444 Lily Street, Stone District, Manchester, Britain.
“Mom, I’ve finished today’s homework and reviewed all my lessons. Can I go next door to find Big Sister Kate?”
A small brown-haired girl ran excitedly out of her room, pestering her mother with questions.
Mrs. Granger helplessly pinched her pretty little face.
“Hermione, Kate hasn’t been home these past few days.”
The bushy brown hair instantly wilted, and Hermione pursed her lips in disappointment.
“Then… then when will she…”
“Hermione,” Mrs. Granger gently ruffled her hair, “Kate is going to a school far away. Won’t Hermione be starting middle school next year too?”
But even if I wait until next year, I won’t be able to go to school with Big Sister Kate…
Hermione’s head drooped, and it took a while before she looked up, pleading softly, “Mom, if Big Sister Kate comes back, you must tell me.”
She still had so many things to say.
Mrs. Granger smiled tenderly.
“Mhm, I’ll remember.”
After finally comforting her little one back into her room, Mrs. Granger walked to the window with a look of concern.
Two strange people lived next door to them.
Kate Shafik, a girl who had suddenly appeared next door with an Old Butler when she was very young.
Rand Jones, an old gentleman over seventy who went in and out every day wearing a classic butler’s uniform, claimed to be the girl’s butler.
Such a pairing felt strange enough as it was, not to mention that Mrs. Granger had almost never seen the young girl leave the house.
The only time she had, she ran into her just as she was bringing Hermione back from primary school.
It was raining lightly that day, and she was walking home carrying Hermione, who was crying because she had been isolated by her classmates.
She hadn’t intended to stop when passing the house with house number 445, but the poor little thing in her arms was struggling to get down, the reason being she didn’t want to be carried home like that.
Mrs. Granger was helpless; her Child had always been strong-willed.
It was already rare for her to be carried while crying, let alone meeting her father like that.
At little Hermione’s repeated insistence, Mrs. Granger could only compromise.
She held the umbrella, set her down, and took extra care to tidy her somewhat messy hair.
Thus, it delayed them for a bit.
Because of this, just as they were about to head home hand-in-hand, they ran into the little girl who had run out of her house into the rain.
She had a pale little face, was soaked to the bone, and rare silver hair clung to her face.
Even though it was autumn, she was still wearing summer short sleeves and shorts, shivering as if she had been fished out of an ice hole.
Mrs. Granger was terrified, almost thinking that the polite-looking old Mr. Jones was a violent Child abuser.
It was the young Hermione who reacted first, proactively reaching out to the girl.
“Were you bullied too?”
The girl stood in the rain, her dark eyes scanning warily between Mrs. Granger and Hermione for a long time.
Before she could speak, she was wrapped in a warm coat.
“Poor Child, is no one home?” Mrs. Granger walked up to her with the umbrella and draped the coat over her.
“Come home with me first.”
Little Hermione’s attention had already been diverted by the Child who had suddenly appeared, completely forgetting her experience of crying until her eyes were red.
Her eyes were firmly glued to this exceptionally beautiful older sister.
In all fairness, even though she was a bit disheveled from the rain, the girl before them was still a hundred times more striking than the prettiest girl at their school.
In just a few dozen steps, Hermione’s gaze had already shifted from curious observation to fondness.
She liked this beautiful sister!
The girl kept her head down and didn’t speak, ignoring her blunt gaze.
Until they reached the door, where Mr. Granger had been waiting to comfort his young daughter.
But when the door opened, what he saw was his daughter with starry eyes and a Child with her head down, whose face he couldn’t see clearly.
Mrs. Granger immediately stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear.
“So it’s Mr. Jones’s granddaughter, please come in!” He realized, quickly finding a pair of children’s slippers from the shoe cabinet.
The girl paused for a moment and chose a pair of adult-style sandals next to them.
“Is there a bathroom? I want to take a shower.” She looked up, a raspy voice emerging from her throat.
The Grangers were stunned for a moment, but little Hermione enthusiastically took the initiative to go over and take her hand.
The girl instinctively wanted to pull away, but hesitated the moment she touched Hermione, letting her lead her to the bathroom.
Then she shut little Hermione outside.
Hearing the sound of water starting inside, Mrs. Granger hurried over to take her young daughter to the living room to dry off.
After a long while, the bathroom door opened, and the girl who had looked quite disheveled earlier walked out, completely refreshed—no one knew where these change of clothes had come from.
“Child, you…”
Mr. Granger wanted to step forward and ask her, but was interrupted by the girl: “You two, thank you for your kindness. Now I need to go out and handle some business. I will send a thank-you gift another day.”
Such a mature tone coming from a Child of only six or seven years old felt far too out of place.
Before The Grangers could react, the girl put on her shoes, opened the door again, and rushed out.
Little Hermione urgently wanted to go and pull her back, but when she opened the door, she found that the figure had already disappeared into the wind and rain.
The next day, the old Mr. Jones they had seen before indeed brought a large pile of gifts to their door to express his gratitude.
To The Grangers, they had merely let a neighbor girl take a shower at their home and hadn’t even spoken more than a couple of words, so how could they accept such thanks.
Hermione, on the other hand, had been full of curiosity about this sister she had only met once from the moment Kate disappeared.
When Jones came to the door, she enthusiastically ran out of her room and asked him if she could visit again.
Facing such a small Child, although Jones was surprised by her initiative, he did not refuse.
From then on, number 445 became the place Hermione visited most frequently.
Even Mrs. Granger didn’t know what kind of common topics her daughter and that strange Kate could possibly have.
Until yesterday, Kate came to the door again and personally explained to her that she would be going to a school far away and that Hermione didn’t need to come looking for her anymore.
Mrs. Granger didn’t know if this was some kind of excuse because she had grown tired of her daughter, but…
Looking back at Hermione, who was reading gloomily in her room, Mrs. Granger had a premonition that her daughter wouldn’t give up looking for her so easily.
She had to tell her husband in advance to be prepared for their daughter’s bad mood after being turned away.