September first—Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's opening day.
By eleven o'clock sharp, the magical world's scarlet steam engine would be waiting at Platform 9¾ of King's Cross Station, ready to whisk young witches and wizards away to another year of magic, mischief, and adventure.
To reach that enchanted platform, students had to slip through the solid barrier between Platforms 9 and 10—a secret gateway known only to the magical community.
That morning, Mr. and Mrs. Granger brought Qin Yu and Hermione to the station's entrance. As they watched the two children disappear into the bustling crowd, Mrs. Granger could no longer hold back her tears, pressing her hands to her mouth as she sobbed.
Last year, they had sent one child off. This year, both were leaving.
She watched Qin Yu pushing the trolley, Hermione close by his side, until the pair melted away into the sea of travelers. Her composure crumbled.
"Jenny, they'll be back before you know it," said Mr. Granger, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders in quiet reassurance.
"But… I'm just so worried about Hermione…" Mrs. Granger wept softly into his chest.
It was the first time their daughter would be away from home for so long—she wouldn't be back until the Christmas holidays.
"She'll be fine. With Qin Yu there, I know he'll look after her," Mr. Granger soothed, gently rubbing her back.
He meant every word. If Hermione were heading off alone to such a distant, mysterious place, even he would be worried. But Qin Yu had always been reliable, and after a year at Hogwarts, he seemed even steadier. Entrusting Hermione to his care felt right.
His words worked. Mrs. Granger's tears soon dried, her breathing calming.
"So, Jenny, now that the little ones are off to school… I think it's about time we planned ourselves a proper weekend," Mr. Granger said, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"A weekend plan?" Mrs. Granger murmured, her cheeks flushing as she caught his meaning.
After so many years of marriage, she knew exactly what he was hinting at.
"That's right. We could go away for a couple of days. I've heard Cokeworth is lovely this time of year—how about we spend the weekend there?" he suggested.
"That sounds wonderful," Mrs. Granger replied, trying to keep her composure, though her heart was already fluttering with anticipation.
It was true: ever since Hermione was born, weekends had revolved around her. It had been ages since they'd planned something just for themselves.
Her husband's words swept away much of the melancholy that had weighed on her heart. Now, she found herself looking forward to a rare weekend of just the two of them.
Just then, a loud, cheerful voice drifted over. "Harry, off you go and find your Platform 9¾! I hope they've finished building it by now!"
The Grangers turned to see a portly middle-aged man hefting a heavy trunk onto a trolley and handing it to a bespectacled boy with messy black hair.
The man noticed their gaze and glanced over curiously. The Grangers offered him a polite smile and nod.
—After all, anyone who knew about Platform 9¾ was almost certainly a wizarding parent.
The man blinked, nodded back, and, clearly eager to avoid conversation, hurried off to a nearby parked car. The black-haired boy pushed his trolley into the station alone, no doubt searching for that magical platform.
…
By the wall between Platforms 9 and 10, Qin Yu and Hermione waited for Harry Potter.
They had arranged to meet here by letter, since Harry had no idea how to find the elusive Platform 9¾.
"Qin Yu! We finally meet again!" Harry called out, his voice brimming with excitement as he caught sight of his friend.
He had counted down the days all summer, desperate for this moment. Life at the Dursleys' had improved a little, but he still felt like an outsider in his own home.
"You're looking much better, Harry," Qin Yu observed, noting the spark in Harry's eyes—so different from the withdrawn boy he'd first met.
"Hi, Harry Potter! I'm Hermione—Hermione Granger!" Hermione greeted him earnestly, holding out her hand with the utmost seriousness.
"I guessed you must be Hermione. It's great to finally meet you!" Harry replied, quickly shaking her hand with equal politeness.
"Wait, you know my name?" Hermione blinked in surprise.
"Of course! You're Qin Yu's sister. He's told me about you—I've been wanting to meet you for ages!" Harry said, beaming.
"Oh, is that so…? And what exactly did he say about me?" Hermione's eyes narrowed playfully as she glanced at Qin Yu.
Uh-oh.
Qin Yu felt a chill run down his spine.
He racked his brains, remembering that he'd only mentioned Hermione once—in Gringotts' underground vault. And, thanks to a forced system reset, he had probably said some less-than-flattering things about her: how she loved to snack, tossed and turned in her sleep, or nibbled her fingers while reading.
Thankfully, the last time he'd corrected himself and hadn't said anything too outrageous.
"He said you two get along really well, go shopping together all the time, and have eaten loads of delicious things in Diagon Alley," Harry said, repeating the safe version.
Hermione nodded, satisfied, then grabbed Qin Yu's hand and lifted her chin, huffing at him in mock pride.
"All right, time to head in," Qin Yu said, gently squeezing her hand and nudging her forward.
"Mm, let's go," Hermione replied, cheeks tinged pink as she tried to act nonchalant.
"So, uh… how do we get there?" Harry asked, scratching his head.
He truly had no idea where Platform 9¾ was.
But with Qin Yu here, he wasn't worried—he couldn't possibly get lost.
Just as the trio prepared to cross through, two voices called out:
"Qin, wait for us!"
"Qin, we're coming!"
Harry turned to see two identical red-haired boys, both a little taller than himself and about the same height as Qin Yu. Behind them trailed a whole crowd.
"George, Fred! Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Percy, Ron, Ginny, and—hello, little brother! Hello, everyone!" Qin Yu grinned, realizing that greeting the entire Weasley clan was a marathon for the mouth.
The Weasleys beamed in return, Mrs. Weasley especially showering Qin Yu with praise for how much taller and handsomer he'd grown.
"Bill, you're back again?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
"I know it sounds odd, but I'm here on official business," Bill replied, then gestured to the boy beside him. "This is Adam, a young wizard from a Muggle family in Egypt. The local Gringotts asked me to escort him to Hogwarts."
"Hello, Adam, it's great to meet you!" Qin Yu greeted the boy warmly.
"Hello, Qin. I'm pleased to meet you too!" Adam replied with perfect manners.
Qin Yu couldn't help feeling a little perplexed. Even if he hadn't memorized every student in Hermione's year, he was fairly certain he'd never heard of an Adam so close to the Weasleys. Then again, maybe this was the butterfly effect—or just the quirks of a parallel timeline. After all, in this world, Hermione had known about her magical identity before receiving her Hogwarts letter, hadn't she?
The thought passed in a flash. Before Qin Yu could introduce Hermione, the Weasley twins burst in—"This must be the famous Hermione!" "We couldn't see her properly in the last photo, but now we finally meet in person!"
Qin Yu was spared the introductions.
Hermione, for her part, found it a little surreal to be "famous" already. She glanced at Qin Yu and, ever so subtly, squeezed his hand.
But, to her disappointment, he didn't seem to notice at all.
——Dimensional Wall——
(A little author's note: There's a plot point here that's tricky to handle, and I've been stuck for a while. Plus, life's been hectic, so updates have been slow—thanks for your patience!)
(Thank you all for your gifts and support! I don't expect big tips—every bit of encouragement and every little flower means the world to me. Thanks to you, I've treated myself to some spicy hotpot and even a big order of braised chicken lately!)
(Your support is the magic that keeps me writing—thank you!)
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