Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

After some deliberation, John decided to send the hourglass and scarf together, since they weren't expensive anyway.

He seemed quite satisfied with his choice, nodding with his hands on his hips.

However, he hesitated for a moment, then touched his chin and asked.

"However, I wonder if Hermione would like it... What do you guys think?"

John straightened up and asked his brothers behind him.

While asking the question, he looked at the person behind him through the reflection in the shop window.

However, his three good brothers were nowhere to be seen; only a pretty young girl stood there.

The girl, through her reflection, looked into John's eyes with a smile in her beautiful eyes.

"..."

"Hermione! What's wrong with you? When did you get here?!"

After a moment of surprise, John turned around and saw Hermione asking in astonishment.

"Hmm... let me think, it must have been when you asked me how that little hourglass was."

Hermione put one hand behind her back and extended a finger from the other, playfully resting it on her chin, as if she were thinking.

Isn't that what's been there from the very beginning?

"Oh, right, I really like that little hourglass~ and that scarf too~"

Hearing Hermione's clearly teasing words, John blushed with embarrassment.

Hermione overheard everything she said to her best buddies.

No, Hermione came without even warning me, she just left me behind and ran away!

"Uh! You, I... if you like it, I'll give it to you..."

John hesitated for a long time, but when he had no other choice, he finally spoke slowly.

Hermione nodded emphatically, her eyes curving into crescents, unable to hide the smile on her face.

......

The two walked one after the other on the snow-covered ground of Hogsmeade.

Hermione walked ahead, her steps filled with obvious excitement.

John followed behind Hermione, carrying the lifeless orange cat in his arms, watching Hermione's back as her hair and scarf swayed with her steps.

As for the delicate little hourglass, she held it in her hands and played with it.

I guess they're thinking about where to hang this little gadget so they can easily carry it with them.

The fluffy scarf wrapped her up tightly, revealing only a pair of bright, sparkling eyes, like amber illuminated by the snow.

"Hermione, how did you know I was here?"

On the way, John asked Hermione about it, puzzled.

My itinerary for today was just wandering around with my buddies, it was completely random.

"Oh, you've reminded me."

Hermione, who was in front, stopped immediately upon hearing John's question and stood in front of him.

"Krookshan came to me to accuse you of taking it to the Screaming Shack and then leaving it there to play on your own."

"That's why it found me and then led me to you."

John paused, looking down at the orange tabby in his arms. The tabby, hearing that its owner was finally going to stand up for it, immediately opened its big, bright eyes, eagerly awaiting its owner's next move.

"Hey, you little orange cat, we brought you out to play, why are you tattling?"

John looked at the big orange cat in his arms and said sadly.

"Meow!"

The orange cat meowed at John in dissatisfaction.

"It says you forced it to come out with you."

"No, Hermione, you can really understand it?"

"After raising them for five years, they should have some kind of understanding, right?"

Hermione said with great pride.

"Meow."

Orange called out to Hermione again, seemingly urging her to punish John quickly.

"Krokshan told me to punish you severely. What do you say we do?"

Hearing Crookshanks' urging, Hermione put her hands on her hips, leaned close to John, and whispered the question.

"Why don't you just pretend you didn't understand..."

"No way! Crookshanks are my beloved cats, like family!"

Hermione said this with an iron fist.

"Then... shall I invite you for a cup of tea?"

"No way! Just drinking... Wait, where are we going to drink?"

John had just stated a condition when Hermione immediately refused, but halfway through the refusal, she circled back and pressed for an answer.

"Um, I've heard of a nice teahouse called Madame Patif's Teahouse. Shall we go try it together?"

Hermione's eyes lit up noticeably when she heard the location John mentioned.

"OK."

Hermione immediately nodded in agreement.

John tilted his head, finding the reaction somewhat strange.

"Is that place nice? You seem so excited?"

"Huh? You don't know where there is?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to be puzzled. After all, it was John who brought it up, and she thought John must know what kind of place it was.

"Uh...actually, it was something I asked Luna about last time: what places in Hogsmeade are suitable for taking girls out..."

"Then Luna recommended that I take you there for a date..."

Hearing this, Hermione was both amused and exasperated.

She cried because John, that idiot, hadn't actually figured things out before he took the initiative to ask her out.

She laughed because John had specifically inquired about the location in order to have a date with her.

"So, what's that place for?"

John scratched his head with some concern and asked, although logically Luna wouldn't betray him...

But her brain circuits are different from most people's; what seems normal to her might actually be quite abnormal...

"Inviting a girl over without even asking around? Luckily you invited me, or I'd have blown your head off!"

Hermione grumbled, sounding a little grumpy.

John scratched his head at this.

Although Hermione said that, she was clearly happy when he invited her earlier, and comparing that to her current reaction, he could roughly guess what kind of place Lady Patiff's Tea House was.

John then continued.

"But besides you, I can't possibly invite other girls out to play."

Hearing this, Hermione's face flushed red, and she turned her head away haughtily, pouting as she spoke.

"...Hmph~ You're good at saying nice things."

John smiled, then simply took Hermione's hand and led her toward the main street of Hogsmeade.

Hermione didn't pull away; she let John hold her soft little hand.

Neither of them noticed a drawn-out, accusatory "Meow!" coming from behind them.

The big orange dog sat on the stone steps, its tail thumping the ground impatiently, its eyes filled with utter despair as it watched its master being led away by that two-legged creature that had tricked it.

The cat doesn't understand what Madame de Patif's Tea House is, but it does understand that its love-struck owner has once again forgotten about it.