The books Hermione was looking for were different from Chen Yu's; Hermione's books leaned towards historical introductions.
When the two met again in the Library's main hall, Chen Yu saw Hermione holding several books: "Hogwarts: A History," "Travels with Trolls," "Notable Magical Names of Our Time," and "Modern Developments in Wizardry."
Chen Yu figured Hermione was reading these books to understand the magical world faster.
The books Chen Yu brought were more practical; learning them would immediately enhance his combat abilities.
Hermione placed the books she was holding on the wooden table, and Chen Yu did the same.
Chen Yu looked at the author's name, Gilderoy Lockhart, written on the cover of "Travels with Trolls" with some confusion.
Isn't this guy the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class professor next semester?
In the original story, after Quirinus Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class professor this semester, was possessed by Lord Voldemort, he attempted to help Lord Voldemort steal the Philosopher's Stone and ultimately died from touching Harry Potter.
Gilderoy Lockhart, on the other hand, is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class professor for the next semester.
He is a charlatan skilled in the Obliviate spell, who plagiarizes others' experiences as his own and makes the original experiencers forget their memories.
Hermione became his fan in her second year, idolizing Lockhart until his fraudulent identity was exposed.
Hermione noticed Chen Yu staring at "Travels with Trolls" in her hand and happily began to introduce it to Chen Yu: "I found this book in the miscellaneous section. Before I came to Hogwarts, I bought a book called 'Break with a Banshee' at a bookstore in Diagon Alley. The author is Gilderoy Lockhart. It's an autobiographical novel about adventures in the magical world, telling the story of the protagonist, Lockhart, who is also the author, encountering a banshee, using cunning to gain her trust, and finally escaping her. The content is very exciting, with a captivating plot. I thought I would only find some periodicals and magazines in the miscellaneous section, but I didn't expect to find such a treasure, to actually find other works by Lockhart!"
Watching Hermione eagerly open "Travels with Trolls" and read it carefully.
Chen Yu felt that Hermione was already starting to idolize Lockhart.
He also understood that if one didn't have a god's-eye view, they would find Lockhart to be a handsome, knowledgeable, capable man with rich adventure experience.
He encountered banshees, succubi, and werewolves; most adult wizards couldn't escape unscathed from just one of these encounters.
If these experiences were truly Lockhart's own adventures, his strength would definitely be considered among the top tier of young wizards, and even first-class in the entire wizarding world.
Moreover, like Hermione, he is a half-blood wizard, so reading his novels would be more relatable.
Furthermore, before Lockhart became the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had already received many honorary titles.
For example, the Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of The Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award.
The Order of Merlin, Third Class, can only be awarded by the Wizengamot, and with the endorsement of the Ministry of Magic, coupled with Lockhart's self-packaging, it's perfectly reasonable that he could deceive Little Wizards.
Besides, Lockhart is genuinely indulgent with his fans, dedicating time every day to write back to them.
Chen Yu did not tell Hermione that Lockhart was a fraud.
It would be difficult to explain how he knew the fact that Lockhart was a fraud.
Moreover, there are indeed some things in Lockhart's books; apart from the stolen experiences, everything else is based on real events with a bit of literary embellishment.
Reading his books can indeed teach Little Wizards some useful knowledge.
Besides, Lockhart's ending in the original story was not good, which can be considered karma.
Time spent reading always flew by quickly. Chen Yu put down his book and rubbed his temples. Books about spells were always so dry and difficult to understand, and reading them for too long would give him a headache.
Chen Yu checked the system time; it was already twelve noon. Feeling his stomach growl, he decided to go to the Great Hall for lunch.
After completing the borrowing procedures, he bade farewell to Madam Pince, carrying several spell books.
It was already mealtime, so Hermione naturally followed Chen Yu to the Great Hall, carrying a stack of books.
Upon reaching the restaurant, Chen Yu saw Harry and Ron still playing Wizard Chess.
As he approached, he heard one of Harry's chess pieces say, "Hey, don't send me there! Let the Knight go, he's not afraid to sacrifice!"
Chen Yu had no interest in playing Wizard Chess, but he was very interested in the magic that made the Wizard Chess pieces move.
Noticing someone approaching, Ron and Harry looked up. When they saw Chen Yu carrying a stack of books, Ron's mouth dropped open in disbelief: "Hey, Chen Yu. Listen to me, going to the Library after the first class is already exaggerated, but you've borrowed so many books! Do you want to be a male Hermione? I'm starting to doubt if you're my roommate. It's already exaggerated enough for Gryffindor to have a Hermione who likes to read and preach. I now think Ravenclaw, which represents wisdom, might suit you better."
Chen Yu heard Ron's sarcasm but didn't get angry.
Compared to Malfoy's constant calling him a 'fat oaf,' Ron's words were much milder.
He's just a kid; what's wrong with wanting to play?
Chen Yu placed the books on an empty chair nearby to prevent grease from splattering onto them during the meal.
He didn't want to be punished by Madam Pince for his first book borrowing.
Even if food grease did get on a magic book, a Cleaning Charm could remove the grease from the book.
But he hadn't had time to learn the Cleaning Charm yet.
Chen Yu, while gnawing on meat, said, "Ron, aren't you curious why your Wizard Chess pieces move? Why do these pieces seem to move, think, and even have their own emotions...?"
After hearing Chen Yu's question, Ron and Harry looked at the chess pieces in their hands and began to ponder why Wizard Chess pieces moved.
"From what I've observed, these pieces should have been subjected to some powerful Transfiguration Charm, just like Professor McGonagall turned the podium into a lion, except the Transfiguration Charm on Wizard Chess is more durable. If we understand the Transfiguration Charm, couldn't we make new Wizard Chess pieces? Ron, your chess pieces look very old. Don't you want to personally make cooler Wizard Chess?"
Harry flipped through the books Chen Yu brought and said, "But the books you brought don't seem to be related to Transfiguration Charms; they all seem to be about spells."
Chen Yu glanced at Harry, who was flipping through the book, and still said without changing his expression, "I also told you that I came from an orphanage. It's normal to feel insecure coming to the unfamiliar Hogwarts, isn't it? I think once I learn these spells, no one will be able to bully me. That way, I can peacefully research Transfiguration Charms and strive to create cooler Wizard Chess pieces as soon as possible."
"Is that why you're studying so hard?" Ron was convinced by Chen Yu's reason. "Alright, I can understand your unease. Don't worry, we're friends, and no one can bully you before I fall."
Although Ron was a bit impulsive, every time Harry was in danger, he would bravely step forward. Chen Yu felt a little happy about Ron's assurance.
After all, it's not easy to make close friends once you become an adult and enter society.