On the corner stood a small shop called "Old Jack's Fish and Chips." Its storefront was modest, and grease stains still marked the red-and-white checkered plastic tablecloths. The air was filled with the enticing scent of oil and salt. With the few coins in his pocket, Lynn bought the largest serving of fries. The golden fries were piled like a little mountain, steaming hot.
He and Hermione sat side by side on tall stools by the window. The warmth indoors had fogged the glass with a thin layer of mist, blurring the wet street outside into a flowing wash of grayish green.
"Here, be careful, they're hot." Lynn pushed the paper cone of fries toward Hermione, then thoughtfully handed her a small packet of ketchup and several rough napkins.
"Thank you," Hermione said softly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the mountain of fries before her. She carefully pinched one between two fingers, blew on it, then bit down with a crunch. A satisfied expression immediately appeared on her little face, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's. The fright and grievance from earlier seemed to have been completely driven away by this simple, warm food.
Watching her eat so happily, Lynn felt warmth rise in his own heart. He picked up a fry, dipped it in salt, and ate it slowly, his gaze falling on the schoolbag resting in Hermione's lap. Basic Charms and Introductory Magical Theory lay safely inside. They had returned to the library earlier and, luckily, found it in the corner of a bench in the children's section.
"That book," Lynn said casually, pointing at her schoolbag. "Basic Charms... it sounds rather profound. Did your father borrow it?" He did his best to sound merely curious rather than probing.
Hermione swallowed her fry and nodded, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and mystery. "Mm! My father is a dentist, but he used to work in the University of London library. He could always find unusual books." She lowered her voice and leaned forward slightly, as if sharing some enormous secret. "This book... the things inside are strange, but they also seem... real?"
"Oh? Such as?" Lynn prompted, his heartbeat quickening slightly.
"Um..." Hermione furrowed her adorable little brows, trying to organize her thoughts. "For example, it says there is an invisible force in the world that can affect reality through specific... um... 'methods of guidance' and strong intent. It also says that this force is especially obvious in certain ancient families... like an inherited talent." She paused and looked at Lynn with some embarrassment. "I know it sounds silly, like a fairy tale."
"Not silly at all." Lynn immediately shook his head, his expression serious. "Isn't science always exploring the unknown? Before Newton was struck by an apple, gravity was invisible and intangible too. Maybe this force you're talking about is simply something we haven't found the right 'apple' to prove yet." He used the logic and scientific mindset she understood to make the comparison, and Hermione's eyes instantly lit up.
"You think so too?" she asked in delight, as though she had found a kindred spirit. "I knew it! The book also talks about some strange symbols and gestures, and some tongue-twisting... um, things like chants? But unfortunately, I've tried a few times, and nothing seemed to happen." She poked at a fry in disappointment.
Lynn understood. At her age, Hermione had already begun actively seeking out and studying knowledge beyond her understanding; she simply lacked proper guidance. He smiled and comforted her. "Maybe the time just isn't right yet, or maybe you're missing the key? Like when we solve a puzzle, sometimes we get stuck just one step away from the answer."
"The key..." Hermione repeated thoughtfully, her brown eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Outside, the rain began to fall again in a light drizzle. The two quietly ate their fries. From time to time, Hermione pointed out something interesting beyond the window, such as a sparrow hopping through the rain or a red double-decker bus splashing through puddles. Lynn patiently responded, sharing little things he knew about London. He even deftly picked up fries with chopsticks—a habit he had deliberately kept, since the orphanage kitchen had them—which earned him Hermione's astonished gaze and a request to try.
"This is much easier to use than a fork!" After several clumsy attempts, Hermione finally managed to pick up a fry and laughed happily, all her earlier disappointment swept away. The little table was filled with a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere.
The fries were soon gone. Hermione glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock and said reluctantly, "I should go home. My parents will worry."
"I'll walk you to the corner." Lynn stood and naturally picked up Hermione's schoolbag. It was even heavier than it looked, stuffed full of books.
