Paper Tiger

At the Ben Nevis Mountain, Swill Inn.

For dinner, we had braised beef brisket with potatoes. The stew that had been sitting for an afternoon was boiled again with water. The potatoes almost melted into the broth, becoming soft and fluffy, and the beef brisket became even more tender and flavorful.

Hermione went upstairs to wash up early, while Loren, considering himself a gentleman, stayed downstairs with a serious expression, telling Alice some interesting stories about magic school while asking Old Dodd for more information about giants.

They chatted until the moon was high in the sky. Alice, still wanting more, returned home, while the slightly tipsy Old Dodd yawned.

"Just think of giants as smarter trolls. Those guys don't know magic and don't have sharp weapons. Although they are big, as long as you don't get surrounded, they won't be difficult to deal with with your magical abilities."

"Thank you again, Mr. Dodd."

"..."

Loren had done an excellent job of gathering information and was very satisfied with his performance. He couldn't help but look up at the guest room upstairs again. Affected by some strange feeling, he opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but couldn't sit still.

"You should get some rest. I'll take you up the mountain tomorrow morning."

"Excuse me, Mr. Dodd."

"No trouble at all, I'll just take you to the foot of the mountain, give you directions, and then come back."

"Haha... Sweet dreams, Mr. Dodd."

Sweet dreams to you all.

"..."

After saying goodbye to the tavern owner, I went upstairs and directly pushed open the door to the room I had booked during the day and walked in.

The tavern was connected to an electric wire, and the room was filled with warm, slightly yellowish light. There was also a small, bright, cool white lamp by the bedside.

Hermione leaned against the headboard cushion, holding an atlas in her hands, carefully surveying the terrain. Perhaps startled by the sharp sound of the door opening, her fair earlobes trembled slightly before quickly turning red.

Without looking up, she feigned composure. "Do you want to take a shower? The tavern only has showers, no bathtubs."

"I'm not showering today." Loren's tone was amused, his expression mischievous. "It's only August, still summer, why are you wearing thick winter pajamas?"

"The temperature is low in the Mountainous Area, so take precautions against catching a cold."

"I see..."

"Getting sick here is a real hassle. If we're going to be spending the next few nights in the mountains, we'll need to bring sleeping bags." Hermione flipped through the page, the map too blurry to read. "Go wash up and get some rest. We're going up the mountain again tomorrow."

"But I slept enough in the afternoon, and I have insomnia."

Loren went straight to the bedside, pushed her a little closer, squeezed some space to sit down, rested his head on hers, and smelled the familiar fragrance.

"What are you planning to do?" Hermione tilted her head slightly and glanced at him sideways.

"Don't look at me like that!" Loren turned her head back. "I'm going to discuss with you the magical principles of the Gubra'i Immortal Fire, and whether its stable properties can be applied to other spells..."

"..."

What a load of nonsense.

Hermione suppressed her pounding heartbeat, but suddenly felt the slightly hot touch of his skin and his slightly rapid breathing.

Some people were even more nervous than she was.

Yes, this person is always very measured; how could he do something impulsive?

Hermione remained outwardly calm, but her initially panicked heart gradually quieted down, even finding it somewhat delightful and amusing.

Are you nervous?

"What?"

"You're using witty remarks to cover up your shyness."

"Nonsense, you think I'd be shy?"

Loren was immediately exposed and glared at her fiercely.

Hermione wasn't afraid at all, and smiled as she glanced at the man.

Enraged, the paper tiger cupped her soft, tender face and kissed it. The warm flesh entered his mouth; it was soft, smooth, and delicate. When he released her, it bounced back like pudding, trembling gently.

"Explain yourself, who's shy?"

Hermione's face flushed a bright red, but she calmly wiped the drool off her face and said, "Alright, aren't you shy or nervous? Go wash up. We're going up the mountain tomorrow."

"I feel like you're laughing at me!"

"Illusion."

"Yeah?"

"It's just an illusion. Go wash up quickly. When you come back, we'll talk about the Gubra'i Immortal Fire. Tomorrow we'll go up the mountain to find Hagrid."

"..."

Hearing the little Witch's tone as she coaxed the child, the paper tiger, who had been seen through, felt uneasy. He was unwilling but helpless. He could only scare her, but he really couldn't bring himself to do anything. He could only go to wash up with an awkward expression.

Upon entering the bathroom, a set of men's winter pajamas was hanging in front of the mirror, and toothpaste was already squeezed onto the toothbrush. The Witch had arranged everything perfectly.

Loren changed into his pajamas and came out of the bathroom. He flopped onto the bed, kicked off his slippers, and silently crawled into the covers, lying next to Hermione. He said in a muffled voice.

"Go to sleep!"

With a flick of the finger, the room instantly darkened, the curtains were half drawn back, and clear moonlight streamed in through the window, revealing the starry sky and mountains outside—a tranquil and pleasant scene.

Hermione smiled and said, "Don't you want to talk about the Gubra'i Immortal Fire?"

"I can't be bothered with you..." Loren rolled over, turning his back to her. Soon, his breathing gradually became even.

Hermione turned her head, glanced at the sulking Loren in the starlight, then looked at the page number at the bottom of the atlas, folded up a corner to make a bookmark, closed the book and put it into the pendant.

She marked several places in the book where the mountain fog was thick and never dissipated. According to Old Dodd, those places were likely the settlements of giants. She would search them one by one and hopefully find traces left by Hagrid.

Looking at the person beside her again, Hermione lifted the covers and shrank into the blankets. The two maintained a distance of about half a roll of parchment between them, but they could still feel each other's warmth, which was trapped in the thick blankets and gradually became scalding hot.

Hermione stared at the moon-white ceiling, her mind a jumble of thoughts. One moment she saw the Gubra'i Immortal Fire, the next the giants on Ben Nevis Mountain, but no matter what she thought of, that slightly flustered face would eventually appear before her eyes.

The little Witch took a deep breath and regretted wearing her winter pajamas; she was now too hot to sleep.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing mind, and listened to the even, steady breathing around me. The world gradually quieted down.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the person next to her on the pillow.

The person seemed a bit hot and impatiently lifted part of the blanket, silently feeling it for a moment. Still feeling uncomfortable in the current sleeping position, they turned over, still with their eyes closed, but precisely reached out to hug themselves, and put one leg on their own leg.

Seemingly satisfied, he grunted twice, and his breathing became steady and even again.

He remained completely silent throughout the entire process, it was unclear whether he was fully conscious or sleepwalking.

"..."

Hermione pursed her lips, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her face.