The Granger Residence.
It appeared Hermione had thoroughly cleaned the house right before she went to look for Silan.
As a result, both the living room and the kitchen were exceptionally tidy.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, flooding the room and bathing the interior in a bright, warm glow.
“Make yourself at home.
I’ll go get the cake.” “Thank you.” In less than a minute, Hermione walked back from the kitchen carrying two plates, each holding a generous slice of cake.
It was obvious she had prepared everything well in advance.
“Go on, try it,” Hermione said, handing a spoon to Silan, her face filled with anticipation.
Silan didn’t rush to eat.
Instead, he stared at the somewhat oddly shaped cake on his plate for a moment.
“W-What’s wrong?” Hermione grew a bit tense, wondering if he had noticed something amiss.
“It’s nothing.” Silan smiled and shook his head.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” He scooped up a piece of cake with his spoon, put it in his mouth, savored it carefully, and nodded in approval.
“It tastes wonderful.” Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
But then, Silan added, “Though…
you made this cake yourself, didn’t you, Hermione?” “How did you know?” Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise.
*Was it really that ugly?* “It’s not as sweet.” Silan smiled.
“I know you don’t like overly sweet desserts, so I deliberately cut down on the sugar.” “So, you made it specifically for me?” Silan looked genuinely pleased.
The young girl blushed slightly, turning her head away stubbornly.
“I just made it casually while helping my mum yesterday.
It was only for practice.” She rambled on with a string of excuses, but she didn’t deny it.
“Alright, just eat.
There’s plenty of filling inside.” “Okay, you eat too.” The two of them chatted as they ate, and time flew by.
The patch of sunlight that had originally rested on the living room floor had already crept its way up the wall.
As Hermione thought about how she would soon be leaving for Hogwarts, her mood grew somewhat melancholy despite the sweet treat.
She twirled her spoon against the plate absentmindedly, weighing her words before speaking up.
“Silan, I…
I’m going away to school soon.
Somewhere very far.” “After this, we probably won’t see each other very often.” At this point, Hermione’s voice suddenly went up an octave, as if she were bolstering her own courage.
“But the moment holidays come, I’ll come back to see you!” By the last syllable, her voice had dropped to a near-whisper.
They were supposed to go to the same school.
They could have remained classmates for several more years, hanging out during vacations, reading books together, and sharing small cakes on quiet afternoons just like this…
But now, all of it had been disrupted by the Hogwarts acceptance letter.
When the news first arrived, the entire Granger household had been thrown into shock.
The difference was that Mr.
and Mrs.
Granger were amazed that their daughter possessed the potential to be a witch, whereas Hermione was simply deeply saddened by her impending separation from Silan.
She had even entertained the thought of refusing to go to Hogwarts, though she ultimately suppressed the idea upon seeing her parents’ overwhelming excitement.
*I won’t forget you.
We’ll meet again during the holidays.
We’ll be best friends forever.* Hermione had heard phrases like that countless times.
Before every school break in primary school, many of her classmates would say the exact same thing.
Yet, more often than not, once the holidays arrived, those classmates seemed to vanish.
By the time school resumed, many relationships had quietly drifted apart.
A friendship like theirs, which had lasted for six years, was incredibly rare.
“It’s alright, Hermione.
I’m certain we’ll see each other again very soon.” “Yes, yes!
Christmas will be here in no time.” Hermione felt that he was merely comforting her.
The burden of keeping secrets from her best friend made her feel incredibly guilty, to the point of self-reproach.
[*Guilt!
Guilt!
Guilt!
Guilt Points +26*] *Even this triggers it?* Silan’s expression turned a bit peculiar.
However, he had no intention of telling Hermione just yet that he would be going to Hogwarts with her.
From Hermione’s perspective, he was entirely oblivious to the wizarding world.
She had likely received a strict warning from Professor McGonagall not to disclose anything about Hogwarts to anyone else.
Besides, September the first was only a few days away; it would be much better to give her a proper surprise then.
By the time they finished the cake, evening was fast approaching.
“Goodbye, Hermione.” “I’ll walk you out.” Today was an unusually clear day.
The thick fog that usually choked London seemed to have been brushed aside by a massive hand, revealing a long-absent sky.
The faint, sweeping rays of the sunset burst through the clouds, draping over the two of them like a delicate silk shawl.
The street was quiet, broken only by the occasional chirp of crickets.
“Silan, don’t forget me,” Hermione choked out, her voice cracking.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.
Goodbye, Hermione.” Silan extended his hand for a parting handshake, but Hermione suddenly stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace, pressing her tear-stained cheek against his in a brief, emotional parting gesture.
This caught Silan entirely off guard, leaving him momentarily bewildered.
“Goodbye, Silan.
Goodbye.” “Don’t cry, Hermione.
We really will see each other again soon.” Silan held her, gently patting her back with one hand, comforting her for a good while before they finally, reluctantly parted ways.
Even after Silan had walked a considerable distance away, Hermione remained standing at the doorway, her gaze lingering on his retreating figure for a long time.
*Once I leave, Silan will probably be all by himself most of the time.
He’s so kind-hearted–what if someone bullies him?
What if he goes hungry?* Looking at Silan’s thin, slender frame, a heavier wave of guilt washed over her.
Right at that moment, Silan suddenly turned around, flashing a bright smile as he waved at her.
Though he didn’t utter a word, Hermione understood his silent message: *Don’t be sad.* [Can guilt actually cascade like this?
Guilt Points +40] Staring at the prompt box floating before him, Silan fell into a brief, silent contemplation.
*Hermione, I really didn’t mean to exploit this…* Though slightly surprised, Silan quickly tallied up his accumulated Guilt Points in his head.
217 points–more than enough to exchange for a trait attribute.
Currently, there were three traits available for redemption: [Spell Inspiration], [Silenced Concealment], and [Hand of Alchemy].
While [Silenced Concealment] was cheaper, its effect leaned entirely toward stealth and sneaking, which didn’t offer high utility for him at the moment.
Both [Spell Inspiration] and [Hand of Alchemy] were excellent choices, and he was highly interested in both.
However, based on his current point total, he could only afford one.
Silan weighed his options carefully.
Although [Hand of Alchemy] was highly appealing, he currently lacked any alchemical materials, meaning he wouldn’t be able to put the trait to immediate use.
[Spell Inspiration] was entirely different; he had The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 sitting right at home, meaning he could put it to use immediately.
Furthermore, the frequency of spell casting would undoubtedly be much higher than alchemy in his early school years.
With that realization, the choice became blindingly obvious.
Without any further hesitation, Silan decisively selected [Spell Inspiration].
[Congratulations!
You have unlocked: Spell Inspiration] [Spell Inspiration: Level 1 (1/100)] [Description: You little dummy, do you even understand these spells?] [Effect: Makes it significantly easier to spark sudden inspirations while studying and learning magic spells.] The moment the trait unlocked, a profound wave of mental clarity washed over Silan’s brain.
His perception of the surrounding world sharpened drastically.
He had a strong premonition that studying magic with this heightened awareness would yield twice the results with half the effort.
The sudden rush of insight left him practically itching to try it out.
Time to head straight back and dive into magic!