Vita Magicis (HP SI-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 42: Superpowers and Insecurities

A Week Later

Turns out, the girls didn’t take it very well after all, thanks almost entirely to Astoria, who couldn’t stop bragging about it. That, of course, sent emotions running high.

Illya had been particularly pouty about Astoria becoming my girlfriend, probably because Astoria was so much like her, both brats through and through, and Illya liked being special.

Thankfully, with the effects of the Stamp and several of my perks, things never escalated beyond control, and no one blamed me outright for having a harem.

Still, I spent the entire week pacifying everyone to the point I didn’t even have the chance to confront Hermione about her constant Time-Turner abuse.

That stopped today.

So, as soon as breakfast ended on Saturday morning, I made a beeline straight for the brunette. A few eyebrows rose at the sight, though not Astoria’s, she already knew why and was currently giggling into her hand to the others’ confusion.

“Oooh~ Onii-chan looks mad~ Hermione’s in trooouble~” Illya chimed in, joining Astoria in looking like a lunatic as she giggled for apparently no reason.

Hermione, seeing me approach, lowered her book, something about advanced charms, and raised an eyebrow.

“Harry, Ron. Morning, fellas,” I greeted them lightly. “Don’t mind me, I’m just going to borrow Hermione for a few hours.” With a fake smile, I reached out, gently took Hermione’s hand, and tugged her from her seat before either boy could react.

“Come on, Mione. There’s something I need to talk to you about. You don’t mind, do you?” I asked, making sure she didn’t trip as I guided her out of the Great Hall under dozens of curious eyes.

“S-Slow down! Would you at least explain what’s the hurry about?” Hermione complained, embarrassed. She turned away, cheeks flushed. “And could you let go of my hand now?”

“No can do. What I have to say is for your ears only.” I said casually, not noticing how much redder her face grew.

“And really, who cares who sees us? Or is it that you just don’t want to hold my hand?” I teased, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

“I-I-I didn’t say that.” Hermione muttered, shyly fiddling with her hair.

I couldn’t help but smile. Even if I was annoyed at her, she looked too cute like this. In better spirits, I led us quickly through the castle and into the Room of Requirement. This time, I asked it to become a simple sitting room with two plush chairs in the center, no bookshelves, since I didn’t want to risk her getting distracted.

“Sit,” I said, gesturing to one chair before calling for my elf. “Ilulu.”

With a soft pop, she appeared, carrying a tray of biscuits and tea. “Morning, Master. Miss Hermione,” she greeted warmly, setting the tray on the table.

“Morning, Ilulu,” Hermione replied with a smile. She was always kind to Ilulu, the only elf at Hogwarts who didn’t run away from her on sight.

Even after learning the whole truth about house-elves, Hermione was still adamant about getting them better treatment and often tried roping Ilulu into her crusade… until I put my foot down. I didn’t want the elves here to give my Ilulu a hard time while she was working, since it would make her stay uncomfortable. Thankfully, Hermione respected that and stopped.

“Thank you, as always, Ilulu.” I said with a smile, pulling her into a quick hug.

“It’s my pleasure, Master. I am your maid, after all~” she said with a playful grin. Then, turning to Hermione, she offered an encouraging smile. “Good luck, Miss Hermione.” And with that, she popped away.

“Good luck? For what?” Hermione asked, confused, as she picked up her tea.

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I sat opposite her, sipping my own tea with a content sigh, the best tea I’d ever tasted, in my humble opinion.

“What’s going on, Aether? And could you hurry up? I still have a mountain of homework to catch up on.” Hermione pressed, unknowingly rekindling my irritation.

“Hermione,” I began quietly, my tone making her straighten in her seat. “I’m honestly at my wits’ end here. I’m this close-” I held my fingers together, almost touching, “-to bending you over my knee and giving that wonderful bum of yours the mother of all spankings.”

Hermione froze, eyes wide, as the words sank in. Then, scarlet, she slapped both hands over her backside as if to shield it, stammering furiously.

“W-Wha-what are you saying!? P-Pervert!”

Grinning a bit at her expression, mentally saving it for later teasing material, I continued.

“That’s what’s going to happen if you keep using that Time-Turner of yours. You’re forcing me to repeat several classes a week just because you couldn’t be like any other normal student and had to take every elective.” I finished with a knowing smile.

Hermione froze, this time for an entirely different reason. The blush drained from her cheeks, leaving her pale as she stared at me shakily.

“H-How did you know that?”

My smile grew into a grin. “That silly little trinket doesn’t work on me. All it’s managed to do so far is make me very irritable with you and McGonagall, for letting you play with something so dangerous over something this dumb.”

I must’ve struck a nerve because a hot flush replaced her pallor as she bristled, trying to defend herself.

“I-It’s not dumb! I’m being very careful with it!”

I raised an eyebrow at the pile of nonsense that had just left her mouth and repeated her words slowly.

“So you don’t find it ridiculous that you’re literally messing with time—time, Hermione—just to take extra electives?” I asked flatly.

