After her not-so-brief confrontation with Professor Snape, Eira left the dungeon and stepped into the dim corridor. The air was cool and carried the faint scent of damp stone, but the passage itself was unusually quiet. It was class time, after all, and the great majority of students were behind closed doors. Only the echoes of her own footsteps followed her as she walked, uncertain where Hermione had fled to in her distress.
She turned a corner and at last caught sight of movement—a Ravenclaw boy and a Gryffindor girl, fingers intertwined, strolling together in the half-lit hallway. They started when Eira approached, but she spoke quickly.
"Did either of you see Hermione Granger?"
The two exchanged a glance before the girl answered. "She ran off. Out into the courtyard."
"Thank you," Eira said, inclining her head. Without another word, she followed the direction they indicated.
The castle doors opened to the crisp light of the grounds. It did not take long for her eyes to find Hermione. The girl had chosen a remote corner of the courtyard, where an ancient stone bench sat in the shadow of a yew tree. Her shoulders were hunched forward, her face buried in her hands.
Eira approached quietly and stopped before her. "What are you doing out here, Hermione? You should be in the hospital wing receiving treatment."
Hermione flinched and looked up. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and as her lips parted, she instinctively pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to shield her enlarged teeth. Shame colored her cheeks.
Eira's voice softened. "Do not speak. It will only cause you pain."
Hermione nodded, her eyes wide with humiliation and gratitude. With a wave of her wand, Eira conjured a light fabric covering, a charm-woven veil that draped gently over Hermione's face. It blurred her features just enough to make her large teeth less visible to wandering eyes.
Hermione's shoulders eased, and she cast Eira a look of silent thanks.
"Come," Eira murmured, extending her hand. "I will take you to the hospital wing."
Together, they walked across the courtyard and back through the echoing halls. Eira kept her pace steady and unhurried, ensuring that Hermione would not feel rushed or exposed. The few students who passed them gave no second glance, the veil working exactly as intended.
At last they reached the doors of the hospital wing. Eira pushed them open and guided Hermione inside. The clean, bright smell of potions and the crisp linens of the ward washed over them as the sound of Madame Pomfrey's brisk footsteps approached.
Madame Pomfrey's sharp voice carried across the whitewashed ward."What is it now? I swear, you children treat this place like a common inn. Barely a moment ago I had a Slytherin boy in here with his nose swollen up like a great bulbous fungus. And now—"
Her eyes fell on Hermione. For an instant, she froze, then pursed her lips with long-suffering exasperation. "Honestly. What on earth do you get up to down there? Hexes flying everywhere, no doubt. You're lucky I don't march myself down to your professors and give them all a piece of my mind."
Hermione shifted awkwardly, still the veil covered over her mouth, but her eyes pleaded with Pomfrey.
Madame Pomfrey softened only slightly. "Well, let me see then. Move your veil. Yes, yes, I thought so. Teeth, far too large. Magic gone wrong—of course. Sit down, dear, quickly."
Hermione perched on the edge of the nearest bed, lowering her hand reluctantly. Her teeth, jutting unnaturally long past her bottom lip, made her cheeks look swollen. Her face was pale with embarrassment.
"I can fix them," Madame Pomfrey said briskly, already drawing her wand. "But I assume you want them back to your original size. Yes?"
Hermione hesitated. A strange, thoughtful look flickered across her face. "Actually, Madam Pomfrey… could you make them a little smaller? Not so large as before… just—normal."
Pomfrey gave her a sharp but not unkind look. "At least you've some sense, child. Hold still, this won't take a moment."
She muttered an incantation under her breath and moved her wand carefully along the line of Hermione's jaw. Eira watched as the grotesque length of Hermione's front teeth began to shrink. Slowly, steadily, they receded, returning to proper proportion—and then, bit by bit, they settled into a shape that looked… natural, even refined.
When Pomfrey finally lowered her wand, Hermione's smile was hesitant, uncertain of what she might look like now. The matron nodded, satisfied. "There. Much better. Now, off with you both unless there's something broken I've not yet seen. And do try not to come back within the hour." With that, she bustled away to rearrange potion bottles, muttering under her breath about dueling children.
Hermione glanced toward the nearest windowpane, catching her reflection. Her lips trembled into a smile—smaller than before, but more confident.
Eira tilted her head with a sly grin. "Well, it seems your wish has finally come true. Your big teeth are smaller now."
Hermione turned sharply, eyes narrowing into a glare. "So you also thought my two front teeth were too large?"
Eira raised both hands in mock defense, her smile broadening. "Oh, come now. They only made you look cute—like a rabbit. Adorable, really. And now you've got the best of both worlds. Smaller teeth, no worries."
For a heartbeat, Hermione kept her glare, but then her lips twitched, and both girls burst into laughter. The kind of laughter that came not from comedy but from the relief of shared tension breaking. They leaned against each other for a moment, still chuckling as they stepped back out into the quiet corridor.