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  I never thought I would write an entire chapter from a girl’s POV and a single scene.

  This chapter has been edited and fine combed by the amazing Gdiusx. Be sure to check his fics and send him kudos for the excellent editing work he did on this chapter.

  The Crimson-Haired Witch of *******

  After adding three sugar cubes to her Darjeeling tea, Susan Bones idly stirred her cup with a spoon. Once she judged the sugar was properly dissolved, she sipped from her cup, enjoying the sweet and energising drink that helped soothe her ire over that scoundrel, Warrington. The mere thought of him caused her eyes to twitch.

  Susan could easily pass for a third year and was well aware she was one of the best-looking girls in her year and the next. The list of hot witches a few older years had compiled had her in a far higher pce than any of her yearmates bar Tracey Davis, who was only two pces below. Her father and mother had not only warned her of such a possibility, and the dangers it could potentially carry, but also prepared Susan to fend off any daring offenders.

  Even dating had yet to be considered at her age, let alone taking things a dozen steps further. A lusty moron with an ego and no loyalty whatsoever was just repulsive, despite his gorgeous looks. Retionships were one of the most important things to a pureblood witch, and pissing away your purity to some faithless cad who could not even be bothered with common courtesy was against everything her mother taught her.

  The sound of a cup gently being pced on its pte came from her left, where her cute seatmate had unfortunately escaped.

  The crimson-haired witch turned to find the blonde-haired Tracey Davis serving herself a cup of Jasmine tea. The girl added one cube of sugar before noticing her gaze. Tracey’s eyes narrowed in a challenge and added two more, equalling the contents of Susan’s cup. Lips quirking and green eyes shining in challenge as she looked at her, the Slytherin added one more cube, before taking a generous gulp.

  “… And that's all you need to know about the matter.” Hermione Granger finished expining the biological process of copution to an attentive Luna, who nodded rapidly and jotted down notes on a frilly roll of parchment.

  “I see, but there are some terms that I've come upon that have me wondering about their purpose, such as missionary –”

  Susan pushed down her rising amusement and tuned out the girl, as she had already figured out she was just messing with them at this point. While she doubted Luna lied to them about her ignorance of the baby-making process, she quickly understood after the first round of expnations. Sadly, Granger was the only one who hadn't caught on yet, with Hannah next to her having to bite her lips to avoid giggling.

  Ignoring the rest of the room, Susan narrowed her blue eyes at the obvious challenge from the blonde girl. The red-haired witch pced two more cubes into her cup before stirring and activating her Mage Sight – a rare inborn ability to see and taste magic, albeit with the side effect of making your eyes glow.

  Davis’ magical signature was quite unique both in looks and taste – a far warmer and more vibrant than any of her housemates. Yet, her eyes did not seem to affect Tracey as the Slytherin kept a neutral expression. Susan lifted her cup and took a generous sip of her own, only to grimace.

  The sweetness was too much.

  Any hopes that Davis hadn’t seen were quickly discarded at Tracey’s annoying smirk.

  This little game of theirs had started with the meeting in the infirmary. Susan got well enough with Daphne, the eccentric girl was an easy friend to make. Her half-sister, however, seemed to be the more stiff and inflexible despite being the half-blood of the siblings.

  Truth be told, she couldn’t compete with Tracey’s academic performance – the Slytherin did not ck for wits, ambition, and hard work – a hard combination to beat. On the other hand, Susan had little patience for doing the drudgery that was the endless reading and school work demanded from them. Oh, she could do it well enough, but mastering every scrap of unimportant knowledge was too boring. Decent grades were enough – especially when her wand work was stelr along with any practical magic.

  Except for potions, of course – that was all on Snape. Susan had no problems with Herbology or cooking, the two things most connected to the discipline in question. Cooking came easy, especially after her mother had taught her how so she could take care of her younger brother.

  Regardless, their so-called games and challenges had escated since they had met Harry Potter and gotten to know the boy behind the name. The crimson-haired witch could tell that Davis was interested in the boy, and Susan would confess to finding him incredibly adorable as well.

