Chapter 110: Hermione's Birthday Gift

Just as Tom finished putting away the gift box, he saw Hermione rubbing her eyes and walking out of the dormitory.

Hermione looked like she had just woken up, probably having just finished brushing her teeth and getting ready. She had her hair disheveled, wearing a wine-red sleeping robe with the hem revealing two smooth and delicate calves, and she had on a pair of plush dog head slippers.

Upon seeing Tom sitting by the window lost in thought, Hermione, still a bit groggy, became more alert.

"You woke up early," Tom greeted Hermione first, breaking her brief stupor.

"A person who's been in the common room for a long time has no right to say they woke up early," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Are you afraid I caught you studying?"

"Not at all," Tom clarified quickly. "There are no books on my desk!"

Indeed, there were no books on his desk, only a steaming teapot and a teacup.

Hermione squinted her eyes, suddenly reaching into her bag and pulling out a book. She shook it, causing the sound of books colliding inside. "There are indeed no books on the desk. Your words are surprisingly accurate."

Tom was astonished. "You shouldn't be able to see that! Why are you so skilled at this?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Hermione retorted. "Haven't you done this sort of thing a lot?" She even had a mental image of the scene: a brown-haired girl hastily hiding her book upon hearing footsteps, as her classmates would make a fuss if they caught her secretly reading.

"Don't change the subject!" Hermione placed the book on the table, ready to continue investigating Tom's "breach" of contract, but when she heard Tom inviting her for a walk, she decided to change into proper clothes first and then properly interrogate him along the way. After all, she had to make him understand the importance of keeping promises.

Tom didn't see Hermione again until he had finished the tea.

When Hermione returned to the dormitory, she first found her eyebrow pencil and defined her eyebrows to make them look longer. Then she applied a light eye liner, and put on a faint lip gloss.

Most of the girls in the dormitory had already woken up, and they were lying on various beds either daydreaming or covering themselves with blankets, waiting for the arrival of the servant of the Sleep God.

Padma Patil saw Hermione leave and return, sitting in front of her desk, starting to put on makeup. The gossip flames in her heart immediately flared up. She stealthily approached Hermione, suddenly saying, "You don't usually wear makeup. Now you're putting on makeup on the weekend?"

"Hmm?" Hermione's hand trembled, and the lip gloss smeared onto her chin.

She wiped her chin with a handkerchief in panic, explaining, "Yes, um, putting on makeup on the weekend, studying and all..."

"Ah~" Padma showed a meaningful smile. The entire dormitory, apart from those truly asleep, swiftly regained their alertness. Those who were daydreaming suddenly had real things on their minds, and those facing the sleep god's servant kicked the servant away. Everyone turned their attention to Hermione's explanation.

"Girls should learn to put on makeup," Padma affirmed. "How can you make boys' hearts beat faster without makeup?"

"I have a book from my hometown, 'The Art of Love,' too bad you're not old enough, or reading it would definitely be beneficial..."

"What Art of Love? Padma, I don't understand what you're saying."

"Putting on makeup on the weekend must be something special," Su Li joined in, adding to the discussion.

"Are you going out with some older student?" Su Li asked the question that worried her the most. Su Li, in simpler terms, was a "CP leader." She didn't really want to see any "accidents" happen. After all, Tom was quite popular in Ravenclaw: a Quidditch genius, a top student, and the incident at the end of last semester had added a heroic aura to him.

Su Li expressed that this pair seemed suitable. Very suitable!

"Is it Percy Weasley from Gryffindor? I heard he's quite close with Penelope from our house."

For Hermione, Penelope's image was somewhat clear: a proud girl with beautiful curly hair. She had good grades and was likely to become a prefect.

"No way! She's actually with Percy—"

"Let's talk about this later," Hermione interrupted as the number of girls around her increased to four.

Hermione got along well with the girls in the dormitory, thanks to Ravenclaw's intense study atmosphere. Here, academic excellence earned more respect. Besides, boys and girls often played games together, so everyone became quite familiar.

In a side note, when playing Werewolf now, Tom rarely survived beyond the third round. This was due to his strange intuition; Tom guessed the werewolves exceptionally accurately. If he got the roles of Witch or Hunter, the wolf team was almost guaranteed to lose a member. Therefore, Tom had mostly become the game's host, watching a group of novices bicker.

The consequence was that the wolf team often eliminated him on the first night.

So now Tom was mostly the game's host, watching a group of novices quarrel.

The girls chatted enthusiastically while simultaneously picking out clothes for Hermione and helping her with makeup.

"Great! The little sun has finally enlightened herself!"

"I heard that the new pretty girl in the school knows Tom. It really frightened me."

"Like, seriously! She must be a dangerous creature, being a younger student. We must be careful with her."

They began to advise Hermione.

However, their mouths didn't stop, and their hands didn't rest. While they were conversing, they also selected skincare and grooming products. The girls were all young, so there wasn't anything heavy, just skincare and maintenance items.

"Here, this essential oil makes your hair smooth."

"A magical perfume can make the opposite sex have a good impression of you—rest assured, it's not a love potion."

...

