Seeing Melba arrive much earlier than expected, Hermione rolled over on the bed, got off, and took the letter.
Unwrapping the familiar sealing wax, Hermione saw a few lines of small writing on the short sheet of paper.
"My dear Hermione ..."
Dear Hermione!
Seeing that Silan had indeed changed her form of address as she had planned, Hermione smiled smugly.
"Cough cough."
Noticing Melba's gaze, Hermione covered her mouth and coughed twice in an attempt to cover up her misunderstanding.
She continued reading the letter.
Dear Hermione:
Headmaster Dumbledore has sent me back.
By the time you read this letter, I'll probably already be outside your door.
Please open the door for me.
"Her handwritten by Silan Prewett"
"I'm already outside your door..."
Hermione: "?!!!"
She abruptly pulled her eyes away from the letter and turned to look at the door.
"Knock knock knock..."
The knocking came without warning, striking Hermione's heart like a drumstick, making her heartbeat merge with the sound of the knocking.
Hermione put the letter away, walked quickly to the door, but hesitated and didn't dare to open it.
"Isn't the room too messy?"
"Oh my god! I don't think I washed my hair today!"
"Do I have any strange smell?"
A jumble of thoughts rushed into Hermione, making her want to tidy up her room one minute and tidy her appearance the next.
After spinning around in place twice, they accomplished nothing.
The knocking stopped abruptly, and Granger's voice came from outside the door.
"Are you asleep, Hermione?"
Hearing her mother's voice, Hermione's tense mood suddenly relaxed.
"Oh, it's Mom..."
Hermione opened the door, complaining, "Don't scare me, Mom... Mom... She- Silan?!"
Her initially relaxed tone suddenly became stammering when she saw the figure she missed so much outside the door.
This made Hermione feel like a stupid Troll.
They can't even speak clearly anymore.
"Hello, Hermione," Silan greeted.
Granger looked at the two of them with a smile, and asked in a slightly teasing tone, "Hermione, didn't expect that, did you? Aren't you surprised?"
Hermione felt her earlobes burning slightly and didn't dare look at Silan. Instead, she pleaded with her mother, "Mom, why didn't you remind me?"
"Didn't I say that? Oh dear, I forgot."
Granger winked at her daughter.
They clearly found it amusing and showed no sign of remorse.
Hermione covered her burning face with her hands, then reached out and pulled Silan into the room, quickly closing the door behind her.
"Remember to come down for lunch later."
Granger's voice, tinged with laughter, slipped in through the crack in the door.
Hermione huffed, "Fine!"
The awkward situation made her feel embarrassed, and she felt even more at a loss when she saw Silan.
"Silan, please sit wherever you like, even on the bed..."
Speaking of the bed, Hermione glanced at her somewhat messy bed and noticed that the letters were still on the bed and hadn't been put away.
But it's too late now...
Seeing the letters scattered on the bed, Silan asked, "Are you reading letters?"
"No, that's not it."
Hermione blushed and stammered, "I... I wanted to tidy up..."
As she spoke, Hermione rushed to the bedside, wanting to gather the letters, but fearing she might accidentally crumble them in her haste, she ended up simply pulling the blanket over them.
"Wouldn't that make it seem like I spent the whole summer reading Silan's letters over and over again...?" Hermione thought to herself, so embarrassed she was practically picking her toes.
So, this is true, but it's still a little embarrassing.
Especially in front of Silan.
Seeing Hermione's flustered and flustered appearance, Silan smiled slightly and looked away, pretending not to care.
After Hermione finished tidying up, Silan gave Melba a look.
Melba, instantly understanding, flapped his wings and flew out the window.
Now only the two of them are left in the house.
Hermione covered the letter, sat on the edge of the bed, and somewhat awkwardly changed the subject. "Silan, have you bought the textbooks for the new semester?"
"Not yet."
"Me neither. I heard we got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and he's asking for so much material."
At this point, Hermione glanced quickly at Silan and casually remarked, "How about we go buy textbooks together next Wednesday?"
"Okay." Silan nodded, sitting in a chair to the side.
"Then I need to write a letter to George and Fred first; they both keep asking me when I'm going back to the Burrow."
Hermione tensed up instantly, and the nonchalant demeanor she had just been trying to maintain vanished in an instant.
"You... you're leaving again?"
"No, school starts soon, so I plan to stay here for the next few days and go to school with you."
"That's wonderful!"
Hermione realized she'd spoken a bit too loudly and said somewhat embarrassedly in a low voice, "I meant... speaking of the Burrow, Ron wrote to me saying he rescued Harry from the Dursley family."
I really hope Harry is okay.
"Don't worry," Silan nodded confidently. "We might run into them when we get to Diagon Alley."
He spent most of the summer at the Burrow and with Nicolas Flamel.
School is about to start, Silan has never been to Diagon Alley.
This is a good opportunity to sell some materials I accumulated last semester and buy some new things.
Although he had saved up a considerable amount of money after a semester of hard work, he had even more expenses to pay for it.
I always feel like I don't have enough money.
"Silan, can you tell me about your time with Nicolas Flamel?"
Hermione sat up from the bedside, moved a chair next to Silan, and sat down with him.
"Didn't I already tell you that in the letter?" Silan asked.
Hermione moved a little awkwardly closer to him. "But I still want to hear you say it again."
She herself didn't know why.
But I just want to know more about Silan, even if it's just a few more details.
"Alright then, I'll start from the beginning."
During the first few days of summer vacation, Silan was studying intensely and frantically. Now, chatting a bit and relaxing is not a bad thing.
He thought for a moment, then slowly began, "After returning to my the Burrow from the station..."
He recounted his experiences from a few days ago: exorcising Gnome in the Burrow, Dumbledore coming to his door saying Nicolas Flamel wanted to see him, arriving in Paris, France through the Portkey, and finally, the test that Nicolas Flamel set for him.
Although she had only wanted to say a few words to Silan on a whim, Hermione was still captivated when he began to tell her his story.
The extermination of Gnome in the garden, Dumbledore's visit, and the three-year agreement with Nicolas Flamel... these were all wonderful events.
Hermione was both envious and amazed.
"I never imagined that Nicolas Flamel would want to take you as his apprentice. He's a legendary figure who lives in history books," Hermione exclaimed in amazement.
Silan remained calm. "It's just a chance, not yet..."
"I trust you."
Hermione looked up into his eyes and said firmly.
Silan smiled slightly, "Then when I return after completing my studies, I will definitely make you an exquisite alchemical tool first."
"I'll remember that." Hermione raised an eyebrow at her, beaming.
The two chatted idly as the sun outside the window yawned and rolled to the horizon.
The weather wasn't hot today, and the twilight sunlight was gentle, shining in through the window and merging their shadows together, making them indistinguishable.
Wednesday arrived quickly; it was time to go to Diagon Alley.