Chapter 26: I Do Not Believe It!

Ron felt as if he had punched a pile of cotton; helpless, he turned to complain to Harry.

"Hey, why is your friend so strange? Is now really the time for studying?" Ron sat in his seat, shaking his head. "Once we get to school, there will be plenty of time for that."

"Yang likes to read. There's nothing wrong with that," Harry said, tossing a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth, his expression changing instantly.

Ron curiously popped a bean of the same color into his mouth, then grimaced, saying, "Earwax flavor. How disgusting!"

The two continued to snack and chat about their future school life.

"Found you at last!" A girl pointed excitedly at Chu Yang, as if she had discovered a long-sought treasure.

Ron and Harry looked at Chu Yang, both looking bewildered.

The girl's voice was so loud that it startled Chu Yang from his reading. He pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" The girl plopped down next to Chu Yang and asked impatiently, "What was that magic you used in the wand shop?"

Chu Yang said helplessly, "That wasn't magic. I was just following Mr. Ollivander's instructions and waved the wand!"

The girl wore an incredulous expression, then shook her head. "Impossible. How could mere magical power trigger such a terrifying effect?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm just a first-year student, same as you," Chu Yang replied nonchalantly before lowering his head to resume reading.

"Hey! Can you tell us what exactly happened?" Ron stared at the two, his curiosity piqued, looking for all the world like a gossip-loving busybody. Harry looked just as curious.

So, the girl recounted everything that had happened at the wand shop. After listening, Ron and Harry wore expressions similar to hers, staring at Chu Yang in awe.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Hermione Granger. You can just call me Hermione," she said generously.

Ron and Harry introduced themselves as well, but when it came to Chu Yang, there was silence. Hermione turned to find him already buried in his book again.

"Here we go again!" Ron rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Mate, I'm serious, there's no point in putting on an act for us. We're all classmates."

Harry tugged at Ron's sleeve and whispered, "Ron, don't say that..."

Ron laughed in annoyance and retorted, "Look at the way he's flipping through that book. Does that look like he's actually reading?"

Harry hesitated for a moment. He had indeed never seen anyone read the way Chu Yang did.

Hermione stood by Chu Yang, tilting her head to inspect the book cover, and read aloud, "Practical Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"That book doesn't seem to be a first-year textbook," Hermione frowned. She clearly remembered that the only textbook related to the Dark Arts was *Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection*. She had that book memorized, and this was clearly not it.

A thought flashed through her mind: this wasn't a first-year book; it was for advanced students!

Hermione snatched the book from Chu Yang's hands and began to read it carefully.

"That behavior is truly unpleasant, Miss Granger!" Chu Yang frowned. "Whether as a witch or an ordinary person, you should maintain basic manners."

Hermione stiffly returned the book to Chu Yang and said defiantly, "This book is much more profound and obscure than *Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection*. Can you even understand it?"

Chu Yang said indifferently, "As long as you've finished reading *Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection*, understanding this book isn't very difficult."

Hermione choked on her words, turning bright red from her ears to her neck. As someone who had completely memorized *Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection*, the comment sounded to her as if Chu Yang were calling her stupid.

Hermione cried out, "Being lopsided in your studies is a bad thing for a witch! Just reading about Dark Arts is useless! More importantly, there's *Magical Theory*—that's the foundation!"

Hermione's loud voice gave Chu Yang a headache, so, out of impatience, he recited the contents of the first page of *Magical Theory*, hoping to shut her up.

Sure enough, upon hearing Chu Yang's recitation, Hermione's voice came to an abrupt halt. She looked at him in disbelief. "I don't believe it, unless you've memorized the whole thing."

And so, Chu Yang recited the entire book. Seeing Hermione still looking unconvinced, Chu Yang calmly proceeded to recite the opening chapters of his other textbooks one by one. Each time he finished a chapter, Hermione's expression grew more agitated.

"Your parents must have tutored you in advance so you could learn this knowledge early and stand out at school," Hermione said indignantly. If she had had such a family, she would have learned even faster than him!

Chu Yang closed his book and said slowly, "I did look through these books in advance, but it was only after receiving my acceptance letter. I self-studied for a month at the Leaky Cauldron. No one tutored me."

"You can self-study to this level in just a month?" Hermione shook her head firmly. "I don't believe it; it must have been your parents!"

Harry could no longer listen. He stood up and shouted, "Enough! Yang and I are both orphans. We don't have parents, and no one taught us these things!"

"Orphans?" Hermione stared blankly at Harry. When it sank in, she covered her mouth, her eyes filled with regret. For someone who grew up as an orphan, nothing hurt more than mentioning parents.

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to. I didn't know you were..." Hermione apologized to Chu Yang in a panic, her voice tinged with tears, her apology heartfelt.

This atmosphere was the last thing Chu Yang wanted! Can't we just sit quietly until we reach Hogwarts?

Chu Yang sighed and forced a smile. "Miss Granger, I actually don't mind being an orphan. The orphanage I grew up in was small and old, but the people there were very kind."

"Director Anna would throw a birthday party for every child in the orphanage every year, telling us that even if our parents weren't around, there would always be someone to love us well in their stead."

"I grew up in a very good environment. I don't feel ashamed or inferior about my background."

"Yes, yes, I know," Hermione nodded repeatedly, still looking apologetic. She felt that Chu Yang was just putting on a brave face; the calmer he seemed, the sadder she felt for him.

Even Ron stood up to apologize for his earlier attitude. Suddenly, the snacks in his hands didn't taste good anymore. The two kind-hearted souls stood before Chu Yang, apologizing profusely, while the air in the compartment grew heavy.

Good heavens! What are you all doing? I just wanted you to be quiet so I could read! Was all this necessary?

Helpless, Chu Yang grabbed the snacks at hand and stuffed them into Hermione and Ron's mouths, saying fiercely, "Eat! I'll forgive you once you've finished. Consider this your punishment."

The two started eating without a word. The compartment fell silent instantly. Chu Yang smiled with satisfaction and lowered his head to read.

Harry looked on, bewildered. Is there really such a way to punish people in this world?