The train moved slowly, but neither Noah nor Hermione cared about its speed.
What mattered most to them was enjoying the journey itself. Neither Hermione nor Noah would forget how they had spent those eight hours back then, caught between anticipation and anxiety.
Their state of mind was different now, so naturally they felt none of that anymore. Still, what made them both a little awkward was that, as they talked, they had unconsciously moved very close together. When they noticed what they currently looked like, they both realized something was off.
"You couldn't possibly..." Hermione looked at Noah curiously. "Have been interested in me back then?"
"How could that be!" Noah rolled his eyes. "Leaving aside the fact that I'm not into little girls, all I thought about back then was magic. There was no way I could have been interested in you."
"Oh?" Hermione tilted her head. "Then why were you sitting so close?"
"Because the face I see before me is still what you looked like as an adult." Noah answered decisively. "That's my magic. I can't possibly be fooled by my own magic, can I?"
Noah decisively killed off that topic. He was not into little girls, much less did he want to be mistaken for someone who was.
Besides, Noah was right. He truly had not been interested in Hermione back then, partly because she had been far too young.
It was just that Noah had never imagined they would end up together. In a roundabout way, did that count as completing a little-girl-raising plan?
Noah rubbed his nose. It was not exactly shameful, but he did not want people to misunderstand.
Just as Noah was about to explain further, a genuine little blonde girl appeared at the compartment door.
Her medium-length blond hair fell