《Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione》Chapter 39: Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

"You really don't want to be a Seeker?"

"Yeah, Seekers are in high demand, you know!"

As soon as they stepped into the Gryffindor common room and Charlie had headed off to his dorm, George and Fred couldn't help but pester Qin Yu.

"I'm honestly not that interested in being a Seeker," Qin Yu replied. He paused, then looked at the twins with a rare seriousness. "See, I think a Quidditch team is a bit like a small army. Chasers are the main force, charging head-on—honorable, straightforward. The Seeker? They're the wild card, a lone wolf who wins the day with a surprise move. But Beaters—Beaters are the sharpest spear, the deadliest weapon in the whole squad! They're the true measure of a team's fighting power! I'd much rather swing a bat and dominate the pitch, smashing Bludgers left and right, than chase after a little winged ball like a headless chicken. Now that's what I call fun!"

He mimed a savage swing with an imaginary bat, looking every bit the part.

"Exactly! You get it—Beater's definitely the coolest spot!" George laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Quidditch without Beaters has no soul!" Fred agreed, grinning.

The three of them, kindred spirits, threw their arms around each other's shoulders, already daydreaming about someday sweeping the pitch together in unbeatable style.

After they parted ways, Qin Yu couldn't help but think that if he kept hanging out with these two, he'd probably end up just as dramatic as they were.

…

The Quidditch tryouts stayed the hottest topic at Hogwarts for several days.

Qin Yu became something of a minor celebrity—at least, most students could recognize him as the first-year Beater who'd protected the giant white owl model during tryouts. As for his name, well, that was still a mystery to most; after all, he was just a fresh-faced first-year.

But as the days passed, life's routine crept back in. The excitement faded, and everyone moved on to new gossip and new faces.

Of course, Qin Yu's original fan club—mostly his fellow first-years—remained as dedicated as ever, always eager to dig up new tidbits about him. Their best source? Elvis, of course.

However, when Elvis let slip that Qin Yu had a girl who wrote to him regularly, hearts shattered all over the year. Some girls, devastated, gave up their secret crushes and threw themselves into studying to numb the pain. Others refused to give up, thinking, Who says I can't compete? I'm a magical princess too!

Not that Qin Yu had any clue about these dramas—he was far too busy.

…

After officially joining Gryffindor's Quidditch team, his life became a whirlwind of classes, extra tutoring, and Quidditch practice.

It was a lot, but Qin Yu didn't feel tired—in fact, he thrived on it.

Classes were as engaging as ever: Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration… Each lesson deepened his love for magic. And thanks to his knowledge (way beyond his peers) and his wild imagination, he kept the professors on their toes with bizarre questions, constantly derailing their lesson plans.

Professor Sprout had complained more than once that she'd never finish the curriculum before Christmas, since Qin Yu kept borrowing her teaching herbs—supposedly for "research into mass cultivation." For rarer ingredients, he always had a new "experiment" in mind, and his requests were never small.

On the Quidditch front, under Charlie's expert guidance, Qin Yu picked up tactical maneuvers at lightning speed. Within two weeks, he was already working seamlessly with the regular team, and in a friendly match against Ravenclaw, his performance left the "Eagle House" players wary of him from then on.

After that match, Professor McGonagall herself handed him a Nimbus 2000, and Qin Yu was genuinely moved.

Later, he found out that the funds for the broom came from their share of the Venom profits. He even heard that when Dumbledore approved the purchase, he'd quoted the saying, "The wool comes from the sheep's back." Qin Yu nearly choked on his own indignation when he heard that.

As for his extra lessons, Professor Snape had finally moved on from endless Expelliarmus drills and started teaching him more advanced spells—the Blasting Curse and Stupefy.

Of the two, Qin Yu was especially fond of the Blasting Curse. What boy doesn't love fire? And the sheer power of the spell was addicting.

"This spell, when unleashed, is a weapon; when contained, a shield. It is both offense and defense in one," Professor Snape intoned in his most archaic, formal English.

Legend had it that this was a quote from the spell's original creator: let the fire loose to attack, or hold it close as a shield—hence the so-called "fire shield." Of course, setting things alight was easy; controlling the flames was another matter. Qin Yu could manage a decent dragon's breath, but shaping the fire into a shield was still beyond him—and any more practice, and he risked singeing off his eyebrows.

As for Professor Swenton, having nothing left to teach about meditation or managing fear, he'd taken to simply chatting with Qin Yu over tea in the evenings.

…

"Professor Swenton, is all this tea and chatting every night really… productive?" Qin Yu finally asked one evening, eyeing the spread of snacks on the table.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Professor Swenton replied, dead serious. "Conversation is essential for emotional balance. When your ideas collide with someone else's, your understanding of the world grows, your worldview solidifies, and your willpower strengthens."

"…You know, that actually makes a lot of sense," Qin Yu admitted, nibbling on what tasted suspiciously like a rice cake.

"Tonight, let's talk about astrology. What's your sign?" Professor Swenton asked.

"Taurus. May fifth," Qin Yu replied, sipping his tea.

"I knew it! I'm a Gemini, by the way." Professor Swenton tapped his chest.

Not that I care…

"Professor, isn't astrology just Muggle superstition? Is it really worth discussing?" Qin Yu finally blurted out.