She flinched, mouth opening to retort, but I cut her off before she could build momentum.

“Electives like Muggle Studies, which should be useless to you for obvious reasons. Or Divination, which you’ve openly mocked, by the way?” I pressed, recalling the girls talking in smiles about how she’d shredded Trelawney’s dignity more than once.

Hermione winced as if I’d smacked her, eyes dropping to her lap. After a few long seconds, she muttered quietly, “When you put it like that… I guess it does sound dumb.”

“Of course it’s dumb.” My tone came out sharper than intended, and she winced again. Realizing it, I exhaled and softened my voice. “Have you even looked at yourself lately? You’re a mess, Hermione.”

And she was. Even after another week, the signs were undeniable, dark circles under her eyes, shorter temper, constantly rushing, and never enough time for anything. Half the time we practically dragged her into group activities because she’d otherwise bury herself in homework.

“We’re worried about you. All of us.” I added gently.

She stayed quiet, eyes glassy. A single tear slipped free, which she hastily brushed away with the back of her hand.

“B-But if I give up now, everyone will think I’m a quitter,” she whispered.

Finally, the heart of it. Smiling faintly, I rose and slid into the chair beside her, drawing her into a soft hug. She stiffened in surprise but slowly melted against me as I stroked her back and rested my cheek against her hair.

“Dummy. Nobody is going to think you’re a quitter,” I murmured warmly. “That’s impossible. Everyone knows how hard you work.”

‘I see Ron isn’t the only insecure one…’ I thought wryly.

“Yes, they will,” she argued weakly, voice muffled against me. “Everyone has something they’re good at except me. Even Illya, Sakura, and Rin get praised constantly for how easily they master spells even though they just joined Hogwarts this year. And me? All I have are my books.”

I sighed softly. ‘I should’ve seen this coming. Of course Hermione would feel overshadowed. With my perks making everything come easier for the others, she’d naturally feel left behind. She’s stronger and smarter than her canon self, sure, but surrounded by the other’s own progress? Of course she’d start believing she was “ordinary.”’

‘Looks like I’ll need to come clean about the things I didn’t share last year. Most of it, anyway.’

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner,” I murmured.

Hermione shook her head quickly. “It’s not your fault, Aether. I let my insecurities get the better of me. After finally making friends, I didn’t want to lose them if they realized how… ordinary I am. So I just kept quiet.”

Letting out a long breath, I squeezed her gently, then pulled back enough to meet her eyes.

“Hermione,” I said softly, “if you could have any superpower, any at all, what would you want?”

Hermione finally pulled herself away from my embrace, just far enough to look at me with puffy eyes and a puzzled face at the seemingly random question.

“W-What?”

Smiling in amusement, I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, earning a fresh blush. “Just humor me, will you?”

She blinked, still flustered by the gesture and our closeness, before adopting a thoughtful pose, hand on chin, lip caught between her teeth, eyes narrowed in concentration.

“Perfect eidetic memory,” she finally answered, glancing up at me sheepishly when she caught the knowing amusement on my face.

“Of course you’d pick that. Why am I not surprised?” I sighed theatrically, which made her bury her face against my chest and swat me with her fists.

“If you were just going to make fun of me, why’d you ask?” Hermione whined.

“Because you’re adorable when you’re embarrassed,” I said shamelessly, earning another groan and a flurry of half-hearted punches.

“You jerk,” she muttered, but instead of pulling away, she cuddled closer.

Deciding to let her calm down, I pressed on. “Alright then, if I grant you this power, will you promise to drop some classes and stop using the Time-Turner? I wasn’t joking before, Hermione. It’s maddening to sit through the same class twice.”

She froze, staring at me as though I’d gone insane. “Y-You’re serious?”

I nodded. “Of course. Last year I shared some incredible things with everyone… but not everything.”

Her face fell slightly, hurt flickering in her eyes, so I quickly added, “There are some things about me that are too unbelievable. I figured it was better to wait until everyone was a little older before I told you.”

Hermione relaxed at that, her shoulders sagging against me. “So… you were planning to tell us eventually?” she asked softly.

“Of course,” I said with a warm smile, hugging her tighter. “My plan was to explain before Christmas, so everyone would have a few days to process it all.”

She tilted her head. “Is it really that hard to believe?”

“Definitely.” I nodded solemnly.

After a moment, she sighed, then gave a small smile. “Alright. You’ve got a deal. How do we do this? Some kind of ritual?” she asked, her eyes lighting with curiosity.

Smirking at her sudden excitement, I booped her nose. “Patience, missy. You’ll have to wait like everyone else. Call it punishment for making me suffer through double classes.”

Hermione pouted, crossing her arms, but eventually gave a tiny sigh. “Fine. That’s a fair trade for eidetic memory, I guess. It won’t hurt, right?”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “Nope. Not a bit. Now hold still.”

She nodded eagerly.

