After finalizing the acquisition of The Quibbler, Lewis remained at the tower for nearly another week.
During that time, Luna visited every day to learn the techniques of becoming a psion.
However, Lewis gradually realized that...
She seemed far more interested in him than in psionics.
The clever girl also wisely refrained from openly calling Lewis her "boyfriend" in front of other people.
She had no intention of attracting the attention of any powerful rivals.
A week later, the Christmas holiday officially came to an end.
Gianna and the others left the tower.
Lewis and Sherry also returned to Hogwarts.
Now that Dumbledore had fulfilled his promise...
The Hogwarts library once again became irresistibly attractive to Lewis.
Although it was only the first day back at school, he followed his usual routine and headed to the library after dinner.
Since the new term had just begun, the library was unusually quiet.
Only a handful of students occupied the vast reading hall.
Under those circumstances...
Lewis spotted Hermione Granger immediately.
She was practically buried beneath towering stacks of books.
From a distance, her long hair looked even messier than usual.
Having gone unattended for so long, it resembled a fluffy little cat as she busily worked among the mountains of books.
The sight reminded Lewis of Hermione's brief transformation into a cat-girl.
Unable to suppress a smile, he walked straight over.
"Still working at this hour?"
he asked gently.
" Lewis!"
"You're here!"
Hermione looked up.
The moment she saw him, genuine delight spread across her face.
But after getting a closer look...
Lewis's heart ached.
Her complexion was pale.
Her face looked exhausted.
Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot.
She had clearly pushed herself far beyond her limits...
And had probably cried as well.
Without another word, Lewis pulled her to her feet and began leading her toward the exit.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Hermione protested.
"I still have work to do!"
Lewis stopped and glared at her.
"And you're still thinking about work?"
"Are you trying to collapse dead in the library?"
His stern tone immediately weakened her resolve.
Still...
She couldn't help murmuring,
"But... my books..."
"We'll borrow every single one."
With a casual wave of his hand...
His wand flew into his grasp.
Every book on Hermione's desk immediately floated into the air, lining up neatly behind them.
"You didn't rest at all during Christmas, did you?"
Lewis asked while walking.
"I'm pretty sure all your holiday assignments were finished before break even started."
As he spoke, his eyes swept across the titles of the floating books.
Regulations Governing Restricted Creatures.
Prohibited Trade Goods.
The Complexities of Rappaport's Law.
...
Suddenly...
Lewis remembered Hermione's rather unusual Christmas present.
The pieces instantly fell into place.
"You're trying to help Hagrid win his hearing before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?"
Hermione looked at him in astonishment.
"How did you figure that out?"
"All of this happened during the holidays..."
Then she nodded.
"But you're right."
"I want to help Hagrid."
"I want Buckbeak to be successfully defended."
Just as I thought...
Only Hermione would do something like this.
Thinking about it carefully...
She truly was an exceptional witch.
Of course...
She had her flaws.
She could be overly stubborn when dealing with people she considered less intelligent.
She wasn't particularly good at handling unexpected situations.
And like many Gryffindors...
She could sometimes be rather proud.
But her intelligence differed from that of most Ravenclaws.
Many Ravenclaws were brilliant and loved learning.
Yet they often appeared detached...
Cold...
Or unwilling to involve themselves in matters that didn't concern them.
Hermione was different.
She possessed genuine kindness.
And extraordinary determination.
Once she believed something was right...
She threw herself into it with everything she had.
Exactly as she was doing now.
The moment she learned Buckbeak faced execution...
She had spent the entire holiday researching legal precedents completely on her own.
Perhaps only someone like Hermione...
Could eventually become Minister for Magic years later.
"What about Harry and Ron?"
Lewis asked.
"They're Hagrid's friends too."
"They should've been helping."
At that question...
Hermione's eyes immediately reddened again.
Among the Gryffindors...
She didn't actually have many close friends.
Her dormmates were merely acquaintances.
Ginny was one of the few she got along with...
But they weren't even in the same year.
That left only Harry and Ron.
Ron had been arguing with her more and more this year.
Partly because of their pets.
Partly because of Lewis.
As for Harry...
The two had recently fallen out over the mysterious Christmas gift he'd received.
Someone had anonymously sent Harry a Firebolt.
Professor McGonagall believed it might be cursed and wanted to inspect it first.
Given Hermione's personality...
She naturally supported such a cautious approach.
That disagreement had turned into an argument.
Harry accused her of making unnecessary trouble.
He had even suspected that Hermione feared he'd finally obtained a Firebolt capable of challenging Lewis's absolute dominance in Quidditch.
As a result...
She had spent the entire holiday isolated.
Alone.
Working tirelessly to help Hagrid.
Now...
Feeling the warmth of Lewis's hand...
Meeting the concern in his eyes...
The final thread of strength she had been clinging to finally snapped.
Leaning against Lewis...
She quietly cried as she recounted everything that had happened over the holidays.
"So..."
Lewis couldn't help laughing bitterly.
"They actually think a Firebolt alone is enough to beat me on the Quidditch pitch?"
"Harry and Ron really are hopelessly optimistic."
After sighing...
He looked back at Hermione.
"See?"
"What did I tell you before?"
"Gryffindor friendships really are fragile."
"Aren't they?"
