Harry Potter : An American in Hogwarts

Hermione winced. "Tyson... language!"

Tyson merely shrugged. "I'm just stating the facts."

"Disrespecting a professor is wrong regardless!" Hermione was having none of it.

"Oh, trust me, you won't be saying that once you hear about his glorious deeds."

Over the next several minutes, he recounted the Potions lesson from beginning to end.

He told her about Snape's dramatic entrance, the interrogation before class had even begun, the questions directed at students who'd only arrived at Hogwarts the previous day, and the atmosphere of constant intimidation hanging over the dungeon.

While he was at it, he naturally filled her in on all the rumours spreading among the Ravenclaws as well. About Snape's blatant favoritism toward Slytherin and entire houses losing points for the most ridiculous reasons imaginable.

"Slytherin has been winning the House Cup for six years straight," Tyson said. "You don't think it's because they're really superior to all the other houses, as they proclaim, do you?"

Hermione fell silent for a moment.

"I still think..." she began cautiously, choosing her words with care, "...you shouldn't use such language to address a professor. Perhaps it's his way of... motivating new students to work harder?"

Tyson stared at her, utterly deadpan. Right. He'd almost forgotten how much Hermione worshipped authority and rules at this point.

"I mean..." Hermione faltered under his gaze. "Hogwarts is one of the most prestigious magical schools in Britain. I don't think the headmaster or administration would allow someone genuinely unfair on the staff."

Tyson studied her for a moment before a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

It was a perfectly reasonable conclusion. Kind of adorable, even. If only Hogwarts' administration were half as competent as Hermione believed. He decided not to burst her bubble just yet, though. The impact would be far greater if she found out on her own.

"Maybe you're right," he said with an easy shrug. "We'll find out soon enough. If I'm wrong, I'll happily admit it."

Hermione's shoulders relaxed. She clearly wasn't looking forward to an argument about the competence of Hogwarts' administration.

"Alright," Tyson continued, waving the topic away, "enough about Professor Stoner."

"...Tyson." Hermione gave him a flat look.

"What?" Tyson spread his hands. "Be glad I didn't call him Substance Abuser."

She rolled her eyes.

Tyson couldn't help but chuckle.

"Anyway..." He rested an elbow on the table. "I know it hasn't been very long, but how're you settling in? Gryffindor treating you well?"

At the mention of her house, the brightness in Hermione's eyes dimmed almost instantly.

"Yeah... I suppose so."

It sounded less like an answer and more like she was trying to convince herself.

Tyson noticed her gaze drifting toward the table, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the parchment lying between them.

He sighed and reached across, resting his hand lightly over hers. Hermione went still. Her eyes dropped to their hands, then slowly lifted toward him, giving him a questioning look.

"I saw you sitting by yourself at breakfast," Tyson said gently. "And you didn't exactly look fine. At least, not to me. So I'll ask again... are you sure everything's alright?"

Hermione's fingers curled slightly beneath his hand. For several long seconds, she said nothing.

"...Yes," she replied at last, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tyson looked at her helplessly. Her acting was so bad that he was fairly certain even Neville would've seen through it.

"You know," he said casually, "we've only known each other for a day, but I'd still like to think we're friends."

Hermione's head snapped up so quickly Tyson almost worried she'd hurt her neck.

"Are we?"

The surprise in her voice genuinely caught him off guard.

"...Of course we are," he replied firmly.

Hermione searched his face, studying him as though she expected him to burst out laughing and admit it had all been a joke. When he didn't, her gaze turned hopeful.

"...Really?"

"Really," Tyson answered without the slightest hesitation.

"...You don't think I'm annoying?" Hermione whispered, more to herself. Her voice was so small Tyson almost missed it.

He raised an eyebrow. "...And where did that come from?"

Hermione didn't answer, only lowering her head.

Tyson looked at her for another moment before slowly shaking his head.

"No."

Hermione looked up almost immediately.

"You're not annoying," Tyson continued, looking straight into her brown eyes. "Sure, you can be a bit of a chatterbox sometimes, but that's only when you're genuinely curious about something. The moment something interests you, you get completely absorbed in it and forget everything else around you."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You're also ridiculously hardworking. School hadn't even started, and you'd already finished the first-year textbooks. But by far, your most likable quality is that you're kind."

