At the Granger home.
It seemed Hermione had just cleaned the house before going to fetch Caelan.
Whether in the living room or the kitchen, everything appeared exceptionally clean.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, flooding the room with bright light.
“Make yourself at home.
I’ll get the cake.” “Thanks.” Hermione brought two plates from the kitchen, each holding a large slice of cake.
Obviously, it had been prepared beforehand.
After all, less than a minute passed between her entering the kitchen and coming out.
“Try it.” Hermione handed Caelan a spoon, her face full of anticipation.
Caelan didn’t rush to eat, instead staring for a moment at the somewhat unevenly shaped cake on the plate.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Hermione got a bit nervous.
Did he notice something?
“Nothing.” Caelan smiled and shook his head.
“Don’t mind if I do, then.” He scooped a piece of cake with his spoon, put it into his mouth, savored it carefully, and nodded in praise.
“It tastes really good.” Hermione let out a breath of relief.
Caelan immediately followed up, “Though…
Hermione, did you make this cake yourself?” “How did you know?” Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise.
Was it really too ugly?
“It’s not as sweet.” “I know you don’t like overly sweet desserts, so I specifically reduced the sweetness for this one.” “So you made it specifically for me?” Caelan was delighted.
The little girl turned shy, turning her head away and stubbornly insisting, “I just made it casually yesterday while helping my mom bake.
It was just for practice.” She babbled a whole lot, but didn’t deny it.
“Alright, eat up.
There’s plenty of filling inside.” “Okay, you eat too.” The two ate and chatted, time passing quickly.
The afternoon sunlight that had been on the living room floor moved onto the wall.
Thinking about how she would soon go to Hogwarts to study, Hermione’s mood turned somber despite having just eaten sweet food.
She pinched her spoon, absentmindedly tracing circles on her plate, and spoke cautiously after weighing her words.
“Caelan, I…
I’m going to school soon, somewhere very far away.” “After this, we might rarely see each other.” At this point, Hermione’s voice suddenly rose higher, as if bolstering her courage: “But as soon as the holidays come, I’ll come back to visit you!” By the last syllable, Hermione’s voice had dropped until it was barely audible.
They could have gone to the same school, stayed classmates for several more years, hung out together during holidays, read together, eaten cake together on a quiet afternoon like this…
But now, all of this was thrown into disarray by the Hogwarts acceptance letter.
When they received the news, the entire Granger family was shocked.
However, the difference was that Mr.
and Mrs.
Granger were amazed that their daughter had the potential to become a witch, while Hermione was heartbroken over having to part with Caelan.
She had even entertained the thought of not going to Hogwarts, but under her parents’ excitement, she had suppressed the thought in the end.
*I won’t forget you.
We’ll see each other again on holidays.
We’ll always be best friends.* Hermione had heard words like these many times before.
Before every holiday in primary school, many classmates would say things like that.
But most of the time, once the holidays arrived, those classmates seemed to vanish.
And once the holiday ended, many relationships quietly changed.
A friendship like hers and Caelan’s, maintained for so many years, was quite rare.
“It’s fine, Hermione.
I think we’ll definitely see each other again very soon.” “Yes, yes, Christmas will be here soon.” Hermione felt he was just comforting her, and felt guilty for keeping secrets from her good friend—so guilty that she began to blame herself.
[Guilt!
Guilt!
Guilt!
Guilt Points +26] *This raises it too?* Caelan’s expression became a bit odd.
However, he didn’t intend to tell Hermione directly that he was going to Hogwarts with her.
From Hermione’s perspective, he didn’t know she was going to Hogwarts.
She had probably received Professor McGonagall’s warning not to reveal Hogwarts to anyone else as well.
Besides, there were only a few days left until September first.
Giving her a surprise then would be nice too.
By the time they finished the cake, it was nearly evening.
“Goodbye, Hermione.” “I’ll walk you out.” Today was an extraordinarily clear day.
The heavy fog of London this year seemed swept away by a giant hand, revealing the long-unseen sky.
The faint rays of the setting sun burst forth from between white clouds, falling over them like fine silk.
The street was quiet, with only the occasional sound of insects chirping.
“Caelan, don’t forget me,” Hermione choked back tears.
“Don’t worry.
Goodbye, Hermione.” Caelan reached out his hand for a handshake, but Hermione suddenly embraced him and gave him an air kiss with tears on her face.
This left him feeling a bit at a loss.
“Goodbye, Caelan.
Goodbye.” “Don’t cry, Hermione.
We’ll see each other again very soon.” Caelan hugged her, gently patting her back with one hand and comforting her for quite a while before they parted reluctantly.
Even after Caelan had left, Hermione remained standing at the door, gazing at his receding back for a long time.
After she left, Caelan would probably always be alone.
He was so kind—would someone bully him?
Would he go hungry?
Looking at Caelan’s thin back, Hermione felt even guiltier.
Just then, Caelan suddenly turned around and waved at her with a smile.
Though he didn’t say a word, Hermione knew he meant for her not to be sad.
[Is guilt contagious?
Guilt Points +40] Looking at the floating notification box before him, Caelan couldn’t help but fall silent.
*Hermione, I really didn’t mean it…* Though surprised, Caelan silently calculated his accumulated guilt points in his mind.
217—enough to exchange for a trait.
Currently, there were three traits available for exchange: [Spell Inspiration], [Vanish Without a Trace], and [Alchemical Hand].
Although [Vanish Without a Trace] was cheaper, its effect leaned toward stealth, which wasn’t cost-effective for him right now.
[Spell Inspiration] and [Alchemical Hand] were both good traits, and he was interested in both.
However, for now, he could only afford one.
Caelan weighed the options in his mind.
Although [Alchemical Hand] was nice, he currently lacked alchemical materials, so exchanging for it wouldn’t be useful immediately.
[Spell Inspiration] was different—he had *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1* right in his hands, which he could use right away.
Besides, spells were used far more frequently than alchemy.
With that in mind, the answer was obvious.
Without hesitation, Caelan decisively selected [Spell Inspiration].
[Congratulations on unlocking Spell Inspiration] [Spell Inspiration: Level 1 (1/100)] [Description: Little dummy, can you even understand these spells?] [Effect: Makes it easier to spark flashes of inspiration while learning spells.] Once the trait unlocked, Caelan felt a wave of clarity wash over his mind.
His perception of the world around him became significantly sharper.
He had a feeling that learning spells with this state of mind would yield twice the results with half the effort.
He was eager to give it a try.
Time to go back and study spells right now!