Hermione was a bit distracted in class all day; fortunately, Gryffindor's afternoon class was History of Magic.
Having finally endured until the end of class, she arrived at the Quidditch pitch behind the castle as agreed.
She didn't have to wait long before Kate, who had just finished Herbology, came strolling over.
"Why are you here so early?" Kate was quite surprised to see her rushing over, covered in sweat.
This little one obviously didn't have much interest in Quidditch before.
Hermione wiped the sweat from her forehead, realizing it belatedly. "I just... didn't want you to wait too long."
Kate smiled, lifting her head to look at the Quidditch pitch. "Let's go to the spectator stands first."
This afternoon was the home ground for Ravenclaw's pre-selection individual practice. A casual glance at the field revealed five or six students flying alone on broomsticks.
Unlike other players who required a large physique to support their game, the Seeker position was often best suited for the smallest and fastest players.
Although Cho Chang, just a second-year student, was considered tall among her peers, she still appeared somewhat petite compared to the other players.
Thus, Kate spotted Cho Chang among the practicing crowd at a glance.
At that moment, Cho Chang had just released a practice Golden Snitch. She mounted her broom and took off like the wind.
"Hermione, you couldn't fly during yesterday's Flying Class either. Why not watch Cho Chang's posture? It might be helpful to you," Kate whispered to Hermione while watching Cho Chang chase the Snitch all over the field.
These were just words of advice she usually gave Hermione, her intention simply to help the little lion improve faster.
But for some reason, hearing her say this, Hermione remained silent this time.
Seeing Cho Chang cleanly dodge a Bludger's attack, Kate felt a surge of delight and was just about to tell Hermione to look.
But when she turned around, she found the little one sitting on the chair behind her with a rather poor expression, seeming to lack any interest in Quidditch.
She was just about to go over and ask, when a shout came from the sky: "Kate, did you come specially to watch me play?"
Kate turned back and saw that Cho Chang had stopped in the air above the spectator stands at some point, looking at her with surprise and joy.
"That's right." Kate smiled, walked to the edge of the stands, and tilted her head to look at her. "I came specially to see you. I wonder if the future Miss Seeker welcomes me?"
Cho Chang's small face, already flushed from exercise, became even rosier. She leaned slightly closer to the edge of the stands and performed a broom rolling maneuver, as if showing off her skills.
"Then, does Miss Kate think there are any flaws in my movements?"
Kate raised an eyebrow slightly, looking her up and down, observing her slender and agile figure beneath the wizard's robes. "Everything is very good, it's just that the broom doesn't quite suit you."
The broom Cho Chang was using now was a Cleansweep Seven, its performance far inferior to the Nimbus 2000 that Harry had received earlier.
Christmas was only a few months away; she seemed to have an idea of what gift to buy for Cho Chang.
"This is already the best broom the school has for practice." Cho Chang smiled confidently. "But don't worry, I believe my skills can make up for this deficiency."
As soon as her voice fell, a small golden object flashed past their eyes.
Cho Chang's eyes lit up, and she immediately steered her broom into a dive, continuing her pursuit of the Golden Snitch.
Watching her throw herself back into practice, Kate gave a soft laugh, turned around, and walked to Hermione's side, tilting her head to look at her.
However, Hermione turned her head away to dodge her gaze.
Angry?
A thought quickly flashed through her mind, and Kate scratched her cheek in confusion. "Hermione, if you don't like it here, we can go back."
Although she didn't quite understand why she was angry, there was a high probability it was related to this place.
"I don't dislike it here," Hermione replied, her tone rather sour and a bit stiff.
She had no reason to be angry.
Just seeing Kate getting along with other girls—what was there to be angry about?
Even she herself had a few passable friends in Gryffindor, so what right did she have to demand that Kate couldn't have other friends?
Her gaze followed the girl flying valiantly over the Quidditch pitch, and Hermione unconsciously pressed her lips together tightly.
Kate followed her line of sight in confusion. When she saw Cho Chang's figure, she instantly felt as if she understood something.
"Come, look at me, Hermione." She squatted down so she could look directly into her face.
Kate asked tentatively, "Do you feel that Cho Chang looks very beautiful flying on the pitch, while you can't even ride a broomstick, so you feel very lost?"
This was what she deduced from Hermione's reaction.
Children of this age were most prone to developing a sense of admiration for older seniors, thinking everything about them was radiant.
Some children would even develop feelings of inferiority because of this.
In her previous life, Kate herself had felt that the upperclassmen were very impressive when she was in the first year of middle school.
She would even find it incredible if someone in her class got close to the older students.
Putting herself in her shoes, Hermione must be in this situation right now.
In the original works, Hermione always hung out with Harry and Ron, surrounded by peers, so she naturally wouldn't develop this kind of emotion.
But with her here, the situation was a bit different.
"Listen to me first," she said, looking seriously into Hermione's eyes. "Cho Chang is indeed a very excellent person, but in my eyes, you are on par with her."
Hermione's dim eyes lit up slightly, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Kate's hand. "...Really?"
Kate smiled faintly. "I never lie to you."
"Everyone is different, and your points of excellence are also different. Don't disregard yourself just because of Cho Chang's excellence, understood?"
"Miss Hermione Granger is the smartest and most hardworking person I have ever met, bar none."
Even her Gifted Student Talent was copied from Hermione, which showed just how high Hermione's talent ceiling was.
Kate held her hand tightly and instructed gently, "Hermione, do not belittle yourself. You will always be number one in my heart."
Her intention was originally to help Hermione cheer up again, but to Hermione's ears, these words had a different feeling.
"Number one..." Hermione murmured softly, a smile inadvertently curving her lips.
She and Kate were both number one in each other's friendship.
That was enough.
Suddenly, she stood up abruptly, walked to the edge of the stands, and shouted loudly at Cho Chang: "Go for it, Senior Cho Chang!"
Unknown if Cho Chang in the sky heard her words, but with a turn of her broom, she beautifully caught the Golden Snitch in her arms and waved happily at the stands.
Kate smiled. "Let's go, let's go down and meet her."
Hermione nodded with a face full of smiles. "Mhm!"
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