After dinner, the first-year students were led to their respective dormitories by the house prefects, while returning students made their own way back.
This year, the password to the Gryffindor common room was "Dragon Dung."
Qin Yu recited the password along with Elvis and the others. The Fat Lady's portrait swung aside, revealing the entrance. They climbed through, stepping into the long-missed common room.
A quick glance around—no sign of Hermione. So, Qin Yu headed back to his dormitory first.
The room was just as he'd left it: beds, desks, chairs, little trinkets on the tabletops, all unchanged. Even the air carried that same faint, ancient scent unique to the castle.
Everything familiar seemed to rush back at once, stirring up a year's worth of memories and slowly drawing Qin Yu back into the rhythm of life before the summer holidays.
After a bit of unpacking, Jimmy, Wilson, and the others flopped onto their beds, sharing snacks and little gadgets they'd brought from home. Conversation quickly turned to the Sorting Ceremony, with plenty of teasing about how nervous the new first-years looked under the Sorting Hat. There was a definite air of upperclassman pride and superiority.
Not that they'd been any better last year.
It really was just like university life in his previous world.
In that way, wizards and Muggles weren't so different after all.
Just then, a second-year from the neighboring dorm poked his head in and called, "Qin, your little sister's in the common room. Looks like she's waiting for someone, heh..."
He grinned broadly, waggling his eyebrows at Qin Yu before ducking back out.
Qin Yu gave him a playful punch and muttered, "Show-off," before hurrying out toward the common room.
"I come to give him a heads-up and get punched for my trouble. Where's the logic in that... right, Elvis?" The guy rubbed his shoulder and looked over at Elvis, who was sorting through his books.
Elvis just touched his nose and nodded. "Mm."
He wanted to say more, but the words caught in his throat—he couldn't for the life of him remember the guy's name. After a whole summer apart, with this classmate suddenly popping up, the name just wouldn't come.
"Ah, never mind. I should get back to unpacking. Happy new term, Elvis!"
"Happy new term!" Elvis replied quickly.
Even after the guy left, Elvis still couldn't recall his name. It was as if some mysterious force had snatched the memory away, just out of reach.
...
As Qin Yu neared the common room, he spotted her by the fireplace.
Brown hair, white shirt, red-and-blue-striped tie, and a loose black robe draped over it all. Between her gray-blue skirt and black knee-high socks, a slender, pale stretch of leg peeked out.
Right now, those legs were pacing the hearth, rising and falling with each step. From her restless rhythm, it was clear—she was anxious and a little impatient.
She made another circuit, then turned. Her delicate, lovely face lifted—and her eyes met those of the Eastern boy who'd just entered.
"Qin~" The girl's smile lit up the room, sweeping away every trace of her earlier worry.
Qin Yu didn't answer right away. Instead, he gently ran his fingers through her brown hair, murmuring, "Just like I imagined..."
"Like what?" she asked, blinking up at him.
"Mm—just like in my dreams. I dreamed you'd be here, dressed in your wizard's robes... just like this." Qin Yu said softly.
"Me too." She looked up, her gaze brimming with emotion—so deep it seemed bottomless.
"Like what?" Qin Yu repeated, peering into her eyes.
"I dreamed the same thing. You were here, in your wizard's robes, and..." she trailed off, suddenly shy.
"And?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, just... talking, chatting..." she mumbled.
As she spoke, a strong arm slipped around her, and she found herself pulled gently against his chest.
"Like this?" he asked.
"I'm not telling you..." She nuzzled into his chest, feeling the day's exhaustion and nerves melt away. She could have fallen asleep right there.
But the occasional footsteps of other Gryffindors passing through reminded her—this wasn't home.
Then again, hadn't someone said Hogwarts was their home?
So, a little hug should be fine. Besides, most people were still unpacking; the common room was nearly empty...
Thinking she might be shy, Qin Yu didn't hold her for long. He released her, then took her hand and led her to a quiet spot to sit and talk.
Mostly, it was Hermione who spoke—she'd had quite a day.
"...This place is even more magical than I imagined... The castle is so big, with so many corridors... The enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall is a hundred times more beautiful than in the books... I never imagined what a talking Hat would be like... And dinner was delicious... Meeting so many wizards at once, I was actually a bit nervous... Qin, were you nervous when you first came?"
"Let's see... Honestly, I was most nervous when I first appeared in your attic. After that, nothing really fazed me," Qin Yu replied, thinking back.
"Really?" The girl, leaning on his shoulder, looked up at him, eyes wide. She pressed her lips together, a little guilty. "Did I scare you that day?"
He couldn't help but ruffle her hair, laughing. "Not a chance."
"Hmph! If you dare say I scared you, I'll bite you!" Hermione wrinkled her nose, mock-fierce.
She really had become livelier—and a bit mischievous.
Qin Yu certainly didn't mind. Happiness was the most important thing in life.
But honestly, seeing her like this... it was almost unfair.
He pulled her into his arms again, lowering his voice to a whisper in her ear:
"You could never scare me. The day I opened my eyes and saw you—that was the most important day of my life in this world."
There was so much meaning in those words, things he couldn't explain to anyone else.
Even if she didn't know everything behind them, the girl was still filled with joy.
"That day was the most important day of my life, too."
Before long, as everyone finished unpacking, more and more young Gryffindors trickled into the common room.
The two of them straightened up, putting on their best "serious" faces.
Hermione even pulled out her class schedule and started discussing upcoming lessons, her academic curiosity shining through.
She was especially excited for Transfiguration—she thought the way objects could be transformed was fascinating, and a real challenge.
——Dimensional Wall——
I hear there's a title change test.
Maybe this book should be called "Harry Potter: The Day I Arrived at Hermione's House."
If all goes well, there should be another chapter today.
From now on, I'll try to pace the sweet moments—too much and it gets out of hand. After all, this story is meant to have a strong plot (I think), so I'll need to focus on that as well.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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