A few minutes later, Hermione had been dressed up by her roommates. At first glance, it didn't seem like she was wearing makeup, but she looked a bit more attractive than usual, even her hair was not as messy.

"Take some gold jewelry with you," Padma said, taking out a box and placing it on the table with a thud. "If a girl doesn't have enough gold on her, she might be looked down upon."

Hermione declined her offer, and Padma looked somewhat disappointed as she left with the box of bracelets.

"The outer wizard robes don't leave much room for dressing up," Chief Commander Su Li said, putting a clean wizard robe aside. "You can wear the gray coat and a white shirt. Should you wear a tie? Yes, let's wear it, although it might make it look like we're going to class—"

"Should I bring a scarf?"

"Don't overdo it!" Su Li immediately rejected the suggestion. She looked at Hermione for a while and said, "I remember you have a pair of...those? Yes, just go with that."

Blushing, Hermione took out a pair of gray ankle socks from her suitcase, which had cute cartoon patterns on them: a dog on the left foot and a cat on the right. She struggled to put them on and then put on a pair of black knee-high boots. They were smooth and unadorned, with a small strap with a gold button near the ankles. The boots were just the right length, slightly below the knee.

Su Li nodded with a smile. "All set!"

As Hermione was about to leave the dormitory, she suddenly whispered to her, "Hermione, remember, don't confess too quickly. Wait for Yodel to make the first move—remember: Love is WAR!"

Hermione's face turned red. "What confession...I don't understand? It's just a walk!" Then she quickly ran downstairs, and her boots made a crisp tapping sound on the floor.

Behind her, a group of roommates with aunt-like smiles surrounded her.

Tom thought for a moment that Hermione had stood him up, but when she appeared at the stairwell, he was genuinely impressed.

The girl in front of him was both familiar and unfamiliar: she was very pretty, but it was hard to pinpoint what made her attractive.

"Shall we?" Hermione asked, a little shyly, looking down at the ground.

"Sure."

The two of them walked out of the castle together.

The sun was shining brightly today, warming them but not too hot. They walked slowly on the castle's lawn, with Tom watching the grass brush against the hem of his robe, and Hermione's boots making soft, rhythmic sounds as they walked.

Tom and Hermione crossed the lawn and reached the edge of the Black Lake. They walked together along the lake.

"Why did you suddenly want to go for a walk with me?" Hermione asked with her hands behind her back.

"Since I came to Hogwarts, I haven't had a chance to really look at her," Tom said, taking out a sandwich wrapped in a napkin. It was something he had just taken from the Great Hall.

Hermione took the sandwich, and the two of them walked quietly around the Black Lake for a while. As they walked, Hermione furrowed her brow slightly, and a tree branch that extended into the lake appeared in front of them.

"This is a good spot for fishing," Tom pointed to the shaded lake and said. Then they both burst into laughter, remembering the scene when they first met and went fishing together.

The two of them sat under the tree, watching the sunlight reflect on the lake, enjoying the cool breeze, and the breeze carried a pleasant scent, perhaps the scent of flowers or...

"Look!" Hermione poked Tom's side and startled him.

Following Hermione's finger, Tom saw Draco and a Slytherin student named Pansy Parkinson walking out of the castle. They were holding hands and walking across the lawn in another direction.

"Speaking of fishing, they say there are giant squid in the Black Lake, don't know if it's true," Hermione said, looking at the lake and bringing up this topic.

"Of course, it's true. I've also heard legends that the giant squid in the lake is one of the Four Founders. It's an Animagus, and its transformation form is a giant squid. It has been living in the lake and guarding it ever since."

"Isn't it fake?" Hermione clearly didn't believe it. "How can there be a squid that lives for a thousand years?"

"Yeah, immortality is actually a curse..." Tom sighed and tossed the last piece of bread into the lake.

Soon, a tentacle appeared and took the bread below the surface.

"Quick, look!" He pointed at the tentacle. "That's the giant squid in the lake. Students like to feed it by the lake."

Hermione also got excited and threw her breakfast into the lake to feed the squid.

"Why do you think immortality is a curse?" Hermione asked with curiosity. In the Muggle world, immortality was like the forbidden fruit in Eden, something everyone coveted.

"Immortality comes with endless loneliness. You watch your familiar friends wither, grow old, and die one by one. Even the friends who survive are worn down over the long years, forgetting their past. Do you still think immortality is a good thing? I heard that Mr. Nicolas Flamel has decided to stop using the Philosopher's Stone."

Talking about this topic made them feel somewhat melancholic, and they fell into silence.

Tom took out a gift box and handed it to Hermione.

"Happy birthday, Hermione."

Hermione was surprised.

"We've known each other for almost two years, and I only found out about your birthday recently. I won't make up for the last gift." Tom smiled.

"I know your birthday is on September 19th, but by then it might be too late—"

"Too late for what?" Hermione asked, holding the box.

"Nothing. Even if something happens to me in the future, don't worry. I'll be fine, trust me."

"What do you mean by 'something happens'?" Hermione put down the box.

Tom shook his head. "That's my job. Don't worry, you know my 'little secret.'"

With Tom's reassurance, Hermione felt relieved. She gently opened the gift box.

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(End of this chapter)

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