"Just like Senior Lin Yue's smile."

Luna turned her head and gave Lin Yue a hazy and dreamy smile.

"Thank you, but I don't think I'm good-looking," Lin Yue politely replied, adding what she believed to be the truth.

Luna elegantly shook her head, her silver eyes fixed on the distant black lake.

"I think Senior Lin Yue is beautiful, and in the aesthetic of most normal people, you should be considered good-looking."

Seeing the genuine expression on Luna's face, Lin Yue, who was familiar with micro-expressions, knew that she was speaking the truth, that it was what she truly thought.

However... was she really good-looking? She wasn't sure.

But one thing she was certain of was that she stood up and reached out her hand to Luna.

Luna tilted her head as she looked at Lin Yue's outstretched hand, and after placing her hand on it, she stood up with Lin Yue's strength.

Lin Yue used her other hand to hold the wand and cleared the snow from the spot where Luna was sitting.

"The snow is too cold; sitting on it isn't good for your body."

After saying this in a calm voice, Lin Yue finally let go of Luna's hand and sat back down in the place she had just vacated.

No one should be more familiar with the feeling of being in the snow than she was.

That coldness that seeps into the bones, that icy sensation that tears at the skin.

In the past, her hands, feet, and knees suffered from frostbite due to prolonged contact with the snow, leading to serious skeletal issues.

That's why, upon seeing Luna sitting directly on the snow, she had pulled her up to clear the snow from where she was sitting.

"Thank you, Senior Lin Yue."

Luna's dreamlike voice echoed, and the two of them sat quietly, gazing at the Black Lake not far in front of them. One was absolutely rational, the other unusual; they seemed like two completely different people, yet at this moment, they appeared to be on the same wavelength.

The Christmas dinner was extremely lavish, especially the turkeys piled high in the hall, which left the Granger couple quite astonished. Everyone enjoyed the feast immensely, and Lin Yue was no exception; her mind was no longer occupied with those knowledge points, and she simply savored the meal.

After Christmas, the Granger couple left Hogwarts Castle, but not before confirming a few things. Hermione would wake up the day before summer vacation, and due to her consistently excellent academic performance, all the professors agreed to exempt her from the second-year final exams, allowing her to advance directly to the third year. Even Professor Snape had no objections to this, though… it’s possible he just didn’t want to see any Gryffindors in his class for even one more year.

As time transitioned from the cold winter to the warm summer, the final exams at Hogwarts were completely over. All the second-year students had no doubts about who would be the top of their year.

Hermione is still petrified and in the hospital wing, so it's even less likely that anyone else could surpass Lin Yue. Therefore, it's no doubt that the first place is definitely Lin Yue. As it turns out, Lin Yue did not disappoint their "trust" and achieved full marks in all subjects, securing the top spot in the second year. Of course, the professors only announced this one ranking, revealing who the top student is, but not disclosing the rankings beyond that. This is a tradition at Hogwarts. Just a day before the students head home for summer vacation, the Mandrakes have fully matured. This means that Hermione will soon be able to recover from her petrified state.

After Lin Yue learned the news, she stayed in the medical wing, holding a book and reading while waiting for Professor Snape to bring the potion over.

Harry, Ron, and their mutual close friend "understood" and waited at the door of the medical wing, ensuring that the first person Hermione would see upon waking up was Lin Yue.

"After Hermione wakes up... will she scold Lin Yue? After all, that was... the Cruciatus Curse."

Marietta gently elbowed the nearby Cho Chang, who looked at her with a mix of helplessness and indulgence.

"Would you be willing to scold Lin Yue?"

"I wouldn't." Marietta shook her head without hesitation; after all, Lin Yue was her dear junior.

Even if Lin Yue had not harmed her, Marietta would defend her no matter what she did.

Even if she wanted to storm the Ministry of Magic and overthrow Fudge to become the Minister of Magic herself, she would still cheer for her junior, proving that she was more suitable for the position than Fudge.

"Then that's settled," Cho Chang shrugged. "If you can't bear to scold her, do you think Hermione would be able to?"