As he gently stroked her hair, he spoke softly.
"Hermione..."
"You don't need to blame yourself."
"And you certainly don't need to feel guilty."
"As far as I'm concerned..."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"You were simply worried about your friend."
"You offered perfectly reasonable advice."
"You only insisted on doing what you believed was right."
"And as for helping Hagrid..."
"What you've done for him is far more deserving of the word 'friendship' than anything Harry or Ron has managed."
Hearing those words...
Hermione finally smiled through her tears.
" Lewis..."
"I only did what I could."
"But..."
"I still haven't found any real solution."
She wiped away her tears awkwardly.
"Hermione."
Lewis hesitated briefly.
"Would you be willing to hear what I honestly think?"
He knew what he was about to say wouldn't be pleasant.
After all...
Hermione had devoted her entire holiday to this case.
The truth might make all of that effort feel meaningless.
"Of course."
"You know I always value your opinion."
Hermione looked at him with sparkling eyes.
Among everyone her own age...
Lewis was the only person she genuinely admired.
More importantly...
Being around Lewis always felt effortless.
Comfortable.
Completely unlike being with Harry and Ron.
Whenever she was with those two...
She was always the one solving problems.
Always the one helping.
And they often seemed impatient with her.
But beside Lewis...
She was the one receiving help.
For someone as independent as Hermione...
That rare feeling of having someone reliable to lean on brought tremendous comfort.
That...
More than anything else...
Was why she always found herself drifting toward Lewis whenever the three boys were together.
Seeing that Hermione had calmed down...
Lewis finally voiced his thoughts.
"Personally..."
"I think spending all this time writing Hagrid's legal defense is a very unwise decision."
"You're playing to your weaknesses instead of your strengths."
His opening statement immediately made Hermione frown.
Even so...
She restrained the urge to argue.
Instead...
She listened carefully.
She had always trusted Lewis's judgment.
"First."
"You're still just a student."
"You may already outperform many adult wizards in magic..."
"But you're not an expert in wizarding law."
"Trying to master an entire legal system in a few weeks means challenging professionals who've spent years studying and practicing."
"That's incredibly difficult."
Lewis watched her expression.
Seeing her nod slightly...
He continued.
"Second."
"Let's assume your brilliance carries you through."
"You spend enough time studying."
"You understand every regulation."
"You write the perfect defense."
"I honestly believe you're capable of doing exactly that."
Then Lewis spread his hands.
"But you can only control yourself."
"You can't control Hagrid."
"We both know him."
"He's impulsive."
"Even if your defense is flawless..."
"He won't necessarily present it properly."
"Unless..."
"You plan to stand in court and argue the case yourself."
Hermione silently considered his words.
Painful though they were...
She couldn't refute them.
"So..."
Lewis concluded gently.
"All this effort may only accomplish one thing."
"You'll exhaust yourself."
"And even then..."
"It still won't guarantee victory."
"So..."
"What else can I do?"
Hermione's eyes reddened once more.
"I don't know any other way to help him."
Lewis patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"You've already done far more than enough."
"Certainly more than Harry or Ron."
"Hagrid will be grateful to have a friend like you."
"But..."
"It still doesn't solve anything."
Hermione bit her lip.
Beyond researching laws and writing legal arguments...
She truly had no idea what else she could do.
Finally...
She looked up at the boy she admired most.
" Lewis..."
"You're much smarter than I am."
"If you were in my position..."
"What would you do?"
"Oh."
"That's easy."
Lewis shrugged.
"I'd spend a large sum of money."
"And hire Britain's best magical lawyer for Hagrid."
Hermione laughed helplessly.
"That really is a good idea."
"But it's also the sort of solution only someone like you could afford."
"Neither Hagrid nor I have that kind of money."
"But..."
Lewis raised a finger with a mysterious smile.
"There's one thing only you can do."
"Oh?"
"What is it?"
Hermione asked curiously.
"Simple."
Lewis placed both hands gently on her shoulders.
"Ask me for help."
"You need to remember something."
"No matter when."
"No matter what problem you're facing."
"You still have me."
"I'm your friend."
He confidently thumped his own chest.
"You've got the genius of Ravenclaw..."
"The Dragonslayer..."
"A First Class Order of Merlin recipient..."
"And the President of the Society of Erudition standing behind you."
"When you encounter something you can't solve alone..."
"You don't have to carry it all by yourself."
"You can always ask me."
Hermione was deeply moved.
"Thank you..."
"Thank you so much, Lewis."
"You've always been so good to me."
Unable to hold herself back...
She threw her arms around him.
Lewis calmly returned the embrace before continuing,
"As for this case..."
"I'm willing to sponsor Hagrid."
"I'll hire a professional attorney to represent him."
"And..."
"I'll also ask a friend of mine in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to exert some influence over the case."
"Oh, Lewis..."
"You're amazing."
"Oh..."
"I also have some Galleons."
"It isn't much..."
Hermione's face reddened with embarrassment.
She knew perfectly well...
Her savings wouldn't even cover a single hour of a top lawyer's fees.
"It's alright."
Lewis smiled warmly.
"What matters..."
"Is that you've done your best."
He didn't refuse her offer.
After all...
Contributing something herself would help ease the burden weighing on her heart.
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