Professor McGonagall appeared beneath the colorful parasols of Sweet Swirl as punctually as the hand of a precise clock. She glanced at the half-melted ice cream on the table, which had clearly been temporarily forgotten by its owner, and at the dark-blue Starry Notebook Hermione clutched tightly to her chest. Her brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but in the end, she said nothing.
"Time is up." Her voice carried its usual coolness. "I will send each of you back separately. Miss Granger, your parents are waiting for you at home. Mr. Lee..." Her gaze shifted to Lynn. "I have made the necessary arrangements with the welfare institute where you are staying temporarily, so that you may travel smoothly. Now, stand closer."
Lynn and Hermione hurriedly rose to their feet. Hermione carefully placed the Starry Notebook into the paper bag containing her new textbooks, handling it as gently as a fragile treasure. Her fingertips still retained the notebook's cool touch and the weighty sentiment it carried. Lynn swiftly packed up his own belongings.
Professor McGonagall drew her wand—a straight, smooth rod of dark wood without any ornamentation. She motioned for Hermione to stand on her left and Lynn on her right, about an arm's length apart.
"Do not move. It may be uncomfortable," Professor McGonagall warned, then flicked her wrist steadily.
Pop!
A soft explosion sounded, like a cork being pulled from a bottle. Lynn and Hermione simultaneously felt a powerful force squeeze in from all directions, as though they had been stuffed into an impossibly narrow rubber tube. Darkness filled their vision, while their ears rang with the roar of blood rushing through their veins and a strange whistling wind. The Star Stone and Moon White Stone against their chests both radiated intense heat, as though resisting that crushing force.
The suffocating sensation lasted only a second or two before abruptly vanishing.
Their feet landed on solid ground once more, and fresh air carrying the faint scents of grass and car exhaust rushed into Lynn's nostrils. He shook his head, steadied himself, and found that he was standing beside a familiar, somewhat shabby street. The fading sunlight illuminated the address plaque on a red-brick building not far away—it was St. Mary's Children's Welfare Institute, London, where he was currently staying. Hermione and Professor McGonagall had already vanished.
The welfare institute's dull gray exterior seemed especially quiet beneath the setting sun. Lynn took a deep breath, suppressing both the lingering dizziness from the rapid transfer and his brief concern for the brown-haired girl clutching the Starry Notebook. He knew that Hermione should have returned safely to her home in Hampstead by now.
Over the following days, while waiting for the Hogwarts Express to depart, Lynn's life was occupied by two things: devouring the newly purchased magical textbooks and cautiously attempting to explore the inheritance left behind in the vault of "Lynn Li"—especially the dark-blue Starry Notebook and the Pen of Stars.
The small room assigned to him by the welfare institute was in the attic on the top floor. It was cramped but quiet, with a skylight that overlooked a small patch of gray sky. He spread the Starry Notebook open on his only desk, with A History of Magic and Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration beside it. When his fingers gripped the Pen of Stars, the Star Stone against his chest gave off a steady warmth. As the tip touched the blank dark-blue page, thoughts concerning the Magic Source, Spell Structure, and the basic principles of Transfiguration flowed clearly onto the page like a gentle stream, glittering with deep-blue starlight. This method of directly materializing and recording abstract thoughts was far more efficient than ordinary writing, allowing his understanding of magical theory to advance by leaps and bounds.
Besides studying, he also experimented with the "Star Core Ring" and the "Astrology Compass." The ring rested on his right index finger, and he soon grew accustomed to its icy touch. Yet apart from the occasional nearly imperceptible flash of blue light, it displayed no other unusual reaction. The Astrology Compass was even more mysterious. Its jade casing was warm and smooth, while the star paths etched within were exquisitely detailed. Whenever he tried to inject a thread of weak magic into it, those star-path lines would flicker faintly for an instant, as though a sleeping Milky Way had been disturbed, before swiftly returning to silence. He could not decipher any specific information from it. Clearly, both items required particular conditions or more powerful magic to activate.
One evening, three days later, Lynn was immersed in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi's description of Moonlight Grass when a rapid, crisp tapping sounded from beyond the little attic skylight.
Tap, tap, tap! Tap, tap, tap!
Lynn looked up in surprise. An exceptionally magnificent owl was pecking at the glass with its curved beak. It was slightly smaller than a common barn owl, but its feathers were a flawless snowy white, as though draped in a faint golden glow beneath the sunset. Its most striking feature was its eyes, like two clear amber gems, bright and spirited. The tips of its tail feathers were adorned with several plumes that seemed to be formed from tiny Ice Crystals, glimmering with rainbow-colored light under the refracted rays. It was so beautiful that it seemed like a creature from a dream.
"Snow Feather?" Lynn immediately recalled the name Hermione had mentioned. He rose at once and carefully pushed open the skylight.