Pulling up my HUD, visible only to me, I scrolled into the Talents section quickly finding the Added Potential perk and considered her request.

‘Eidetic memory, huh? I could grant her Amadeus Cho’s Hyper Mind, but Added Potential only lets me give powers from worlds we’ve visited, or powers I myself own. Hmm… easy workaround. I’ll just buy a Slightly Used villain from the Marvel Universe, then sell them back since Used Companions are originally from their world.’

A quick transaction later, Obadiah Stane was bought for 5 credits and instantly sold back for 4. That opened the system nicely.

‘Perfect. Now Hermione gets Hyper Mind.’

I purchased the ability for her, then closed my HUD, satisfaction curling in my chest.

“There.” I tapped her head, letting a faint glow of mana play around my hand for show. “Congratulations. You’re now the proud owner of perfect photographic memory.”

“T-That’s it?” Hermione asked skeptically, patting herself down. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Of course not,” I explained patiently. “The ability’s dormant. You’ll need to train it first. But trust me, you’ll notice the difference when it kicks in. Just keep on studying like normal and you’ll see.”

Still unconvinced, but softened by my confidence, she sighed. “Alright. I’ll be patient. And… thanks.”

“As long as you stop using that Time-Turner, we’re even.”

We lingered on the couch a few more minutes before she reluctantly admitted she still had homework to finish and that she’d turn in the Time-Turner soon.

I grinned, walking her back to the Great Hall. Just before we parted ways, she tugged my sleeve, stood on her toes, and pressed a kiss to my cheek, dangerously close to my lips, before darting away with a crimson face.

Shaking my head fondly, I thought, ‘If that’s her reaction now, what will it be once she realizes the power I gave her is far more than memory recall, but the ability to process and store infinite information? Heck even Cho’s weakness of his ability costing immense amounts of energy, to the point it left him exhausted is negated thanks to the Inexhaustible perk. Hermione will turn into a monster in the future for sure.’

“What did you two talk about?” a familiar voice asked.

I turned to see Ginny walking up, brow arched. “Hermione looked like a ripe tomato and ignored me completely.”

Smiling, I slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her along. “Nothing much. Just convinced her to drop a few electives, with a rather tantalizing reward.”

Ginny narrowed her eyes but leaned into me. “Must’ve been some reward.”

I dipped my head to her ear and whispered, “I gave her an ability, like the one I gave you last year.”

She stiffened slightly, then peered up at me with wide eyes before nodding slowly. “I guess that would do it. What ability?”

“The ability to perfectly recall information.”

Ginny blinked, then sighed. “Of course.”

“Haha. Forget about her. I’m in a good mood. How about we grab our brooms and go flying?”

Her eyes lit up immediately. “You mean it~?”

On impulse, I kissed her forehead, watching her freckles stand out against the sudden blush. “Of course I mean it.”

“Let’s go~!” she cheered, dragging me outside, already rambling about races and places to explore.

=====

Week Later—Late Evening

It felt so good not having to repeat classes more than once.

Just a day after our talk, on Sunday, Hermione had gone to McGonagall, handed in her Time-Turner, and dropped Muggle Studies and Divination.

The results spoke for themselves, Hermione no longer had bags under her eyes, she wasn’t snapping at people out of nowhere, and, most importantly, she finally had time to hang out with us.

Although… she was rarely without a book in her hands these days. I’d caught her once, reading with an intensity that made her flip pages every few seconds as though scanning the entire thing in one sitting. When she noticed me watching, she’d looked up at me with wide, astonished eyes before giving me the brightest smile I’d ever seen, mouthing a quick thank you before diving back into her book.

Out of everyone, only Rin, Luna, Astoria, and Ginny had also noticed, and the knowing looks they gave me said plenty. Thankfully, none of them commented.

Now it was Friday evening. After slipping out of the castle through one of the hidden passages, I led Luna, Illya, Rin, and Sakura toward the Forbidden Forest for a late-night round of “ingredient gathering,” as Rin had so enthusiastically called it.

“Huhuhuhu, I’ve been waiting for this~” Rin cackled, rubbing her hands together like a movie villain, eyes already crimson and glowing menacingly.

“It is the duty of a Magical Girl to rid the world of evil beasts~!” Illya declared, already transformed into her magical girl outfit, shrunk to chibi size, Ruby pointing dramatically ahead while sparkles floated around her.

“I wonder if there are werewolves in there?” Sakura asked with calm curiosity, smiling pleasantly at my side as though we were on a casual stroll.

On my other side, Luna tilted her head up at me with a dreamy smile and cuddled closer. “Is it strange that I feel so normal around these three? I quite like it~”

I chuckled, patting her blonde head. “No, Luna. Compared to those two…” I gestured toward Rin and Illya. “You’re perfectly normal.”

“I see. It’s nice to have so many friends~”

‘She didn’t even question Illya’s transformation at all other than saying it looked cool and wondering if she could also become a Magical Girl.’ I thought in amusement.