Why hasn't he come looking for me yet?
Hermione stared blankly at the open book in front of her, but not a single word actually entered her mind. Her thoughts had long since spiraled somewhere else entirely.
Wasn't my hint obvious enough that day?
She had practically stormed off in anger. She hadn't even said goodbye before leaving. Anyone with eyes should have realized she wanted him to chase after her.
Unless…
Unless Logan really was hopelessly dense.
Or worse.
Maybe he understood perfectly well what she meant and deliberately chose not to come find her. Maybe this was his indirect way of saying that the two of them were only friends and nothing more.
That possibility instantly made her mood plummet.
One question after another bombarded her mind until she became more and more irritated. The magical theory book in her hands suddenly seemed unbearable to read.
Flip.
Another page turned absentmindedly.
At that exact moment, Logan stood quietly outside the library entrance, watching Hermione from afar. Seeing the troubled expression on her face, he couldn't help laughing softly to himself.
After hesitating for several seconds, he finally gathered his courage and walked inside.
Straight toward her.
Madam Pince immediately noticed him.
The librarian, who had originally been lounging comfortably in her chair, instantly sat upright with interest sparkling in her eyes. She quietly opened a desk drawer, took out a bag of snacks, and began eating while openly preparing herself for entertainment.
As a veteran observer of Hogwarts gossip, Madam Pince had no intention of missing this drama.
Meanwhile, Hermione had already sensed someone sitting beside her.
Even without turning around, she knew exactly who it was.
Still, she deliberately kept her expression calm and merely glanced sideways at Logan with a restrained smile, silently waiting to see what kind of performance he would put on.
The moment Logan met her gaze, his confidence immediately weakened.
That expression looked dangerous.
Should he apologize another day instead?
No.
Absolutely not.
Some things had to be resolved immediately. If you waited too long, the relationship would freeze solid like forgotten leftovers in a freezer, and by the time you tried fixing it, even a microwave wouldn't save you.
After mentally hyping himself up, Logan finally forced himself to speak.
"Uh… hi, Hermione."
Hermione remained expressionless.
"The weather's pretty nice today."
"?"
Hermione stared at him as if he had suddenly been hit in the head by a Hippogriff.
Why was he talking about the weather right now?
Was a blizzard coming? Meteor shower? Acid rain?
"Oh," she replied flatly, "I suppose it's alright."
"No, wait, I mean…" Logan's brain completely short-circuited. "Actually… it might hail today?"
The second those words left his mouth, Hermione could no longer hold it in.
She burst into laughter.
How ridiculous.
The calm, clever Logan who usually seemed capable of handling everything had completely disappeared. Sitting beside her now was an awkward idiot who couldn't even manage basic conversation.
It reminded her so much of the first time they met on the train.
Back then, he had also stumbled through conversations in the most ridiculous ways imaginable. Thinking about the contrast between that nervous boy and the current Logan fumbling beside her now only made Hermione laugh harder.
Seeing her finally smile, Logan quietly relaxed.
At least she wasn't furious anymore.
Hermione, meanwhile, decided to help him along a little. In truth, she actually liked this side of him. The fact that he couldn't effortlessly charm girls with smooth words was reassuring.
After all, there were already too many potential threats around him.
Especially those two idiotic older Weasley brothers and their absurd "gold-tier flirting techniques," which had somehow dramatically escalated Hermione's sense of crisis lately.
Across the room, Madam Pince shoved snacks into her mouth while staring at them with terrifying focus.
Technically, chatting loudly in the library violated several rules. Under normal circumstances, she would have chased them out immediately.
But today?
Absolutely not.
This was premium entertainment.
"So," Hermione asked calmly, "why aren't you off looking for that girl… Eralika?"
"What are you doing here instead?"
Her tone sounded casual, but her eyes were extremely sharp.
If Logan answered incorrectly, he was finished.
"Who's Eralika?" Logan asked blankly.
Hermione instantly felt much better.
The answer satisfied her far more than she expected.
Because Logan genuinely had no idea who she meant.
He vaguely remembered some girl talking to him recently, but beyond that, absolutely nothing remained in his memory. If Hermione hadn't mentioned her now, he probably never would have remembered the girl existed at all.
More importantly, he had never been interested in her in the first place.
Still, when Logan noticed Hermione's suddenly improved expression, something clicked inside his head.
Ah.
So that's what this was about.
Interesting.
Hermione crossed her arms lightly and continued, "Really? You don't remember her? Then why did the two of you seem to be chatting so happily the other day?"
"And now suddenly you have time to come to the library and look for me?"
This time, Logan answered immediately.
"I barely know her," he said honestly. "She was the one dragging me into the conversation. I was actually trying to find an excuse to leave."
"Then you suddenly stormed off before I could do anything."
Hermione's lips twitched upward slightly.
"And honestly," Logan continued, "I'd much rather spend time studying with you in the library than chatting with her."
The moment she heard that answer, Hermione's eyes curved into beautiful crescents.
That was the response she wanted.
Nearby, Madam Pince nearly slammed her snacks onto the table in excitement.
Yes! That's it!
Now hurry up and confess already, you hopeless little idiot!
The atmosphere between the two suddenly became warm and strangely quiet.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Eventually, Logan broke the silence first.
"I really like studying with you," he said softly. "I like the atmosphere here when we argue about books. I like how you always catch me doing embarrassing things."
Hermione's eyes widened instantly.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Was he finally going to say it?
Was he actually—
"Let's make up properly," Logan finished sincerely.
Hermione: "..."
Never mind.
She had overestimated him.
This idiot wasn't courageous at all.
Across the room, Madam Pince looked physically pained. Her expression resembled someone who had just been handed delicious candy only to discover it was secretly filled with dirt.
She wanted nothing more than to rush over and kick Logan straight out the library window.
How could someone fail this badly?
Fortunately, Hermione recovered quickly.
In truth, she was already satisfied enough.
The fact that Logan had personally come looking for her and tried so awkwardly to cheer her up already proved how important she was to him.
As long as things continued like this, eventually he wouldn't be able to escape her anyway.
Feeling considerably happier now, Hermione picked up a thick book from the table and handed it over to him.
"Well," she said casually, "someone finally returned this earlier, so I borrowed it for you."
"I think it'll help a lot with the kind of magic you've been researching lately."
Logan's eyes widened immediately.
Because he recognized the book instantly.
For ages, countless students had been trying to borrow this particular text. He had checked the shelves repeatedly and never once managed to get his hands on it.
Yet Hermione had quietly been paying attention the entire time and borrowed it for him the moment it became available.
A warm feeling spread through Logan's chest.
In truth, just moments ago, he had almost confessed everything.
He had wanted to tell Hermione that he liked her. That he wanted the two of them to truly be together.
But at the very last second, he stopped himself.
They were still too young.
More importantly, Logan still lacked enough strength to protect the people important to him. Right now, becoming stronger mattered more than anything else.
Only after he possessed enough power to face the dangers ahead would he finally take that last step forward.
Still, he already felt satisfied.
At the very least, thanks to Professor McGonagall, Logan had finally stopped lying to himself.
He now understood exactly what he wanted.
.....
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