Chapter 546 "Meeting Hermione"

"This is... a book on space magic!" The Manager skimmed through the contents of the magic book, his eyes widening in disbelief.

According to the book's records, portal magic allows one to travel to any place in the world, even places they had never been before.

"Can this portal magic actually work?" The Manager asked, holding the magic book with an excited expression.

If this kind of portal magic was feasible, it would surpass all the existing methods of magical transportation.

Floo powder required a Floo network, broomsticks were slow, portkeys were point-to-point, and Apparition had distance limitations.

The portal seemed to have none of these drawbacks and could teleport multiple people.

"If the theories in this magic book can be realized, this book will be a bestseller," The Manager exclaimed.

"Absolutely," Jerry replied casually.

He drew a circle of fire in the office and motioned for The Manager to look through it.

The Manager cautiously stuck his head through the ring of fire, curious to see what lay on the other side. To his surprise, he found himself facing a massive snow-covered mountain.

Before he could react, a gust of wind carried a snowflake, which hit him, sending him tumbling back into the office.

Quickly, Jerry waved his hand to close the portal. He feared that the entire office would be filled with snow if he didn't act fast.

"Oh, Merlin, it's so cold! Where the heck is that?" The Manager shivered, brushing snowflakes off his clothes.

"Mount Everest," Jerry replied with a smile.

The Manager was dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected that Jerry would not only transform the idea of space magic into a reality but could also transport them to such a distant place.

Mount Everest was far from the UK.

"Mr. Carmen, your magic book will be available in all our bookstores within a star, and we'll handle the follow-up publicity," The Manager said enthusiastically. "We'll store the profits in Gringotts, as per our agreement."

"Feel free to proceed as planned," Jerry replied before taking his leave.

Portal magic was undoubtedly superior to other forms of magical transportation, but it had its own learning curve.

It was more complex to master than Apparating, but it didn't come with the same risk of splinting if done without guidance.

The reason for publishing the magic book on portals was that, due to his age, Jerry couldn't legally Apparate according to Ministry of Magic regulations.

Inventing portal magic allowed him to move freely even in public.

As the creator of this ground breaking portal magic, Jerry wasn't concerned about the Ministry of Magic preventing him from using it.

He had cleverly found a legal workaround.

"Um... Manager, did you use the Snowfall Spell in the office?" After Jerry left, The Manager immediately called the clerk from the doorway into the office.

The clerk noticed the office's snow-covered state and looked puzzled.

...

On August 22, at five in the morning, a flicker of flames appeared at the entrance of Granger's dentist clinic just outside London.

Emerging from the portal was a dashing young man dressed in British gentleman style – Jerry, who had opened the portal from the Leaky Cauldron.

"This is Hermione's dentist's office, and it looks rather pleasant."

"Jerry, just wait a moment, I'll be ready soon!"

A clear and somewhat excited female voice emerged from the second-floor clinic window shortly after Jerry sealed the portal.

Jerry looked up and saw Hermione, now much more grown-up, sporting pink pajamas with suspenders.

She lay at the window, energetically waving her little hand in greeting.

Today marked the day of the Quidditch Finals, an event that occurred every four years.

Jerry had written to Hermione several days earlier to make arrangements to attend together.

"No rush, take your time!"

The sight of Hermione caused Jerry to be momentarily stunned, followed by a warm smile and a wave in response.

Their first encounter in over 20 years had a distinct impact, causing his once composed demeanor to flutter slightly.

In that moment, he realized what he had been missing.

His affection for Hermione had increased significantly compared to the past.

While he may have had a slight fondness for her before, the 20-year separation and their reunion had elevated his feelings.

It was akin to working diligently for more than a decade and suddenly reuniting with a junior high school classmate who had always sat at the same desk, with whom he shared a good relationship.

She had remained unchanged throughout the years.

About ten minutes later, Hermione, dressed in a purple T-shirt and blue jeans with her hair tied in a ponytail, carefully opened the dentist's office door and stepped out.

"Long time no see, Hermione. How has your summer vacation been?" Jerry inquired with a smile.

On the other hand, Hermione took just a few steps before dashing over to give him a warm hug.

"It's been good. I read a lot of books during the summer vacation, but I did miss you a bit!" Hermione blushed, sensing her words were too direct and then added, "And Harry, Ron, and Ginny."

"Ahem...me too." Jerry let out a couple of coughs to alleviate the sudden awkwardness in the air.

Releasing Hermione from the hug, Jerry proceeded to conjure a portal leading to the Quidditch World Cup final venue.

"Harry and Ron should have already left. Let's head over there!"

"It appears that the reports in the Daily Prophet were accurate. You've indeed developed space magic even more convenient than Apparition!"

As Hermione witnessed Jerry's use of portal magic, her eyes gleamed.

"As expected of you!"

Observing how Hermione, who had been somewhat shy moments ago, had now shifted her full attention to the new magic, Jerry couldn't help but shake his head, a smile on his face.

"By the way, this is for you. It's filled with notes. If you encounter anything you don't understand, feel free to reach out to me anytime."

After guiding Hermione through the portal, Jerry retrieved the book "Conjectures and Applications about Remote Portals," which he had prepared, and handed it to her.

After three years of being together, Jerry understood Hermione's character well. It was perhaps her character that made him like Hermione more than anyone else.

…