The sunlight on this particular day was simply too fine; it was so dazzling that when Kate raised her head, there was a fleeting moment where she couldn't clearly make out the newcomer's appearance.
It wasn't until a moment later, when her eyes had adapted to the intense light, that Kate saw clearly who was standing before her: a startlingly beautiful young girl.
She possessed a classic Asian countenance, her delicate and exquisite features brimming with spirit. Paired with a cascade of long hair, she appeared even more lovely.
"Cho Chang?" She stood up, retrieving the face from her memories that corresponded to the person before her.
Only a year had passed, yet that enthusiastic Hogwarts freshman from back then already possessed the shadow of the goddess described in the original story.
"I didn't expect to meet you here." Cho Chang looked at her with sparkling eyes. "I'm so glad you still remember me."
Well, she is a character from the original work, and beautiful to boot; it would be hard not to remember her.
Kate rubbed her nose with a guilty conscience. "I... I brought a neighbor's little sister to buy a wand. And you?"
"My wand got bumped a little, so I came today to ask Ollivander if it's serious."
Just as Cho Chang's voice fell, the door to the wand shop was pushed open from the inside.
"Kate, I have a wand too! They say it's Vine wood!" Hermione held the wand in her hand and naturally linked her arm through Kate's.
Compared to the two girls who were already twelve years old and taller than their peers, Hermione's stature appeared somewhat shorter. Standing beside them, she looked like a little sister who had just received a new toy.
Kate habitually wanted to pat her hair, but finding the action a bit awkward while Hermione was hugging her arm, she changed course mid-way and scraped the girl's nose instead.
"As long as you like it. Remember to cherish your wand properly. Look at Senior Sister Cho Chang; even a slight bump to her wand brings her to see Ollivander."
Hermione tilted her head and grinned at Cho Chang. "Hello, Senior! I'm Hermione, a Hogwarts freshman!"
"You have a really good relationship with your sister," Cho Chang said sincerely, seeing their intimate demeanor.
Who knew that upon hearing this, Hermione's expression would turn somewhat peculiar? She lifted her head and asked in confusion, "Do we look like sisters?"
"Not really." Kate touched her chin solemnly.
She had originally wanted to follow up with a joke like "You look a bit cuter than me" to liven up the atmosphere. However, Hermione abruptly turned her head to look at Cho Chang. "I think so too. Kate and I aren't sisters to begin with."
Alright then. She won't even call me 'Sister' in front of outsiders anymore.
I wonder who it was that used to follow behind me all day, calling 'Sister, Sister' with every breath.
Kate estimated that the little girl had her own pride, so she didn't refute her. Instead, she turned and smiled at Cho Chang.
"We still have things to buy. Let's meet again at Hogwarts in September."
Cho Chang's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "Hogwarts? Are you going to school?"
"Mn. My body has recovered enough. If I don't go to school now, I'll waste away." Kate blinked at her before leaving under Hermione's quiet urging.
The two of them bought textbooks at Flourish and Blotts, then purchased the other items on the list at the Potions shop.
"Hermione, do you really not want a pet?" Kate asked thoughtfully, looking at the last item on the list as she walked out of the Potions shop.
She didn't buy a pet herself because Newt had given her a most obedient one before she left. But for some reason, ever since leaving the wand shop, Hermione's expression had looked consistently strange.
Even when they were in the bookstore, and Kate had bought her a large pile of extracurricular books to satisfy her thirst for knowledge, she hadn't seemed particularly happy.
"No need. Didn't you say, Kate, that there are plenty of owls at your home? I'll just borrow yours when the time comes," Hermione replied with a sullen look, clutching her wand tightly.
Strange.
She had never seen Hermione like this before. If Mr. and Mrs. Granger saw her bringing their daughter back looking so unhappy, who knew how worried they would be?
She simply squatted down on the ground, looking up at the unhappy little lion. "Hermione, tell Big Sister, what is actually wrong with you?"
Hermione hung her little head low, her small hand nervously rubbing the shaft of her wand. After a long time, Kate heard her ask, "Why didn't Kate tell me you didn't go to Hogwarts last school year? Was it because of bad health?"
Eh?
Kate's expression went blank, and she scratched her face in embarrassment. "This..."
"Why are you willing to tell Senior Cho Chang, but unwilling to tell me?" Hermione continued to press relentlessly.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Kate's forehead. She could only lament inwardly that the weather today was indeed a bit hot, while helplessly raising her hand to wipe the sweat away.
Kate smiled with conflicted emotions. "Because... I know you care about me the most. So if I told you about my poor health, wouldn't that just make you worry for nothing?"
"Really?" Hermione's eyes lit up.
So it's not that Kate isn't close to me, but that she was worried about me?
"Mn!" Kate nodded decisively.
How can I get by without telling a little white lie in a situation like this?
Seeing Hermione's expression clear up slightly, she had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the other party ask, "Then why did you tell Senior Cho Chang? Is your relationship with her very good?"
"I've only met her once. I just mentioned it inadvertently." This statement, at least, couldn't be more true.
Hermione's face finally turned from overcast to sunny. "Then, since you'll be in the same year as me in the future, I won't call you Sister Kate anymore!"
You've already called me by my full name several times.
Kate grumbled internally, but on her face remained a helpless smile. "As you wish."
Saying this, she reached out to ruffle the girl's head, but Hermione dodged nimbly.
"And don't touch my head anymore!" Hermione stood on tiptoe, striving to stretch her arms. "I still have to grow taller. If you always touch my head, it will stop me from growing!"
Who taught her that theory?
Kate was just about to retort when she suddenly remembered that this famous superstitious saying—touching the head stunts growth—seemed to be something only she could have taught Hermione.
Touching her nose awkwardly, Kate wisely chose to bypass this topic.
"Alright, we should go back. Your mom and dad are still waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron."
She took Hermione's hand and stepped out of Diagon Alley. Returning to the pub, they saw Mr. Granger raising a glass, toasting a young man wearing a purple turban.
"Yes! To that wonderful magic—"
Seeing Mr. Granger down a large glass of beer with his head thrown back, Hermione immediately ran over and hugged him. "Dad!"
"Oh! My little angel is back!"
Mr. Granger chuckled, put down his glass, and said to the young man in the purple turban before him, "I have to go home! Next time, we drink until we drop!"
"Really, I told you to drink a little less..."
Mrs. Granger also rose from a nearby booth. While nodding to the enthusiastic wizards in the pub, she helped her husband leave the bar alongside her daughter.
Kate followed them. As she passed the young man in the purple turban, she gave a subtle, seemingly unintentional glance back.
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