Qin Yu thought back over his letters with Hermione.
It seemed he really had never mentioned Anna by name. In fact, he'd barely even brought up the unicorn at all, let alone its name.
"I… I know I'm not good enough… This Anna—she's an upperclassman, right? Is she in Gryffindor, or maybe Ravenclaw? Or Hufflepuff? Please don't tell me she's in Slytherin…"
After George and Fred hustled off with Harry and Ron, Hermione stood with her head bowed, staring at her toes as she rambled on.
Her voice, straining for calm, was thick with hurt.
Only she knew how, no matter how proud or eager she tried to appear, being surrounded by all these students from wizarding families left her feeling insecure—like she could never quite measure up.
She wanted to prove herself. That's why she always seemed so keen, so competitive.
She also wanted, when standing beside Qin, to be more than just a "little sister"—to be, if not his equal, at least a witch worthy of standing at his side.
But now, suddenly, this girl named Anna had appeared, shattering the fragile calm she'd worked so hard to build. All her hidden insecurity, fear, and doubt came flooding out.
Anna—even the name sounded like a princess. She must be noble, elegant, talented… everything Hermione feared she wasn't.
That thought lodged in her chest like a stone. Her nose stung, and before she could stop them, tears spilled down her cheeks, silent and unstoppable.
Hermione's reaction caught Qin Yu completely off guard.
He'd wanted to explain right away, but something told him that jumping in with logic now would only make things worse. When emotions boiled over, sometimes you just had to let them run their course.
He wasn't sure if there was any psychology behind it—it was just instinct. A simple misunderstanding (thinking Anna was a person, not a unicorn) shouldn't have hit her this hard.
So, there's something deeper going on, Qin Yu thought, holding her close as the storm raged.
People rarely get upset about just one thing. Sometimes a fight with your best friend is sparked by a single harsh word, but the real reason goes back days, maybe weeks.
He understood that. He tried to put himself in her shoes. Coming to a new world, facing so much pressure, it was no wonder she was struggling.
He felt a pang of guilt.
Since term started, he'd been so wrapped up in enjoying their time together that he'd missed the subtle shifts in her mood. No matter how clever Hermione was, she was still just a young girl. The sudden change of environment was bound to shake her.
He gently stroked her back, holding her until his shirt was soaked with tears and her sobs finally subsided.
"Qin, am I… am I really stupid?" she whimpered, her voice thick with tears.
"Yeah, you're pretty stupid," Qin Yu murmured, softly running his fingers through her brown hair.
"Then… then you should go find that Anna girl… I… I still have History of Magic homework… yes, I need to do my homework…" Hermione forced herself to sound casual, but her words were a jumble.
She tried to wriggle free, but Qin Yu only hugged her tighter—so tight it was as if he wanted to fuse her into himself.
He always thinks a hug can fix everything. Did he hug Anna like this too?
That thought made her even more frustrated, and she struggled harder to break free.
But she was no match for his strength. It was hopeless.
"You brought this on yourself!" Hermione glared up at him, her eyes red and fierce.
Then, suddenly, she rose on tiptoe, stretched her neck, and bit down—hard—on his shoulder.
It was early autumn, and Qin Yu was still wearing thin clothes from Quidditch practice. Only a single layer separated her teeth from his skin.
As she bit down, she tasted that familiar, slightly salty flavor again.
Just moments ago, she'd found it oddly pleasant. Now, she hated it.
She hated the boy in front of her, too.
Fueled by that thought, she bit down even harder, like she was gnawing through a tough steak.
"Hiss—"
A sharp intake of breath from Qin Yu made her feel a little better, so she bit down harder.
"Hnn—"
He sounded even more pained.
Serves you right! That's what you get for being so annoying! she thought.
"Ah—"
This time, his voice was raw with pain.
Was that too much? He must really be hurting…
Panic set in. Especially when she tasted a faint tang of iron—blood.
She'd actually broken the skin!
Realizing this, Hermione let go in a rush, looking up at him, eyes wide with fear.
That's it… I've ruined everything. I probably can't even be his sister now.
"Qin, I…" she stammered.
But before she could say more, his lips pressed gently to each of her eyelids in turn.
The chaos inside her vanished, replaced by a deep, soothing calm.
Her anger, her resentment, her panic—all melted away.
Her body relaxed completely, her legs weak. She just wanted to stay in his arms forever.
"Feeling better now?" Qin Yu asked, gently stroking her hair.
"…Much better," Hermione replied, nodding into his chest. Then, sheepishly, "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts a lot…" Qin Yu said, putting on his most pitiful expression.
"Then… then… should I let you bite me back?" Hermione looked up at him, full of guilt.
She couldn't think of any other way to make it up to him.
"No way," Qin Yu shook his head firmly.
"You… you're not going to forgive me?" she pouted, her eyes filling with tears again.
"I just couldn't bear to hurt you, my dear Miss Granger!" Qin Yu said, giving her cheek a gentle pinch.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I don't even know why… I just… Anyway, from now on, I'll just be your little sister… Whether it's Anna or Annie, I don't… I don't care…" Hermione started out apologizing, but by the end her voice was trembling with fresh hurt.
Qin Yu hugged her close again, whispering, "How could I ever think of you as just a sister…"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hermione blinked up at him, her heart skipping a beat.
"You'll find out when you're older," Qin Yu replied, trying to sound casual.
"When will that be?" she pressed.
"I think we can go by the age Aunt Jenny mentioned," Qin Yu answered.
"…!" Hermione's cheeks went scarlet in an instant.
What exactly did the Granger women talk about that day? Qin Yu wondered, suddenly curious.
…
After a good cry, a bite, and hearing the words she'd needed, Hermione was feeling much better.
The bite on Qin Yu's shoulder wasn't deep—no matter how upset she'd been, she hadn't really used all her strength. It only needed a little care.
As for his tear-soaked shirt, that was easily fixed. Hermione knew plenty of simple spells, and she dried it herself, smoothing out the wrinkles so no one would notice.
Then Qin Yu took her hand and led her toward Hagrid's hut.
"So, Anna just likes you—but you don't like her back, right?" Hermione guessed, trying to reassure herself.
After all, she was sure she was his favorite—well, more than just a sister.
But Qin Yu shook his head. "No, actually, I quite like Anna too. She's beautiful."
At that, the calm in Hermione's eyes was instantly replaced by blazing fire.
All her earlier self-doubt had vanished, replaced by a fierce, competitive spirit.
"I think if you met Anna, you'd like her too," Qin Yu said, grinning.
Seeing the fire in her eyes, Qin Yu finally relaxed. He didn't even bother explaining.
So he led this girl—who looked ready
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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