"Achoo—" Vincent, who was receiving a package, suddenly sneezed.
He carefully stepped out of the pile of gifts and went to the window to look down.
That dazzling, fiery red hair could only belong to Tonks.
"Pfft—" Vincent burst out laughing.
Last time I was assigned to check emails, and this time I'm assigned to check emails again.
The disciple of a legendary Auror was just spinning around with a broken crystal.
If Moody knew about this, he would kick open the door to the Auror Office and start cursing at Scrimgeour.
A good laugh and I felt much more energetic.
Vincent glanced at the clock on the wall.
Let's go down for breakfast at 7:50 or 8:30.
Time passes quickly, yet relatively slowly.
After collecting the last girl's belongings, the three men who had been blocked in front of the boys' dormitory were finally able to go downstairs for breakfast.
But these gifts and envelopes...
Let's take them back to the dorm first.
Alfred took out a small cube with Undetectable Extension Charm applied, and James and Neville stuffed everything inside.
But just as they were about to return to their dorm, the door to the girls' dorm next door opened again.
After making that eye contact, I knew I had to run.
Whoever comes out, it'll be too late if we don't leave now.
Hermione pushed open the door and only saw the backs of the three of them.
Hey! Is Vincent still in the dorm?
They walked so fast, they were gone in the blink of an eye.
Her eyes held a hint of resentment as she looked down at the identical small cube in her hand.
Inside were gifts and envelopes entrusted to her to deliver to Vincent. They were all from Gryffindor girls, and from each year.
There are a total of 7, but none of them pose a threat.
Hermione arrived at the boys' dormitory, her empty little hand tightly clutching the bulging pocket of her school robe.
She seemed unusually flustered, as if she had some other plans, and stood there hesitating for a long time.
There are restrictions in girls' dormitories, but not in boys' dormitories.
It's too daring for a girl to run into a boy's dormitory, especially since it's not even nighttime.
Hermione shook her head, banishing these wild thoughts from her mind.
That's nighttime sightseeing, yes, nighttime sightseeing.
Having finally found an excuse, she took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob.
But as if she had been electrocuted, she quickly pulled her little hand back as soon as she touched it.
My face is burning hot. Should I wait downstairs?
Just then, the door to the boys' dormitory opened.
Hermione was so startled that she staggered backward and almost fell to the ground.
"Clang, clang, clang—" A small cube fell down and rolled several times.
"Are you alright?" Vincent quickly came to her side.
Hermione met his concerned eyes. "No... I'm fine."
She hurriedly picked up the small cube from the ground and stuffed it into Vincent's arms without even looking at it.
"This... this is what they asked me to give you..."
The voice was very soft, Vincent couldn't hear it clearly. "What? You said who gave it to me?"
Hermione clenched her little hands, feeling something in her palm.
She looked down and saw that it was a small cube.
No, this is...
"Ah—" she screamed suddenly.
Vincent approached her with a worried look on his face. "What happened? Did you twist your ankle?"
"I... I..." Hermione's cheeks turned red quickly, and she flinched back like a startled fawn.
"I... I'm going downstairs first." After saying that, she quickly left the common room as if she were fleeing.
Vincent stood frozen in place, staring at the small cube in his arms.
It's just handing things over to him, what's there to be ashamed of? Why run away?
"Uh... could it be..."
Inside the small cube was only a delicate red and yellow gift box.
With a slight smile, he sat down at the round table.
Upon opening the gift box, a lifelike chocolate shaped like a lion sat quietly inside, with a white envelope underneath.
He gently picked up the chocolate and examined it carefully, confirming that it was handmade.
Next, open the envelope and take out the light brown letter paper.
To my forever friend, Vincent Wayne:
Happy Valentine's Day.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Because of you, my life has become more wonderful.
I will cherish those precious memories and hope that we can continue to be together in the future.
I wish you success in achieving your goal soon.
—Hermione Granger
February 14, 1994
Vincent gently closed the letter and carefully placed it back into the white envelope.
Although it was quite different from what he had expected, the undisguised smile on his face showed that he was not disappointed.
Great Hall,
Hermione, sitting at the Gryffindor table, seemed rather uneasy.
As her roommates, Lavender and Parvati had a vague idea of what was going on.
"By the way, have you already given Vincent the Friendship Chocolate you mentioned?"
"Yes." Hermione, trying to appear calm, scooped up a large spoonful of yogurt cereal and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Oh, where is he now?"
She shook her head to indicate that she didn't know.
Lavender suddenly stood up and patted Parvati on the shoulder. "It's Vincent. He's coming."
"Cough cough—" Hermione choked and hurriedly drank a big mouthful of milk.
She looked in the direction her two roommates had run off to; Vincent was already surrounded by several girls.
There was even a Slytherin student, and she was quite a pretty upperclassman.
Her two roommates returned after delivering the gift and, seeing Hermione still gazing longingly at them, sat down next to her with teasing smiles.
Parvati put his arm around her shoulder. "Didn't expect him to be so popular, did you?"
Lavender shrugged at her. "I told you not to make any Friendship Chocolate, now you're caught off guard, aren't you?"
Hermione pushed past the two without saying a word and scooped up a large spoonful of yogurt cereal.
"Cough cough—" He choked again.
Lavender quickly handed her the milk and napkin, saying, "Drink slowly."
Parvati patted her back gently, "Okay, let's stop talking about it."
Hermione wiped her mouth with a napkin to calm herself down a bit.
She looked back and found that Vincent was also looking over.
The two tacitly avoided each other's gaze.
"Isn't it about time for class?"
I have to get to the classroom by 8:40.
"Hermione, let's go now."
There wasn't much to see in the commotion, and the students all got up and left the Great Hall.
After the girls left, only a few people remained in the huge Great Hall.
Vincent, carrying a large pile of gifts, naturally sat down next to Hermione.
"I'm exhausted..." He dumped all the gifts he was carrying onto the long table and then slumped into a chair.
Hermione picked up her wand, summoned a set of unused cutlery and placed it in front of him, then gently tapped the empty cup with a spoon.
When breakfast arrived, Vincent had straightened up, didn't start eating. Instead, he took a small cube out of his pocket.
"Here, this is a gift I prepared for you."
Hermione accepted the small cube in a daze, then realized it was hers. "The one inside..."
"I've checked it. It's the Valentine's Day gift you gave me, right?"
She nodded with a blush on her face and took out the small cube that she was originally going to give to him.
"That was what I prepared for you, this is what they asked me to give you."
Vincent caught it and casually placed it on the pile of gifts on the table, saying, "Thank them for me."
Hermione lowered her head and said, "Hurry up and eat, there's not much time left."
Vincent picked up the spoon. "Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"
"I plan to go back and take another look."
"All right."
On the other side of the long table, Harry and Ron stared at each other awkwardly.
They seemed to have witnessed something extraordinary.
Are they really so oblivious to everyone else? No wonder they're Gryffindor's number one and number two bulls.