The rain was fine and chilly. Lynn opened his somewhat worn black umbrella, doing his best to tilt it toward Hermione. They walked side by side along the wet pavement, the umbrella forming a small, warm, dry world around them. Hermione hugged her recovered copy of Basic Charms and Introductory Magical Theory, her steps much lighter.
"Lynn," Hermione suddenly said, looking up. The rain-washed sky was gray and overcast, but her eyes were astonishingly bright. "Do you think... there's magic on the stars too?"
"Hm?" Lynn looked down at her.
"That book mentioned that some ancient wise people believed the arrangement and movement of the stars held enormous energy and secrets, and could even affect the 'tides of magic' on the ground." Hermione's voice was full of longing. "If only we could fly to the stars and see them one day."
The innocent words of a child were like a stone tossed into Lynn's heart, instantly stirring up the strange sensation he had felt at the library entrance—the electric hum when his fingertips touched that deep-blue book with stars on its cover, and the faint spark within him.
"Maybe... we don't need to fly that far." Lynn's voice drifted slightly as his gaze turned involuntarily toward the library again. The mysterious book left on the lost-and-found shelf drew his thoughts like a magnet. "Some secrets may be right beside us. We just need eyes that can find them," he said meaningfully.
Hermione nodded as if she half understood, her little hand unconsciously rubbing the cover of the book in her arms.
Before long, they reached the corner of the street where Hermione lived. A neat row house of reddish brick stood before them, warm yellow light spilling from its windows and making it look especially cozy.
"My house is just ahead." Hermione stopped and took her schoolbag from Lynn. Her little face held sincere gratitude and a touch of reluctance. "Thank you so much for today, Lynn. Thank you for helping me chase away those bad boys, for buying me fries, and... and for talking with me." She paused, seeming to gather her courage, then quickly said, "You're the most interesting friend I've ever met!"
"It is my honor to be friends with Miss Granger." Lynn smiled, bent slightly at the waist, and gave an exaggerated but good-natured gentleman's bow.
Hermione laughed, her giggles as crisp as silver bells, scattering the gloom of the rainy day. "Then... the library tomorrow afternoon?" she asked expectantly.
"Of course." Lynn nodded without hesitation. "The usual place?"
"Mm! The usual place!" Hermione nodded vigorously, a broad smile blooming across her face. Then, hugging her schoolbag, she turned and ran toward her warmly lit front door like a happy little deer. When she reached it, she turned back and waved hard at Lynn.
Lynn smiled and waved back. Only after watching her safely enter her home did he turn and leave. Under the umbrella, he was alone again. As the warmth and laughter from before faded, a deeper sense of loneliness and an intense longing for that mysterious book surged up within him. What exactly was that book? Why had it reacted so strongly to his touch? And what did the "spark" inside him mean?
Driven almost by instinct, Lynn's feet turned once more toward the community library. The rain seemed heavier than before, drumming densely against the umbrella. His heartbeat accelerated too, mingling nervousness, anticipation, and a trace of fear of the unknown.
He pushed open the library's heavy wooden door, and the familiar warmth and scent of books rushed over him. The afternoon bustle had faded, leaving only a few scattered readers. Lynn's eyes immediately went to the inconspicuous wooden lost-and-found shelf by the entrance.
The book was still there!
In the dim corner, its deep-blue cover seemed to give off a faint glow of its own. The silver star patterns shimmered with an almost imperceptible glint under the light. Lynn's heart pounded like a drum. He drew a deep breath, forced down the tremor in his fingertips, and walked over step by step.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the faint sound of the librarian sorting books in the distance. Standing before the shelf, Lynn held his breath and reached out again. This time, he did not hesitate. His fingers firmly and slowly settled onto the cold, damp cover.
Bzzzz—
Clearer than last time! Stronger!
The strange electric sensation exploded from his fingertips at once, like countless tiny silver needles racing up the nerves in his arm and straight toward the top of his head! It was as though a flash grenade had gone off inside his mind. After a moment of blankness came countless indescribable, fragmented, ancient syllables roaring, spinning, and whispering deep in his consciousness. They formed no coherent pattern, yet carried an indescribable rhythm and sense of power. At the same time, the faint "spark" inside him flared violently! A weak yet real current of warmth, like a brook suddenly awakened, gushed from his heart and flowed through every limb and bone in an instant, driving away the rain's damp chill and bringing a strange, powerful warmth.
Lynn jerked his hand back and staggered uncontrollably a step backward, bumping into the bookshelf behind him with a soft thump. He gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as his face went pale. The sensation from that instant had been too overwhelming! It was not an illusion! Absolutely not!
He looked down at his palm. His fingertips seemed to retain that tingling numbness of electricity. The warmth inside him had quickly settled, but the "spark" seemed a little brighter than before, and more stable as well.
"Sir? Are you all right?" A gentle voice sounded beside him. It was the librarian, an elderly woman with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses, looking at him with concern.
"I'm... I'm fine." Lynn hurriedly straightened up, trying to calm his breathing and racing heart, and forced out a smile. "I just slipped a little."
"The ground is slippery on rainy days. Be careful." The old woman nodded, her gaze sweeping over the spot he had just touched—the deep-blue book. Something like understanding seemed to flash through her eyes, though perhaps it was only ordinary concern. "That book has been on the lost-and-found shelf for nearly a week, but no one has come to claim it. The cover is quite unusual, isn't it?"
"It... it is unusual." Lynn's voice was still unsteady. He forced himself to look away, not daring to glance at the book again for fear of causing another disturbance. "May I... borrow it?"
"Of course. Lost-and-found items may be borrowed after registration if someone is interested in them and willing to take proper care of them." The old woman went behind the desk and took out a register. "Please write down your name and contact information."
Lynn took the pen, his fingers still trembling slightly with lingering excitement. Neatly, he wrote: "Lynn Li, Oak House Orphanage."
"Lynn Li..." the old woman softly repeated. She made a record in the register, then carefully took the deep-blue book from the lost-and-found shelf. Using a clean soft cloth, she meticulously wiped away the remaining water stains on the cover before solemnly handing it to Lynn. "Please take good care of it. This book... looks rather old."
"I will. Thank you very much." Lynn accepted the book with both hands. It felt slightly heavy. The cover was made of a leather-like material he had never touched before, with a fine grain beneath his fingers. It was cool to the touch, yet faintly warm. The silver star patterns seemed even more mysterious beneath the lights, as though they were truly moving slowly. This time, when his fingers fully touched the cover, the intense electric sensation and hum did not appear. Only an extremely faint vibration, like the pulse of something asleep, came from deep within the pages, subtly echoing the steadily burning "spark" inside him.
"What is its name?" Lynn could not help asking, his gaze falling on the cover, where there was no title at all.
The old woman shook her head and smiled. "It had no name label when it was brought in. Perhaps... it does not need one. Knowledge itself is its soul."
Lynn held the nameless deep-blue book with stars stamped on its cover tightly against his chest, as though clutching a recovered treasure. The cold cover pressed against his chest, but that faint, steady resonance strangely drove away both the chill outside the library and the loneliness in his heart.
He said goodbye to the librarian, opened his umbrella, and stepped into the rain again. The raindrops tapping against the umbrella seemed to sound different now. He looked down at the book in his arms, then raised his eyes to the gray sky, as if he could see through the clouds to the stars hidden behind them—the stars Hermione longed for.
On this rainy, fog-shrouded London evening in 1991, Lynn Li's world had completely changed course because of a girl named Hermione Granger and the arrival of a Nameless Star Book. The strange sense of power lingering in his fingertips, the tiny spark burning inside him, the silent and mysterious vessel of knowledge in his arms... all silently declared that magic was no longer a distant legend. It was something real within his reach, something he could touch in his palm—the surging tide of fate he was about to enter. And the beginning of that path would be at the library tomorrow afternoon, beneath the gaze of those brown eyes filled with intelligence and anticipation.
Before you continue