Having packed her luggage, Kate boarded the train home. She only had to wait three hours before she could return to her warm room.
Just as she was resting her eyes, a fluffy brown little head popped in.
"Kate, is anyone sitting here?"
"Barring any accidents, I should count as a person," Kate replied in a flat voice, lifting her eyelids slightly.
Hermione grinned and, quite naturally, carried her suitcase over to sit beside her. "Kate, are you angry?"
"No." She tilted her head, only to meet Hermione's gaze filled with anticipation. Her heart softened momentarily. "I was just thinking about what to get you for a Christmas gift.
"Originally, I intended to take a rare copy from the family library to give you.
"But on second thought, those were collected by my ancestors through untold hardships. I have no reason to use my ancestors' possessions as social favors."
"I'll like anything as long as it's from you!" Hermione quickly declared.
Kate raised an eyebrow at this. "Is that so?"
Picking up a freshly bought Chocolate Frog, she stuffed it over. She spoke with a teasing tone, "Then let's make this the gift."
"This..." Hermione looked hesitantly at the small box in front of her, her brain working rapidly, before she immediately opened it.
The frog-shaped chocolate inside the box jumped up suddenly, only to be quickly caught by her.
"Half for each of us!" Hermione took a big bite out of it, then immediately handed the remaining part over.
Kate subconsciously leaned back. "This is a gift for you."
"Isn't mine just yours?" Hermione asked as if it were a matter of course. "Or are you disgusted that I took a bite first?"
Ah, this...
Looking at the half-bitten chocolate before her, Kate smiled helplessly and obediently leaned over to eat it.
Seeing this, Hermione finally revealed a satisfied smile. She lowered her head to look at the card that came with the box. "It's Dumbledore!"
"Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest Wizard of modern times.
"Dumbledore is particularly famous for:
"Defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945,
"Discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood,
"And his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel..."
She read halfway through before her eyes suddenly went wide. "Nicolas Flamel! I found him! So it was him!"
"Hmm?" Kate leaned in, pretending to know nothing. "Nicolas Flamel, huh? My family actually collects a few alchemy tools made by him."
Hermione looked up in surprise. "Really? Then why didn't you tell me?"
Who exactly is gaslighting whom here?
Kate crossed her arms grumpily. "I remember someone didn't tell me you were looking for this name before chatting with Hagrid yesterday."
Hermione's small face flushed red. Knowing she was in the wrong, she lowered her head and whispered an explanation. "I originally wanted to tell you after you were discharged, but then you kept going back into the Hospital Wing, so..."
"So you forgot to tell me?" Kate asked with a fake smile. "It's been over a month since I was discharged, hasn't it?"
"I'm sorry..." Hermione pursed her lips, looking pitifully at her to beg for mercy. "Next time, I'll definitely tell you first thing!"
"That—depends on your performance." Kate raised an eyebrow slightly and pulled out an extension book related to Transfiguration to read.
However, catching a glimpse of a certain little lion still staring at her eagerly from the corner of her eye, she had no choice but to tilt the book slightly toward her. "Can you understand it?"
"Mm... about twenty or thirty percent," Hermione replied tanglingly, frowning as she read for a while.
Kate smiled silently and took out a second-year textbook for her. "Then study this properly."
Being able to make a gathering of a lion and a little snake even more competitive than the Eagle House—probably only Kate could achieve that.
The time on the train passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, with the sound of a whistle, it pulled into the platform.
Kate packed her book and got off the train, immediately seeing the old butler waiting for her by the platform. A bright smile instantly appeared on her face.
"Grandpa!" she ran over quickly and threw herself into the old butler's arms, acting just like a child from an ordinary family spoiling for affection from her grandfather.
The old butler smiled until the wrinkles on his face showed, lovingly rubbing her head. "Lunch is already prepared at home. Is there anything else you want to eat?"
Kate shook her head, then turned to look at Hermione, who was still waiting for The Grangers in the distance. She reached out and tugged at the old butler's sleeve. "Let's see Hermione out first."
Muggles could not enter Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The old butler obeyed her words without question. He walked over, spoke a few words to Hermione, and led her over.
"Kate, are you going back to your own home?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "I want to send you a gift, I just don't know the address..."
The address of Shafiq Manor was kept secret from the outside world; this was a rule established since the war era.
Descendants of the family could bring friends in, but they absolutely could not reveal the address to outsiders.
"How about this," she thought for a moment and chose a compromise. "On the night of Christmas, I'll bring you to my house, and you can give me the gift in person!"
Anyway, the address she left for her other friends was also a residence in the Muggle world, and she had to go back there on Christmas night to pick things up regardless.
"Really? I can go to your house?" Hermione excitedly grasped her hand tightly. "Then it's a deal! I'll discuss it with Mom and Dad as soon as I get home!"
Kate's eyes curved in a smile. She gently pinched Hermione's small face, then held her hand as they passed through the barrier at the exit together.
The Grangers had already been waiting outside for a long time.
"Mom! Dad!" Seeing her parents after so long, Hermione ran over joyfully. When she turned back, she realized Kate and the old butler had already disappeared without a trace.
She pursed her lips in slight disappointment, but the thought of the promise Kate had made earlier instantly lifted her mood again.
"Mom, on Christmas night, I..."
Watching Hermione happily leave with her parents, Kate, who was standing behind the crowd, tugged at the old butler's hand. "Grandpa, let's go home too."
Generally speaking, without special channels, the method to return to Shafiq Manor was usually by using a Portkey.
Almost in an instant, they returned to the tree-lined avenue from her first visit. Kate soon saw the house-elves, led by Jingjing, waiting there for a long time.
Handing the luggage in her hands to the elves, she walked alongside the old butler and said, "After lunch today, I want to go to the library to pick out two books."
"Is it prepared for Miss Granger?" The old butler had already guessed as much.
Kate nodded. "Mn, but I want to copy a version myself."
The ancestors' collection couldn't be moved, but she could always copy a version to give away!
"Understood," the old butler nodded. "I will prepare the quill and ink."
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