Who says you're not a Disney witch?

On Halloween Eve, Hogwarts was quiet. All the students were having dinner in the Great Hall, and the corridors, classrooms, and common rooms were all silent.

Apart from this spiral staircase leading to the basement level.

Hermione probably bumped into Victor's arm, so she was dizzy for a while after falling, and it took her about ten seconds to recover and realize that she had bumped into the professor.

"Professor? What are you doing here?"

She sniffed, trying to appear nonchalant.

"There was some strange luck going on in the basement, so I went to take a look," Victor said casually. "But Professor Quirrell and I assured him he would keep an eye on things over there, so I came back."

"What are you doing here again, Miss Granger? The students should be having a party."

Hermione's face fell slightly at the mention of this topic, and tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped her eyes forcefully, wanting to say "It's nothing," but the words stuck in her throat and came out as:

"They all...don't like me. I...I don't know why...I don't want to stay there any longer..."

She couldn't finish her sentence because the thought of it made her tears fall uncontrollably.

Before she even arrived, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to fit in with the school. To keep up with her studies, she bought a lot of books in Diagon Alley, hoping to be on par with the children from wizarding families.

As it turned out, her fears came true.

Hermione rubbed her eyes hard, until they were red. But even so, Ron's words kept echoing in her ears—"No wonder everyone can't stand her."

"I just wanted to make the house better, to let everyone learn... Gryffindor hasn't won the House Cup for so many years... but they all... don't listen to me." She couldn't help but argue.

Victor raised an eyebrow and listened with some curiosity to what Hermione was saying.

This was the first time someone had come to him saying something like this. Apparently, his friends and clients would carefully avoid such topics, afraid that he would know about the difficulties they faced in their lives, which they only had to reveal when they wanted to make a deal.

But there was always something hidden.

Victor felt that this was the reason why they were never quite satisfied with each deal!

If you don't clearly state your needs, how can he provide the right thing?

You see, Hermione is speaking very clearly now, and her needs are obvious.

"So you want them all to listen to you?" Victor asked after a moment's thought.

"It shouldn't be too difficult for you, Miss Granger. I heard from Professor McGonagall that you are very hardworking and talented in magic, and you will achieve great things in the future."

"They will listen to you one day."

Hermione sniffled hard. Her head was a little foggy from sobbing. She figured that was probably why she wasn't quite understanding Professor Victor's words.

It seems she doesn't mean she wants everyone to listen to her...

But it sounds like she said those words herself?

She struggled to suppress the urge to burst into tears, and after thinking for a long time, she realized she understood a little of what the professor meant—he probably meant that the other students would like her in the future.

"But they still hate me now," Ron said, "everyone thinks so..." Hermione said, her eyes red.

"That's normal."

Victor nodded and offered Hermione a few words of comfort. Because of his previous experience at Granny Barbara's house, he was quite adept at this – Granny Barbara often brought children in, and without some similar methods, her house would be as noisy as a chicken coop.

Victor thought for a moment, then asked:

"Miss Granger, do you feel you have been treated fairly?"

No, no.

Hermione stammered.

Do you feel that other people have oversights in their understanding of magic? For example, they might make mistakes on things that seem simple to you, or fail to grasp the key points.

"Yes, he, many of them are like that..."

"Compared to other small animals, do you find yourself preferring cats? Do you prefer interacting with cats to interacting with children your own age?"

"Yes," Hermione said, but she couldn't help but start to wonder, "But Professor, does this have anything to do with me being disliked?"

“Of course, Miss Granger,” Victor’s voice returned to normal, “which means you are a true witch.”

A real witch?

Isn't she already a witch?

Hermione looked at Victor with some confusion, and stopped crying, wondering what Victor meant.

Victor continued calmly, "Many junior wizards, though they possess magic, spend too much time trying to please mediocre people, losing sight of their own goals. Only witches who truly pursue power can stand out from the crowd and understand the true meaning of magic."

"Magic is power, Miss Granger."

