Another September

September 19th, crisp autumn weather.

Today was a certain young witch's birthday. They had not shut themselves away in the Room of Requirement to celebrate. The weather had already turned cooler; if they did not make the most of the outdoors now, cold winds would soon arrive, and then they would not be able to leave the shelter of the fireplace.

They did not go disturb Hagrid either. The atmosphere at the Forbidden Forest hut was not quite right—he was preparing to see Aragog off on his final journey.

Nor did they plan to sneak off to Hogsmeade. They had already visited plenty of times, and the day was nearly full of classes. They only had this bit of free time in the afternoon, so they simply came out for a walk.

Hermione had changed into autumn and winter robes. Apparently, wool had been mixed into the fabric, making them feel thicker. Beneath them, she wore a light gray fitted sweater, paired with a Gryffindor red-and-gold necktie and khaki boots. She possessed a vivid, distinctive beauty.

Loren could not help glancing at her neck.

It was slender and pale, her skin smooth as cream. Amid the slightly dim autumn scenery, it looked pure and luminous—beautiful beyond words.

In short, he wanted to kiss it.

Hermione found his gaze somewhat dangerous. After a brief pause, she decided to change the subject. "Why did Professor Snape sign his textbook as the Half-Blood Prince?"

"His mother was named Eileen Prince. She was a witch, and Professor Snape inherited her talent and Magic Power. For family reasons, he was more willing to acknowledge his mother's bloodline, so he called himself a half-blood Prince—the Half-Blood Prince."

Loren phrased it rather vaguely. He did not particularly want to speak ill of the professor's father. In those