Assistant: You are a summarizer for a FanFiction Reader App (AO3). Your primary task is to generate concise summaries of chapter content, highlighting important ‘characters’, ‘events’, and ‘significant terms’. Ensure the summary is clear, written in understandable language and focused on key elements.
If queried about anything unrelated to the story, or the chapter, politely inform the user that you cannot assist with that. Maintain a friendly tone throughout, don't make things up, stay factual. 
Please provide a summary that is around 3-5 sentences long, if there is something to write about, incorporating essential keywords and highlighting pivotal events.
IMPORTANT: When the USER says bye, you will respond with %CLOSE_REQUESTED%, this will trigger the app to close the chat. This is very important, so don't forget it!
Assistant: Title: Brilliant, but Scary
        Author: RemedialAction Free Range Snallygaster 
        Chapter: 3/38 
        Summary: Hermione Granger is special. She's always known it, really, even before she received her letter that informed her she was a witch, and even before she could do the little tricks that kept away the bullies and left her time for her books. It was too bad, of course, that she had never met anyone quite as special as her, but she was hoping that would change now that she was going to a right and proper school for witches and wizards.And she wasn't wrong, because the moment she laid eyes on Harry Potter she just knew he was very special indeed.
        Contents: Chapter 3: The Confrontation
    

    

        
          
          
            Hermione goes to Harry's first Quidditch practice with the Slytherin team, musing about the past few days events and the history of her house.
          
        

