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"Dudley, are you sure this won't be a problem?"
Hermione's cheeks were flushed, and she glanced around nervously, as if afraid someone might appear at any moment.
"I… it's my first time…"
She kept lowering her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
"It's my first time too, but don't worry."
Dudley thumped his chest confidently.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
"But what if we get caught…"
Hermione hesitated, clearly conflicted. After all, this was her first time doing something like this.
"Maybe we should just forget it."
This kind of thing, just like skipping class, was… far too exciting.
"Relax. It'll be quick. I'll go in, get it done, and be right back."
Seeing her hesitation, Dudley delivered the final push:
"Hermione, you wouldn't want…"
"…to be hungry in the middle of the night, right?"
Growl…
The moment he finished speaking, someone's stomach growled at the perfect time.
Hermione's face turned even redder.
"I'll be right back. Wait here."
With that, Dudley headed straight for the Hogwarts kitchens, located beside the Hufflepuff common room.
The moment he stepped inside, the clattering of pots and utensils came to an abrupt halt.
"Honored young wizard, how may we assist you?"
A respectful voice came from below.
Dudley lowered his gaze and saw a humanoid creature standing by his feet, looking up at him with reverence.
It was small, extremely thin, almost skin and bones.
It had eyes as large as tennis balls, ears like a bat's…
And, though it was a bit rude to think so, its nose resembled Snape's just a little.
If he had to compare it to something…
It looked like an undernourished goblin.
It also bore some resemblance to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, though with larger ears and a sharper nose.
And there was a slight similarity to the goblins of Gringotts, though those had sharp teeth.
House-elves.
A magical race that, according to the history of magic, had served wizards for generations.
It was worth noting that they possessed considerable magical power.
Even some adult wizards who weren't skilled in combat wouldn't stand a chance against them.
According to Hogwarts: A History, the entire school kitchen was run by house-elves.
"I'm a bit hungry. May I use the kitchen for a moment?"
Dudley looked around before settling his gaze on the large cauldron on the stove.
"Y-you think the food we made isn't good?"
The elf began to tremble.
Then suddenly, it started banging its head against the wall.
"Bad Lace… bad Lace… the food you made displeased the young wizard…"
"Stop."
Dudley cut him off immediately.
He already knew house-elves had a… peculiar way of thinking.
But he hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
Five minutes later, Dudley walked out of the kitchen carrying a bucket of fried chicken and pickled sausages.
"That much?"
Hermione stared in surprise.
"Did you raid the kitchen?"
"They're pretty eager to help in there."
Dudley didn't elaborate and changed the subject.
"Eat while it's still hot. We'll need to head back soon."
Curfew would be starting soon.
If they were caught wandering the castle, Filch would definitely put them in detention.
Though Dudley had never been caught before.
...
Not long after, they finished all the food.
Or rather…
Most of it ended up in Dudley's stomach.
After walking Hermione to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, Dudley didn't return to Slytherin right away.
Instead, he found a window, slipped out onto the outer wall of the castle…
And began climbing one of the towers.
After eating, it was time to train.
He still hadn't done his nightly workout.
Unlike his morning routine…
This time, faint golden sparks flickered across his body, legs, and wrists.
Hamon energy.
During the day, it was pure physical training.
At night, he trained this ability.
Day after day.
Year after year.
It was always the same.
...
Meanwhile, Hermione had already returned to the Gryffindor common room.
"Where have you been?"
The moment she stepped inside, several students turned their attention to her.
When she left with Dudley, no one had noticed.
But she was Hermione.
The student who always raised her hand and earned points for Gryffindor.
Going an entire class without hearing "Gryffindor gains points" felt… strange.
And so, they remembered her.
"I can't believe it, Hermione. I heard you actually skipped class."
The one who spoke was Cormac McLaggen, an older student, his tone exaggerated.
"I don't believe we're familiar enough to address each other by first name, Mr. McLaggen."
Hermione replied coldly.
She didn't give him an inch.
"Alright then, Miss Know-It-All."
The nickname sounded like a compliment at first…
But it was clearly meant as sarcasm.
Hermione had a habit of explaining everything from the beginning, in great detail…
And pointing out others' mistakes very directly.
"Know-It-All" implied she was annoying and talked too much.
"I'm just giving you some advice. Don't go down the wrong path."
"If I were you, I'd be more careful."
"If you keep this up, no one in Gryffindor will like you. No one."
There was a reason for that.
Hermione had been spending a lot of time with Dudley.
The two of them were always together in the library.
That alone wasn't an issue.
The problem was that Dudley was a Slytherin.
To impulsive Gryffindors, that was enough.
In their eyes, a Gryffindor should keep their distance from Slytherins.
Otherwise, they were a traitor.
As for Harry?
He was different.
Dudley was his cousin.
And Harry was special.
A hero.
The "Saint Potter."
It was pure hypocrisy…
Something natural to any human being.
Of course, not all Gryffindors were like that.
But arrogant, irritating, self-righteous people existed everywhere.
And there were plenty of them.
Hermione didn't care.
She was independent, always did what she believed was right, and never tried to fit in.
That, in itself, was one of the reasons she wasn't popular.
Even though she had earned plenty of points for Gryffindor…
They just didn't care.
At first, it hadn't been anything serious.
But recently, her belongings had started disappearing.
For example, that very morning, she had spent a long time looking for her shoes and ended up wearing another pair.
But she had never told Dudley about any of it.
In truth, this kind of situation was common.
Where there were people, there were always conflicts.
Or bullying.
Whether in ordinary schools or magical ones.
The difference was that at Hogwarts, those conflicts were usually directed at other Houses.
But within the Houses themselves, it still happened.
McLaggen glanced around.
The other Gryffindors laughed along with him.
The sound was harsh.
Only Neville, sitting in the corner with his arm wrapped in bandages, seemed like he wanted to say something.
His lips trembled slightly, as if he were struggling to speak.
But in the end…
He said nothing.
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