Hermione blinked.

"Yesterday, on the train, you spent all that time helping Neville look for Trevor. You didn't have to, and there was nothing in it for you, but you still stayed until it was time to leave. So no, I don't find you annoying at all. Anyone who does doesn't know you well enough for their opinion to matter."

For a long moment, Hermione simply stared at him in stunned silence, looking a bit overwhelmed by the chain of praise. Then a faint blush crept across her cheeks, and despite her obvious efforts to stop it, the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.

"...Thank you," she said warmly.

Tyson's expression softened.

"You don't have to. I'm just speaking my mind."

A small laugh escaped Hermione.

Tyson waited until the moment had settled before asking gently, "So... what actually happened?"

Hermione let out a quiet sigh before speaking.

"...Yesterday. When Percy was taking us to the Gryffindor common room, everyone was complaining about the moving staircases. They kept saying how inconvenient they were and that Hogwarts would've been better without them. So I... explained to them the reason why they were built that way. I read it in *Hogwarts: A History*. The castle was designed during the witch hunts, and the moving staircases were meant to be another layer of defence in case anyone ever successfully breached the outer wards."

Her voice wobbled as she continued. "A few girls started rolling their eyes. They said I always had to explain everything. One of them called me a know-it-all, and one said... listening to me was more exhausting than climbing the stairs."

Tyson raised an eyebrow. "...Who?"

"Lavender Brown," Hermione admitted after a moment's hesitation. "And a couple of the other girls. I... don't remember all of their names."

She hugged one arm across her chest, staring at the table.

"I just wanted to explain there was a reason the staircase existed. I didn't mean to make anyone feel stupid. It was never my intention to annoy them."

By the end, her voice had become little more than a whisper.

Tyson watched her for a second, then reached over and gently rested a hand on top of her head.

Hermione looked up in surprise at the sudden contact.

"I know," he explained gently. "I believe you. And you weren't wrong. The problem wasn't what you said, Hermione. It was when you said it."

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he gently ruffled her soft, bushy hair before continuing.

"Imagine you've just climbed what feels like a thousand stairs. Your legs hurt, you're exhausted, and you're dying for a drink. Then someone walks over and starts explaining why the stairs are actually an ingenious piece of defensive architecture."

"Even if they're completely right... it's probably the last thing you'd want to hear at that moment."

Hermione fell silent, probably considering his words.

"People don't always want an explanation straight away," Tyson said. "Sometimes they just want someone to complain with them for five minutes. It doesn't make them bad people. It just makes them... people."

She frowned. "So... I should've stayed quiet?"

"No." Tyson shook his head immediately. "You should've read the room. If someone genuinely wants an explanation, give them one. But if they're tired, frustrated, or in a bad mood..." He shrugged. "Let them be tired and frustrated first. You can explain it later."

Hermione seemed to fall into thought and didn't answer right away. She just sat there, staring at the table, turning his words over in her head. The silence stretched long enough that he started to wonder if he'd said too much.

Then she looked up.

"I don't get it," she said hesitantly. "Even if someone is tired or frustrated... shouldn't they still appreciate it when someone shares knowledge with them? Facts aren't an inconvenience. Understanding why something exists is better than just complaining about it. I wasn't trying to lecture anyone. I was offering something useful. Why should my timing make the information itself less valuable?"

Tyson was left completely speechless by her answer. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

'Just what was I expecting?' He let out a sigh. Guess it wasn't without reason that Hermione was called an insufferable know-it-all in canon.

"Then do whatever you want," he said flatly, then stood up to gather his things.

Hermione looked at him hesitantly. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm starving," he replied nonchalantly, then looked at her and held out a hand. "Wanna tag along? We've still got half an hour before the next class."

Hermione took it without hesitation.

"Sure, I suddenly feel hungry as well."

They packed up their things and headed out of the library toward the Great Hall.

...

A/N : Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

As always, you can read the next one on my PeePee for free. Its big and pretty much unforgettable.

Pat/spectatur

See ya!