  Potter was so short and cuddly like a teddy bear to be hugged to sleep, just like her cute brother, little Edward. Yet, unlike his looks, Susan could see the enormous amount of magic power raging within Harry. He wasn’t even thirteen yet for his magic to start maturing. But mundane things like that did not seem to hamper the Boy Who Lived – he was unconsciously exuding so much magic, dense, powerful, and roiling, an impossible swirl of the coldest ice and the hottest of fires mixed with something far more primal…

  An unbidden leer appeared on her face as she wondered how his magic would taste in a few months compared to now. A shiver went through her spine, and she couldn’t help but salivate at the thought. Her ability to taste magic was even more pronounced when there was skin contact, and Susan had gotten so used to her family indulging her that she had become a bit too clingy to be proper. Something her aunt had to beat out of her during their spars. Just the mere thought of Aunt Amelia made her shudder.

  “I give up. You'll get it when you’re older.” A tired groan brought Susan's attention back to the table. Hermione vehemently ignored Luna and picked up a book. The younger girl's giggling showed no offence was taken, especially when Astoria whispered something that caused them both to giggle even harder.

  Susan smiled at the discourteous behaviour and gnced at the bushy-haired muggle-born as she took a small sip of tea. The sticky sweetness struck her taste buds like a hammer, making her regret going so far in a silly game. Still, she swallowed it all and pstered a smile on her face.

  This… seemed like the perfect opportunity – Granger was here, surrounded, with no choice but to listen and no Potter to hover over protectively. Susan caught Daphne's eye and looked meaningfully towards the muggle-born girl. This was their chance to talk to the prideful Gryffindor witch whom Harry Potter cared so much about, without letting her hide behind her books. Her dark-haired friend subtly nodded and coughed for attention.

  “So, Hermione. You don't mind if I call you Hermione, right?” Daphne fshed one of her zy grins at the girl. The bushy-haired girl squinted her eyes with suspicion, but she hesitantly shook her head.

  “Brilliant, you haven't spoken much, if at all, to any of us. Seeing as we are all comfy and just us girls here, this is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better.” The dark-haired girl's grin softened into an easy smile, though Susan could see her fiddling with her thumbs under the table in nervousness. Heh, even the vivacious Daphne was wary of speaking to the snappy Granger.

  “Indeed, we never did get the chance to speak outside of css, and even then, it was only csswork, which isn't that personal of a discussion.” Susan decided to throw in her support as well, “as the top student of our year, and arguably the most talented, what do you think about our csses? I would love to hear a muggle-born student's take on the matter.”

  Granger had a light blush on her face from the praise, as well as a small yet happy smile, even if Susan knew she was ying it on a little thick. However, the moment she brought up her muggle-born status, the Gryffindor instantly became guarded.

  “I am sure there are many other muggle-born students who could give you a better idea than I ever could.”

  Susan was not the only one to frown at the scathing reply. Granger had a serious chip on her shoulder, but more importantly, it had proven something important – she had no friends aside from Harry.

  “I’m not sure what makes you think so, Hermione, but there's only one other muggle-born student in our whole year.” Hannah, who sat next to the girl, blinked in confusion. “Sadly, Justin cares very little about putting much effort into schoolwork. His family are rich nobles in the Muggle world, so he never has to worry about money or mundane things like a job. Not so different from Daphne over there.”

  “You know it! It must be why he gets along so well with Macmiln, eh?” Greengrass had a wide grin as she folded her arms, causing her younger sister to titter and her blonde sister to sigh in exasperation.

  “The point is, you are the top of our school year, and a muggle-born to boot.” Susan insisted as she levelled an even gaze at Granger. “And, yet, you are rarely seen with anyone aside from Harry, or Ronald when he was alive, not even your dorm mates. You never bother to speak to any of us, or our attempts to befriend you.” Susan fought back a scowl at the memory of the previous hour.

  When she and Hannah had tried speaking to the muggleborn, as Daphne secured their lounge, the Gryffindor pulled out a book and pretended they were not there. Worse, Susan wasn’t even sure if the action had been deliberate – Granger could be very obtuse. “You didn’t even bother interacting with the only other muggle-born student of our year!”

  “I don’t need any more friends.” The bushy-haired girl snapped, yet Susan was not deterred.

  “Do you think you are so much better than us that we aren’t worth your time, then?” It was a bit of a low blow, but Susan needed to get a good measure of the girl.