"Although I don't agree with the other ideas of the person who said this, the principle is the same. You don't need to please others to gain their favor. As long as you go far enough on the path of magic, everyone will respect you and fear offending you."

Hermione listened blankly to these words, a sense of unease creeping in—she seemed to recall hearing the phrase "magic is power" somewhere before. But because her mind was in turmoil and she was in a bad mood, she couldn't quite remember where.

So she simply blinked her reddened eyes hard and asked weakly:

"But shouldn't I get along well with my classmates? My mom told me..."

"That's the rule of the Muggle world, Miss Granger. Wizards are different. Magic creates miracles."

Hermione was still a little confused, but she was starting to believe Victor. After all, that's what Slytherins often did... and the professors were always right.

"But I've tried so hard, Professor. I don't know what else I can do... There are some spells I can't learn in my third year..."

"That is indeed a problem."

Victor nodded.

Without much thought, he knew that Hermione couldn't become a wizard like Dumbledore overnight. Even with great effort, it would take at least a decade or more to achieve anything significant in magic.

In fact, she had already surpassed ordinary people by self-studying the spells of a third-grade student.

After a moment of silence, Victor pulled a small cloth bag from inside his cloak, rummaged through it for a few seconds, and finally took out a golden conch shell and a strangely shaped fish bone.

He handed the two items to Hermione.

Hermione hesitated before taking the conch shells and examining them closely.

Once she got her hands on it, she noticed that the conch shell Victor had taken out wasn't just ordinary gold; it had a translucent shell with a kind of golden light flowing through it, as if a living star was trapped inside.

"This is a magical item," Victor said sincerely. "I think it's exactly what you need."

"The conch shell stores the voice of a magical creature, which is adept at discerning other people's thoughts and possesses a subtle, bewitching power, similar to a Veela. However, it only instills a sense of friendly affection in others."

"If you wear this conch shell around your neck, it can beautify your thoughts and speak friendly and convincing words on your behalf."

"Speak up for me?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yes," Victor nodded.

"But I don't recommend wearing it for a long time. Just wear it for a day or two, and learn how the conch shell talks, and you can avoid upsetting others."

"A true witch is good at solving problems with magic, Miss Granger."

Solve the problem with magic...

It's just about learning how to speak...

Hermione looked at the conch shell again. She had been hesitant at first, but when she heard Victor say "study," the scales in her heart slowly tipped in her favor to keep it.

It's just a study tool like a reference book, so it should be fine, right?

She only needed one day… no, two days. Once she figured out why the other students disliked her, she would give it back to Professor Victor.

But before she could make a decision, Victor said again:

"...Oh, but we still need to talk about the side effects."

"side effect?"

"No powerful magical item is perfect, Miss Granger. You'll understand when you study alchemy. The side effect of this conch shell is that you will lose your voice while using it and can only speak through the conch shell."

"This will actually cause some problems, so I'm only lending it to you for a few days, Miss Granger. I believe that will be enough for you to figure out where your problem lies."

"If you decide to use it, then use this fish bone to pierce your throat."

"Only then can I give you the conch shell."

Victor's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning that Hermione couldn't fully grasp—something Hermione had never been good at. But this reminded her of something from *The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Defense*:

"Dark magic items that tempt people to make mistakes often come with a special price, and this is a crucial sign that you need to be immediately alert and stop using that item."

...Why does what the professor is saying sound so much like black magic?

No, that's impossible.

Hermione thought again.

"Hogwarts: A History" also states that Hogwarts has strict background requirements for professor recruitment, and the Ministry of Magic conducts rigorous reviews of applicants based on their past records to ensure that professors have no criminal record.

Is she using her voice to gain social skills, or is she making her classmates unable to stand her?

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then looked down at the two items in her hands.

They look dreamy and beautiful; even the fish bones don't have a gloomy feel, but are rounded like in a cartoon, and even seem a little cute.

It's just for learning.

A few seconds later, she lifted the bone and aimed it at her throat.