The two exchanged gifts.
"Thank you, Silan." Hermione beamed as she held the gift box tied with ribbons. "Let's open it together."
Silan nodded, opened the gift box, and found a blue knitted scarf inside.
Some of the stitches are slightly scattered, which shows that it was hand-knitted.
"Did you knit this yourself?" Silan asked.
Hermione noticed Silan looking at the messy stitches and felt a little embarrassed.
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry, I'm not very good at knitting."
Looking into the little girl's eyes, Silan said earnestly, "I like it very much."
"Thank you so much, Hermione."
"That's good."
"Take a look at the gift I sent you, I hope you like it."
Hermione carefully untied the ribbon and found a cute hair tie inside the gift box.
It doesn't have much decoration, but rather flowers and vines are delicately carved, exuding a subtle woody fragrance.
"It's been enchanted with a very delicate Softening Charm, which will make your hair smooth," Silan explained briefly. "Would you like to try it?"
"I'm not very good at using it..." Hermione blinked a couple of times, looking at Silan with a pitiful expression, "Why don't you put it on for me?"
"No problem."
Silan took the hair tie, reached out and touched Hermione's hair, gathering the strands behind her slightly reddened ears, and carefully put the hair tie on her.
The moment the hair tie touched her hair, Hermione felt a warm sensation.
Her previously messy hair also settled down.
"Yes, it looks great on you."
Silan turned around and found a small mirror among the clutter piled up in the attic, then held it up to Hermione.
Hermione was surprised to see that her hair in the mirror had become smooth and docile, falling naturally and obediently, making her look much cuter.
The little girl glanced cautiously at Silan, but quickly looked away after meeting his smiling gaze.
"Thank you, Silan, I really like it."
As her gaze shifted, Hermione saw herself in the mirror.
The little girl turned her head in a panic and covered her face with her hands.
She noticed that she seemed to be blushing in the mirror.
The two of them leaned against the window, just like when they were children, whispering secrets.
"What are you planning to do for the next few days?" Hermione asked softly, moving closer to Silan.
"Hmm... I'll probably only stay for a few days, then catch the next Hogwarts Express back to school."
"Are you planning to go back to school early?" Hermione gripped her collar tightly, feeling a little nervous.
If Silan goes back to school, won't I never see him again?
Hermione looked away and asked casually, "Is the Hogwarts Express running during holidays?"
"That's right, my cousins said so." Silan nodded affirmatively, "There's one bus every week."
He added, "However, if you want to return to school early, you need to write to Professor McGonagall first to inform her."
"When is the next Hogwarts Express?"
After going around in circles, Hermione finally asked the question she most wanted to ask.
Silan thought for a moment, "It should be in four days."
"Oh~"
Hermione silently memorized the date and planned to go to the station on that day as well.
"It was just a chance encounter, nothing more," Hermione thought.
Neither of them spoke anymore, and they quietly leaned against the window, watching the scene outside.
Snow was falling on the streets, landing on rooftops and pedestrians' shoulders, like a mischievous child splashing specks of white paint.
The sky was pitch black, but it didn't feel oppressive.
The dazzling fireworks occasionally peeked out to tease the night sky, adding countless tiny stars to it in the instant they exploded.
Hermione secretly turned her head and glanced at Silan.
The fireworks outside the window occasionally burst into dazzling colors, illuminating Silan's face in a kaleidoscope of hues, which Hermione found utterly adorable.
The little girl smiled.
I feel like today is wonderful.
Whether it's the sky, the earth, the banquet, or the fireworks.
Most importantly, it's about Silan.
The warm light in the attic embraced her, and the occasional sound of fireworks swirled in her ears.
The hustle and bustle outside felt very far away from her, but the little girl still felt very happy.
Because Silan was very, very close to her.
The midnight bells struck twelve.
This signifies that Christmas Eve has passed and Christmas has officially begun.
"Mr. Prewett."
Granger poked his head out of the attic entrance, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth, and said to the two little ones, "Merry Christmas. And Hermione, Merry Christmas too."
Hermione and Silan said in unison, "Merry Christmas!"
"Although I don't want to disturb you, it's getting late, and Silan should go back too."
Although Granger was talking about Silan, he looked at Hermione with a smile in his eyes.
"I should go now, Hermione."
"Then I'll take you."
Hermione saw Silan to the door, then stood on tiptoe to look at him with reluctance.
Seeing her daughter like this, Granger felt both amused and annoyed, and said sarcastically, "Still looking? Your eyes are practically glued to her."
"Why don't you and your father take Silan back together?"
"You're right, Mom!"
Hermione suddenly realized that she could go with her father to see Silan off.
That way we can stay a little longer, right?
The little girl skipped and hopped out of the house and got into the car with Silan.
The Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other through the falling snowflakes, both feeling somewhat helpless.
The car slowly drove away from Granger family and turned onto the street. Because there were many people and vehicles ahead, the speed was slowed down.
Even so, Hermione still wished it could go slower, much slower.
This way, she would have more time to spend with Silan.
The little girl was a little annoyed at herself for not begging her parents to let Silan stay.
This gives them plenty of time to read in their bedroom or watch passersby from their attic.
Despite Hermione's pleas to "slow down," the car finally arrived at the orphanage.
"Goodbye, Hermione." Silan waved goodbye.
Hermione rolled down the car window, looking at him with reluctance, wanting to say "See you at the station."
But then I thought, it was a chance encounter, how could I say anything now?
After watching Hermione leave, Silan went into the orphanage.
Mrs. Hazel was a devout and kind believer, and she was making Christmas prayers, asking God to bless the poor orphans in the orphanage.
The most frequently mentioned sentiment was the hope that they could become good children like Silan.
Silan walked into the dormitory and was immediately hit by the heat inside.
The children, some sitting and some standing, were playing together.
Silan had left them a lot of money, so they had a very lavish Christmas, and everyone ate their fill.
Upon seeing Silan enter, the previously noisy dormitory immediately fell silent.
All the children stood separately on both sides without any hesitation.
Although they didn't know where Silan went to school, they could clearly sense that Silan had changed.
I've become more composed and confident.
Even though Silan had been gone for several months, none of them dared to forget the rules he had set behind.
James sat down with a goofy grin at Silan, while Kini cleverly brought over a stool.
"Please sit down, Silan."
"Please sit down as well."
Everyone then sat down properly and began to talk about what had happened on the street that day, just like before he went to Hogwarts.
After exchanging a few brief words, Silan got up and went up to the attic.
He had just lain down in bed when a small screen popped up in front of him.
[Triggering Terms]
[Santa Claus]
[Description: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! How fun it is to ski tonight! We're riding in our sleighs... Let Santa Claus rest a bit, you've given so many presents, you're perfectly capable of being Santa Claus.]