  “What? No, of course not!” Thankfully, Hermione did not think of them that way. Which only created more questions than answers for Susan.

  “Then what is it? Are we that boring?”

  “No. I-It’s just…” The girl stuttered out, and Susan wondered if she simply had issues making friends in the first pce.

  “I feel you do not truly understand what it means to be a muggle-born.”

  “I get called mudblood enough times to have an idea, Susan.” The girl said blithely, although the crimson-haired witch could easily hear the sadness and loneliness in her words.

  “No, I don't think you truly understand your position, Hermione.” She leaned close, and the magical table automatically extended to allow her to pce her elbows on it. “You were only introduced to the magical world when you turned eleven and barely had time to acclimate to this new world compared to the average witch. Now, the issue is that you have the same problem as nearly every muggle-born or muggle-raised person I’ve met.”

  “Oh? And pray tell, what is it?”

  “You believe that just because it's called Magical Britain it’s essentially the same as Muggle Britain yet with more wand waving and magic casting. You believe that we follow the same values as the average muggle, that we just change Christmas to Yule because we want to be special.” Her voice had turned biting, and Hannah tugged on her sleeve in warning, but Susan didn’t care. “That we worship your useless queen and the powerless nobility of your people. Or maybe you believe that we are backwards and retrogrades that need to be shown the enlightenment of muggle society. Am I right?”

  Susan held nothing back, as the very idea of her being forced to accept muggle society in her world… to be forced to pander to people so much weaker and lesser than her.

  It irked her – Was it not enough that she tolerated them as it were?

  The silence in the room was a testament to how everyone was paying attention to them. Hermione had at first opened her mouth to retort but abruptly closed it at the end. After a painfully long moment of staring at the table, the Gryffindor finally turned to the crimson-haired witch. “You are right, I did believe all of that and probably worse things.”

  “Did?” Now, that was a surprise, maybe this wouldn’t be as difficult as Susan had feared.

  “…. It had come up in one of my discussions with Harry. He has no desire to return to the muggle world and pns to assume his positions and titles in the magical world. Anything you mentioned, my friend already expined in detail and more,” Granger leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes as she exhaled slowly as if to calm herself.

  That was certainly unexpected but excellent news nonetheless. Harry Potter saves the day once again, and Susan couldn’t even bring herself to be surprised. “That’s great to hear, Hermione. When is your birthday, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “19th of September.”

  Susan simply smiled at her confusion. “Ah, a fellow early bloomer. Mine is the 3rd of September, I’m probably the oldest student in our year.”

  The girl’s eyes widened slightly, but nodded with a slight frown. “Why do you ask?”

  “You’ve had your first maturity, correct?” The girl nodded, still confused. “Then you understand that it does not feel any different than you were beforehand. You are still the same Hermione Granger, albeit with small differences.” Another nod, Hermione looked impatient, causing Susan to send a teasing grin. “So you’ve been in the magical world for two years now, yet you probably did not know anything about certain rituals and ceremonies that you could have done on your birthday that, while not life-changing, could have helped you.”

  “What?! Aren’t rituals forbidden by the ministry?” The bushy-haired girl’s face twisted in shock, and Susan licked her lips as she tasted the girl’s roiling magic. Granger was not the most powerful in the room, yet had a distinct taste to her magic that Susan felt compatible with. It was more reason for her to befriend the girl, for it was how such a strong camaraderie had formed with Hannah.

  “I will not deny that some rituals can be malicious, but no, rituals are not forbidden, no matter how much the ministry tried,” Tracey interjected with a snort. “They simply managed to remove all mentions of them from books and other forms of knowledge. Do not fret, however, the Hogwarts library still has plenty of books on the matter, although they are all in the restricted section.”

  Susan suppressed the tinge of annoyance and willed herself to ignore Davis – the Slytherin girl was challenging her again.

  Face relieved, Granger nodded, and Susan could see her mind racing about the possibilities behind those brown eyes. Was the muggle-born girl simply a massive bookworm rather than a rude swot all along?

  Eventually, the bushy-haired witch levelled Davis with an even gaze. “Why mention all of this, then?”