Snow Feather fluttered lightly inside, bringing a cool night breeze with it. It folded its wings and landed steadily on Lynn's desk, tilting its head as it curiously inspected him with those lovely amber eyes. Then it looked at the open Starry Notebook and the glittering starlit writing upon it before letting out a short, clear cry. "Hoot!"
A slender roll of parchment was tied to its leg.
Lynn untied the parchment roll. Snow Feather immediately lowered its head to preen its fluffy white breast feathers, its posture elegant.
When he unfolded the parchment, familiar neat handwriting with a hint of childishness came into view:
> Lynn: > > Did Snow Feather find you? Isn't it beautiful? Dad said it might have Silver Snow Owl blood! It was only delivered from the Magical Pet Shop this morning, and I immediately wanted it to send you a letter! > > I simply cannot wait to go to Hogwarts! I've been reading the textbooks these past few days, especially History of Magic, which is so interesting! I also tried using my wand to light the lamps several times. I only succeeded once and nearly set the curtains on fire! Mum was terrified! How is your notebook research going? Isn't that pen amazing? > > Oh, and I made a little case for my wand from an old scarf, so it will not get dirty. What about yours? > > I'm looking forward to September 1st! See you at the station! Don't forget, it's Platform Nine and Three-Quarters! > > P.S. Snow Feather seems to really like the hard candy you gave me last time, the kind with the star pattern. If you still have some... > > Hermione
At the end of the letter, she had drawn a small, simple sun with a smiling face.
Every line brimmed with Hermione's unique excitement, like leaping flames, as well as her boundless yearning for the new world. Lynn could almost see her lying over her desk as she wrote, her fluffy curls falling beside her cheeks and her large eyes shining brightly. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, and even the warmth from the Star Stone at his chest seemed to deepen.
He immediately took out the Pen of Stars and a sheet of ordinary parchment. The Starry Notebook was too precious, and he did not wish to use it for reply letters yet. After considering it for a moment, he began to write:
> Hermione: > > Snow Feather arrived safely. It is indeed the finest owl I have ever seen, especially the Ice Crystals on its tail feathers. They are truly unique. Please thank it for me, and congratulations on having such an excellent companion. > > The Starry Notebook and pen are priceless treasures. They have greatly improved my studying efficiency. Chapter Seven of A History of Magic, concerning the flow of magic, has given me a new understanding when combined with the notebook's star-path simulations. I have enclosed a rough sketch of some of my thoughts on another sheet of parchment. Perhaps it may inspire you. > > My wand is still bare for now. It seems I will have to learn from your handiwork. > > I have plenty of hard candy in stock. I have enclosed a small bag with this letter. Please give my regards to Mr. Granger and Mrs. Granger. > > September 1st, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. See you there. > > Lynn
On another sheet of parchment, Lynn quickly used the Pen of Stars to sketch several faintly glowing dark-blue lines representing the flow of magic, marking a few key points. He carefully rolled up the letter, the sketch, and a small bag of hard candy stamped with silver stars, then tied them to Snow Feather's extended leg.
Snow Feather seemed to catch the sweet scent of the candy and gave a delighted series of hoots. It affectionately rubbed its head against Lynn's finger, cool and soft to the touch, then spread its snowy wings and slipped through the skylight as lightly as a beam of moonlight, disappearing into the deepening dusk.
Watching the direction in which Snow Feather vanished, Lynn's mood became lighter as well. He sat back down at his desk, his gaze falling upon the palm-sized Astrology Compass beside the Starry Notebook. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Hermione's Moon White Stone pendant contained pure moonlight energy, while the notebook and Pen of Stars responded to his thoughts... so what would happen if he combined the two?
The thought was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring ripples. He acted immediately. He placed the Astrology Compass upon a blank page of the open Starry Notebook. Then, with one hand, he gently held the Star Stone pendant at his chest and slowly fed his weak yet clear magic into the compass. With the other, he picked up the Pen of Stars, its tip hovering above the compass. In his mind, he struggled to recall the aura and sensation emanating from the Moon White Stone on Hermione's chest—pure and soft, like cool moonlight, carrying a unique power that soothed the heart.
As he focused his thoughts and simulated the Moon White Stone's energy, the starlight sapphire at the tip of the Pen of Stars faintly lit up. No longer did dark-blue light flow from its tip. Instead, an unusual radiance emerged, mixed with a gentle milky-white halo. Like a living thread, that faint glow slowly reached toward the silent Astrology Compass below.
At the instant the pen-tip glow, infused with the brilliance of stars and moonlight, was about to touch the compass's jade casing—
Buzz!
A deep and strange resonance abruptly rang out from within the compass! The intricate star-path lines etched across its surface lit up as though a sleeping Milky Way had been awakened in an instant! This was no longer the faint flash from his earlier experiments. They now steadily and clearly emitted a soft silver glow! Countless tiny silver points of light flowed and rotated slowly among the star paths, forming a small, dynamic Star Chart! Even more astonishingly, a simplified projection of star paths made of interwoven dark-blue and milky-white light appeared simultaneously on the blank page of the Starry Notebook, echoing the Star Chart in the compass from afar!
