Qin Yu had been so busy lately that he barely remembered to eat or sleep. His sense of time had grown fuzzy, days blurring together in a whirlwind of study and magical research.
If it hadn't been for Hermione's casual mention of Halloween, he might not have realized it was already the end of October.
He couldn't help but think: if not for his arrival in this world, things would have unfolded just as they did in the original timeline. On Halloween Eve, trouble would have found them—Hermione, still feeling ostracized by her classmates (mainly Harry and Ron), would have hidden away in the girls' bathroom, putting herself in real danger.
But with Qin Yu in the mix, things ought to be different.
At the very least, Hermione wouldn't be hiding in the bathroom alone.
Still, Qin couldn't help but worry. He turned to her and said, "If anyone gives you trouble these days, or you're feeling down about something, promise you'll come find me, all right?"
"Hm?"
Hermione blinked at him, her eyes wide with confusion. "Why are you saying that all of a sudden? Why would anyone bully me?"
"Uh… I just mean, if. You know, at your age, it's easy to run into things you can't handle by yourself. When that happens, you can always come to me for help." Qin stumbled over his words, realizing how abrupt he must sound. He couldn't exactly explain the real reason, so he forced a half-baked excuse.
"What do you mean, 'at my age'? Maybe you should remember how old you are!" Hermione huffed, her lips pursed in annoyance.
Girls, Qin thought, are so peculiar about age. When they're young, they hate being called little; when they're older, they hate anyone mentioning their age at all.
Hermione, especially, didn't like being treated as a kid by Qin.
After all, she was growing up. In the Muggle world, she'd already be in secondary school. In a few years, she'd… well, anyway, she wasn't a little girl anymore.
Seeing her puffed-up cheeks, Qin raised his hands in surrender, grinning. "All right, all right. If I ever feel down or get bullied, I'll come to you for help, too."
"Good! I'll sort out anyone who tries to bully you!" Hermione nodded with mock seriousness, but the corners of her mouth were already twitching into a smile.
After dinner, buoyed by his recent progress in alchemy, Qin decided to take the night off from study and headed to the Quidditch pitch with Harry for some flying practice.
Hermione returned to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory, planning to feed Crookshanks, the cat she'd adopted from Hagrid.
The rest of their friends drifted off to their own activities, the Great Hall emptying as evening settled over the castle.
...
...
Night fell.
On the fourth floor of Hogwarts' main castle, the corridors were nearly deserted. In a shadowy corner near the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, two voices—deliberately hushed—broke the silence.
"You need to act now. You can't afford to wait any longer!" hissed a ragged, rasping voice.
"M-Master… the defenses there are too tight. I—I can hardly get in…" stammered a second voice, timid and trembling with fear.
"That is for you to solve. Or do you expect me to do everything myself?" The rasping voice was thick with impatience.
"N-no, of course not. I—I'll find a way… Please, trust me!" the nervous voice pleaded.
"Hmph. See that you do—and quickly! I'm feeling weaker by the day. I can't stay conscious for long… I'll rest now." The rasping voice faded, growing fainter and fainter until it vanished altogether.
A moment later, a tall, slightly hunched man slipped from the shadows. His skin was sickly pale, and thick bandages were wrapped around his head.
Anyone passing close by would have caught a strong whiff of garlic clinging to his robes.
"I just need a chance… something to get those meddling professors out of the way for a while…"
He muttered to himself as he walked, his eyes slowly brightening as an idea took shape.
—Dimensional Wall—
[This chapter's a bit short. More tomorrow.]
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