  “Because the reason rituals have a bad reputation was due to a muggle-born witch a hundred years ago who did not understand the concept and feared it.” Tracey’s eyes grew hard and frigid, like two chips of jade. “A certain muggle-born witch in the te 1800s called Beatrice Wimborne advocated for the complete abolishment of rituals and ceremonies. The woman was an extreme atheist who disdained the muggle rituals and ceremonies of the Anglican Church and transferred that hatred to our culture. It is one of the reasons muggle-borns are not trusted, for they fear what they do not understand and sh out instead of attempting to integrate.”

  Nods and hums of agreement followed Tracey’s words, and Susan grudgingly admitted even she could not have said it better. Hermione got over her surprise quickly and settled into a thoughtful frown as her mind doubtlessly churned over the newly learned information.

  “Allow me to speak bluntly – for all intends and purposes, you’re a stranger in a foreign nation. You have no support whatsoever in the broader magical world, let alone Wizarding Britain.” Susan flicked an errant strand of crimson away from her eyes and paused to consider her words. “No starting funds to begin your own business either, as the exchange from muggle to magical currency is heavily reguted and reserved for school supplies for the most part. Once you graduate, the rate would skyrocket to become unfeasible, and limits would be pced on your account. Even if you get Outstanding in every OWL and NEWT avaible, you would find it nearly impossible to get any masteries, for those are expensive and are the most prestigious accodes you could get. Even then, they would be fancy badges for you if you do not have the connections to put them to use.”

  “What are you trying to say, Bones? That all my hard work is meaningless?” Hermione's frown deepened into a scowl, and Susan regretted the return to surnames. “Do you think I don’t know this? That this magical world has a dark and filthy side, that beats any nail that dares sticks out?” The girl’s voice rose with every word as her gre grew so sharp it could probably cut.

  “That is not what I said, Hermione, and you know it.” Susan calmly took a sip from her tea, only to grimace at the sweetness once more. “You cannot deny that even in the muggle world, connections are crucial.”

  “What a Slytherin thing to say.” Face neutral, Granger tilted her chin at a bemused Daphne, who grinned toothily at the girl.

  “Never understate the amount of connections you could build in the House of Loyalty.” Those words finally seemed to have the gears in Granger’s mind turning again, and Susan did not let up.

  “Imagine for a minute that you were a no-name orphan who relied purely on the mercy of others and a stipend from the government. You do everything by the book, yet you have neglected to make friends that would help you as much as you would help them. You apply for a decent job and discover that the position was given to someone with much fewer qualifications than you simply because their father knew someone from the inside. The worst thing about the whole mess? You also know someone on the inside, yet you have never bothered establishing rapport, too busy with your studies and reading.”

  “But that's not fair.” The Gryffindor looked thin and small and… defeated. “What is the point of this anyway?”

  “Life isn’t fair, sweetie.” Susan said sadly. “Magic is wondrous, yet the heavens are fickle to what blessings or curses it gives their children. For instance, I can gauge pure magical power, and compared to everyone in this room, none of you could hold a candle to the sheer amount of it I can call upon.”

  Her words were arrogant, but it was the truth. Tracey sat up straight at her procmation, and even Daphne’s eyes turned flinty. “Bold cim, Bones. Care to bet on it?”

  The blonde-haired girl eyed her with a hint of contempt, causing her to sigh.

  “I won’t back down from a challenge, but that was not the point I was trying to make.” That gave them pause, and Hermione, who had looked at her strangely, motioned for her to continue. “Even with all this power, it’s not like I’m at the top of our year in academics. That would be you, Hermione, followed by Tracey.”

  Truth be told, Susan wasn’t the top of the year in pure magical power either – that spot now belonged to Harry Potter, not that she’d ever admit it out loud. They had been about equal before Ron’s death…

  “You still haven’t got to the point, Susan.” She couldn’t help but give a wry smile to Hermione, at least they were back to first name basis.

  “It’s not how much power you wield but what you make of it. You have shown time and again in css that you have an extreme work ethic and a drive to succeed that would make even the most stubborn of your detractors agree that it’s a talent in and of itself.”

  “It’s true, Hermione.” Hannah added. “No one could deny your achievements, yet you also seem to be missing the point Susie is trying to make. I bme her for going on unnecessary tangents – she isn’t the best speaker.” She gave her best friend a mock gre, only to make Hannah stick out her tongue childishly.

