When the Welcoming Feast ended, Noah took Hermione's hand and led her through Hogwarts with clear intent.
As a demigod, Noah didn't worry about being noticed. Even without deliberately concealing himself, as long as he stood somewhere, others would naturally assume he belonged there.
It was a strange, oppressive aura.
Not something he consciously controlled, but an influence that quietly shaped how strangers perceived him.
Noah didn't think much about it. If anything, it made moving around easier.
"Do you remember this place?" Noah asked softly as they stopped in front of a bathroom door. "It left a very deep impression on me."
"Of course I remember." Hermione looked around and smiled. "You could say this is where we really got to know each other."
This was the bathroom where Quirrell had released the mountain troll.
That was when Noah and Hermione had truly met.
Even though they spent a long time together afterward, Noah had been completely immersed in magic back then. Social interactions barely registered for him.
Aside from his roommates, everyone else was just background noise.
Except for Harry and the others.
They were the so-called protagonists of Hogwarts.
"Yes." Noah nodded. "This is where we met for real."
"Why did you come to find me back then?" Hermione tilted her head, curious. "As a Ravenclaw, why did you do that? I've always wondered."
"I don't know." Noah couldn't exactly say it was because she would become Minister of Magic one day, so he improvised calmly. "Probably because I thought you were interesting. Insecurity and strength were both so obvious in you. And we were both from the Muggle world. When you were in trouble, I didn't want to pretend I didn't see it."
"That's not the answer I expected." Hermione flicked his nose. "I thought you'd say you fell for me back then."
After saying that, she looked carefully around the room, especially the stall where she had hidden after Ron made her cry.
Noah didn't force any sweet words.
Because he truly hadn't felt that way at the time.
Hermione knew that too.
She wasn't disappointed. This was Noah as he was. Having gone through that period together, she understood his state of mind better than anyone.
After standing there for a while, Hermione turned and left with Noah.
It was a beautiful memory.
One that belonged only to them.
Others had been involved, but the person who left the deepest mark on her was always this handsome, aloof Ravenclaw.
Leaving the basement bathroom, they arrived at the Charms classroom.
It was late. The room was empty.
Perfect.
Noah pushed the door open and led Hermione inside. The old desks were still there, carrying familiar memories. Noah found his seat quickly.
Hermione found hers.
Noah sat down.
The ring on his finger shifted and transformed into a wand.
With a casual wave, the entire classroom brightened. At the same time, a feather appeared on both his desk and Hermione's.
"Do you remember that Charms class?" Noah asked with a faint smile. "There was a girl who did very well. And a boy who performed even better, without much effort."
"Of course I remember." Hermione smiled. "That Ravenclaw eagle who looked friendly but was impossible to get close to. You stole all the attention."
Noah didn't respond.
He flicked his wand lightly.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The feather on his desk rose smoothly into the air.
"See?" Noah said calmly. "Just like that. Not hard."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Hermione said, imitating a professor as she watched the feather hover.
That joint Charms class between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor was the first time Hermione had truly noticed Noah.
He had been spacing out, which caught Professor Flitwick's attention.
And hers.
Just as everyone was ready to laugh, the boy who had been daydreaming performed a flawless spell.
It stunned the entire class.
Including Hermione.
For the first time, she realized there was someone like her in this school. From the Muggle world. Diligent.
And far ahead of her.
Maybe it was then that Hermione became interested in Noah.
Or maybe it was then that this Ravenclaw was firmly etched into her memory.
Looking at the feather on her desk, Hermione raised her wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Her feather floated up, swaying gently in the air.
That night, Noah and Hermione walked through all of Hogwarts.
From the classrooms they once shared, to the Room of Requirement.
They didn't miss anything.
They also visited places special to Hermione-places she had gone to after Noah left.
These were her memories.
Memories Noah wanted to step into.
Memories he wanted to accompany her through, to make up for the time he had been gone.
In the end, they arrived at the place where they had first faced Voldemort.
They could sense eyes on them.
Neither of them cared.
They walked as if strolling through a garden. Passing Devil's Snare. Opening locked doors. Crossing the chessboard without pause.
They entered the room that housed the mirror.
"So nostalgic..." Hermione smiled as she looked around. "Back then, we survived because of you. The Mirror of Erised shows the deepest desire of the heart. It's also where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden. Years ago, you defeated Professor Quirrell here. You defeated Voldemort."
"You really are..." Noah looked at her, caught between laughter and emotion.
He could already imagine the reaction of the professors watching from the shadows.
He didn't care.
Noah pinched Hermione's nose lightly.
"Yes. We were young. And yet we still found the courage to face someone far stronger than us. This was our first battle together. The place where we learned how to face everything."
"It was all because of you, Noah." Hermione didn't care about the commotion her words caused. "You saved everyone. You showed me that a Muggle-born child could reach such heights-even in first year."
"I had to gather a lot of courage back then," Noah said softly. "I'm someone who hates trouble."
"And this time..."
"I want to gather that courage again."
Hermione froze.
She hadn't expected those words.
Courage-for what?
Before she could ask, Noah stepped back toward the mirror. With a smile, he gestured toward the towering, gold-framed Mirror of Erised, supported by its clawed feet.
Hermione turned.
In the mirror, she saw Noah.
And she saw herself.
This was what Noah was seeing.
She understood immediately.
He was letting her witness his deepest desire.
Her heart began to race.
She had guessed.
She had really guessed it.
In the mirror, Noah walked toward her with a smile.
Then he knelt.
He pulled out a ring.
Hermione covered her mouth.
She had been right.
She knew this moment would come someday. Just not now. Not like this.
Neither she nor Noah lived by ordinary logic.
She thought it would be far in the future.
Yet it was here.
So sudden that she felt completely unprepared.
She turned around.
Noah now stood behind her, back in his adult form.
Early twenties. Calm. Handsome. Mature.
He walked to a spot about a meter away.
Then, just like in the mirror, he knelt.
He took out a small box.
When he opened it, a diamond ring lay inside-identical to the one she had seen-brilliant and dazzling.
Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes.
This was beyond anything she had imagined.
A scene she had waited for, without even realizing it.
"With Hogwarts as our witness," Noah said softly, "and with our former professors as witnesses."
He looked at her steadily.
"We've walked together for thirty-four years. You're the one who fills my heart. I love you, Hermione."
"Through every storm, you've always stood behind me."
"I'm a selfish man."
"Are you willing to stay behind me?"
"To stand behind me-and only me-forever?"
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