It worked?! Lynn's heart jolted. He concentrated intensely, striving to maintain the simulated Moon White Stone energy and the flow of magic, his eyes fixed upon the shifting Star Chart in the compass and the synchronized projection in the notebook.
However, the wondrous scene lasted less than five seconds!
The Star Chart inside the compass suddenly flickered violently and twisted! The projection on the notebook page became blurred as well, its points of light darting chaotically! A turbulent wave of energy surged back out from the compass!
Pfft!
With a muffled pop, the rice-grain-sized starlight sapphire at the tip of the Pen of Stars suddenly burst with a small spray of chaotic blue-white sparks! Lynn felt an intense numbness and burning pain erupt simultaneously in the hand gripping the Star Stone and the hand holding the pen, as though he had been struck by a weak electric current!
"Ugh!" He grunted and instinctively let go.
The Pen of Stars fell onto the notebook with a clatter, its sapphire quickly dimming, leaving only a wisp of smoke and a faint scorched smell. The Star Chart within the Astrology Compass went dark in an instant, turning it back into a smooth but lifeless piece of jade. The chaotic projection on the notebook page completely dissipated as well, leaving only a blank expanse of dark blue.
He had failed. And the cost was... Lynn looked painfully at the sapphire on the tip of the Pen of Stars. It had clearly dimmed considerably, and even bore a tiny crack. Intense regret welled up within him. He had been too impatient. His control over the two forces, especially his simulation of Hermione's moonlight power, was nowhere near precise enough. Rashly attempting such a difficult resonance and guidance of energy had resulted in backlash.
He slumped against the back of his chair. Waves of stinging pain came from the place on his right palm that had been scorched by the chaotic energy. He spread his hand and saw that his palm had reddened, with several tiny scorch marks like those left by splashing sparks.
At that moment, the Star Stone on his chest suddenly radiated a warmer, more urgent sensation than usual, as though reminding him of something. Immediately afterward, Hermione's Moonlight Grapevine Wand, which he had placed at one corner of the desk, flickered with an extremely faint, gentle milky-white light around the ring of transparent gems at its tip, like condensed dewdrops, despite no one touching it!
Lynn's heart stirred. As though possessed, he extended his injured right hand and gently grasped Hermione's wand.
The instant his fingertips touched the warm ivory-white vinewood shaft—
A pure, cool energy, like a babbling stream beneath moonlight, flowed gently yet firmly from the wand. It traveled through the channels of his arm and softly enveloped the burning wound in his palm!
The sensation was indescribably wonderful! The stabbing pain rapidly faded like melting snow and ice. The hot red marks on his palm visibly lightened, while the tiny scorch marks tingled faintly as tissue rapidly repaired itself. In only a few seconds, most of the discomfort had vanished, leaving behind only a faint pinkness of newly healed skin and an indescribable sense of comfort.
Lynn stared in shock at his nearly restored palm, then at the Moonlight Grapevine Wand in his hand, which seemed to possess a will of its own and had taken the initiative to heal him. It had already become calm again, but the warm shaft seemed to retain a trace of reassuring warmth.
"Hermione..." he murmured the wand owner's name, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This wand had not only chosen Hermione; it seemed to instinctively protect those deeply connected to her as well? That pure healing power from moments ago clearly carried the same unique, heart-soothing aura as Hermione's Moon White Stone.
He carefully returned Hermione's wand to its original place, as though handling a fragile sacred relic. Then he picked up his own Star-patterned Fir Wood wand. Looking at the sapphire at its tip, deep as the night sky, he tried to send it a faint thought as well, hoping it would respond to him as Hermione's wand had.
However, the star-patterned wand simply rested quietly in his palm. The starlight markings along its shaft remained deep and restrained, showing no special reaction. No warmth emerged, nor did any healing power spill forth. It was powerful but reserved, like a silent starry sky. It would answer his will only when strength was needed, yet seemed to lack the delicate, protective spirituality of the Moonlight Grapevine Wand.
Lynn gently stroked the icy shaft of his wand, then looked at Hermione's warm moonlight wand beside it. The strange feeling he held for Hermione was like ripples spreading ever deeper across a lake after a stone had been cast into it. Stars and moon had always been inseparable twins in the night sky. His strength seemed to require her gentleness to temper it.
Night had fully fallen outside the window. Lynn carefully put away the damaged Pen of Stars and the Astrology Compass, which had returned to silence. The injury on his palm had disappeared, yet the sensation of being healed by the moonlight wand, along with the gentle power within it that belonged to Hermione, remained clearly imprinted in his heart. He picked up Hermione's letter and looked once more at the simple smiling sun. Even the starlight outside the window seemed a little gentler. September 1st truly seemed worth anticipating all the more.
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