Hermione smiles. Maddie has no way of knowing she is her first real friend. It is only at university that she has found some solace from the loneliness of her young years. Here, she can shed the scales of magic. She can think away the mental illness, the delusions. She can pretend she’s just a very studious, very introverted person. She can pretend the worst thing about her is that she’s too shy.