HP: Pure-Blood Glory

A moment later, Hermione returned to Luke's side.

"Finished saying your goodbyes?"

Luke asked with a smile.

Hermione nodded, thanked Luke once again, and then noticed the emblem on his chest.

"That is...?" she asked curiously.

As they walked toward the train compartment, Luke replied, "It's my family crest."

Hermione followed behind, nodding in silent understanding.

If she had been puzzled by some of the unfriendly looks earlier, she now had a vague sense of why. But it was still just a faint awareness—she was, after all, only eleven.

Luke noticed Hermione's unease and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry too much about it. There's a lot you'll learn in time, but know this—Hogwarts and many wizards really do believe in fairness."

"Even though you say it, but that doesn't sound very comforting."

Hermione sighed with slight exasperation.

"Things will change"

Luke said calmly, without elaborating further.

Hermione looked at him thoughtfully, but chose not to ask anything more. They walked in silence to the compartment, where they each settled in and stowed their luggage. Neither of them suggested going there own way.

At the moment, Hermione only knew Luke, so there was no reason to separate.

Luke was unbothered either way; with Hermione around, he knew exactly who his companion was. At least she was smart and grounded—not some fool pretending to know more than they did.

"Do you know a lot of spells?"

Hermione asked once they were seated.

"I know a fair number. We have quite a few books on spells at home, and I practice regularly"

Luke said, stroking his cat, Booker, who was curled contentedly on his lap.

He wasn't exaggerating; most basic spells were simple enough. Truly talented wizards could even create variations on common spells, though Luke wasn't quite at that level yet.

As for the more complex spells—especially darker ones—Luke's natural talent made them surprisingly easy to master.

Hermione glanced enviously at Booker, the small black cat on Luke's lap. It was so adorable, though it seemed to not like strangers.

"I practiced some basic spells at home too. Do all wizard families teach their kids magic at home?" Hermione asked.

Her real worry was falling behind at school.

What if the professors only taught at the level of those with prior experience? Or what if her magical talent wasn't as strong as she hoped? What if…

She could think of dozens of reasons why she might struggle at Hogwarts, and each one weighed heavily on her.

Seeing Hermione's concern, Luke couldn't help but sigh to himself.

'This girl will really become someone great.'

"No need to worry," Luke reassured her. "Most young wizards from magical families don't know many spells either. First of all, learning magic requires natural ability, which you absolutely have—I can sense your magical strength. And second..."

He paused, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "For young wizards from magical families, spells and basic magical theory are like muggle subjects. Now tell me, Hermione, do Muggle kids actually enjoy studying subjects like math or grammar?"

Hermione wanted to say, "Yes!" but knew it wasn't true.

In the Muggle world, she was very much an exception.

"They don't," she admitted. "But I do enjoy them!"

There was a proud gleam in her eye as she said the last part.

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but decided against it, smiling instead.

He never expected Hermione to so naturally exclude herself from the "normal child" category.

"Pretty much. Their interest in spell-learning is often not as strong," Luke continued, smiling. "Their biggest advantage tends to be the little tips, instincts, or bits of knowledge they pick up from parents or family."

Luke couldn't help but sigh. Compared to Muggle-borns like Hermione and Harry, who came into the wizarding world with intense curiosity, many kids from wizarding families took it all for granted. They'd eagerly learn pranking spells but often shrugged off the more serious ones.

In this respect, wizards were no different from ordinary people.

"Can you tell me about the school?" Hermione asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "The upperclassman who guided me mostly just showed us some basic magic."

"Well, technically, underage wizards aren't allowed to cast spells outside of school," Luke began, dashing her hopes of extra practice during vacations. "The past summer was a rare exception for incoming first-years. The students assigned as guides get temporary permission, but it's tightly regulated."

Usually, students did the guiding, though Hagrid and Professor McGonagall's involvement was an exception given Luke's family background.

"There are the four main Hogwarts houses," Luke continued.

"Oh, I know about them!" Hermione interrupted, her face lit with pride. "I read about them in 'Hogwarts: A History'—Ravenclaw for the wise, Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the kind, and Slytherin for the noble."

She looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for praise. Luke found her eagerness to please almost amusing, realizing she probably saw him as a teacher figure.

"Right you are, and you've definitely read the most flattering descriptions," Luke replied, obliging her. "But you could also say: Ravenclaws: who thinks other houses are full of idiots, Gryffindors: who thinks others are all cowards, Hufflepuff: who thinks they're all too stubborn, and Slytherin: well, they think everyone else is useless."

Hermione looked taken aback by the bluntness of his summary.

"Prejudice is normal, I suppose," Luke continued, "but when it becomes outright bias, it can be a bit much. Still, every house has produced outstanding wizards. Gryffindor has Dumbledore, the headmaster himself; Slytherin has both good and bad, good ones include the current head of the house, Professor Snape, and the bad… well, that includes the Dark Lord, Voldemort; Ravenclaw's Head of House, Professor Flitwick, is a champion duelist; and from the seemingly modest Hufflepuff, we have Newt Scamander, the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', who I admire greatly."

"Which house would you like to join, Hermione?" Luke asked.