Just as Hermione received the letter delivered by the owl, Kate was also transported by Jingjing to the old house at Number 445.
Originally, she had been somewhat worried that Hermione might be angry with her for not being in touch for so long. As it turned out, through the window, she could see that little lion cub sprinting from next door toward her house.
The moment she opened the door, before Kate could even get a word out, Hermione threw herself into her arms.
"Kate, are you coming to stay at my house? Really?"
Skillfully wrapping one arm around the younger girl's slender waist, Kate turned around and closed the door. She was no longer the weakling with Double-E rank Strength and Agility from back then; picking up a child was a piece of cake.
"Put on your slippers first." She calmly set Hermione down, then took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them on the floor.
Kate looked up, her exquisite face—which had faintly shed its childishness—revealing a doting smile. "Careful you don't catch a cold."
For some reason, even though she was looking at a face she had seen many times before, Hermione blushed for no apparent reason.
"I... It's clearly summer right now!" She snapped back to reality, struggled out of Kate's embrace, and argued forcibly.
"You can catch a cold in summer too," Kate added calmly, crossing her arms.
Setting aside the inner monologue reserved only for herself, her outward demeanor was always unhurried. That was why even the old butler, who spent day and night with her, always thought she was just an introverted, quiet, and well-behaved child.
Only when facing Hermione would she reveal a bit of her adult soul. For instance... assuming the air of a senior figure and looking after Hermione as if she were a child.
Pouting in dissatisfaction, Hermione hurriedly slipped on the slippers and raised her head high. "I'm already eleven. Mum says I'm an adult and can live on my own outside."
"Yes, yes, yes," Kate agreed with amusement. "I'm guessing a certain little adult has been burying her head in the books I sent you these past few days?"
Hermione's small face turned red. She had always been like this; before entering a new environment, she habitually wanted to understand everything about it first. Especially since it was the magical world that countless children dreamed of.
Just those books recording the scenery and customs of the magical world were enough to make her unable to extricate herself. If Kate hadn't sent the owl with the letter, she probably would have spent the entire summer holidays in the study.
Seeing her hesitating and refusing to speak, Kate knew she had guessed correctly and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Hermione and she really shared the same love for learning...
However, Hermione was purely fascinated by that fresh knowledge, while she practiced hard to save her own life. So the reason a Hermione who loved learning so much didn't get into Ravenclaw was probably because her nature had been suppressed all these years, only to be released after meeting two other little lions.
Holding Hermione's small hand, they walked into the living room. Kate had just prepared tea and snacks, waiting for the little one to walk right into her trap. Compared to that ridiculously exaggerated manor reception hall, this old house seemed much warmer.
It wasn't Hermione's first time here; she sat naturally on the sofa and unleashed a barrage of questions like opening a floodgate.
"Why did the goblins rebel?"
"How are magical creatures born?"
"And why are my parents Muggles, but I'm a Wizard?"
Good heavens, the questions were getting trickier one after another. Kate scratched her cheek. If she kept asking like this, Kate would have to go study biology and history right now.
To maintain her image as the older sister figure, she wittily picked up a pastry from the table and stuffed it into that little mouth that was still chattering away. Her slightly cool fingertips, stained with pastry crumbs, accidentally touched the lips that were still opening and closing.
Hermione froze for a moment; the question she had only half-asked was forcibly swallowed down along with the sweet and cloying pastry.
"Is it good?" Kate, not yet noticing her abnormality, asked with eyes curved in amusement.
Nodding vaguely, Hermione quickly averted her gaze and anxiously picked up the tea in front of her, gulping down several mouthfuls.
What a strange feeling...
Why did just a touch from Kate... create such a weird sensation? It tickled, it wasn't unpleasant, and... and she even wanted her to touch her again.
Hermione, having never experienced this strange feeling, completely forgot the questions she had just been muttering, and even forgot she was currently chugging water.
"Cough! Cough, cough..."
She lowered her head and coughed violently after choking, her small face instantly flushing red. Kate looked blankly at the little lion who could choke even on water, and hurriedly leaned over to pat her back.
"Don't rush, these are all prepared for you. There's more if it's not enough."
Who said she choked because she was in a rush to eat! Hermione suddenly looked up, her eyes round and red from choking. "I am not..."
Her voice came to an abrupt halt, and she looked away guiltily. If she said that out loud, Kate would definitely laugh at her.
Thoughts swirled a thousand times in an instant. Hermione tried hard to swallow the itch in her throat, just about to return to the previous topic, when she looked up to see a slender, pale fingertip reaching over.
"Look at you, coughing until tears came out."
Kate helplessly reached out to simply wipe away the teetering water droplets at the corner of her eye. As she wiped, she sensed something was wrong. Wasn't the coughing gone? Why was her face getting redder?
Frowning strangely to examine the child, Kate thought for a moment and gently touched Hermione's forehead. Fortunately, no fever.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, recalled Hermione's questions, and began trying to explain them one by one in language a child of this age could understand.
"Regarding the goblin rebellion, I don't know how much you know..."
Hermione stared blankly at her gentle face as she explained. She didn't know why—Kate was clearly talking about the problems that had previously puzzled her. But now, she didn't seem to want to listen anymore.
By the time Kate finished explaining the process of the goblin rebellion, her mouth was dry. Just as she picked up her cup to take a sip, she saw that Hermione's small face still seemed red, and she looked dizzy.
Was the weather too hot? She lowered the air conditioning temperature a bit more and leaned in with concern: "Hermione, did you understand just now?"
Hermione, who had just snapped back to reality, blinked and looked at her somewhat blankly: "I... didn't."
Were some words really too difficult for an eleven-year-old child? Kate touched her chin in distress: "It doesn't matter, I'll tell you again."
"Um... okay." Hermione looked at those pale lips, still stained with tea-colored moisture, opening and closing, and lost her mind once again.
At least for today, the efficiency of Kate's Little Classroom was probably at an epic low.
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