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On the morning of September 1, as in previous years, John drove me to the train station, wishing me every success in my studies and other endeavors and promising to send me assignments from the regular school with the Pirate. For the first time in years, I decided not to carry a damn trunk to school that I didn't use anyway. I was in no hurry to change into my school uniform, either, and the weather was cold and gloomy, and the rain was coming down in heavy drops from the sky. As a result, in my "Graves suit" and a bag over my shoulder, I once again maneuvered through the crowd of ordinary people hurrying on business. I was a little amused by the Weasley family, not in full force, disembarking from three ordinary taxis. Owls, stuff, trunks - poor taxi drivers. Hope they get paid, preferably not by Confundus. Of course, Potter was with the Weasleys. Anyway, I didn't pay much attention to them and moved on. It's funny, but I've grown to the same height as most grown men, and that certainly pleased me. I hope that I will grow up a little more, to get my usual centimeters up, so to speak.

Without slowing down, I went through the barrier to the magical platform and immediately used magic to dry myself off and tidy up my hair, moving toward the Hogwarts Express wagons. Even the "Nine and Three-Quarters" Platform wasn't as colorful today because of the gloomy weather, but the cheerful mood of the students leaving for school, saying goodbye to their parents, made up for it.

In a black skirt, turtleneck, and coat, Hermione was standing at the entrance to the train, rubbing her half-soaked hair in displeasure. She smiled modestly when she noticed me, and when I approached, she hugged me.

"Hi," Hermione pulled away with a smile. "Come on, I got a compartment."

We quickly climbed into the carriage and reached the required compartment. With a wave of her wand, Hermione removed the locking spells, letting us inside. Placing things and hanging my coat on a hook in the wall, I sat down opposite the girl, who took out a mirror from her bag and thoughtfully tried to pick up a spell to put herself in order.

"You don't have to look with such curiosity," Hermione spoke up without looking. "Hair drying charms should be applied to completely wet hair."

"I know."

"If I apply it now, the dry hair will take on a somewhat... unsightly appearance."

"Fluffy," I nodded importantly.

"Exactly. It's a highly undesirable outcome."

"Aguamenti?"

Hermione shifted her gaze to me, grinning.

"Looking for a legal excuse to throw water on a girl?"

"I'm genuinely trying to help!" I replied with a smile.

"No, thank you for your concern."

"Then I'm all ears, Fluffy."

"Hmm... I'll wait, then."

Yes, a problem indeed. My rather short hair got completely soaked in the rain in a couple of seconds, and Hermione's lush hair only superficially.

"Don't be limited by spells. Try pure magic and will. You can even use your wand for an easier release. Just like when you were a kid."

"That's an option I hadn't considered, really."

"Why not?"

Hermione closed her eyes, concentrating, and ran the wand through her hair, drying it and in the process giving the curl a more orderly undulation. She opened her eyes and retracted her wand into the holster in her sleeve, and looked up at me.

"I guess the point is that this approach to magic somewhat devalues the hours spent in the library."

"Not at all. That kind of magic is too costly. It requires an understanding of the processes you want to implement. It seems to me that extensive knowledge and experience with spells will eventually lead to this kind of volitional witchcraft without the spells themselves but with their effects. Of course, this is only my opinion, and it requires proof."

"Another improvement to the curriculum?"

"Who knows."

"Max, we still have Professor Flitwick's project to participate in. We still have to get back to the Restricted Section somehow. What, by the way, did Lady Greengrass come up with for your studies?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "We haven't communicated or talked about it in any way yet."

"Maybe she decided to refuse?"

"Then she would have let me know. By the way, how are you?"

"After that incident?" Hermione looked thoughtfully out the window, seeing off the wizards. The train started moving. "I've been thinking about what happened for a long time."

The train left the platform, and the rain drummed against the window, leaving oblique drops on the glass.