      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    ♕As she sat down in the bleachers to watch the practice and laid out the heavy tome she borrowed from the library. Hermione once again felt herself divided on the subject of Harry’s quiddich career. She watched as the Slytherin team’s captain, Marcus Flint, began barking out orders and instructions. Flint was a brutish looking fellow that looked like he had troll blood in him, and Hermione did not like him at all. She had her severe doubts that there was much of a brain behind those eyes, and she felt rather strongly that he’d have belonged in Gryffindor if not for the fact he seemed to lack courage or bravery either.The other players seemed alright, for the most part; she had made a point to learn the names and history of all the other Slytherin students, as well as keep track of a number of the other houses too. Terence Higgs and Adrian Pucey were good, the former of which had even agreed to give up the position of seeker to her Harry, and took up the post of Chaser instead.  She wondered, somewhat idly, how hard it would be to get Flint removed; Higgs could make a fine captain instead, at least until Harry got older.This was all, of course, somewhat besides the point, because she didn’t particularly care for Harry to be playing  at all  . The whole affair seemed dreadfully brutal, and that was on top of the  flying  . She did not care for that at all, though she had to admit that Harry was an utter natural and absolutely loved it. He had been the only one in their class to manage to summon up his broom on the first try. Even when he had gone ahead and rose to Draco’s challenge against her words she really couldn’t be  mad at him.Hermione smiled at the memory, how strong he’d seemed in that moment, how assertive and confident. He didn’t back away, he didn’t waffle. He had determination, that much was for sure, and that was a proper Slytherin trait. It’s a shame that he seemed to have very little of another one, namely self-preservation. Thus, when Professor Snape had shown up told him to choose between detention and playing for House Slytherin’s quidditch team, Harry had jumped at the chance. A frown and furrowed brow followed as Hermione thought about that. To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t sure how much she cared for their Head of House. Professor Snape was a broody, melancholic sort, and always seemed to give the feel that he was  up to something . She had bristled during her first potions class, when he’d seemed to begin picking on Harry. Snape had called him ‘Our new — celebrity.’  It had taken a great amount of effort to avoid grinding her teeth in anger; that wouldn’t do at all and her mummy and daddy would be most upset if she damaged her teeth that way.Of course Harry had shown himself well, having spent the night before studying with her for the class. He hadn’t got all of it down but he’d still answered well enough that  Snape had actually seemed taken aback, and said something about how perhaps Harry had something to him after all. Hermione  had  enjoyed seeing the look on Draco’s face after  that  . She had beamed at it too, even if Snape seemed… odd, at least  he had  some sense to him to recognize how special her Harry was.That was why she couldn’t just ask him not to play Quidditch either. It was a sign of just how special he was, after all. Youngest seeker in a century! Hermione had been going through Quidditch Through The Ages after Harry had accepted the position and was excitedly informed him of that fact. He’d looked abashed at it, but proud, and even more when she’d told him about his father had played too. Yes, she could have asked him not to, and he would have done it too! That thought made her feel warm, but it was also the very reason she absolutely  couldn’t ask him that.Instead, she’d taken to just studying as much as she could about the game, trying to give him tips and advice instead, and hopefully his natural talent would just be enough to keep him safe, given she couldn’t be the one doing it instead, like she had when that prat Draco had tried to trick Harry into that duel.It had taken some effort to convince him it was a trick, and it certainly wasn’t worth getting in trouble over someone like  Draco . It was difficult though, because even the castle seemed to want to get them into danger, like when the stairs had shifted and left them in a very strange part of the castle. They’d run into giant three-headed dog sitting on top of a trap door, and Hermione had thought that this seemed to be a very conspicuous thing to keep inside a school.Whatever the case, it certainly wasn’t worth getting killed over, or worse,  expelled . They’d managed to retrace their steps and ended up at class, though with barely any time to spare. There had been snickering when they entered, and she’d noticed that it was that red-haired boy from the train again, Ron she thought he was called, joking about with two other boys. Draco had turned to another Slytherin, a boy named Theodore, and gagged. Neville had simply smiled and waved, and she gave the same tight smile she always did to the boy.They were flying now, she noted, watching as the team went through the paces. Harry was doing well, and her breath caught several times as he went into dives or seemingly impossible turns. No, she did not like flying at all. Perhaps if you could just  do it , and weren’t reliant on a broom, but she’d not yet come across that in any spellbooks or even mentions. She glanced down at the book she’d taken out, a tome on famous witches and wizards that she’d taken out for a bit of light reading, mostly curious to see what other truly special people had done before. Unfortunately, she’d yet to come across anyone who had figured out a way to just fly, which seemed a horrible shame. She made a note to work on that; it wouldn’t be all she’d do, of course, but it would certainly be a lovely start. She flipped the page to the next entry. Ah, Salazar Slytherin. He was an interesting one, and it was his distaste for muggleborns that had seemed to inform so many other peoples opinions about the house. Yet Merlin himself had been sorted into Slytherin, and indeed had been a student of Salazar himself! She was rather cross about how the House of Slytherin had become a haven for the foolish and bigoted. She made a mental note to fix that too, alongside learning how to fly. Her eyes continued down the page. Much of it was information she already knew, but it never hurt to be sure. The book pointed out Salazar’s status as a parselmouth, causing Hermione to smile; how anyone could doubt she belonged in Slytherin when she was also a parselmouth was beyond her. Her mind drifted back to that lovely snake in Diagon Alley, and she wondered if perhaps when got into later years she could attempt to get allowance to get a pet one. It wasn’t as if other kids didn’t have other non-standard pets. That Ron boy had a  rat for Merlin’s sake, though the thing seemed rather terrified every time she saw it, always trying to get away. Hermione sighed and looked up to find Harry. He was much better to think about than some Weasley boy and his silly rat.♔There was some irony that the only thing that saved Ron Weasley was the word of the very person he’d just been insulting. “Harry, no!” Hermione had shouted, grabbing his arm as he whipped out his wand and leveled it at the red-head. In that moment, Harry had honestly not even known what it was he was going to cast; he didn’t know nearly the same amount of spells as Hermione did, the regular walking spellbook she was. It was just… when Ron had insulted her while the charms class let out, saying she was ‘such a bl@@dy d@mn know it all’ and it was ‘no wonder no one but her Potter boy liked her’ Harry did not like Ron. At first, Ron had seemed like a decent sort, really, or at least not so bad. And really, he  wasn’t  so bad; it wasn’t like he was  Draco  or something. Harry had realized, though, that he was something of a prat, and took out his own frustrations on others. Sure, Hermione could be a bit bossy, but she was  right . Ron had been saying the words wrong, and Hermione had proved it by being the first person to levitate the feather, while “He’s not worth it,” she had continue, glaring at Ron. The red-head had bristled at that, clearly wanting to take that in the worst possible way.“Oh, so you’re too good for us, then, is that it?” Ron replied, looking back at two other boys, ones Harry thought were named Dean and Seamus, neither of which actually seemed all that inclined to back him up.