The Side Character | Hermione x Male OC

Y1 Chapter 2: Flying

When Hermione Granger first sat on the chair, doubts were crossing her mind. On one hand, there is the Gryffindor, her aspiring house. Despite her intelligence meeting Ravenclaw perfectly, she still thinks Gryffindor is the best since the like of Dumbledore is from there but now...

Looking at a particular boy who is smiling without a thought in the world, Hermione ponders. Under her low standards, Robert is already her best friend. He's intelligent enough to have an intense conversation with and even a study buddy. Oh so very tempting. This does not include how funny he could be, accidentally. Oh how hard she had to chew the inside of her cheek when she saw Robert overanalyzing the toad, reminding it of herself, and ignoring the very rude Malfoy

But she still wants the room to grow. She knows how smart she can be but Gryffindor seems to be the house to let her build courage and come out braver than before. Would Robert judge her though?

The magical hat on her head was oddly quiet, laying witness to her inner battle. And finally, she reached her conclusion.

'I'm certain I'll have classes with Robert in the future and with what I see so far, he won't dislike me for being a Gryffindor. In that case, let me be a Gryffindor!'

"Gryffindor!"

Hermione blanked out for a moment and stood from the chair. Even though she thought it, it was still surprising. As she made her way to her table, she turned across the hall with furrowed eyebrow.

Instantly, the tension between her eyebrows was released and the corner of her lips raised.

That boy had nothing but a happy smile on his face while clapping the hardest she had ever seen.

As the Sorting Ceremony came to an end and the Feast began, Robert found his eyes scanning the Professors. Matching names to their faces. He was especially curious about Professor Quirrel. Hogwarts have had the same staff for a very long time, even Quirrel was a former Professor of Muggle Studies for some time.

But now he is teaching Defense Against The Art.

Robert heard of the cursed position and is morbidly curious about what will happen to Professor Quirrel this year. Asking around, he has heard that the Professor was apparently attacked by Vampires in Albania. How fascinating.

Robert felt something watching him and turned. Over on the very edge of the table, is a lady floating. She is the house ghost of Ravenclaw. No one knows her name and no one has ever spoken to her. But everyone calls her the Grey Lady.

And she's staring at him.

It's hard to read a ghost's expression, especially with the whole translucent stuff. But her eyes looked...wary.

'Did she read my thoughts?' Robert thought and looked down at the mashed potatoes as if they were the most interesting thing. After eating a spoonful or two, he took a glance at the ghost.

The Grey Lady was staring at another first-year, scaring a poor girl.

It was probably nothing, Robert thought.

---

The first two weeks are quite mixed in Robert's eyes. Theory has always been a breeze for him, the textbooks were already ingrained in his head. If there was a question, he could answer. But for practical, let's just say Neville has an ally, except for potions. However, since he's not a Slytherin and is a muggle-born, it's like getting a B in a strict family. It's a failure.

More often than not, Robert finds himself practising just the motion until his wrist hurts. While he has made friends in Ravenclaws, they do seem more invested in their own studies.