For years, Lin Yue's absolute rationality had stood in opposition to the sudden impulse that had risen within her.
Part of her wanted to reach for the wand in the side pocket of her robes, while her rational mind told her she shouldn't.
It would violate Ministry of Magic regulations, and could cause trouble for her—or even for Hermione.
Reason and impulse clashed, neither yielding to the other. A thin sheen of sweat had appeared on Lin Yue's forehead.
Fortunately, Hermione quickly noticed something was wrong with the person beside her. Thinking that staying in Gringotts too long had made Lin Yue uncomfortable, she took Lin Yue's hand and led her outside.
"Are you feeling better?" Once they were out of Gringotts and breathing fresh air, Hermione took a handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiped the fine sweat from Lin Yue's forehead.
With her attention diverted, the conflict between reason and impulse in Lin Yue's mind gradually subsided. Their struggle came to an end.
The sweat stopped forming on Lin Yue's forehead, too. She gave a faint nod. "Much better."
"That's good." Hermione smiled in relief. "Being in Gringotts really is uncomfortable. Those goblins..."
She shook her head as she spoke. Those goblins looked down on wizards—or rather, on humans—as a matter of nature.
Only the pure-blood families that could bring them wealth earned their special regard.
Even then, that regard was merely superficial. Just as the books said, goblins were an incredibly greedy people.
Lin Yue and Hermione had both read that book and understood this well. But Lin Yue, who had no emotions, didn't dwell on it the way Hermione did.
She only knew that the goblins had just shown contempt for Hermione and the Grangers.
She had etched that fact deep into her memory.
Lin Yue