  “Okay, then, at the risk of sounding repetitive, what is your point?” Hermione smiled lightly. Apparently, their acknowledgement of her talents helped smooth any ruffled feathers.

  “First of all, I believe we need to clear something up between us.” Susan's gaze met the even look of the bushy-haired girl. “I am trying to help you, not antagonise or taunt you.”

  “Same here.” Daphne piped up. “I won’t deny that the only reason I’m bothering to try to get to know you better is thanks to Harry. You’re his best friend, and he’s our friend now. It would make sense for us to be friends as well.”

  They gave Hermione some time to think on that, as they either sipped on their tea, with Susan switching cups, or munched on a snack.

  “I guess I wouldn’t mind getting to know all of you better, too.”

  Susan did a victory jig in her mind at the unexpected success. While it was true that Harry’s friendship was a major reason to befriend her as well, it was really a bonus. Hermione Granger was interesting with an intriguing taste to her magic, and Susan could see them becoming close friends in the future. The other Gryffindor girls in their year were all… both boring and unimportant.

  “Second of all,” Daphne took over after she nodded to Hermione with an affable smile. “Tracey’s mother is muggle-born, you know? She’s as much my mother as my own flesh and blood mom.”

  “Yep, mama Mary is super cool. She sometimes takes us on muggle outings to keep in touch with the muggle side’s fashion and cuisine.” Astoria’s exuberant smile was simply contagious as Susan felt her lips curve up. “It's how we got our fashion sense, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  And it was true that the Greengrass sisters, as well as Tracey, were dressed quite smartly. Susan compared her dress with their own, and while she felt confident that her attire was fashionable and with enough of a muggle touch courtesy of Hannah’s mom, the three sisters were on a different level. Despite her personal views on muggles, she would not deny that they came up with interesting things every so often.

  “The same is true for me, Hermione. My mother is muggle-born, and she told me of the difficulties she faced when she was growing up in school. An alien world where the most common things about magical life are not even written. According to her words she had it quite bad while bumbling through one social faux pas into another, and it was only when she met my father that things got better.” Hannah hesitantly pced her hand on Hermione’s and squeezed it in assurance. Hermione’s face softened, and gazed at the three sisters in curiosity.

  “Harry never did expin how you three are sisters, only that he was helping you with something personal.” The girl shifted awkwardly as if she dreaded the next question, but the determination in her brown eyes was as clear as a mountain stream. “Daphne… Did your father cheat on your mother?”

  The Greengrass heiress blinked in surprise before bursting out into ughter. She ughed so hard and so dramatically that she colpsed onto Tracey’s p. Hermione did not look amused, probably thinking the girl was ughing at her.

  “Nothing of the sort, Granger.” Tracey ignored the guffaws of her sister, and looked at the bookworm. “Long story short, Daph’s parents knew my mom, and they fell in love, Dad took her as a second wife, even if legally she was a mistress. They did a wedding ceremony and formalised the bond with many witnesses, and my birth deemed the marriage fruitful and acknowledged in the eyes of magic. Being born days apart from Daphne was just a bonus.”

  “Ah, Tracey is actually the older one.” Astoria snickered. “Daphne is still the heiress, though, and Tracey took her mother’s name to avoid any inheritance issues.”

  Susan had to fight the urge not to smile at Hermione’s fbbergasted face. “I told you, it's a foreign world with its separate values and traditions.”

  “Y-you mean, adultery is common here?” The girl looked close to panicking. “Wait! That Warrington boy, when he propositioned you, he was being serious?”

  “Don’t mention that bckguard to me!” Susan scowled at the memory, and she had almost forgotten about him. “The only reason I didn’t call my brother on his arse was because he was your cousin, Daphne.”

  “Oh, come on, Susie. Take it as a compliment – you do have a juicy body.” Daphne sat up from her sister’s p and leered at her unashamedly. “Just what the heck did they feed you to get a body like that at thirteen? Asking for a friend.”

