Apologies and Reassurance

Drawn by the scent of food, Himari quickly woke up.

She first licked her mistress's face affectionately, then sat primly before Penelope and looked at her expectantly.

Penelope smiled gently at her, poured her a dish of milk, and then set down the grilled fish.

Himari began eating happily.

Unlike other cats, she did not wolf down her food. Her movements were exceptionally elegant: she lapped at the milk in small sips and ate the fish in small bites, just like a true lady.

Ye Ting began eating breakfast as well, though his table manners were far rougher. After being sent to the infirmary yesterday and drinking Madam Pomfrey's potion, he had slept here for most of the day without a drop of food or water. He was already parched and starving.

Yet Penelope showed no impatience at all. As he wolfed down his food, she watched him with an admiring gaze.

The same way of eating could be called crude for some people and genuine for others. Judgments of people had always depended on who they were.

After swallowing a mouthful of sandwich, Ye Ting suddenly thought of something and looked up. "Do you have any extra breakfast? Hermione hasn't eaten yet, has she?"

Penelope smiled and teased, "You really do care about your little girlfriend."

Only when Ye Ting revealed a helpless expression did she explain, "Cho Chang, a second-year, will bring Miss Granger's breakfast over. Come to think of it, both of them care about you a lot."

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. The moment she finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside. A black-haired Chinese girl carrying a basket pushed open the door and walked into the infirmary.

When she saw Ye Ting already awake and drinking milk normally, the girl broke into a delighted smile.

But she did not make a sound, merely unconsciously quickening her pace.

"You're finally awake. We were all so worried about you." Cho Chang sat at Ye Ting's bedside, taking out Hermione's breakfast from the basket as she spoke. "Last night, every girl at Hogwarts was worried about you."

As she said this, her brows furrowed slightly, as though she were somewhat dissatisfied. Yet she soon let it go and turned her attention back to him.

"Madam Pomfrey gave you Wiggenweld Potion. She said you would recover after just one night. How are you feeling now?"

As for Hermione, the moment she woke up, she had hurried off to wash up.

She had cried for a long time yesterday, then spent the entire night asleep by his bedside, leaving herself a complete mess. She did not want Ye Ting to see her looking ugly and unkempt—relatively speaking, of course.

"I couldn't feel better. I could even leave the infirmary right now." Ye Ting stretched and rolled his neck, feeling perfectly normal.

His words seemed to anger Cho Chang, and her tone turned stern. "Don't even think about it! Before you leave, you have to let Madam Pomfrey give you a proper examination."

Cho Chang simply could not stand seeing Ye Ting treat his own health so casually.

"Fine, fine." Ye Ting shook his head helplessly, though he felt somewhat pleased inside.

Seeing his listless expression, Cho Chang softened her tone and reassured him, "The sight of you covered in blood yesterday scared us half to death. We were all worried about you. Hermione cried all night because of it..."

But she was immediately interrupted.

Hermione, having finished washing up, hurried in from outside. Hearing Cho Chang's words, she instinctively protested loudly.

"I did not cry all night—"

But the next moment, upon noticing Ye Ting beside her, her voice immediately weakened.

"Um... I'm sorry." She stammered an apology to Ye Ting, her head lowered so deeply it was practically buried in her chest—if she had one—making it impossible to see her face.

"It was all my fault. I got you hurt."

"Talking so timidly? That doesn't sound like the Hermione I know." Ye Ting smiled slightly and teased, "The Hermione I know is a smart, proud, stubborn girl who says whatever is on her mind without hesitation."

"I'm not proud or stubborn!" Hermione could not help raising her head to argue, but when she saw Ye Ting's face, she involuntarily lowered it again, mumbling without being able to say anything.

"Forget it. You don't need to be like this. I wanted to save you, and we're friends." Ye Ting patted her head and comforted her. "I couldn't just stand by and watch you fall to the ground. What if you had scarred your face?"

But her voice still sounded as though she were about to cry.

"But... if I hadn't acted recklessly, I wouldn't have nearly fallen, and I wouldn't have dragged you into it."

"Is that so?" Ye Ting was slightly surprised.

"Then why were you so reckless?"

"I... I saw how well you flew, and I thought I could do it too..." At this point, she could not continue. With a "Waaah," she burst into tears.

Cho Chang hurriedly fumbled about for some tissues for her.

Sure enough, the proud know-it-all could never accept losing. Whether in academics or sports, she always wanted to be the best.

Still, Ye Ting had not expected this. In the original story, she had never been good at flying, but she had not gone this far either.