The sun shone brightly outside the carriage.
It was slightly chilly inside.
Wisps of white smoke rose from the locomotive on the tracks. Several owls followed the train, beating their wings as they frolicked freely.
After boarding, Loren and Hermione walked down the corridor toward the rear, heading straight for the last carriage. Sure enough, there were still empty compartments.
They casually picked a neat, clean compartment and sat down. Loren took the window seat, leaning against the glass in a pose of admiring the scenery.
He was really trying to hide his embarrassed expression.
Hermione sat beside him, glanced at the tips of his reddened ears, and found it quite amusing.
They had been far more intimate before and had nearly seen each other completely bare more than once, yet this was the first time she had seen such a bashful reaction from him—all because of a normal physiological response.
Mr. Morgan was rather adorable like this.
After admiring him for several minutes, Hermione shook her head with a faint smile, shifted into a more comfortable reading position, pulled out the seventh-year textbooks from her pendant, and began previewing them.
Loren secretly glanced at his reflection in the window and resolved to find a chance to redeem himself. He stopped pretending to admire the view and silently returned to his seat.
Buildings and signposts flashed past outside. At some point, the train had left the town behind, and the scenery beyond the window had turned into verdant woods and country lanes. Colorful wildflowers rushed past, leaving behind only a few blurred traces.
Hills loomed faintly ahead as the train roared along the tracks, its brilliant scarlet body weaving through emerald forests and tunnels.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor, and Harry and Ron knocked before entering.
"Finally found you two."