After dinner, Qin Yu finally remembered the real reason for their visit and quickly pulled out the large tablecloth from his storage pouch.
He presented it to Hagrid as a belated Christmas gift.
The big man was absolutely delighted, running his hands lovingly over the fabric and exclaiming over and over, "This is fine stuff, this is! Proper quality!"
"I should've taken it out earlier," Qin Yu said, a little regretful. "We could've tried it during dinner."
Honestly, he'd been curious to see how the tablecloth would look in Hagrid's cozy hut. But as soon as he and Hermione had stepped through the door, they'd been so distracted by the intimidating sight of Hagrid's infamous rock cakes that everything else flew out of their minds.
Still, better late than never.
They helped clear the table, and Hagrid removed his old, supposedly once-white but now thoroughly blackened linen cloth. He gave the tabletop a careful double wipe, then had Qin Yu cast a quick drying spell before, with great ceremony, laying out the brand-new tablecloth. The vibrant hollyhock print instantly brightened the whole room.
"Ha! This is brilliant!" Hagrid beamed. "Next time I invite everyone for dinner, we'll use this tablecloth for sure!"
He was already picturing a grand feast, his best dishes on display, everyone gathered around.
Qin Yu almost said something, but bit his tongue. Why spoil Hagrid's enthusiasm?
"Actually, I've got a little something for you both, too… Made it myself, though I'm afraid it's not much to look at…" Hagrid said, rummaging in a cupboard and producing two small wooden carvings.
Well, small for Hagrid—in Qin Yu and Hermione's hands, each was about palm-sized.
They leaned in under the lamplight: one carving was a boy in wizard robes, the other a girl with a head of wild, bushy hair. It was clear who they were meant to be.
Admittedly, the craftsmanship was… rough. The features were basic, the details vague.
"Couldn't be helped," Hagrid explained sheepishly. "This wood's got a bit of luck in it, but it grows slow—takes decades, sometimes centuries, to get thick. I made Harry a flute from it once, and that was easy enough, but carving people… that's a different matter."
He spread his huge hands for emphasis. Qin Yu suspected one of Hagrid's fingers was thicker than Hermione's arm.
No wonder carving tiny figures was a challenge.
As for the artistic merit… well, that was another matter entirely.
"Thank you, Hagrid!" Qin Yu said at once. "They already look like us. How about Hermione and I tidy them up a bit? That way, it'll be a gift from all three of us."
"Great idea!" Hermione said, eyes bright with anticipation.
"Ha! No objections here. I'll fetch you some carving tools—can't handle that fiddly stuff myself," Hagrid chuckled, heading off to dig out the smallest knives he had.
Even so, his "smallest" tools were still a bit oversized, but they'd do. After all, perfection wasn't the point.
So the two of them sat side by side at the table, now covered with the new cloth, each holding a carving knife, and began working on the little wooden figures.
To be fair, the reddish-brown wood Hagrid had chosen was impressively hard—no wonder it grew so slowly, putting all its energy into density.
They didn't just focus on their own; they swapped figures back and forth, each working wherever they saw fit.
Qin Yu took care of the heavy cutting—it really did take some muscle—while Hermione handled the fine details. Her artistic skills had always been a step above his, after all.
Meanwhile, Hagrid wasn't idle. He put the kettle on over the fire and brewed up a giant pot of black tea, then sat nearby sipping and watching, a contented witness to what felt oddly like a little ceremony.
…
"Alright, I think that's about done," Qin Yu said at last, inspecting the two carvings in his hands.
"Mhm, let's call it a night. My hands are aching," Hermione agreed, flexing her wrists. "This is worse than writing essays all evening."
The two wooden figures looked nothing short of transformed. They'd shrunk a bit—lots of rough edges and excess wood had been trimmed away—and the detail was much improved. You could actually see the folds in their robes and the features of their faces.
It was obvious now—two smiling young witches and wizards, chibi-style. To Qin Yu, they looked like miniature collectible figurines.
So, this little Hermione figure—he was determined to claim it today!
Too cute for words.
The more he looked, the more he liked it.
"Alright, which one do you want? You choose first," he said, waving his hand magnanimously and doing his best to sound casual.
…
Hermione shot him a look, exasperated.
If you weren't so obviously nudging the curly-haired witch figure closer to yourself as you said that, maybe I'd believe you were really letting me pick first.
Sometimes, she thought, this boy could be such a child.
But, well… it was kind of adorable.
"Let me think…" she said, reaching for the little witch carving—only for Qin Yu to cough lightly in protest.
"Hm?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe think it over a bit more…" he suggested, all innocence.
"Hmmm—" Hermione pretended to consider, then pulled her hand back.
Qin Yu instantly looked relieved.
She arched an eyebrow, lips twitching, then—suddenly—lunged and slapped her hand down on the little witch carving. "Actually, I want this one~"
"Hey, hey!" Qin Yu panicked, quickly pressing his hand over hers.
"You want it?" Hermione flashed him a smile sweeter than raspberry jam on ice cream.
"Absolutely!" Qin Yu nodded furiously, all pretense of calm and generosity gone. If he didn't speak up now, she'd really snatch it away.
"Then say something nice!" Hermione demanded, putting on her "satisfy this lady and maybe I'll grant your wish" face.
Qin Yu didn't hesitate: "Miss Granger, your wooden figure is truly beautiful. I'd love nothing more than to keep it for myself! Please, grant me the honor of owning it—I promise I'll treasure it forever and take extra good care of it!"
Hermione nearly burst out laughing at his solemn, earnest tone.
It reminded her of the way she'd grab Crookshanks by the scruff—utterly at her mercy.
She made a mental note to keep track of moments like this; if she collected enough, she'd have him wrapped around her finger for life. The idea was almost wicked.
But then again, she was a witch. Wasn't a little wickedness part of the job description?
"Well? Is that good enough, Hermione?" Qin Yu asked, full of anticipation.
If she kept him hanging, he was ready to start acting pitiful—"I'm just a poor student, it's Thursday, please give me the figurine and I'll tell you the story of 'Reborn: Selling Fried Chicken in London'…"
His mind wandered.
"Alright, alright, I'll let you have it. You can pick this one," Miss Granger said grandly, waving her hand.
She heard him cheer—something about "Hermione is the best!"—though she didn't quite catch it all. Then she watched as he gleefully picked up the little curly-haired witch, polishing it with his sleeve, even rubbing it against his nose and muttering something about "getting a shine on it early."
She didn't really understand, but seeing how much passion he had for the wooden figure, Hermione couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
He's never been that enthusiastic about me, and yet here he is with a bit of wood?!
She felt a pang of injustice.
But then she realized—the figurine was her. It was like she'd been shrunken down and was being held in his hands…
Oh, never mind. She'd never understand the way boys' minds worked.
With that, she picked up the other little wizard figure and, almost unconsciously, copied him—stroking and rubbing it thoughtfully.
Hmm, it did feel rather nice.
After Qin Yu had admired his "chibi Hermione" for a while, he tucked it contentedly into his robe pocket.
As it was getting late, the two bid Hagrid farewell and made their way back to Hogwarts Castle.
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]