Hermione had practically grown up soaking in a sea of books; the time she spent reading every day was even longer than her sleeping hours.
After all, the nickname "Miss Know-It-All" wasn't given out casually.
It was only through her bit-by-bit accumulation of knowledge that she was able to earn such a special title.
Unlike Harvey, who had coasted through six years at Hogwarts and left behind nothing but a bad reputation as a scumbag playboy, with no other real presence to speak of.
So, it was evident just how rare it was for Hermione to receive such a complimentary title.
But right now, even Miss Know-It-All had things she couldn't figure out.
For instance, how did that Iron Man riding a nuclear missile manage to agilely turn a corner and fly straight into... a spatial wormhole?
Although Harvey was no saint, he still felt a sense of admiration for this act of sacrificing oneself to save others.
"Iron Man saved the world. A mortal body standing shoulder-to-shoulder with gods—it seems that's not just an empty compliment!"
"Even though I don't approve of his foolish behavior, I still have to say I'm impressed!"
Hearing Harvey's sigh of admiration, a look of agreement also surfaced in Hermione's eyes.
At that moment, Harvey noticed that the roof of Stark Tower seemed to experience an energy surge.
An invisible shockwave radiated outward in all directions.
"Is the spatial wormhole about to close?"
It seemed the Battle of New York was nearing its end. Having watched from the sidelines for so long, Harvey suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"Perhaps I can take this opportunity to snatch Loki's scepter?"
At this point in time, the Avengers were still unaware of the true importance of Loki's scepter.
If he made a move, he could definitely take the scepter without anyone noticing.
"A divine artifact like the Mind Stone has always belonged to the worthy, and I am obviously that worthy one."
Just as Harvey was preparing to act, Hermione suddenly wrinkled her nose beside him and issued a soul-piercing interrogation.
"What is that smell?"
Harvey's heart tightened, and he quickly sped up the process of conjuring his portal.
But Hermione seemed to see through Harvey's intention to run. She took a step forward, deliberately blocking the portal.
"Wait, why do you have another woman's perfume on you?"
"How is that possible? That must just be the scent of jasmine flowers from the front garden drifting over here," Harvey pointed out the window at the villa's small front garden, arguing his case with feigned righteousness.
Logically speaking, Wanda, coming from a poor refugee background, couldn't afford perfume at all. Could it be...
Did her natural body scent expose him?
Harvey's mind raced wildly, trying to figure out exactly where he had slipped up.
However, Hermione didn't buy his bullshit at all. She leaned in close to Harvey and sniffed at the shoulder of his jacket.
Confirmed!
"This is definitely another girl's perfume!"
"Where did you go last night?"
"Did you go back to Hogwarts to find Luna and the others?"
"Or did you rekindle your old romance with Fleur?"
Consumed by a nameless fire of jealousy, Hermione grew angrier the more she thought about it. She pointed her wand at Harvey and fired off three consecutive questions.
"Speak!"
A drop of cold sweat involuntarily rolled down Harvey's forehead.
Right now, Hermione was like a raging tigress; her furious eyes looked ready to eat him alive.
"Darling, listen to me first, it's not what you think... I must have stayed in the laboratory for too long and accidentally picked up the scent of some potion ingredients."
Hermione's eyelashes trembled with anger, the tip of her wand firmly locked onto Harvey.
"Don't call me darling! I've read 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi', and there are absolutely no herbal ingredients with a scent like this!"
Miss Know-It-All once again used her extensive knowledge to puncture Harvey's clumsy lie.
He had to admit, ever since Hermione grew up, Harvey found it increasingly difficult to handle this wise Miss Know-It-All.
At this moment, Harvey's forehead was constantly sweating, his mind went completely blank, and his face showed both the embarrassment of having his lie exposed and the anxiety of being unable to come up with an excuse.
"I... I..."
After stammering for a long time without thinking of a reasonable explanation, Harvey steeled his heart and decided to tell the truth.
"To be honest... I did go find a Muggle girl last night."
"But I only borrowed her blood to use as a research sample. I swear our relationship is still purely innocent!"
After all, Wanda hadn't formally agreed to be his girlfriend yet, so Harvey's words weren't technically a lie.
Hearing this explanation, Hermione thought for less than 0.0001 seconds before pointing her wand directly at Harvey—
"Appare Vestigium!"
A thin white thread extended from Harvey's body, trailing all the way out the window toward the southeast.
The effect of the Tracking Charm was to track down the owner of the scent based on the residual odor left on Harvey.
"I am going to find that girl in person to confirm this. If you dare to lie to me again, Harvey, we are severing our friendship for good!"
After angrily spitting out those words, Hermione immediately mounted her Firebolt, shot out the window, and flew along the white thread.
Seeing this, Harvey actually calmed down.
"Is that it? Miss Know-It-All, you're still a bit too green to fight me. How could a flying broomstick ever be faster than a portal?"
After secretly gloating for a moment, Harvey didn't dare to intentionally slow down.
He made a swiping motion in the air with his left hand.
On the other side of the sparking golden portal was the exact scene inside the Waldorf Hotel suite's bedroom.
But at that very moment, Hermione actually doubled back. Hovering outside the window on her Firebolt, she peeked her head inside.
And happened to see the scene on the other side of the portal.
A red-haired girl draped in a white hotel bathrobe was just walking out of the bathroom.
The moment she saw Harvey appear.
Wanda's eyes immediately turned red, tears falling uncontrollably. She trotted over to the portal, hugged Harvey's shoulder, and began to cry and plead.
"Sob~ Mr. Ferguson, I'm willing to be your girlfriend, please don't abandon me again, okay?"
Hearing this girl's tearful plea, Hermione's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"I didn't expect you to be this kind of person, to actually fuck a girl and then toss her aside!"
Hermione's voice suddenly ringing in his ears startled Harvey, who was currently comforting the girl in his arms.
Turning his head, he saw Hermione outside the window looking at him with an expression of absolute disappointment.
Harvey panicked, trying to break free from Wanda's embrace to go explain things to Hermione.
But Wanda clung to him tightly in his arms, as if trying to declare her sovereignty.
"No... we're just pure friends. Darling, you have to believe me!" Harvey's explanation was far too flimsy, but he could only treat a dead horse as if it were alive.
Wanda lifted her small head and cast a timid glance at Hermione.
Could this pretty, curly-haired girl be Mr. Ferguson's official girlfriend?
By now, Hermione was thoroughly and completely disappointed in Harvey. She left behind a single sentence, "I wish you both happiness!" then turned around, riding her Firebolt into the clouds, and disappeared into the horizon.
Harvey wanted to call out and make her stay, but Wanda was wrapped around him like an octopus, her hands locked tightly around his body.
"Miss Wanda, it's time for you to let go."
Only after her romantic rival had left did Wanda, terrified that Harvey would abandon her again, finally dare to loosen her grip.
"Mr. Ferguson, if she doesn't mind, I can actually just be your mistress..."
Although Wanda's understanding and submissiveness were heartbreakingly sweet, Harvey was in no mood to discuss this right now.
He forced a bitter smile and instructed, "We'll talk about this later. Wait for me here, I still have some business to take care of."