(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly.
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Seeing Erwin's guilty expression, Cho's laughter only grew louder, bright and melodic in the crisp afternoon air.
"Haha"
His jealousy had been completely unfounded, yet Cho found it utterly endearing.
This was exactly the sort of behavior that showed how close they had become, even if he didn't realize it himself.
As for Cedric, who had ended up the innocent victim of Erwin's overprotective instincts?
Sorry, but Cho couldn't find it in herself to feel bad.
'Cedric Diggory? Who's that?' she thought mischievously, far too busy watching Erwin's flustered face and the way he kept avoiding her eyes.
Erwin, hearing her laughter continue, felt his embarrassment deepen.
His fingers fidgeted, and he looked anywhere but at her.
At that moment, Cedric Diggory and the other Hufflepuff players walked over.
There was no rivalry between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, so exchanging friendly words after a match was perfectly normal.
Cedric, his Quidditch robes scuffed and his arms marked with light bruises, stopped in front of Erwin and extended his hand with a wry smile.
"Hello, my name is Cedric Diggory. I know who you are, Erwin Gaunt. Have I done something to you somehow?"
Erwin blinked, caught off guard by the straightforward question.
Looking at Cedric's bruised arms, he felt a pang of guilt.
"No, not at all," he said quickly. "I just considered you a threat to Cho's chances of catching the Snitch first. Your flying skills are excellent. I apologize for today's... excessive targeting."
Beside him, Cho hid her mouth behind her hand, trying not to laugh again.
Cedric listened to the explanation, then nodded with an easy smile. He seemed genuinely unbothered.
"Well, I can't compare to you. Your precision is remarkable; you should think about going professional."
"Thank you,"
Erwin managed a polite smile as Cedric walked off to join his teammates.
The moment the Hufflepuffs were out of earshot, he grabbed Cho's hand and led her away quickly, anxious to escape before any less forgiving players decided to seek payback.
****
December arrived, bringing heavy snowfall to the castle grounds.
The grass lay buried beneath a blanket of white, transforming the landscape into a pristine winter wonderland.
Christmas approached rapidly, and the heads of each house began asking students about their holiday plans.
Erwin, having no family to return to, naturally planned to remain at Hogwarts.
Originally, Cho had wanted to stay as well, hoping to spend a wonderful Christmas vacation with him.
But just one week before the holidays, she received a letter from home.
In the letter, Cho's mother rejected her daughter's request, informing her that both parents would be taking her back to visit family.
Cho felt terribly guilty about leaving Erwin alone.
For the next several days, she was unusually compliant and closer to him.
Erwin didn't mind, though he certainly enjoyed the extra attention.
They would only be apart for a short time.
Once the Christmas holidays ended, they could be together every day again.
However, Cho's Christmas gift would need to be delivered before the term resumed.
He'd prepared a special surprise for her and wanted everything to be perfect.
After seeing the tearful Cho off at the station, Erwin returned to the castle.
Suddenly, a brown-haired blur rushed over and pulled him into a secluded corner.
It was Hermione.
Erwin spoke helplessly.
"Hermione, why do you always have to be so secretive? And why do we always end up meeting in empty corridors?"
Hermione flushed at the observation, her cheeks pink in the dim light.
'Yes, why do I keep pulling him into private places?' she thought fleetingly, before shaking her head. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"Erwin, I need your help," she said quickly, her tone urgent. "Do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?"
Erwin wasn't surprised.
'So Hermione and the others have finally reached this point in their investigation.'
After a moment's thought, he decided to tell her the truth.
They would uncover it soon enough anyway, and this way he could spare her the frustration of scouring every book in the library for an answer that wasn't there.
"Nicolas Flamel was a great alchemist," he explained calmly. "His greatest achievement was creating the Philosopher's Stone."
He spoke as though reading from memory, his tone smooth and steady.
"The Philosopher's Stone grants immortality and can turn base metals into gold. Supposedly, Nicolas Flamel and his wife have lived since the fourteenth century. He's also a personal friend of Dumbledore's."
Hermione's eyes widened, her mouth falling open in disbelief as the weight of his words sank in.
"Yes. The Philosopher's Stone. That's what Snape is after," she breathed, half to herself. "Thank you, Erwin. I have to go tell Harry and Ron!"
She turned to leave, but paused after a few hurried steps. A flicker of guilt crossed her face. Running off right after getting what she wanted felt terribly rude.
Before he could say anything, she stepped forward and hugged him briefly, her voice soft.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Now off you go," he replied with a small smile.
Hermione nodded and dashed down the corridor, her footsteps echoing faintly until they disappeared around the corner.
Erwin stood there for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Hermione's words lingered in his mind, Snape, the supposed villain.
So that's what they believed.
He could already imagine their shock when they learned the truth, when they finally realized that the real threat had been Quirrell all along.
'This should be entertaining to watch,' he thought, a faint glint of amusement in his eyes as he turned and walked away.