Saturday morning dawned bright over the Quidditch pitch, and it was Gryffindor's turn to take the field. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was about to hold its first official practice of the year.
Hermione was practically buzzing with excitement. She'd been waiting in the common room since the crack of dawn, determined not to glance at the chair where she and Qin Yu had sat together last night—or, for that matter, to dwell on her own boldness from the evening before.
"The more embarrassed you feel, the worse it gets. If you don't feel embarrassed, then you aren't. Just act natural, and it's all fine..."
She silently recited the little mantra Qin had once taught her—a tongue-twister, but surprisingly effective.
Even when Qin poked her cheek earlier, a gesture that was as obvious as a wink, she managed to keep her composure and pretend she hadn't the faintest idea what he meant.
"Hermione, you've changed..." Qin's voice teased at her ear.
"I have not! Yesterday I just..." Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Oh? So you do remember what happened yesterday?" Qin pressed.
"No, I don't! I didn't do anything yesterday!" Hermione insisted, her denial ringing out with suspicious certainty.
"See? You're even getting good at fibbing."
Before she could protest further, Hermione felt her hand caught in his. In a flash, he was leading her down a quiet side corridor—one she knew he'd memorized from years of exploring every nook and cranny of the castle.
"Qin, what are you doing? I know I was wrong, okay?" Hermione stammered, glancing around the empty hallway.
"Oh? And what exactly are you sorry for?" Qin Yu asked, mischief in his eyes.
"Um... let me think..."
"Sounds like you need help remembering."
"No, no, I remember now!" she squeaked, her cheeks already burning.
...
Of course, Qin Yu had chosen that secluded passage for a reason—it was the quickest shortcut to the Great Hall. They were in a hurry for breakfast, after all.
And if he took the opportunity to mete out a little "punishment" to a certain cheeky girl whose courage had grown overnight, well, that was only fair.
Family hierarchy, after all, was built on the little things—one small victory at a time.
Naturally, he only gave her a taste of her own medicine, nothing more. With Hermione, Qin Yu always stuck to his policy: a gentle warning, a little lesson, and above all, kindness.
Later, at breakfast, Hermione sat at the table, her cheeks still rosy. She nibbled at her bread, pouting as she shot Qin Yu a sidelong glance.
She replayed the morning's events in her mind—how he'd claimed to have "symmetry OCD" and insisted both cheeks deserved equal treatment. He was the one being cheeky, but somehow she was the one accused of it...
Enough! No more thinking about it. Breakfast, focus on breakfast!
She shook her head briskly, trying to banish the memory and regain her composure—otherwise, her cheeks would never cool down.
"Mmm, this is good. Try some," Qin Yu said, spearing a savory meat roll and holding it out to her.
Without hesitation, Hermione opened her mouth and took a bite, her taste buds coming alive. Her eyes sparkled as she chewed.
Yes, it really was delicious.
She eyed the rest of the food on Qin Yu's plate, waiting expectantly for another bite.
...
...
"Can I fly for a bit? I've never even tried riding a broomstick..." Hermione tugged at Qin Yu's robe, her eyes wide and pleading.
She still hadn't had her first flying lesson; it wasn't scheduled until next week.
"Not now. You just ate too much," Qin Yu said, patting her head.
"That's your fault! You kept feeding me!" Hermione shot back, her ability to shift blame as sharp as ever.
"You didn't seem to mind at the table," Qin Yu teased, giving her cheek a gentle pinch.
Then, mounting his broom, he shot skyward, slicing through the air in a rush of wind and scattering grass behind him.
Hermione watched his figure soaring above, excitement shining in her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.
Finally, she was seeing him fly with her own eyes—not just in some moving magical photograph.
She thought back to the long year she'd spent at home, waiting for her Hogwarts letter. It felt like a lifetime ago. Back then, she'd visit the attic where Qin Yu used to live, lying on his little bed, imagining what he might be doing at that very moment, and wondering if he ever thought of her, too.
Now, in what felt like the blink of an eye, time had swept her from that tiny attic to this magical school's vast pitch, where she could simply look up and see him chasing the wind.
Would time sweep her forward again, to a far-off future where they were both grown up? Would he still be by her side?
The thought made her heart ache—a sudden, inexplicable sadness at the swift, unstoppable passage of time.
For the first time in her life, the brown-haired girl found herself pondering the meaning of time, anxious and uncertain about how to face its relentless flow.
"Her—mi—o—ne—!"
A voice called her name from above.
She looked up to see a figure racing toward her through the sky.
Before she could react, a strong arm swept her up, and suddenly she was nestled securely in a familiar embrace, sitting at the front of a flying broomstick.
"Ready?" he whispered in her ear.
She nodded, nerves and excitement warring inside her. "Yes!"
And then they soared into the sky.
The wind whipped at her face, and Hermione screwed her eyes shut, then forced them open, determined to look down at the earth below.
But after a moment, she closed them again—not out of fear, but to savor the feeling of being held tight as they sped through the clouds.
Was this what it felt like to ride the current of time?
With him beside her, everything felt safe.
No matter how cold the wind, his arms were warm enough.
Qin, we'll be together forever, won't we?
I believe we will!
With that silent promise, the girl found a new courage in her heart to face whatever the future might bring.
...
...
The Gryffindor Quidditch team's first practice of the term went off without a hitch.
Except, of course, for the collective dose of "romance" everyone was forced to swallow...
"Captain Wood, isn't riding double on a broomstick against the rules?" Fred complained, indignant.
"Yeah, can they really get away with that?" George chimed in.
Oliver Wood, the newly minted Gryffindor Quidditch captain, shrugged helplessly. "During a match, sure, it's against the rules. But right now? This isn't a match."
"Isn't anyone going to do something about this?"
"This is a serious disruption to training!" the Weasley twins continued, voices full of righteous protest.
"Look, Qin has already finished his drills. If he wants to take his girl—uh, his sister—for a spin around the pitch, I see no harm in it," Wood sighed.
The twins were left speechless. Come to think of it, the last time they'd been this flummoxed, it was also because of Qin...
Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.
George and Fred watched for another minute, then, looking as if they'd bitten into a lemon, shook their heads and walked away, muttering under their breath.
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