"That's a rather shallow view," Professor Swenton chided gently. "Sure, astrology has its superstitious side, but it's also a psychological tool. Ritual and structure give people a sense of security. Once someone believes in the system, it can subtly guide their behavior—for better or worse. If you only see it as superstition, you're missing the bigger picture…"

Qin Yu nodded along, half-listening, half-wondering how this differed from the idle chat groups of his previous life.

Time slipped by unnoticed. He left feeling like he'd learned something—and also like he hadn't learned a thing.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Off you go," Professor Swenton said at last, draining his teacup with satisfaction.

…

The next evening, Qin Yu showed up right on time.

"Qin, tonight I thought we'd discuss the hidden power of drama—" Professor Swenton began, clearing his throat.

"Wait, Professor, before that—could you take a look at something for me? I've been studying it for ages and still can't figure out how it works." Qin Yu interrupted, pulling a small object from his pocket.

"Oh? What's this?" Professor Swenton asked, intrigued.

"It's a little craft from a friend. I once put a grape inside, and a cherry—they both stayed fresh for ages," Qin Yu explained, handing over the tiny pyramid.

He'd finally decided that endless small talk was a waste of both his and Hogwarts' resources. Why not ask Professor Swenton for real help? He'd been fiddling with the pyramid for weeks, desperate to understand its magic so he could build a bigger one—maybe even store whole baskets of fruit.

A simple, practical goal.

"I see…" Professor Swenton turned the pyramid over in his hands, eyes growing brighter as he examined it. "Well, well…something from the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center. Haven't seen any of their new work in ages… Wait, the materials are theirs, but the spellwork isn't the Cairo style… How fascinating! The magical flow has a distinctly classical feel…"

"Uh, Professor, could you explain how it works?" Qin Yu prompted, dragging him back to reality.

"Oh? You want to know how it works—what for?" Professor Swenton asked, dodging the question.

"Well, I just want to make one myself. If possible, I'd like it to be, well… this big." Qin Yu gestured, indicating something over a meter tall.

"Hah, that won't be easy," Professor Swenton chuckled—but he didn't deny knowing the secret.

"So, would you be willing to teach me?" Qin Yu asked, hopeful.

Instead of answering, Professor Swenton waved his wand, and the tea and snacks vanished instantly.

He straightened his wizard's robes, sat up very straight, and addressed Qin Yu with solemn gravity. "Before I teach you, please allow me to introduce myself."

"…Uh." Qin Yu blinked.

"I, Stephen Isaac Swenton, have the honor of being the 109th official student of the great alchemist Nicolas Flamel! I revere the art of alchemy, and dedicate myself to feeling the sanctity of creation with the utmost devotion!" Professor Swenton declared, every inch the formal scholar.

"Huh?"

"There. Formalities done." Professor Swenton dropped the act in a heartbeat.

Seeing Qin Yu still bewildered, he smiled. "What I'm about to teach you is alchemy. And alchemy demands ritual. Only those with true reverence can glimpse the Creator's power and, perhaps, one day craft the legendary Philosopher's Stone—the stone that turns lead to gold and grants immortality."

"Philosopher's Stone?!" Qin Yu nearly choked.

I just wanted a magical fridge… How did this turn into the Philosopher's Stone?

"Of course, I'm not teaching you how to make the Philosopher's Stone. I can't manage that myself. Right now, the only person in the world who can is my teacher, Nicolas Flamel. What I can teach you is how to make the materials for this pyramid—basic alchemy—and I'll try to help you reproduce the spellwork inside," Professor Swenton added, shrugging.

"Oh, so that's it… Well, thank you for agreeing to teach me." Qin Yu hesitated, then asked, "Um, do I need to recite a speech like you did?"

"Haha, no, no. That's just a ritual my teacher makes all his official students perform. All you need is to treat alchemy with a serious heart," Professor Swenton said, waving it off.

"Whew, I promise I'll take it seriously," Qin Yu said quickly.

Professor Swenton picked up the little pyramid again, humming with delight. "At last, something interesting to do…"

Qin Yu couldn't help thinking, So you really were just bored out of your mind, weren't you?

Of course, he didn't say that aloud.

Right—he needed to have a sincere, dedicated heart.

Pushing aside his snarky thoughts, Qin Yu listened carefully as Professor Swenton began his explanation.

…

And so, Qin Yu's leisurely tea-and-chat evenings in Professor Swenton's office were replaced by real study.

He quickly discovered that alchemy was nothing like he'd imagined—there was an overwhelming amount of theory to master. Even back in his dorm, he found himself poring over introductory alchemy textbooks and a battered notebook of Professor Swenton's own notes.

His life became so busy that even his letters to Hermione grew less frequent—though she assured him, very sensibly, that studying was more important and he could write less for now.

That didn't stop Trigger from bringing just as many letters from Hermione. The owl had apparently developed a habit of flying regular routes between Hogwarts and the Granger home, even when there was no mail to deliver—just to snack on toast and ham and return with a new letter from little Hermione.

Time flowed like sand, like horses passing the window.

By the time the last maple leaves had fallen outside the castle and the wind began to bite, Hogwarts had slipped into deep autumn.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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