After finishing their ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, the two made their way to their final stop—Potage's Cauldron Shop.
This shop, the very first at the entrance to Diagon Alley, was deliberately saved for last.
Once they'd purchased a pewter cauldron, Qin Yu and Hermione wrapped up their day's adventure in Diagon Alley.
With all the bulky items stashed away in their Swinton-brand drawstring bags, they didn't have to worry about being weighed down by their many purchases.
They slipped back through the magical brick wall, skirted the bar at the Leaky Cauldron, and crossed the pub's main room. Opening the door, they stepped out once more into the Muggle world—or, more accurately, that peculiar borderland where wizards and Muggles mingled.
Pausing at the threshold of the Leaky Cauldron, both of them stopped for a moment. Hermione glanced back at the shabby old pub, then at the busy street beyond. For a split second, uncertainty and bewilderment flickered in her gaze. But when she looked up at the boy holding her hand, her eyes softened and grew determined.
Yes—because he was right there with her.
"Qin, let's go home," Hermione said, her smile gentle.
"Yeah, let's go home," Qin Yu echoed.
On the ride back, the little girl was so exhausted that she dozed off mid-conversation, her head coming to rest on Qin Yu's shoulder.
Sleeping upright wasn't all that comfortable, so throughout the journey, Hermione kept shifting in her half-dreaming state—sometimes curling up, sometimes stretching out, and at one point even ending up on Qin Yu's lap, arms looped around his neck for several stops. When she woke up, cheeks flaming, she slipped off him and sat primly by his side.
Qin Yu didn't mind her odd sleeping positions—at worst, his legs went a bit numb.
…
After returning from Diagon Alley, their summer holiday took a turn toward magical studies.
There was no helping it—Hermione was determined to be the top student in her year once school started.
Luckily, Qin Yu was more than qualified to tutor her, and did so with remarkable patience.
Ever since she'd gotten her vine wood wand, Hermione had been itching to give it a try.
And so, she pestered Qin Yu to teach her a few spells.
He thought it over and selected a handful of simple charms to start with.
With his hands-on guidance, Hermione picked them up in no time, quickly mastering those beginner spells.
But when she wanted to learn more, even her best puppy-dog eyes and arm-hugging tactics couldn't sway Qin Yu.
"A few simple spells are fine, but if you use magic too often, I'm worried the Ministry of Magic might come knocking," Qin Yu said, pinching her pouting cheeks.
"Alright, then…" Hermione conceded with a sigh.
She knew that while Qin was always good to her, he was a person of principle—he wouldn't spoil her in everything.
For instance, whenever she wanted to stay in his room a little longer at night, he'd always usher her out.
"We just have to not think about kissing, and it'll be fine. That's what Mum told me," Hermione had once confided.
Still, Qin Yu insisted she head back to her own room.
Little did he know, after hearing that, he'd been dying to know what exactly Aunt Jenny had told Hermione that day.
…
Since she couldn't use magic as much as she wanted, Hermione had to settle for reading.
One afternoon in July, as she lounged on the sofa with a reference book, she nudged Qin Yu with her toes and asked curiously,
"Qin, who's Harry Potter? Is he really that amazing? I've seen his name in A History of Modern Magic and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and now today's book mentions him too."
At that moment, Qin Yu was reading through a long letter from Elvis—who'd been sending him quite a few lately.
Hermione's question caught him off guard.
He gently pushed aside her restless feet and saw that she was holding a book titled Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century.
After a moment's thought, Qin Yu replied, "Harry Potter… Well, he's certainly a key figure in some events. But as for being amazing? Not really—not in the way people usually think. In fact, right now, he's just a pretty ordinary wizard kid."
Actually, his life is even rougher than most wizard kids, Qin Yu added silently.
"Oh, I see… So how old is he? Where is he? The books don't say much about that," Hermione pressed.
"He should have just turned eleven this year. If nothing goes wrong, he'll be starting school this September," Qin Yu told her.
"Wow, so he'll be in my year? I never thought I'd have a famous person from the books as a classmate!" Hermione exclaimed, her excitement obvious.
To Hermione, anyone mentioned in a book was bound to be impressive. She thought that if she ever appeared in a book, she'd read every single one that mentioned her—cover to cover!
"What's so special about being famous? I'm a celebrity at Hogwarts too, you know!" Qin Yu said, a little put out.
"Hehe, I know—Qin is our king!" Hermione giggled, sitting up and raising her fists in a cheer.
Then, as if on impulse, she leaned over and gave Qin Yu a quick kiss on the cheek.
Whatever annoyance he'd been feeling instantly vanished.
Seeing his mood change, Hermione felt as if she'd just discovered a secret way to cheer him up—and made a mental note of it.
"Ahem, I'm going to write back to Elvis. You get back to your reading," Qin Yu said, clearing his throat as he stood up.
"I want to come too!" Hermione dropped her book and shuffled after him in her slippers.
As for that boy who wrote to Qin Yu every few days, Hermione felt a little competitive—after all, she used to be the one who wrote him the most letters.
Of course, now that they saw each other every day, there was no need for letters. Still, she couldn't help feeling that someone was trying to take her place in Qin Yu's heart.
Most importantly, that Elvis kid always filled his letters with first-year magic questions, which Qin Yu answered in detail.
Hermione loved reading those answers—they were a big help in her studies.
For all these reasons, she often sat nearby while Qin Yu wrote his replies, occasionally asking about anything she didn't understand.
Her questions usually led Qin Yu to revise and expand his letters, making each one nearly a third longer than usual.
"I think you could just sign your name at the bottom of the reply," Qin Yu once teased.
This time, Hermione had plenty of questions again.
By the time they finished writing back, the sun had already set.
And just after sunset, Qin Yu received another letter—this time from Hagrid.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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