  “Of course you would want some of this.” Susan flicked her crimson locks, her pride and joy and after a thoughtful pause, grabbed her left breast teasingly, causing the dark-haired girl to wolf whistle, even as the rest of the girls giggled. Susan, however, was sweating inwardly as she tried to push down her rising embarrassment at the unusually daring move. Bloody hell, Daphne Greengrass just had the ability to make you do dumb things and cause you to go with the flow. She would never grope herself in public like this!

  “So, I think I’m getting your point.” Hermione coughed, but her eyes were glued on Susan’s chest. “Though, I feel that there’s something more… unpleasant that you are trying to tell me about being a muggle-born girl, aside from the whole not understanding the culture and transferring muggle misconceptions to the magical side.”

  The bushy-haired girl looked at Hannah in particur, and Susan figured it had to do with what she said about her mother.

  She exchanged gnces with the rest of the girls, hoping to get an idea of how to break the news gently to the girl.

  “You want me to be blunt, Granger?” Tracey interrupted her musing with a huff, and Hermione nodded hesitantly. “Muggle-borns are treated like shite. That’s a fact, and it has more to do with how they are created rather than any strange ideas they bring, though that doesn’t help their case. You already know about that, right?”

  “Yeah, Harry expined that.”

  “Well, I hope you are working on finding out who your magical ancestor is, no one likes associating with people with unknown blood. That’s how curses and other madies are passed down.” Susan raised an eyebrow at the girl. That was… oddly specific, and she noticed Daphne’s face twisting into a grimace. “Your only other alternative is to attach yourself to someone powerful in order for people to view you as an equal. You have already done that with Harry, so good on you.”

  “B-but, I didn’t befriend Harry for his fame!” The words came out in a hasty blubber as Hermione raised her hands defensively.

  “I’m not saying you didn’t,” Tracey continued relentlessly, “but the fact remains. Many people treat you differently from simply being associated with the Boy-Who-Lived, add to that, he has shown that he does care about you. The way he instantly protected you a couple of days ago when you were cornered by Malfoy and his goons was proof enough.”

  Susan’s eyebrow rose, she hadn’t heard about that but judging by the snickers and giggles coming from the rest of the girls, it had been an amusing encounter.

  “It was quite the scene to witness, for the kind and gentle Harry to grab Draco’s colr and lift him off the ground with one hand,” Daphne chimed in between her giddy tittering.

  “That kind of strength is insane, now that I think about it. I wonder if he was possessed by a Heliopath? His eyes did look like they were on fire at the time.” Luna’s face turned pensive, and Susan wondered what the heck was a Heliopath. She turned to Tracey to ask her, but the question died on her tongue as the blonde Slytherin seemed to be lost in her own world, daydreaming.

  “Yeah, that wasn’t Draco’s best moment. He even refused to duel Hermione, the coward. And to think I thought him cool, hmph.” Astoria turned up her nose imperiously before folding her arms behind her head and leaning back on her seat.

  “Indeed, which brings me to my next point. You have two more advantages that many other muggle-borns do not.” Tracey coughed before anyone else could interrupt. “One – you are an accomplished witch and driven to perfection. That’s good, as that immediately makes you better than 95% of all witches and wizards. If you haven’t noticed, most of us are zy yabouts.” The blonde-haired girl’s eyes trailed to her sister, who grinned unashamedly.

  “Guilty as charged.” They all looked in surprise at Susan, who shrugged unapologetically. “It’s so easy to be zy when you have the power to shape the world in the palms of your hands. Hailing from a rich and powerful family, with loving siblings and attentive parents helps greatly!”

  The girls giggled in agreement, although Hermione had her nose scrunched in disapproval.

  “See, that’s precisely what we’re talking about, Granger.” Tracey had noticed it as well, “you do not accept mediocrity, and many wizards will respect that.”

  “… Thank you. Is that why you take your studies so seriously?”

  “Yes, while I enjoy having a loving family, I do not pn to become a spinster aunt.” Daphne guffawed at her sister’s procmation.

  “What’s my other advantage, then?” Hermione ignored the ughing girl in favour of the more mature of the sisters.

  “That you are a girl who is good-looking enough to be able to attract most wizards.” Shrugging carelessly, Tracey eyed the bushy-haired girl for a moment before turning her gaze to Hannah.

