for some light reading; honestly, anything else would work for me," the female voice said softly.

Brian had a funny feeling and guessed who it was. When he turned around, it was indeed Miss Hermione Granger. The little girl, awkwardly trying to explain herself, saw his face and frowned slightly, turning to leave.

"Miss Granger, don't you want this book anymore? I was just curious and wanted to take a look," Brian said gently.

Hermione, surprised by his polite tone, turned back.

Brian handed her the book, and Hermione took it, looking a bit dazed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I thought you didn't like me..." she stammered, her face turning a little red. Realizing this made things even more awkward, she cleared her throat and started talking about the history of Hogwarts.

When she got into her area of expertise, Hermione's eyes sparkled with confidence. Brian listened with a smile, nodding and adding comments here and there, and for a moment, they were happily chatting away.

Hermione was thrilled to have someone to share her thoughts with and discuss all these fascinating bits of knowledge.

Since arriving at Hogwarts, Hermione hadn't been particularly popular. Her reputation for meddling and her somewhat self-righteous attitude didn't win her many friends.

But Miss Know-It-All lived up to her name; her vast knowledge made Brian feel a bit inferior, and he marveled at the existence of geniuses like her. She had an incredible memory and rarely forgot the books she had read.

Brian smiled as he listened to Hermione speak softly. It was clear that she wasn't favored by her peers, who preferred candy, Quidditch, or wizard chess.

Brian's gaze remained warm; all he needed to do was offer support and encouragement to a girl seeking recognition from others.

That was until Madam Pince came over and shooed them both out of the library.

Hermione's face turned a bit red as she said, "I'm sorry, I thought you all... oh, you know, you all don't like me because of... but you're not like them."

After she finished speaking, Brian smiled gently and said, "It's okay, I understand how they feel, even if I don't agree. And I owe you an apology too; it's not fair."

"Let's call it even then. I apologize for Slytherin's prejudice against you, and you apologize for thinking we all dislike you, right?" Brian said, his gaze calm and kind.

Hermione chuckled, looking into Brian's warm yet slightly melancholic eyes, feeling a bit more at ease. "That's a bit of twisted logic."

"Thanks for chatting with me; I think I should head back," she waved goodbye.

As Brian watched her walk away, his gaze turned thoughtful.

Why did he want to get to know her? He couldn't quite put his finger on it; he could have easily turned around and ignored her, which would have saved him some trouble.

Maybe it was because he had a soft spot for this character from his past life, or perhaps it was because he was touched by her, or maybe getting to know her could help him gather some witness points... he couldn't clarify his thoughts, and at that moment, he didn't think too much about it; he just called out to her on a whim.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be so complicated; this is a fairy tale, right?" Brian said with a smile. "Sometimes it's nice to do something on a whim."

He propped the book against his chin, lost in thought.

In the days that followed, Brian and Hermione became quite close. They often bumped into each other in the library.

To their surprise, they found they had more in common than even with Daphne, who couldn't compare.

Sometimes Hermione would share interesting facts about the Muggle world with him, especially after realizing that Brian was open to it. She seemed eager to change people's views on Muggles.

Brian could only smile and listen patiently, even though the things she talked about were things he was incredibly familiar with; he could have chatted with her for days about them.

However, Malfoy was not happy about this. He heard from Pansy Parkinson that Brian had been spending time with Hermione lately, scolding him for "getting too close to a Mudblood," "degrading himself," and even threatening to write to his father about it.

Brian felt powerless to change Malfoy's deeply ingrained beliefs; he simply asked him not to use the term "Mudblood" anymore.

"Insulting others is really rude, Draco. That's not something a noble should say; it goes against your honor."

Brian calmly told him, but Malfoy just turned his head away proudly.

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TL/N : Reading this? Throw some powerstones then!!