"Probably just a few words to scare her, all thunder and no rain."

"True."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Marietta nodded and continued to crouch with Cho Chang and Penelope at the door, peering into the medical wing. As for Harry and Ron, they consciously decided that as two boys, they should refrain from spying on Hermione and Lin Yue.

Hermione was still in a petrified state, so Lin Yue was just sitting beside her, carefully reading the book in her hands, without making any movements. Or rather... she didn't even know she would come to the medical wing today. She was supposed to go to the library to study as usual, but after hearing that the Mandrakes had matured and that Hermione would recover today, her feet automatically led her to the medical wing, even skipping breakfast.

It wasn't until eleven in the morning that Professor Snape strode into the medical wing with a bottle of potion.

"I think you should know that if you block the door, I can't deliver the potion inside."

His deep, slow voice rang out, causing Cho Chang and the others to freeze, and they immediately turned around and moved aside.

"Sorry, Professor, please come in."

Penelope smiled awkwardly as she helped Professor Snape open the door to the hospital wing. Professor Snape glanced at her, Autumn Zhang, and Marietta, but ultimately said nothing. However, he did let out a cold snort when he saw Harry and Ron at the end. Harry and Ron had no reaction to this; they understood Snape and Gryffindor, and they were used to it.

As they strode into the hospital wing, Lin Yue, who usually immersed herself in her studies while reading, quickly turned to look at Professor Snape. Snape stopped in his tracks and handed over the potion he was holding, saying, "I think you should know how to use this, Miss Lin Yue."

"I know, Professor. Thank you, Professor, for your hard work," Lin Yue replied, standing up to take the potion with both hands and bowing her head in gratitude to Professor Snape.

"You'd be better off feeding it to Miss Granger quickly rather than taking the time to thank me," Snape couldn't help but say before turning to leave. However, before he completely exited the hospital wing, he called out, "If there are any problems, come find me in my office."

Lin Yue looked up at his retreating figure, her voice flat, "Okay, thank you, Professor Snape."

Turning back, Lin Yue looked at the petrified Hermione, opened the potion's lid, and slowly poured the potion into Hermione's open mouth. Fortunately, Hermione had her mouth open when she was petrified; otherwise, it would have taken a long time to use magic to force the potion in.

Lin Yue's mind flashed with this thought, taking a long time to prove that Hermione's petrification time needed to be extended. This was not good; her brain made a judgment on this. The potion entered Hermione's mouth and slowly merged into her body without the need to swallow. Lin Yue watched as the petrified parts of her body gradually decreased. The first to be freed from petrification were her feet, the pale color replacing the stone gray. Then it was her calves, thighs, hands, and head. After seeing Hermione completely free from petrification, Lin Yue reached out and slowly helped her up. "Hermione, how do you feel? Are you okay?"

Hermione blinked in a daze, and it took her a few seconds to fully regain her composure.

The first thing she did after regaining her composure was to reach out and tug on Lin Yue's ear.

"You really are something, aren't you? You actually dared to use the Cruciatus Curse on yourself!"

"You didn't let me punish myself, but look at you, not only did you punish yourself, but you also upgraded the punishment for me!"

Hermione, both anxious and angry, wanted to give Lin Yue's ear a good pinch, but once she held it, she realized she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She could only pinch her ear and glare at her in frustration.

"Hermione was petrified... because I wasn't skilled enough and didn't completely defeat the Basilisk. Hermione wouldn't let me punish myself, but she got petrified because of me, I..."

Before Lin Yue could finish, Hermione released her grip on her ear and pulled her tightly into an embrace.

"Fool! You're really a fool in everything except for studying!"

"How could I blame you?" Hermione's voice softened as she gently stroked Lin Yue's back with her right hand. "It's because of your reminder that I had the chance to be petrified; otherwise, I might have died. You gave me the chance to survive, Lin Yue. You saved me. Thank you."

Lin Yue's mind came to a halt, as Hermione's words overlapped with those of Professor McGonagall and the Granger couple; they were all saying that she had done very well, and that it wasn't her fault that Hermione was petrified.

"Um..."