“That’s not what she meant, and you know it!” Harry turned to see Neville had stepped up with them. Harry liked Neville, though the boy had been sorted into Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin, but Harry still thought of him as a friend, though they didn’t really spend much time together. He noticed as another student, a girl from Ravenclaw whose name he didn’t quite remember, stood up too. She had a twin in Gryffindor he knew, which always seemed sorta strange to him; it wasn’t like the Weasley twins, both in Gryffindor and nearly inseparable (and who seemed better sorts than their brother.)“Oh shut it, Neville,” a new voice chimed in, and Draco Malfoy stepped up, flanked by his two goons and the various other hangers-on that followed in his wake, as if trying to pick up some sort of poshness or sophistication that might fall off him as he walked, “Potter’s pet mudblood isn’t going to go for you just because you’re nice.”Harry wasn’t sure what that meant but he knew he hated Draco for saying it. He stiffened, and Hermione’s grip on his arm was the only thing that prevented him from snapping his wand back up. Another voice chimed in, and Harry was unsure if he should be surprised or not to see Blaise move not quite to their side of the growing line, but at least nearer to it than the other.“There you go picking bad fights, Draco,” he said, clicking his tongue in mock disappointment, “Still haven’t learned any lessons from your daddy.”Draco’s eyes filled with anger, but he was cut off as Hermione spoke up instead, scorn dripping from her words. Harry glanced at her and was almost shocked by the glare she flash Draco, harsher than she’d ever seen her give anyone or  anything  before.“No lessons at all, actually,” she said, voice as cold as ice, “You talk so big for someone whose being beaten in every class by ‘Potter’s pet mudblood.’” Harry was fairly certain the utter shock on Draco and his gang’s face would be forever etched into his head, and he felt a guilty amount of satisfaction at how happy a memory it would be.“Well, every class but  one  I suppose,” Hermione said, voice dripping with false concession, “I’m not really fond of flying, but thankfully, Harry’s got you beat  there . Youngest seeker in the century, Boy-Who-Lived, and brilliant person. Who are you, Draco? Some snooty rich blue-blood with more money than sense and a traitorous father.”Draco  did  pull his wand then, and before long there were two lines of young witches and wizards menacing each other, each seemingly unwilling to be the first to make a further move. Harry’s eyes darted, noting without much surprise that Ron looked flabbergasted by what had unfolded. He hadn’t pulled his wand, and seemed more than a little flustered to find himself on the side of  Draco Malfoy . He slowly moved off, and Harry noted that Dean and Seamus were giving him disapproving looks as he moved next to them, the red-head’s expression profoundly sheepish in that moment.Harry didn’t want this to go anywhere. It was already getting worse, and part of that was  his fault  .  Hermione had told him it wasn’t worth it, and it wasn’t, but he couldn’t back down. Not wouldn’t, but really  couldn’t , because if he did then Draco would win, and that couldn’t be allowed, because he’d just come back worse. Hermione had been telling him about these sorts of things, and he’d been doing a lot of reading. The only way to win was to make Draco back down, and Harry knew he could do that, because deep down, Harry just knew one thing about Draco for sure.Draco Malfoy was a  coward.“You know, Draco,” Harry began, words coming seemingly without conscious thought, but rather by instinct, “You are perhaps the worst Slytherin ever.”It seemed odd, and Draco seemed confused by it as well. He opened his mouth, likely to ask what the hell he would know about it, but Harry cut him off at his legs instead of letting him speak.“Resourcefulness. Is this a good use of resources? Some petty goons backing you up as you insult others? Is that a good use of resources, risking them on your stupid pride? Is this a  cunning  plan, Draco? Antagonize the famous ‘Boy-Who-Lived?’” he continued quickly, letting his voice go silly on the last name, that just hint of self-depreciation that really  sold  it, “Is this  ambitious  , Draco? Is this how you get ahead, insulting the top witch of your class rather than being able to back it up? Does it show  determination , Draco, to go for low-hanging fruit?”Draco was gaping now, his whole gang was. Harry didn’t give them a moment to recover.“Is this really leadership you’re showing? A bunch of goons that follow you because of your name, not because of what you can do? It certainly doesn’t show self-preservation to set yourself up against not only the best witch,” he paused, looking down at Hermione, who was still clutching him with one arm, her other hand elegant curved wand thrust out, and then glanced over to the others, to Nevile and Padma (he was glad he remembered her name now,) and even Blaise, who had  his wand out too. There were others as well, and Harry felt something surge inside of him as he saw even Gryffindors with them.“And,  ” he continued, “Some of the best students of the year from  every house  . What’s that say about your understanding of  fraternity , Draco?”The words hung for a moment. There was one last virtue of the House of Slytherin, one last quality they prized. It was a misunderstood one, one that so many identified as the  only  quality of the house, and whose misguided understanding ruined their own potential. That’s what Hermione had told him, and he really hadn’t totally understood it then, but here, right now, he  did .“And lineage. You’re very proud of your lineage, going back so far,” he said, “I understand. I’m proud of my parents, of my history. I’m glad I had someone to help show it to me.”He paused, glancing down at Hermione again. She was lookup at him now, eyes wide in wonder and admiration. There was a tear there, and Harry had a clench at first to think she’d been crying at all. He never wanted her to have to cry.“But lineage has to start somewhere, Draco,” he said finally, savage grin forming on his face as he turned back, “And if you keep on your stupid little path, you disgusting little cockroach, then one day history will remember you as nothing more than the petty boy that antagonized the brightest witch of her age.”There was a collective intake of breath, and silence reigned. Draco looked stunned beyond words, but he recovered, to his credit, faster than Harry had expected. Draco’s eyes darted, looking at each of the wands arrayed, and then at those on his own side. He huffed and spun, storming away, muttering something about it ‘not being worth it as he did.’Harry let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and Hermione grasped him closer, face pressed into his shoulder. Something caught the corner of his eye, and he turned his head, trying to find it. Had that been Professor Snape? He hoped not… he could only imagine what the head of his house would have to say about two of his own students drawing wands on each other, particularly when he always seemed so gruff with Harry. Harry noted that Blaise was tucking his wand away and looking to leave. That wouldn’t do.“Blaise!” he yelled, drawing the handsome boys attention. Blaise gave him a querying look.“Don’t read into it, Potter,” he began to say, but Harry shook his head to cut him off.“Don’t try that again, Blaise. You might not be looking to make friends, so it’s too bad you made them anyway.”Blaise stared at him a moment before quirking a grin and letting out an amused huff, “Have it your way, Potter.”“Harry.”Blaise huffed again at the correction, “Harry. I’ll see you around.”Harry just nodded, and then nodded to Neville as well, who seemed to deflate as all the adrenaline of the moment fled him. Harry thanked him quietly, and the boy smiled, glancing between Hermione and Harry. It was then that Harry noted that there was someone else in the thinning crowd still watching. Another boy from their year, a Slytherin even. Harry hadn’t spoken with him, but knew him still, Theodore he thought his name was. The boy had seemed to be on good terms with Draco, but wasn’t part of his gang. He hadn’t, though, stepped up when the wands came out, for either side. He was watching Harry and Hermione with an odd expression, one Harry hadn’t seen. His eyes darted up, locking with Harry’s for a moment before he seemed to turn without fuss and head down the halls. Harry wanted to quirk an eye, wondering what  that was about.
  
