40 Advancing the Plot

Chapter 37 – Advancing the Plot

The next day, Simon followed his routine of waking up early, doing some exercises, and then joining the other students for breakfast before heading to classes. During the meal, he glanced at the young lady from the Greengrass household, who looked tired and worn out, as if she hadn't slept in days. Apparently, she had been reading the book all night, which probably wasn't an easy task considering the book was cursed. Although not impossible to read, it was extremely exhausting for the mind. However, it seemed that the girl was more determined than Simon had thought. But judging by her expression, she must not have achieved anything useful, or perhaps she did, but it was beyond her capacity to do anything about it.

Well, Simon didn't care much. If she wanted his help, she could ask for it. For now, he had to work on advancing the plot faster. After classes, the heroic trio once again gathered in the library to research the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione was busy searching through various books while Harry and Ron easily got distracted reading just one book.

Near a large shelf, Hermione was putting away a heavy book and preparing to grab another when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry... oh, hi Simon."

"Hi Hermione, long time."

"Yeah."

Hermione blushed slightly at Simon's words. Since the night he saved her from the troll, they hadn't had a good opportunity to talk again. Besides being from different houses, the news about him during the holidays had made her even more hesitant to talk to him.

"What are you looking for? Need help?" Simon asked, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts, to which she promptly responded,

"Actually, I've been researching a bit about a wizard named Flamel."

"Flamel? Nicolas Flamel?"

"You know him?"

"Of course, actually, I'm surprised you don't know. Maybe for many, Flamel isn't one of the most important wizards, but undoubtedly, he's one of the most famous, even outside the wizarding world."

"How so?"

"Come with me, Miss Granger," Simon said politely, eliciting a small smile from Hermione before leading her to a table a little farther away. With the book in hand, he guided Hermione to sit across from him.

"Nicolas Flamel is regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, alchemist in history. There are many stories about him, but the most famous is about the Philosopher's Stone," Simon began, flipping through the book.

"You must know that in ancient times alchemists had only one objective: to discover how to transform metals into others of greater value, such as gold, and discover how to obtain the elixir of long life, capable of curing any disease and granting the desired immortality to those who drank."

Listening to Simon narrate everything seriously, Hermione remained silent. Although knowledge of alchemy in the Muggle world was not restricted, it was hard to believe that a child, even Hermione, would be interested in the subject.

"Over the centuries, many tried to discover how to do this, how to create gold, how to be immortal, but no one succeeded... or at least, that's what many believed."

Simon stopped at a page and showed it to Hermione, who quickly began to read as Simon continued speaking.

"Nicolas Flamel, born in 1330, supposedly died in 1418. I say supposedly because there are records that Flamel achieved what many believed to be impossible... he created the Philosopher's Stone, an alchemical artifact with mystical properties capable of transforming metals into gold and extracting the elixir of long life. As far as records go, the only one capable of synthesizing a Philosopher's Stone was Nicolas Flamel. It can be said that the Philosopher's Stone is the Holy Grail of alchemy, the ultimate goal of all who pursue the path of alchemy."

"...," Seeing Simon starting to get a little too excited, Hermione just remained silent while smiling slightly. She didn't find it strange that Simon knew about Flamel or the Philosopher's Stone. She remembered him mentioning that he used alchemy to kill the troll, but he never explained exactly how, and she never asked, although she was very curious.

"As for the Philosopher's Stone made by Flamel... well, I don't know where it ended up, no one knows. Some say it was lost, others that it was destroyed, but some believe it's still with its creator to this day..."

"Thank you, Simon, I think I understand. I need to go, see you later."

"Bye." Simon watched Hermione get up and go to where Harry and Ron were with the book in hand. Watching the girl leave, a slight smile appeared on his face, captivating some girls passing by. However, when they left the area, his gentle smile gradually turned into a sadistic one. It was a completely disturbing sight to see in an 11-year-old.

'Is being a hero worth more than exchanging a few more words with your friend Hermione? Ah, I really want to make her mine, but now I'm a little upset with you, Hermy. You didn't even let me finish talking and ran off to be with other people, you naughty girl. And you know... naughty girls have to be punished.'

"It's going to be fun playing with you, Hermy..."

After finishing accelerating the plot, Simon went to the Slytherin common room to rest and think about how to play with Hermione. Honestly, he had plans to make Hermione his girlfriend, and perhaps in the future, his wife. But since he met Daphne the night before and thought of having her as a possible lover or pet, he wondered: What did Hermione have that made her superior to Daphne?

Sure, she was part of the trio of protagonists, a future great witch, the future head of the Ministry of Magic, among other things, but all of that was just a possible future. For now, she was just a Muggle-born a little smarter than the other students in the same year. She wasn't rich, had rabbit teeth, and her hair was quite... well, anyway, nothing about her surpassed Daphne currently.

And now with the constant interferences Simon caused and would continue to cause, there was no guarantee she would still be the Hermione everyone was in love with. (Well, actually, everyone just has a teenage crush on Emma Watson, but anyway.)

Thinking about this made Simon realize that he couldn't rely too much on the future. What if future Hermione wasn't as interesting as future Daphne? It would be a waste, so he decided to just play with her. He would shape her, make her the strong and imposing witch she was destined to be, while at the same time molding her mind to be his alone.

"Ah, Hermy... it's definitely going to be fun."

Just thinking about molding Hermione into someone who would be his made Simon feel strangely happy.

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At night, after dinner, Simon was sitting in a somewhat secluded spot in the common room with a book in hand, enjoying a cup of tea. Ironically, considering that in his previous life he used to laugh at the English for drinking it, but now it was quite common for him.

In the center of the room, some people were gathered, like Draco and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, as well as the 'friendly' Pansy and some older students. They were playing a strange board game that resembled D&D, with the difference that the pieces moved by themselves.

Simon didn't try to join them; he didn't like to stand out, although it was true that he wished he were there with them, playing a little.

As he tried to concentrate, someone approached him and sat in an armchair next to him. Turning around, he saw the tired face of the young lady from the Greengrass household, but he said nothing and returned to his book. Suddenly, he saw Daphne lean slightly towards him and whisper,

"How did you know?"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"How did you know?" she repeated a little louder, but without attracting the attention of the other students.

"It would be better to discuss this in a more private place, Miss Greengrass."

Hearing Simon's words, Daphne said nothing, just looked at the boy next to her with some annoyance, but he was right. This was a sensitive issue, both for her and her family. However, such a subject is indeed known by Simon.

Daphne decided to wait a little and remained silent next to Simon while he read his book quietly. Gradually, the excitement in the common room dwindled, and the students began to head to their dormitories.

Seeing this, Simon closed his book and looked at Daphne, who had fallen asleep at some point. She was tired, both mentally and physically. Seeing this, Simon conjured a blanket from his room and covered Daphne, leaving a small note with her before turning around and going to sleep. As he lay down and thought about what he had just done, Simon smiled slightly.

"Yes... I am a good person," he thought as he closed his eyes.