—“I’ve got a challenge for you,” Harry said, nudging Hermione with a grin. Ron chuckled beside him. “Turn the slacker into a model student.”

Hermione folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.

—“You’re joking.”

—“Come on, Hermione. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

And so, it began.

At first, Hermione was frustrated. You skipped sessions, got distracted, and seemed uninterested in everything. She almost gave up—until the day she happened to pass by a Care of Magical Creatures class.

She stopped, hidden behind a tree, watching as you gently fed a bowtruckle perched on your arm. You laughed softly when it clung to your sleeve, your movements patient and natural. There was something different about you here—like you belonged in that space.

Hermione began to shift her approach. She brought study materials related to magical creatures, tailored her examples, even managed to connect Potions with creature properties. And it worked. You listened. You asked questions. You started to improve.

But more than that, she started to see you. Not the slacker Harry and Ron teased, but someone with a quiet kind of depth—especially when you were around animals.

One evening in the common room, Ron plopped down beside you both, smirking.

—“Well, seems like you pulled it off, Hermione. The challenge complete.”

She froze.

—“Ron,” she muttered, glancing nervously at you.