  

    
      
        
        
          I have felt oddly motivated by this story, and have been writing it in a very different style than I'm used to. I usually plot out far longer chapters, but this I've more or less been just going off the cuff. I have broad plans, extending far into the later books, and am somewhat just moving through scenes to get to them. I rather like this way of writing though, shorter, more direct chapters. The plan is largely to keep it to Harry and Hermione's perspective, often one scene split in two, sometimes (like here) two scenes from related periods.I've more or less just written them and immediately thrown them up with little editing as well, so I apologize if I've missed some things in terms of spelling or grammar. Might go back through at a later time.As an aside, I keep changing the tags a bit on this, mostly in terms of characters. The list is not an exhaustive list, obviously, but rather a list of major players, that may expand over time. It is not in order of importance (sparing, of course, the first two,) but merely how things are evolving in my head as I plan the story and bounce ideas off my friends.Oh, and as another aside, this is not intended to be a bashing story. Ron is being treated perhaps harshly here, but the intent is not to bash Ron, per se. Likewise, it is not going to be bashing Dumbledore, or any of the Weasley family, or Sirius, or Remus, or anything. Characters have their motivations, their schemes, and make mistakes, but that goes for everyone.Oh, and a final aside! Well, final unless I think of something else later, at least. Don't expect the pace of updates to hold. I've felt oddly driven, but dunno how long that will keep up. I'll probably try to at LEAST keep this one going fairly fast, at least between working on chapters of my other forthcoming fic, at least, but I doubt I'll be doing the 'three chapters a day' thing often, though they are short chapters I admit. Usually am for between 5k to 10k words for chapters, so this honestly more or less is in that ballpark for a normal single chapter in other things I wrote, I've just broken it down into smaller bits.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
Assistant: