Hermione saw him clearly. The man standing beside the old man-no, the boy-was unmistakably the boy who had stolen her heart.
She no longer cared whether calling Dumbledore an old man in her thoughts was a little disrespectful.
Tears instantly blurred her vision.
Bang. The wooden door slammed hard against the wall, followed by a series of thudding footsteps.
In the living room, Mr. Granger, who had taken a rare day off from the clinic out of concern for his daughter, watched in surprise as she came thundering downstairs in her pajamas and pattered toward the door.
"Hermione? What happened? Where are you going?"
Mr. Granger's words brushed past like a breeze. Hermione did not stop. All she could think about, all she could see, was the boy walking toward her.
She was so afraid-afraid that this was only her imagination.
Su Er had only just come within ten feet of his front door when the door to the Granger family's house next door flew open. A girl in a floral nightdress, her hair a tangled, uncombed mess, ran out in her slippers.
Their eyes met.
It was midsummer, but that morning's sunshine was not particularly fierce. White clouds drifted overhead, and a breeze blew past. It was a rare cool morning, not too hot.
In the gentle sunlight, Su Er saw the tears glistening at the corners of Hermione's eyes.
He also saw her standing a few meters away in disbelief, and how much thinner her cheeks had grown in such a short time.
Guilt welled up in his heart. He should not have made this lovely girl worry so much.
Su Er opened his arms, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
Delighted surprise burst into Hermione's eyes. With a cry, she hurried forward in little steps,