"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
A string of sneezes broke the hush of dawn outside the castle, echoing through the silvery morning mist.
If you peered through the drifting fog, you'd spot the culprit beneath a towering oak tree—a boy with golden hair and pale skin.
His once-bright grey eyes were now bloodshot, staring listlessly up at the barely glowing sky, his gaze fixed at a dreamy forty-five-degree angle. Dew had soaked the hair at his brow, proof that he'd been sitting there for quite some time.
Not far from him, a neat pile of acorns—some large, some small—rested on the grass.
Arranged carefully, those round acorns spelled out four letters, left to right:
h, s, w, w.
The abbreviation for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Clearly, there weren't enough acorns to spell out the whole school name, or even just "Hogwarts."
Of course, for the squirrel hiding nearby, that pile was nothing short of a treasure trove—enough to fill half its winter pantry. But its usual foraging ground had been invaded by an unexpected guest, who'd spent the entire night here, amassing this "harvest."
The squirrel hadn't dared approach to reclaim its stash, nor could it bear to leave. So, it had spent the night watching helplessly from the shadows.
"Back off! This isn't a playground for the likes of you!" A gruff shout boomed from the distance.
The squirrel jolted, ears twitching, instantly on alert. It couldn't understand human speech, but it didn't need to—danger was danger.
After a moment's frozen hesitation, the squirrel cast one last longing look at the acorn hoard, then spun and darted into the bushes, vanishing in a flash.
The boy beneath the tree sensed the approaching threat as well. His dazed expression snapped into focus, and he scrambled to his feet, glancing around as if hoping someone might appear. But no one came. With a sigh, he hurried away from the oak.
The vegetable garden was close by—he had no desire to be mistaken for a troublemaker by Hagrid.
As the garden's guardian, Hagrid was always on the lookout for students sneaking too close—especially the Weasley twins, though they'd been much better behaved this past year.
With the squirrel gone and the boy departed, the clearing was left with nothing but a carpet of acorns, awaiting their fate.
…
Qin Yu had slept well that night.
He'd even had a dream—most of the details had faded, but he remembered it was a happy one. There'd been a brown-haired girl, and together they'd watched a film about aliens invading Earth—aliens with the faces of cats.
It was a strange dream, but warm and comforting.
When he woke, sunlight was streaming through the castle windows, chasing away any lingering chill and filling the dormitory with gentle warmth.
He greeted Elvis and the other three boys, who were still sound asleep, then left the dorm.
In the common room, he met up with his brown-haired girl—just like in his dream. They walked hand in hand, chatting idly about everything and nothing.
"…How's Crookshanks lately? Still a bit under the weather?" As they talked, the memory of those cat-faced aliens made Qin Yu think of Hermione's ginger cat.
Maybe it was the change of environment—since coming to Hogwarts, the little cat had seemed out of sorts, moping in the dorm and rarely venturing out.
"He's much better now. I should've left him at home until he was stronger," Hermione replied, a note of worry in her voice.
"Maybe he could stay with Hagrid for a while. You know how he is with animals," Qin Yu suggested after a moment's thought.
He'd assumed Crookshanks would adapt quickly, but it seemed a professional's touch was needed.
"Great idea! Let's take Crookshanks to Hagrid's hut after breakfast," Hermione's eyes lit up.
She knew better than anyone how good Hagrid was with magical creatures.
With their plan set, they grabbed a quick bite in the Great Hall, then doubled back to Gryffindor Tower to collect Crookshanks before heading for Hagrid's cabin by the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
After leaving the castle and passing Professor Sprout's greenhouses, they crossed a patch of flat grass—where a stately oak tree stood sentinel.
Just then, Crookshanks, who'd been dozing in Hermione's arms, suddenly lifted his head and peered ahead.
Qin Yu and Hermione followed his gaze—and immediately understood why.
There, under the oak, crouched a squirrel clutching an acorn.
The squirrel spotted them at almost the same moment. It froze, then bolted in panic—so quickly that it dropped its acorn on the grass.
"Is that squirrel about to turn magical? It actually arranged acorns into letters!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise as they drew closer.
On the ground, the acorns clearly formed a pair of "w"s.
The idea of animals "turning magical" was something Qin Yu had once told her about in a story.
Qin Yu glanced at the acorn pile, then at the patch of grass that had clearly been sat on. The corners of his mouth twitched into a mysterious smile. "Maybe it's just a very studious squirrel. Even when gathering food, it remembers to practice its spelling."
"You're making things up again…" Hermione huffed, clearly unconvinced, though she couldn't offer a better explanation for the strange sight.
Maybe some bored Hogwarts student had helped the squirrel out.
Qin Yu didn't argue. He bent down, picked up an acorn, and tossed it to Crookshanks.
The kitten batted at the round nut in his arms, utterly absorbed.
They didn't linger, and continued on their way to Hagrid's hut.
…
When they reached the familiar wooden cabin and explained their visit, Hagrid was more than happy to take Crookshanks in.
At first, the kitten seemed a bit nervous. But within moments, he'd warmed up to the half-giant, even swatting playfully at his wild, bushy beard.
Qin Yu and Hermione exchanged a glance—yep, Hagrid really did have a way with animals.
"Crookshanks probably just isn't used to castle life yet. Let him stay with me for a while—I'll look after him," Hagrid said, gently rescuing his beard from Crookshanks's paws.
"Thank you, Hagrid!" Qin Yu said gratefully.
"Thank you, Hagrid!" Hermione echoed.
Hagrid then launched into his favorite topic: how to get along with magical creatures.
"…Honestly, with most animals, if you treat them sincerely, you'll earn their friendship…" he concluded after a lengthy explanation.
"Sincerity's important, sure," Qin Yu agreed, "but sometimes, you need a firmer hand."
At that, Hagrid glanced instinctively toward the Forbidden Forest, thinking of his old acromantula friend. He coughed awkwardly. "Well, you can't always say that… The key is to understand each animal's habits. That's how you know what'll work."
Qin Yu nodded. "I agree. Take eagles, for example. In the East, there's a training method called 'taming the eagle'—you keep the bird awake, wear down its wildness, and teach it patience."
"I've heard of that," Hagrid said, a touch sympathetically. "Sounds rough for the poor eagle, though."
"A sword only becomes sharp through grinding," Qin Yu said with a shrug, quoting an old saying.
"Well, you're like a sword that's getting sharper and sharper, aren't you?" Hagrid chuckled, clearly thinking of how much Qin Yu had changed over the past year.
Qin Yu just smiled, letting the subject drop.
Hagrid bustled off to make tea, insisting they try his latest batch of homemade pastries.
This time, Hermione was wise enough to wait until she saw Qin Yu eat one before daring to taste them herself—just in case she broke a tooth.
And so, the three of them spent a leisurely morning, drinking tea and chatting in the cozy warmth of Hagrid's hut.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong