Outside the window, the clouds thickened and darkened. In the corridor beyond the closed compartment door, faint footsteps echoed intermittently. For some reason, Draco felt an inexplicable irritation stirring within him.
Whatever. Out of sight, out of mind.
He simply shut his eyes.
Draco's soft muttering wasn't meant to be concealed from the others in the compartment, but their attention was already drawn to the view outside.
"It really is getting darker. Did the weather forecast mention rain today?" Hermione nudged Glenn lightly, who had been silent.
"Yes, it's supposed to start raining around 1:30 PM and continue into the evening," Glenn replied. Being aware of the weather was an essential habit for him. Preparing for the unexpected was second nature, and over the years, he'd even learned to recognize small signs that hinted at changes in the weather.
Although weather forecasts weren't always accurate, Glenn had developed his own methods of predicting the weather through observation.
"Weather forecast? Is that some sort of Muggle magic to predict the weather?" Ginny asked curiously. Despite her father's fascination with Muggle objects and his work at the Ministry of Magic's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, Ginny, as the youngest in the family, didn't know much about the Muggle world. Most of her knowledge came from her friends at Hogwarts.
Not just Ginny—everyone in the compartment, except Glenn, was intrigued by Hermione's mention of weather forecasts. Hermione's lips twitched slightly; she had forgotten that most of these people were clueless about the Muggle world.
Three pure-bloods and two half-bloods who had barely interacted with Muggles.
"Well... you could put it that way," Hermione replied.
The curious gazes of her companions bore into her, even Draco, who feigned disinterest, was secretly glancing over. This put a bit of pressure on Hermione.
But that was no big deal~
As a top student, Hermione wouldn't shy away from such an opportunity.
In fact, she was excited to share some "magical knowledge" about Muggles with her friends from the wizarding world.
Clearing her throat, she began explaining weather forecasting based on her understanding.
"Weather forecasting is a technique Muggles use to predict and report future weather conditions using technological methods. Its principles are based on meteorology and observational techniques. By collecting atmospheric data and applying modern meteorological science—analysis, calculations, simulations—they can predict and deduce future weather patterns…"
The content she had memorized resurfaced from the depths of her memory, and with her own insights added, words flowed out continuously.
Yes, the young lady was on a roll.
…
No one knew how much time had passed.
"More specifically, the wea—"
"Hermione, you can stop now. Take a break," Glenn interrupted her just as she was about to continue. He gestured to their surroundings.
Hermione obediently stopped talking, snapping out of her lecture mode.
Looking around, she couldn't help but chuckle.
Everyone had fallen asleep.
In the corner, Draco rested his left hand on the table, his fist supporting his jaw as he faced the window, motionless like a miniature version of "The Thinker."
Neville's head leaned against the back of the sofa, his breathing steady and his expression peaceful.
Beside him, Hannah had also dozed off, slightly tilted and leaning on Neville's shoulder, equally deep in slumber.
Ginny and Luna were sound asleep as well, leaning against each other with their hands lightly overlapping, looking serene.
Hermione gave Glenn a pitiful look, feeling a little wronged.
"Was I really that boring?"
"Not at all. From a theoretical perspective, I think you explained the principles of weather observation and forecasting very thoroughly. From an entertainment perspective, you connected it with their familiarity with weather charms, making it an engaging and informative lecture," Glenn responded sincerely.
"They likely fell asleep due to the initial mental exhaustion from reading, the blood sugar fluctuations after snacking, and the darkened sky outside, which creates a lack of light. The sound of rain is also a natural white noise conducive to sleep. Lastly, their biological clocks probably signaled that it's past their usual nap time."
"So it's not your fault."
"Oh… I see," Hermione blinked, a bit taken aback. She had only wanted to seek a bit of comfort, not expecting Glenn to provide such a logical explanation.
Well, it really wasn't her fault then.
Glenn handed her a cup of water. The young lady accepted it dazedly, taking small sips to soothe her dry throat.
Ah, much better.
Come to think of it, I'm feeling a bit sleepy too.
Setting down the cup, Hermione lay back on the sofa and snuggled into Glenn's arms. He raised his arm to hold her.
"What should I do, Glenn? I'm really sleepy~"
"Then take a nap. You've been talking for so long; you must be tired."
Hearing his words, Glenn adjusted his posture slightly to make Hermione more comfortable in his embrace.
"Hehe, you're the best…"
"Muah~"
The young lady lifted herself slightly to plant a kiss on Glenn's cheek before shyly lying back down.
The sound of rain drizzled on, faintly audible through the glass, while the heavy clouds darkened the sky, creating an exceptionally cozy atmosphere for sleep.
The continuous rain and the mist it stirred blurred the outlines of distant hills, faintly visible through the rain.
Like misty rain, like rainy mist, entangled and indistinguishable.
As smoke-like rain fell beneath the sky, over the tracks, and around the moving steam locomotive, the dim light from the overhead lamps on the luggage rack flickered on but was promptly turned off by Glenn to avoid disturbing the girl in his arms.
Hermione's drowsiness overcame her, though she tried to keep her eyes open to admire the rain with Glenn.
In the end, she couldn't resist the pull of sleep, her eyelids slowly closing.
"Sleep tight."
Just before she drifted into sweet dreams, that reassuring voice whispered in her ear.
The young lady fell asleep.
What Hermione didn't know was that Glenn wasn't admiring the rain as she had imagined.
Instead, his gaze had been fixed on her all along.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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