After a minor detour, Qin Yu finally led Hermione to the library on the second floor of the castle.
Inside, Hermione pored over every book she could find about flying. The upcoming flying lesson still made her anxious, and she hoped that reading would help her feel more prepared.
After all, today had been her very first time on a flying broomstick—and only because Qin was there with her.
Among her stack was Quidditch Through the Ages, which gave her a thorough understanding of the sport so closely tied to flying. She learned about its origins, history, current state, and—most fascinatingly—its many rules.
"…There are over seven hundred ways to foul in Quidditch? How can any referee possibly remember them all?" Hermione exclaimed, sticking out her tongue in disbelief.
"You'd have to ask Madam Hooch," Qin Yu replied with a shrug, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "But honestly, I think most of the time, she just goes with her gut."
Madam Hooch was both Hogwarts' flying instructor and its chief Quidditch referee. She officiated nearly all major inter-house matches and was in charge of recruiting and selecting new team members.
Qin Yu's remark drew a giggle from Hermione, but she quickly grew wistful. "The book doesn't actually list the specific fouls. If it did, I'd memorize them all and maybe try out as a referee for our house team."
"There's a reason they don't print them," Qin Yu said.
"What reason?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.
"If every foul was spelled out, people would just copy them—and the referees would have an even harder time keeping order," Qin Yu explained.
"Oh, I see… So I probably won't have a chance to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team after all." Hermione sighed.
She'd thought about it carefully. Keepers needed rock-solid flying skills, Beaters had to be bold and aggressive, Chasers needed courage and agility, and Seekers required keen eyes and lightning speed. If she were to join the team, referee seemed the only fit.
But reality, as always, refused to cooperate—the book didn't teach her how to become a Quidditch referee.
"You can't really learn it just from books. If you're serious about refereeing, join our practice sessions more often. Or talk to Monnie—she sometimes fills in as our referee, and trust me, she knows more about Quidditch than any book." Seeing how earnest Hermione was, Qin Yu considered for a moment, then offered this advice.
"Monnie?" Hermione echoed, puzzled.
"The girl with the short brown hair we met on the train—she's a Weasley cousin," Qin Yu explained briefly.
"Oh, right! She seemed really cheerful," Hermione recalled.
Suddenly, a stern female voice rang out: "Scott, are you eating those disgusting, snot-like sweets in the library again? Do you think the rules here are just for show?!"
"S-sorry, Madam Pince, I—I was just really hungry…" stammered a bespectacled boy.
"Then go out, fill your belly, wash your hands, and only then come back!"
"Y-yes, ma'am…"
The boy slunk away, as if Madam Pince's feather duster might strike him at any moment.
"And you two!" Madam Pince glared at Qin Yu and Hermione. "Not another sound out of you!"
Hermione instantly ducked her head, then shot Qin Yu a mischievous face behind the librarian's back.
Qin Yu was unfazed. Anyone who frequented the library had survived Madam Pince's legendary temper.
She was, after all, the one person even Professor Dumbledore deferred to—within the library, Madam Pince's word was law.
Since the formidable librarian had spoken, Qin Yu wisely chose not to push his luck.
He shot Hermione a look, urging her to focus on her reading, then turned to his own stack of potion texts, prepping for his next essay.
Truth be told, he hadn't come to the library just to keep Hermione company—he had plenty of work of his own.
Soon, both settled in, quietly absorbed in their books, just as they had done so many times during the summer holidays—two friends, side by side, content in companionable silence.
…
Golden autumn sunlight streamed through the high windows, painting the ancient library in a gentle haze. Time itself seemed to slow, cloaking the shelves, the long tables, and the young witches and wizards in a soft, tranquil light.
When Hermione grew tired, she'd rest her head on Qin Yu's shoulder for a quick nap.
Or she'd pick up a quill and doodle on a scrap of parchment—a little figure reading a book. She'd tug at Qin Yu's sleeve, showing off her art, biting her lip to keep from giggling.
He'd pinch her cheek in mock reproach, then add another little figure beside hers.
"That's so ugly…" she'd whisper, feigning annoyance.
But the new doodle was always unmistakably her.
And just like that, the two of them… completely missed dinner.
Luckily, Qin Yu always kept a stash of snacks in his dormitory.
That evening, they had a makeshift meal in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione even gamely tried one of Hagrid's rock cakes—though one bite was more than enough.
…
The days that followed passed peacefully at Hogwarts.
Of course, Hermione still had her worries. She soon realized she might not be able to keep her promise to "look after Harry, Ron, Adam, and Neville."
—Supervising their homework was easy enough, but nothing could prepare her for Malfoy's constant provocations.
"…During our first flying lesson, Neville fell and broke his arm. He was taken to the hospital wing, and Malfoy picked up his Remembrall. Harry tried to get it back, but Malfoy wouldn't give it up. They ended up chasing each other on brooms in the air… Then Professor McGonagall marched Harry away." On Thursday at lunch, Hermione recounted the morning's chaos to Qin Yu.
"And then?" Qin Yu didn't seem especially concerned.
"And then he never came back…" Hermione finished, guilt creeping into her voice. "It's my fault for not stopping Harry. What if he's expelled, Qin?"
Qin Yu took a bite of bacon-wrapped steak, chewed thoughtfully, and muttered, "He's not getting expelled. If he was, who'd be left to fight Voldemort? Me?"
"Fight what? What do you mean, 'thankless job'?" Hermione asked, puzzled by his vague reply.
"Nothing. You'll see when Harry gets here—he'll be fine."
"Oh, okay… Is that good?"
"Not bad. It's beef wrapped in bacon and roasted. The salty bacon and tender beef together are really something. Want a bite?"
Gulp "Yes, please."
"Alright, open up—"
"Ah—mmm~"
With Qin Yu reassuring her and good food in front of her, Hermione let her worries slip away and focused on eating.
And just as Qin Yu predicted, Harry soon arrived at the Great Hall, lowering his voice excitedly as he told them what had happened.
It turned out that when Professor McGonagall caught him swooping after Neville's Remembrall during flying class, she introduced him to Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood. Watching Harry's daring chase, she'd realized Gryffindor desperately needed a skilled Seeker.
"…So, I'm the second person in recent years—after Qin—to join the house Quidditch team as a first-year," Harry Potter said, eyes shining.
The thought of following in Qin's footsteps filled him with pride and excitement.
Not that anyone else could really understand that feeling.
After all, in all these years, only the two of them had made the team so early.
Of course, Oliver Wood had asked Harry to keep it a secret for now, so the other teams wouldn't know what they were up against.
Qin Yu agreed completely—on the pitch, a little secrecy was always an advantage.
Meanwhile, clueless Malfoy was still convinced Harry Potter was about to be expelled, occasionally shooting them smug, gloating looks.
But he didn't dare come over and taunt them—he was too afraid of getting punched.
Hmph, so what if Potter's got Qin as his backer? Even with him around, he can't be more powerful than Professor McGonagall, can he? Malfoy grumbled to himself.
How he wished he had a senior like Qin on his side—then he could really put Harry Potter in his place.
Unfortunately, luck just wasn't on his side.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong