The disturbance in the library quickly Calmed Down. Madam Pince grumbled as she gathered the scattered books, but in the end, she failed to catch the culprit and could only blame "mischievous ghosts" or "some clumsy student." But Hermione and Lynn both knew perfectly well that the House-elf's panicked, vanishing figure had not been an illusion.
"Dobby again..." Hermione lowered her voice, her brows tightly furrowed. "What exactly does he want? To warn Harry? Or... is he looking for that Basilisk fang?" She remembered Dobby's incoherent warning on Privet Drive about the "terrible danger at Hogwarts."
Lynn's gaze swept over the shadows deep within the library where Dobby had vanished, his eyes turning slightly cold. "Whatever he wants, constantly causing chaos will only make things worse." He put away the parchment depicting the paths of the stars. "The trail has gone cold. We'll stop here for tonight."
Hermione nodded and quickly sorted the heavy books on the table. By the time they left the library, the castle corridors had sunk into the silence of late night, with only the swaying candlelight on the walls and the occasional dark silhouette of an owl passing beyond the windows. The icy stone walls radiated a chill.
"Cold?" Lynn's voice sounded through the empty corridor. He naturally reached out and took Hermione's slightly cool fingers, a gentle warmth flowing from his fingertips and instantly driving away the cold.
Hermione's heart warmed. She clasped his warm, broad hand in return, their fingers interlacing. The Starlight Bracelets on their wrists lightly bumped together, producing a faint, pleasant chime like whispers in the night. "Much better," she said softly. Turning to look at his calm profile, she recalled the way he had eaten candy in the snow that afternoon, as well as his words, "It is very