Tim Watson
Even after spending a month at Hogwarts, Tim sometimes still couldn't believe that it was all real.
Robed wizards? Flying brooms? Ghosts? Until a few months ago, these were just made-up stories whose sole purpose was to entertain the people who read them. That's what Tim, an ordinary boy from Liverpool, believed, but then he accidentally turned his cat purple and everything changed.
It turned out that not only was the magic real, but he, as a wizard, could use it. He was even invited to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Magic, supposedly the greatest magical school in all of Britain!
He and his parents, of course, immediately agreed, and Tim hasn't regretted the decision since. After all, every day at Hogwarts so far has been amazing, with him making friends with other Hufflepuff students, finding various secrets scattered around the castle, and learning about magic from the many magical teachers Hogwarts had to offer. All of these teachers were very helpful and positively quirky, making each lesson quite enjoyable...
...Well, maybe not every lesson. Tim was still a little nervous whenever it was time for the next Potions lesson, as Professor Snape was very... scary? Intimidating? Intense? Yes, intense was a polite way to describe him. Nevertheless, Tim was sure that the Potions teacher was actually quite a nice man underneath the tough exterior...Or at least Tim hoped so.
He really, really hoped so.
...But other than that, everything was great! What Tim appreciated most about the school, however, was its vast library, filled with countless books on a variety of subjects. He would often sit at one of the tables with a book in hand and read about something interesting, such as a new mysterious creature or a powerful spell.
Incidentally, it was during one such visit to the library that Tim first learned about Michael Brown.
It was actually quite coincidental, as Tim was only there to read more about the particularly interesting magical phenomena he had learned about in his transfiguration class. He was in the middle of reading a book on the subject when suddenly someone shouted nearby, causing Tim to jump up in surprise, pulled from his reading.
"No, I simply refuse! I have no choice but to tolerate your presence at Hogwarts, but there's no way I'm going to let you ruin the library, my territory, with your filth!" A female v's sudden voice came from behind him. Surprised, Tim looked in its direction, but the source of the voice was hidden behind one of the shelves, making it impossible for Tim to see anything. "This is a place where people come to learn, not to listen to your disgusting lies!"
Tim thought about investigating the commotion, but then he noticed that most of the students didn't seem overly bothered by the shouting. In fact, most of them seemed to simply ignore it, treating it as something ordinary. Was... screaming in the library something normal?
"Don't act like you just noticed me, Granger. I know you've been following me since this morning." An unfamiliar male voice replied. It was certainly quieter than the female one, but it was still audible through the shelves. Who were these people? "Don't you have anything better to do? Like, I don't know, catching rats? Stop acting like a stalker."
"Don't call me a stalker, Brown! I don't like dealing with you either! I just want to stop you from committing another crime you undoubtedly have in mind! A female voice replied. "Don't look at me like that, I know what you did in the summer! It will soon be over for you!"
" Sure you know. That's why you've been following me around all day, hiding behind bushes, right? You have nothing, Granger, and you know it. In fact..." A male voice began to speak, but suddenly stopped, as if something had interrupted him. After that, Tim was only able to hear excerpts of quiet conversation. "What, why? I'm just trying to... No, it's... Stop dragging me, Luna... I'll... no, I know, but... yes... all right, I'll go. And you, don't follow me."
After that, the male voice fell silent.
"He is getting away! We have to go after him or else... Harry, Ron, why are you grabbing my hands? Is it..." began a female voice, but it was soon replaced by the sounds of struggle, followed by some unfamiliar male voices. "Mmmmgh! Mnbmg!... Keep her still, Harry!... We have to... Gross, she's licking my hand...Stop punching me... Damn, Mrs. Pince is coming... Run!"
Then, silence.
Although Tim waited a few seconds to see if the commotion would start again, it soon became clear that it was over. While he was initially quite happy, as it meant that he could finally get back to reading, he soon discovered that he was unable to concentrate. His head was full of questions about the earlier incident, one more pressing than the other.
For example, who exactly were Brown and Granger, and why did they hate each other so much? What kind of crime had Brown allegedly committed in the past that prompted Granger to stalk him? And finally, why was everyone in the library treating this strange argument like it was something perfectly normal?
The more Tim thought about it, the more convinced he was that he was missing something important.
Plagued by this uncertainty, he finally decided to investigate. Putting down his book and getting up from the table, Tim approached one of the students nearby, intending to learn more.
"Umm, excuse me?" Tim said softly, approaching the closest student, a boy who was currently browsing through books, apparently searching for something. Upon hearing him, the boy, seemingly only a little older than him, turned around in slight surprise, most likely not expecting anyone to bother him.
As the boy was now turned in his direction, Tim was able to see a small silver eagle on the chest of his robe, indicating that the boy was a Ravenclaw student. That was actually quite fortunate, as from what Tim understood about the house system, Ravenclaw students were supposed to be the most knowledgeable about stuff.
"Yes? The boy answered simply, looking questioningly at Tim.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. I'm Tim Watson, first year. Can I ask you a quick question?" Tim asked.
"Hmmm? First year, you say? Sure, anything that can help a younger student. Go ahead and ask!" The boy answered cheerfully, his previous confusion replaced by clear excitement. Maybe he was just happy that a younger student was asking him for advice? If so, it probably meant that the boy was only a second-year student. Not that it mattered much, since he clearly knew more about the incident than Tim did.
"Thank you. I just wanted to ask about the earlier argument. It was pretty intense, but everyone seemed to treat me like something normal, so..." Tim paused, not really knowing how to phrase his question. Was it possible that it was one of those things that you were supposed to just know about? Like some sort of wizarding scandal that all pureblood wizards were aware of? If that was the case, Tim would probably be seen as stupid for asking such questions. He hoped that wasn't the case.
"You mean the earlier argument between Granger and Michael?" the boy asked. When Tim nodded uncertainly, he smiled confidently. "Sure, I can tell you all you want about it! Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. Robert Danvers, head of the Michael Brown fan club. Nice to meet you!"
The conversation with Robert proved to be extremely informative.
Not only did the boy answer all of Tim's questions about the argument, but he also provided him with the necessary background by revealing the ongoing feud between Michael Brown and Hermione Granger.
As Tim learned from Robert, Michael Brown, a second-year Ravenclaw student, was one of the most brilliant students Hogwarts has ever had. He was widely known among other students for his groundbreaking ideas and eye-opening theories about the wizarding world. Proof of his brilliance was the fact that he was allowed to hold his own lectures just a few months after starting school, doing so with his similarly talented companion, Luna Lovegood. Frankly, this was very impressive, as Tim, despite being only a few months younger than Brown was at the time of his first lecture, couldn't even imagine doing something even remotely similar. Michael Brown was truly a brilliant person.
Sadly, his brilliance seemed to attract the enmity of one of Gryffindor's third-year students, Hermione Granger. Before Brown's arrival, she was considered a rising star at Hogwarts, always receiving excellent grades and impressing every teacher. Unfortunately, Brown's appearance changed everything, as the boy easily overshadowed Granger with his talent, leaving her jealous and bitter. That's why she launched a smear campaign against Brown, trying to sabotage him and frame him for non-existent crimes.
It was awful, but fortunately Michael Brown did not seem to be bothered by Granger's efforts in the slightest, continuing his lectures to this day, despite Granger's constant interference.
According to Robert, one of these lectures was even scheduled to take place the following Wednesday, right after the last class of the day. Robert even invited Tim, saying that everyone needed to see Michael Brown lecture at least once.
Tim didn't even have to think about his answer. He immediately agreed.
