Twenty minutes earlier…
After Draco left, Ino was about to use a cleaning spell to clear the dishes on the table when he was distracted by the sound of the drawer near his bed vibrating.
He picked up the two-way mirror, and that led him to his visit to the Astronomy Tower...
---
"Hermione!"
A soft voice broke the silence of the Astronomy Tower.
Hearing the call, Hermione turned around with delight, her face unable to hide the radiant smile that had appeared.
"Ino, I'm sorry to disturb your weekend rest, but I feel like there are some things I need to give you. They might be useful."
Hermione walked toward him with a light step, her eyes filled with warmth as she spoke.
"Don't worry about it; I don't sleep in on weekends anyway." Ino waved his hand casually, then flicked his wand toward the ground.
Two vine chairs and a small tea table quietly appeared on the Astronomy Tower.
"Let's sit down and talk! Judging by your look, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"
Ino pulled over one of the vine chairs and glanced at Hermione as he asked.
"Yes! But that's not important right now!" Hermione readily admitted she hadn't eaten yet.
"Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are arriving today. Although I'm not sure how Dumbledore will choose the Hogwarts champion, I think these things might be useful for you."
As she spoke, Hermione's hands were busy rummaging through her pockets.
At the same time…
Ino watched in surprise as more and more items appeared on the once-empty tea table. In just one or two minutes, it was piled high with various things.
Awakening Draught, Fire Protection Potion, Elation Elixir, Calming Draught, Memory Potion, Skele-Gro, Basic Antidote, Shrinking Solution, Revitalizing Potion… an impressive array of potions, to say the least.
Even though potions weren't Ino's strong suit, the assortment of potions on the table was beyond his understanding. How could a fourth-year student possess so many potions?
If he didn't already know the original story, he would have suspected Hermione's background involved some connection to another exceptional potioneer named Granger.
But as he indulged in these brief musings, he noticed that the potions on the table had taken a different turn. Stranger, more sinister potions were now appearing.
Choking Gas, Veritaserum, Living Hell Draught, Confusion Potion, Despair Potion...
After a moment…
Hermione continued to pull out potions like a diligent little hamster emptying its stash.
Just when Ino thought it was over, he noticed Hermione was making another move.
Hermione's slender fingers slipped into her collar, and she pulled out a silver necklace. As the necklace slowly emerged, a small bottle of golden, shimmering potion appeared before Ino's eyes.
Felix Felicis…
Ino was slightly taken aback. Unlike the other potions, some of which were rare, they could still be bought.
But Felix Felicis… that was different. Even if you had the money, it wasn't easy to come by. Only a few potion masters in the magical world could brew it, and whenever it appeared on the market, it was quickly snatched up by potion shops.
This wasn't speculation without basis. Ino had discussed the matter with Lucius Malfoy before, as Lucius had once gifted him a small bottle of Felix Felicis.
After their discussion, Lucius had confirmed something Ino had suspected: no one allowed Felix Felicis to circulate freely.
---
Looking at the array of potions on the table, and the Felix Felicis in Hermione's hand, Ino couldn't help but wonder what experiences this girl had gone through. There had to be some kind of adventure involved. Otherwise, how could she have such a rare potion? Felix Felicis wasn't something you could just stumble upon.
"Hermione, you..."
"I brewed it myself!" Hermione, anticipating his question, answered quickly.
After she spoke, she proudly lifted her chin, her pale swan-like neck gleaming in the sunlight.
Though her demeanor appeared slightly arrogant, her expression was one seeking praise.
"That's truly amazing!" Ino's compliment came from the heart.
He suddenly realized that Hermione had truly been undervalued in the original story.
Perhaps Hermione's real strength wasn't in being a bookworm or even later becoming the Minister of Magic.
Her real talent might have been in becoming a potions master.
As he briefly considered this, Ino recalled some details from the original story.
A second-year Muggle-born witch, relying on a single book from the Restricted Section, had sneaked into a bathroom and brewed the highly complex Polyjuice Potion on her own—and had succeeded on the first try.
---
At the same time…
After hearing Ino's praise, a sparkle lit up in Hermione's brown eyes, and she looked genuinely joyful.
"Was the Felix Felicis also brewed by you?" Ino, still in admiration, turned his attention to the golden potion.
The contrast between her pale fingers and the golden potion was striking.
However, upon hearing about the Felix Felicis, Hermione's previously cheerful expression suddenly froze.
"This one wasn't!" Hermione lowered her head somewhat bashfully but quickly lifted it again.
"But I can brew Felix Felicis, really! I just didn't have enough time; it takes a full six months! And I can't exactly bring my cauldron home with me..."
Listening to her quietly defend herself, for a moment, Ino felt the world was truly fascinating.
Some people could spend their whole lives mastering just a single Forgetfulness Charm, while others, by the time they were in their fourth year, had already reached the level of a top-tier potions master.
Yes, brewing Felix Felicis was a benchmark—it marked the highest level one could achieve from a textbook.
Beyond that lay the realm of true potion masters like Snape.
To become a potions master, textbooks were no longer enough. Only through personal insight, refining techniques, or inventing new potions could one progress further.
---
"Hermione, your talent for potions is truly surprising."
Ino didn't hold back on his praise.
But this time, Hermione didn't react with the same pride as before.
She gently set down the bottle of Felix Felicis and then pushed the pile of potions on the table toward Ino.
"Take these! Even though I'm not sure which ones you'll need, the Triwizard Tournament has always had a history of injuries."
Her words were sincere, and her gaze was intense.
To be honest, at that moment, Ino felt truly moved, even though all of this was just a misunderstanding due to his knowledge of the future.
But regardless of the misunderstanding, the sentiment behind it remained genuine.
It was like how everyone cared about the glory of success, yet few cared about the struggles behind that glory.
For some reason, Ino suddenly thought back to the very beginning—the lonely figure of a girl standing on the Astronomy Tower.
Perhaps behind this collection of potions, there were countless untold hardships.
As this thought crossed his mind, Ino looked up at Hermione again. Her brown eyes still sparkled with joy.