Chapter 135: Hermione Granger, the Academic Overachiever

Despite lingering doubts, Ma Jun felt confident in his own abilities and remained unperturbed by any potential circumstances. Regardless, becoming a Hogwarts professor brought him immense joy. The school housed a vast and impeccably preserved collection of books, which would satisfy his thirst for magical knowledge.

Due to his agreement with Headmaster Dumbledore, Ma Jun kept the matter confidential for the time being, telling no one but Harry. Harry offered his congratulations; he genuinely considered Ma Jun a close friend, and the thought of such a friend becoming his professor was truly delightful.

Soon, June arrived, and Harry completed his first year of studies. However, the prospect of the long three-month summer break gave him a headache; he had truly had enough of life at his aunt's house. Ma Jun went to King's Cross Station to see Harry off and happened to catch a glimpse of his aunt. That family made no effort to hide their disdain for Ma Jun, and in the following holiday, Ma Jun never received another word from Harry. Every letter sent by owl vanished into the void.

Ma Jun knew this was because Harry's aunt had blocked all communication, and Harry, unable to use magic, was completely helpless. Yet, Ma Jun felt no concern for the boy's plight, as he was busy with "Old Qian" and others, preparing to intervene in various commercial affairs within the wizarding world. Just like in the Muggle world, the order of wealth was incredibly powerful. With strong physical force as a guarantee, monetary order was the best ammunition in times of peace. Ma Jun believed that, with his strength, he was already capable of joining the ranks of those who set the rules.

By now, with his internal energy perfected, supplemented by the injection of a superpower serum and the even more potent telekinesis granted by the mysterious crystal from the *Chronicle* dimension, both his body and soul had far surpassed those of an ordinary human. One of the benefits was a lifespan that also far exceeded the norm. He had spent over a decade traveling across various dimensions, yet his physical functions showed no signs of decline. Consequently, Ma Jun paid little mind to the passage of time; a mere three months felt like nothing more than a nap.

At the beginning of September, Hogwarts opened its doors.

Ma Jun embarked on his path as a professor. Before his rebirth, he had always envied this profession, much like he envied film directors—it offered the chance to play with many creative possibilities. The weather in London was often shrouded in thick fog, much like in Beijing in his home dimension, though one was marketed as the "Foggy City" and the other as a defense against laser weapons. Such dreary weather could not dampen Ma Jun's pleasant mood. He traveled to King's Cross Station alone, carrying no luggage. This time, he would finally ride the Hogwarts Express.

Ma Jun arrived early, selected an empty compartment, and unceremoniously claimed his spot among the students. When the train departed promptly at eleven o'clock, Harry and Ron were still outside the station, trying to crash through the wall to reach Platform 9¾. Upon finding the entrance sealed, they boldly opted for a shortcut—flying a car to Hogwarts!

Meanwhile, on the train, Ma Jun purchased some snacks, savoring the unique magical treats while gazing at the beautiful scenery outside. He had completely cast aside the thought of Harry being sabotaged by the house-elf Dobby.

"Excuse me... er... sir... have you seen Harry Potter?"

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open to reveal a girl with bushy hair. Her first reaction upon seeing Ma Jun was surprise; it was clearly unusual for a non-student to be there, which puzzled her, but she quickly posed her question.

"He should be on the train, shouldn't he? I'm not sure," Ma Jun replied with a smile. "Are you his friend, Hermione? I've heard him mention you."

"Oh, yes! You must be Ma Jun. Harry has told me about you, too!" This young girl was, of course, Hermione Granger. She walked in enthusiastically, sat down across from Ma Jun, and said excitedly, "I've read your travelogues—they're brilliant! Does this mean... you are the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"

"You're very clever. That is indeed the case," Ma Jun replied with a smile, offering her a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. "Would you like one?"

"No, thank you!" Hermione said happily. "Having you as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is the best thing ever. I’m sure we’ll learn so much."

"Thank you for your trust!" Ma Jun said. "You were asking about Harry earlier—is he not on the train?"

"Oh, yes!" Hermione finally remembered the purpose of her visit and said dejectedly, "I've searched the entire train, but Harry and Ron aren't there. They must have run into trouble! Perhaps they'll be late..."

"Don't worry," Ma Jun said. "It will be fine. Once we arrive at school, I will speak to Headmaster Dumbledore and have him look for Harry."

"All right!" Hermione quickly set her mind at ease and began enthusiastically asking Ma Jun about his experiences. She seemed to have read quite a few of his travelogues and spoke with great insight. At first, Ma Jun answered patiently, but after a while, he began to feel a headache coming on. In truth, many of the young girl's questions were quite profound, and Ma Jun's actual theoretical knowledge was inferior to hers. This left him feeling very embarrassed, and he had to rack his brains to provide vague, evasive answers.

"Oh, by the way, Professor Ma Jun!" Hermione spoke at a rapid pace. "I noticed there is no textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year..."

"That's correct," Ma Jun nodded. "The primary purpose of this course is defense and magic. But in reality, if you truly encounter a dark wizard, the things in books are useless. Because powerful dark wizards don't write their combat techniques into textbooks. Therefore, I have found a better way to learn—please allow me to keep it a secret for now."

Hermione was a true academic at heart; she relished the satisfaction of being filled with knowledge. Hearing Ma Jun's promise, she was already beginning to look forward to it, and she continued to chat with him with renewed fervor. However, Hermione was still just a young girl who hadn't yet grown into her own; she didn't know how to dress herself, and the topics she chose were quite tedious, making Ma Jun feel drowsy.

Under this torture, the first journey on the Hogwarts Express finally came to an end. After the train arrived at the station, Hermione left with the other students to head toward the school in the Thestral-drawn carriages, while Ma Jun took the opportunity to slip away and head off on his own.

Seeing the massive silhouette of Hogwarts in the distance, Ma Jun’s heart was filled with joy. A dreamlike story and a dreamlike location from his youth were now appearing before his eyes in reality—it was a truly wonderful feeling. He took a quick stroll through the school grounds before finding Professor Dumbledore and meeting his new colleagues: Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, and the rest.