"Crookshanks, do you think I should ignore him when he gets back?" Hermione picked up her now rather hefty cat, her expression as serious as if she were consulting a trusted advisor.
"Meow—?" Crookshanks replied with a questioning chirp.
"Alright, then I won't speak to him! Serves him right for leaving me behind!" Hermione huffed, indignation written all over her face.
"Meow~ow?" Crookshanks persisted, a note of skepticism in his mew.
"Well, you do have a point… He did say this trip would be a bit far and out of the way, and he didn't want me to get tired…" Hermione admitted, setting the cat in her lap and gently stroking his back.
"Meow~" Crookshanks purred, rumbling with contentment as her fingers worked through his fur.
"But I'm not a little kid anymore. If he can go somewhere, why can't I? Isn't that right?" Hermione challenged, addressing her ginger companion.
"Meow—" Crookshanks let out a half-hearted, slightly impatient sound.
"Anyway, it's summer holiday already, and he still went off somewhere else, leaving me home alone for two whole days. Hmph! I should ignore him for at least a day… No, half a day! What do you think, Crookshanks?"
"…Ow~" Crookshanks finally finished his earlier meow, as if to say, "Whatever you say."
"That settles it! You're not allowed to pay him any attention either, got it?" Hermione warned.
Crookshanks ignored her, rubbing his head against her knee before settling in for a nap, clearly unbothered by human drama.
…
"If only I had a car. I wonder if the Weasleys' flying car is for sale? I'll have to ask George and Fred to check with Mr. Weasley next time," Qin Yu mused as he climbed out of the Underground and onto the street.
Getting back from Diagon Alley had taken ages on the Tube, and he couldn't help but daydream about easier ways to travel.
The Weasleys' enchanted car—now that was a solution. Qin Yu still had no idea how Mr. Weasley managed to sneak that one past the Ministry of Magic's regulations.
He'd considered connecting the Grangers' fireplace to the Floo Network, but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want to bring too much magic into their home; it might trouble Mr. and Mrs. Granger more than help them.
Buying a Muggle car was out—he was too young, had no license, and not a single pound to his name. Gringotts wasn't about to hand out unlimited Muggle cash.
As for flying brooms… if he dared zoom around London on one, the Ministry would be at his door before sunrise. Then he'd just have to hope Hermione would visit him in Azkaban, bringing sandwiches.
Hermione…
Truthfully, Qin Yu was running through all these scenarios just to calm his nerves. After all, the look Hermione gave him before he left yesterday… yikes.
"Am I about to be kicked out by my—erm, by Hermione?" he wondered.
—Thirty-nine time loops had really scrambled his sense of reality. Sometimes he still slipped up with how he thought of her.
He resolved to draw a clear line between memory and reality before stepping foot in the house. The last thing he needed was to blurt out something that would make things worse.
…
"Hermione, I'm home!" Qin Yu called as he stepped inside, grinning at the girl curled on the sofa, cat in her lap, eyes on the TV.
"Oh, you're back," Hermione replied, her tone perfectly neutral.
That threw Qin Yu off—he couldn't quite read her mood.
"Um, I bought you your favorite ice cream from Florean Fortescue's in Diagon Alley. The clerk even added extra raspberry sauce, just for you." He pulled the magically chilled ice cream from his Swinton-brand bag and offered it up like a peace offering.
Hermione glanced his way, her lips twitching, but she turned back to the TV. "I'm not hungry. I don't want it."
Hiss—
Qin Yu sucked in a breath. Not even ice cream could win her over? She was definitely mad.
He'd never been good at coaxing girls—this was a challenge worthy of "Qin the Tiger."
Brilliant as he was, when it came to his own blind spots, he was lost.
"Um… You don't know how dangerous it was where we went. It was this lonely rock in the middle of the sea. Last night, a storm hit—wind howling, clouds swirling. I even saw a seabird get smacked into the waves and nearly drown… Hagrid and I were out there in a tiny boat, nearly capsizing in the gale…" Qin Yu decided to try a different tactic.
Sure enough, Hermione's eyes flickered with concern. "Did you two…"
But she caught herself, her face falling. "If you're standing here in one piece, then obviously nothing happened."
How do you coax a girlfriend who's too smart? Qin Yu wondered, half-desperate.
—Wait, what girlfriend? There goes my brain again.
"Actually, it wasn't all fine. After we picked up the kid, we had nowhere to stay, so we found this tiny, shabby inn. You know I don't have much money, and Hagrid is even poorer. Harry, Hagrid, and I all squeezed into a tiny room. The next morning, breakfast was so meager Hagrid didn't even get enough to eat…" Qin Yu put on his best woeful face.
"Wait, what did you just say?" Hermione suddenly turned, brows knitting as she fixed him with a sharp gaze.
"Hagrid didn't get enough to eat?" Qin Yu blinked.
"No, before that!" Hermione pressed, fingers unconsciously gripping Crookshanks' scruff.
"Breakfast was too little?" Qin Yu guessed, baffled.
"Not that—go back further!" Hermione shook her head.
"Um… I didn't have much money, so Harry, Hagrid, and I all had to share a tiny room…" Qin Yu recited, replaying his words.
He saw her nostrils flare as she glared at him, voice trembling with outrage:
"So who is Harley?!"
"Harry? He's the student we picked up! After we left that rock, we checked into the inn, then went to Diagon Alley…" Qin Yu explained, keeping it brief.
"So you shared a room with her? All squeezed together?!" Hermione's lip trembled, a mix of anger and wounded pride in her voice.
"Well, we didn't have any money, so I and she—wait, why did you say 'she'?"
"She? Isn't that right?" Hermione blinked, momentarily confused.
"Harry might look gentle, but he's definitely a boy," Qin Yu said, fighting a smile at her bewildered expression.
"Harry?" Hermione echoed, as if tasting the name for the first time.
"Yeah, Harry Potter! You read about him just a few days ago, remember?" Qin Yu said, exasperated.
"I… I didn't really remember…" Hermione stammered, cheeks pink. Other things had happened that day, and the name hadn't stuck.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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