Hermione in the Quantum State

Ivan was suddenly troubled. If only he could cast Memory Charms. Two of them would make them forget what had just happened.

Only it's obviously too late to learn…

"Fast recovery! Newspapers flying!" Ivan waved the wand he had captured from Lavender in frustration as he dealt with the chaos around him.

The newspapers scattered on the floor had long since become crumpled and broken, but under the charm of the Restoration Charm, they were quickly repaired and smoothed out.

They transformed into paper butterflies and fluttered down onto Ivan's outstretched right hand.

Ivan arranged the newspapers in chronological order and placed them on the head of the bed, so as to recreate Hermione's previous arrangements.

With that done, Ivan turned his attention to Lavender and Parvati, trying to think of a way to keep them safe.

After a moment's hesitation, Ivan put one hand on his hip and pointed his wand at them, threatening them.

"All of you, listen up. The newspaper is a secret. You'd better forget about it and never speak of it! Do you understand?"

Lavender and Parvati pursed their lips, assuming that Hermione didn't want it to be known that she was secretly collecting news clippings from Lockhart and Hulse.

However, they were clearly not going to give in and did not reply.

Ivan could see what they were thinking, so he tapped the cup on the table with his wand, turning it into a marmot.

Once again, Ivan grabbed the marmot by the scruff of its neck and threw it into the cage where the owl was kept.

"You see? If anyone so much as mentions it again, I'll turn you into a marmot and put you in a cage!" Ivan's gaze swept over the two young witches.

Lavender and Parvati looked at the cage. The cup-formed marmot was beating its tiny paws on the bars of the cage in terror, letting out heart-stopping shrieks…

The pair nodded fearfully, for they found Hermione to be absolutely terrifying…

Ivan nodded in satisfaction at the looks on the faces of the two young witches, then reminded them of something.

"Also, don't mention this in front of me again!"

Lavender and Parvati were baffled, but they nodded under Ivan's threatening gaze, tears in their eyes. They didn't want to be caged as groundhogs.

Ivan felt a pang of guilt as he realised that he had broken the peace in the girls' dormitory.

They were all damned system missions.

Ivan sighed as the system's prompt sounded.

[Ding, Gryffindor Station has been explored, current exploration progress 63%…]

Ivan paused for a moment when he received the notification. Understanding that staying here would not increase the progress of the mission, he turned the caged marmot back into a cup and placed it back in its place. Then, he left the dormitory with his books.

Ivan then returned to the Room of Requirement, and after about an hour of waiting, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion wore off.

Ivan was relieved when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

The physical difference between the Polyjuice Potion and Hermione made Ivan uncomfortable…

It was no wonder that few people in the original timeline were willing to switch to the opposite sex…

It didn't take long, however, for Ivan to start worrying again. He didn't think he could hide the truth from Hermione after threatening Lavender and Parvati.

The young witch was too clever for her own good, and was likely to see through the sudden change in Lavender and Parvati's attitude towards her and guess something.

However, Ivan could not think of a better solution without the Memory Charm, so he put it aside.

Depressed, they returned to the Rest Chamber to find Harry and Ron playing a new game of Wizarding Flags.

"Want to play chess, Ivan? It's no challenge playing against Harry," Ron said eagerly.

"Okay!" Yvonne agreed, remembering her conversation with Hermione that morning.

Harry shrugged. He had lost several games in a row, so he didn't mind Ron's comments and graciously stepped aside.

Sitting at the chess table, Ivan waited until the pieces were back in place, then directed the white pieces to engage Ron's black side.

Despite the grandeur of the Wizarding Flag and the self-consciousness of the pieces, the rules of the next game were no different from those he had played in his previous life.

This is why Ivan was able to master it so quickly,

His chess skills were honed from his past life and his time in the hospital bed when he was bored, as well as his experience with advanced computer AI. Occasionally, he would play a few rounds of chess with experts in the Chess Software, so he had no problem dealing with Ron, a gifted little brat.

They played until noon, when Ivan, who was on the brink of his seventh victory, was about to lead a wizard straight to victory when Hermione came in, humming to herself.

Ivan immediately became nervous and distractedly directed the pieces, causing them to move erratically.

Even Harry, who was very bad at chess, couldn't stand it any longer, and kept giving pointers in an attempt to salvage the situation, but Ivan didn't even hear him as he watched Hermione enter the girls' dormitory.

One minute … two minutes …

Ivan waited for a long time, but Hermione did not come out to confront him.

Had he not been seen? Or had he not guessed it was him?

Ivan was very confused, and the game was a complete defeat. Within two minutes, Ron, who had been at a disadvantage, killed him.

…

The day passed in the blink of an eye, and it was a weekend morning.

Ivan, who was eating breakfast in the Great Hall, kept an eye on Hermione's changing expressions. The little witch was no different from usual, sitting quietly and occasionally chatting with Harry and the others.

Hermione, however, did not offer to sit next to her.

This, however, does not justify…

Ivan was torn as to why the little witch in front of him seemed to have taken a quantum form, somewhere between knowing and not knowing, and would only collapse if he asked.

Unable to figure it out, Ivan decided to stop thinking about it. Considering that he still had to study Animagus with Professor McGonagall today, Ivan hurriedly ate his breakfast and headed for the Transfiguration class.

Crack …

Ivan opened the door and entered the Transfiguration classroom. On weekends, the classroom was empty, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and only a tabby cat was sitting on the lecture table, watching him quietly…