  “I…don’t think I follow.” Hermione coughed in embarrassment. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Men have it much worse than women, muggle-born ones even more so. They need to prove themselves to society, whether through skills or fortunes.” The blonde Slytherin eborated. “All a woman needs to do is to look pretty and be willing to rear kids, and she is essentially guaranteed a good marriage. Add to that your talent…”

  The bushy-haired girl blushed and seemed to understand, but just in case, Susan gave her best friend a knowing look, getting a nod in return.

  “Hermione, you asked us to be blunt, so here goes.” Hannah took a deep breath before looking the bookworm square in the eyes. “Your best chance for a comfortable life, or even to fulfil any ambition you have, is to get married to a wizard of high standing. Through their resources and connections, you would be capable of furthering your studies or gaining a good job. It’s… what my mom did. This isn’t even unique for muggle-borns, every witch’s dream is to find a good wizard for herself.” Hannah smiled teasingly, “It would also help if you start taking care of yourself better. You are a pretty witch, Hermione. Don’t neglect yourself, and your looks.”

  “But I’m not,” the bushy-haired girl pursed her lips and fingered her hair. “I’m not pretty. My teeth are too big, and my hair is too wild.”

  “Which are things that are easy to fix,” the blonde Hufflepuff continued patiently. “You need only to seek the solutions, for magic is wondrous. Just remember, your choices are limited, for you do not have a family to fall back on unless you don’t mind retreating to the muggle world.”

  “True, I have three brothers and while I know they will always love me, I don’t really stand to inherit much.” Susan drained the st of her tea and gazed at the bushy-haired girl. “A strong wizard would always be a solid catch for any witch, for this is a world where personal strength could make or break your wealth. The least the witch could do is to look as good as she could be for her wizard.” She finished with a wink at Hermione.

  Interestingly, the girl’s eyes widened in understanding and she even nodded.

  “I think I get your point. Oh, don’t look at me like that, I had already said that I’ve thought deeply on the matter.” Daphne and Tracey had their eyes wide at how the Gryffindor surprisingly took things in stride. “Harry had mentioned how his mother was a once-in-a-generation talent, and he even credits her for vanquishing You-Know-Who.” That came as a shock to everyone, no one truly knew how the Dark Lord was defeated, but if the Boy-Who-Lived believed so… “Yet, she would never have grown to her full potential if not for the Potter resources. She did get a mastery in Charms after marrying James Potter, after all.”

  “Well, that was much easier than expected.” Daphne stood up and stretched, causing them to eye her curiously. “So, now that you know all of that, Hermione.” The girl’s lips widened into a wicked grin, “let’s talk about boys. Harry or Neville, whom would you choose? Gasp! Don’t tell me you would go for Draco?”

  From there, the room descended into hushed giggles as the bushy-haired girl stuttered incoherently. Susan smiled genially, this was fun. When Daphne started pouring generous amounts of drink into their cups, one that was certainly not tea or suitable for their age, the red-haired witch couldn’t help but take a swig.

  This has been the most frustrating chapter to write, and frankly, I was half tempted to just delete it and skip through Susan’s POV and go straight to Harry’s. Writing from a female’s perspective about girl matters was fucking exhausting. No matter what edits I make, I will always feel unsatisfied with this chapter.

  And yet, I believe that this chapter is crucial to show how witches think in the magical world. It is a foreign world, and newcomers must learn to integrate rather than separate. Assimition is the best option, of course, yet that would kill any new ideas coming from muggle-borns.

  Susan ain't a hippy. Tolerance does not mean acceptance, and the more people understand the difference, the better it would be for both parties. Ah, don’t think she’s a seductress or anything. She simply gets drunk from people’s magic.

  There is a Lady Wimborne in the wiki who was a president of the Witch’s league. She was some filler pque pced in Lockhart’s office, but was surprisingly detailed. I expanded on her to expin the real fears that magicals would have regarding muggle-borns.

  Do leave me some feedback on some of the matters discussed. It’s certainly not something we would accept in modern times.

  Editor’s Note - while the dear author wasn’t satisfied with his edits, I took over three hours to rewrite a solid part of this shitstorm and I actually feel satisfied with how it turned out.

  Author’s note on the editor’s note: Love you bro, I would have trashed my keyboard in frustration if not for you.