"All done, Hermione. You can take a break now," called Mrs. Granger from the living room.
"Hehe, I'm off to my room then, Mum!"
Hermione set down her cleaning cloth, washed her hands in the bathroom, and practically skipped back to her bedroom.
Today was the family's big cleaning day, and she'd been in charge of wiping down all the furniture in the living room. It had taken ages—tables, chairs, sofa, cabinets—she'd gone over everything, and only now could she finally rest.
She sat at her desk, staring off for a moment, lost in thought. Whatever drifted through her mind, it brought a gentle smile to her lips.
Then she pulled open a drawer, fished out a brown-covered notebook, and laid it open on the desk. She grabbed a pen and began to write in her diary—a habit she hadn't kept up in ages.
—Ink flowed across the page—
August 26th, Sunday. Sunny.
It's been ages since I last wrote in here. I think the last entry was… well, the last time I wrote.
Honestly, I must be picking up bad habits from Qin. He always rambles like this, and now I catch myself writing with his style, even in my diary.
But that's kind of fun, isn't it?
Yes. Every day with him is fun.
I still can't imagine what I'd do if we were ever separated for a whole year again, like before. Even though he came back for a few days, those months apart were unbearable. Just thinking back to those two days at the end of July when he was away—I was home waiting for him, and after Mum and Dad left for work, the whole house felt so empty.
I kept wondering where he was, what he was doing. But all I could do was wait at home, talking to Crookshanks and sulking.
Now that I think about it, poor Crookshanks. I must have driven him mad with my moping.
But what could I do? It's not my fault his dad wasn't home.
(Writing this, Hermione chuckled. She picked up a quill from the desk and teased Crookshanks, who was dozing nearby, with the feathery end. The little ginger cat immediately perked up, batting at the feather with his paws. After a bit of play, she went back to her diary.)
I remember Qin once said that someday, when Muggle technology gets advanced enough, people will be able to see each other and talk through a device, sort of like a telephone but with pictures.
Thinking about it, that's almost like a kind of technological magic, isn't it?
He also said the Weasley twins are working on something similar. If they could connect it to the Floo Network, then no matter how far apart we are, we'd be able to see each other clearly.
But… why would we ever need to be far apart? I want us to always be together, every single day. At the very least, we shouldn't be apart for more than a few hours.
Like right now—he's not home because he went with Dad to the hardware store down the street to buy some tools and materials for fixing the fence. I know he'll be back soon.
(Hermione paused, glancing at the crooked wooden fence outside the window, then continued writing.)
Oh, I forgot to mention—there was a huge storm in London last night.
Rain was pouring, thunder and lightning everywhere, and Qin's attic room started leaking.
So I suggested he could come sleep in my room.
After thinking it over, Mum and Dad agreed. After all, I'd slept in Qin's room before, so it wasn't all that strange for him to stay in mine.
Still, he seemed really nervous. He insisted on putting a pillow between us as a barrier, promising he wouldn't cross it while sleeping.
And he was true to his word—he never crossed that pillow.
But he never said I couldn't cross it.
So I did.
The storm was so scary last night. How could I possibly fall asleep if I wasn't close to him?
(At this, Hermione touched her cheeks, feeling them grow warm. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water, took a few sips, then returned to continue writing.)
Anyway, like Mum says, there's no need to keep my distance from Qin or feel nervous about anything. As long as I don't do that thing—which is for when I'm older—everything's fine.
Mum also said maybe I'm just used to having Qin around, and that's why we're so close.
But I don't think that's it. Qin isn't just company—he's shown me a whole new world and helped me discover a different side of myself.
And I want to see even more of the world with him, to hear more of his stories.
I wonder… does he feel the same way?
—If he doesn't, I'll cry!
Qin can't stand to see me cry. If I cry, he'll agree to anything.
(Hermione paused again, staring off for a moment before shaking her head.)
No, I can't use crying to get my way. That's not fair.
But what else am I supposed to do?
(The pen hovered over the page for a long time, a little blot of ink spreading on the white paper.)
Harry Potter? Elvis?
(Hermione crossed out both names with a flourish and continued writing.)
Elvis writes about once a week, always asking about magic—especially Potions—and not much else.
As for Harry Potter, it seems he's only just learned how to send letters by owl. His owl, Hedwig, nearly crashed into our living room ceiling the other day—she's so clumsy.
But Trigger seems to really like her, probably because they're both snow-white. He's always flying circles around her.
Anyway, Harry Potter's letters are all over the place. He's always complaining about the holidays not being over yet, and every letter ends with "Can't wait to see you soon!" or something like that.
If I ever meet him, I'll have to see for myself what sort of person he really is…
Alright, enough of that. Time to write about something else.
(Hermione glanced at the calendar on the wall, where September 1st was circled in red.)
There's less than a week left before term starts.
Thinking about going to that magical school makes me a little nervous… but I haven't told Qin.
I'm afraid it'll be like my last school, where nobody liked me.
But at least Qin will be there. Even if no one else talks to me, as long as he's there, that's enough.
If I said that to Qin, he'd probably say I'm not being ambitious enough, because in his eyes, I can overcome anything.
He always says he believes I'll become the greatest witch in the world.
I have no idea where his confidence comes from.
But when I look into his eyes, I really do feel stronger.
So, if I ever run into trouble, I'll just think of his eyes. Maybe that'll give me all the strength I need.
("Hermione, come help me with something!" Mrs. Granger called out. "Coming, Mum! Just a minute!" Hermione replied.)
That's all for now—Mum's calling me.
And Qin should be back soon. Maybe I can help with something when he gets here.
Next time I write in my diary, I'll probably already be at Hogwarts.
I hope, when that time comes, I'll be sitting by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, with Qin right there beside me.
——Dimensional Wall——
(A little shift in perspective to fill in some gaps. Summer's nearly over.)
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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