Gently closing her eyes, Lin Yue relaxed her body.

"And," Hermione released Lin Yue and supported her shoulders, "did you go looking for the Basilisk to get revenge for me?"

Lin Yue looked into Hermione's eyes and honestly nodded, "Mm."

"I knew it," Hermione's eyes turned slightly red, filled with both emotion and heartache, "You really... really did five Cruciatus Curses and then went to find the Basilisk. Do you know, I listened to you recite the Cruciatus Curse over and over, and I wished your wand was pointing at me. When I saw you weakly walk out as the curtain was blown up, I hated myself so much, hated myself for being too weak and not being able to protect myself."

Two lines of clear tears slowly slid down, and Hermione looked at Lin Yue with tearful eyes, "If something happened to you because of me, what would my safety mean?"

Lin Yue opened her mouth, wanting to say that Hermione's life was more important than her own, that it took priority over her own.

But she remembered what Hermione had once told her: life cannot be measured this way.

"I was wrong."

Lin Yue lowered her head and obediently admitted her mistake. Hermione, dragging her still somewhat stiff body, knelt up and hugged her, gently pressing her cheek against Lin Yue's cheek.

"No, I was the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have left you alone; I should have always been with you."

Lin Yue's lifeless gaze flickered slightly, and it took a few seconds for her to return to her usual dullness.

"Also..."

Hermione pulled back her head and wiped the tears from her face. "I heard what you said to me during Christmas."

Lin Yue looked up at Hermione, her face still expressionless, yet somehow exuding an unspoken cuteness.

"I really liked your gift; it was truly beautiful."

Hermione glanced at the feather pen on the bedside table. "It's really impressive that you managed to become an Animagus."

"Also..."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, breaking into a smile despite her tears. "About that sentence you didn't finish, I've figured out how to complete it for you."

"You witnessed my past through photos, you participated in my present through photos, and my future..."

Hermione paused here, then spoke the next words one by one.

"You must also participate and walk through the entirety of life with me."

Lin Yue's mind quickly resumed its operation, contemplating the meaning of Hermione's words.

It meant that she had to be involved in Hermione's future, to walk through life together with her.

The implication was that she should always stay by Hermione's side, and there was no doubt about that. After all, she wanted to ensure Hermione's safety, and... they were friends.

"Okay." Lin Yue mechanically nodded, her voice as calm as a gentle breeze.

Hermione watched her mechanical movements and listened to her unbothered tone, letting out a helpless sigh. She reached out and ruffled Lin Yue's hair, "We're not on the same wavelength..."

Gazing steadily at Lin Yue, Hermione felt a growing affection and possessiveness in her heart. During the days she was petrified, she had ample time to reflect on the little moments spent with Lin Yue.

She also had plenty of time to think about what Lin Yue had said to her during Christmas. After a semester of contemplation, now that the petrification had lifted, she finally understood.

She liked Lin Yue, liked her kindness that remained intact despite having experienced so much. She liked the unique protection Lin Yue offered her, liked her seriousness in life and studies, and liked every aspect of her.

As for Lin Yue... just based on what she had said to her, Hermione, who had already gained some insight, could confirm that Lin Yue was also interested in her.

It was just that her feelings hadn't fully "blossomed" yet, so she couldn't understand or express them well.

But that was okay; she could wait patiently and teach slowly. They were both still young, and there was plenty of time ahead.

Hermione's words made Cho Chang outside the door widen their eyes in surprise. Lin Yue couldn't understand, but could they not grasp what Hermione meant?

"Hiss... Has Hermione finally figured it out?"

Marietta gasped and looked at Cho Chang beside her.

"It seems so," Cho Chang nodded seriously.

"So early," Penelope frowned slightly. Although they were very reassured and fond of Hermione, it didn't mean they wanted their junior to be taken away so quickly.

However, Lin Yue hadn't fully "developed" her feelings yet, let alone figured things out.

It seems that Hermione still has a long way to go.

The three seniors, who had just been discussing how early it was for Hermione to figure things out, now began to think about how Hermione should navigate this path to reach Lin Yue and bring her out.