The Rebirth of Harry Potter

The sky gradually darkened…

And yet, the two of them remained in that embrace for a long time.

Cho's eyelashes fluttered slightly before she finally opened her eyes.

The moment she realized what was happening,

She let out a startled gasp and quickly pushed Harry away.

Her face flushed red,

And in a nervous, flustered voice, she stammered—

"S-Sorry…!"

Then, she scrambled to grab the book on the table,

And bolted out of the library…

Wait… shouldn't I be the one apologizing?

Harry opened his mouth, wanting to call out to her,

But in the end, he held back.

Because… what could he even say?

Besides, judging by how shy Cho had looked just now,

Stopping her would probably just make things even more awkward.

Instead, he simply grinned,

Whistling cheerfully as he swaggered out of the library.

At the very least—

He now knew for sure that Cho Chang was here, at Hogwarts.

As he raised his hands,

He could still catch a faint trace of her delicate, soft fragrance lingering on him.

That scent was light and refreshing,

Yet it seemed to wrap around him completely.

That night, Harry silently made a decision—

Tonight, he was definitely sleeping in this uniform.

Back in the Gryffindor Common Room

When Harry returned, Hermione was still reading.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye,

And for some reason, she felt a little confused.

Because…

It seemed like Harry was in a really good mood.

Hiding behind her book, Hermione stifled a yawn.

"I'm going to bed," she said.

"If I don't, waking up tomorrow is going to be a nightmare again. What about you? Still planning to read?"

She didn't realize that she wasn't staying in the common room for a quiet place to read—

She was staying because she wanted to see Harry.

Harry smiled.

"Nah, I'm heading to bed too."

Hermione picked up her book and waved slightly.

"Then… goodnight."

Harry grinned.

"Should we have a goodnight kiss, my dear?"

"Pfft—!"

Hermione spat at him, her face instantly turning scarlet.

She hurriedly lowered her head,

Not sure if it was because of the firelight's glow—

Or something else entirely…

Without another word, Hermione rushed up the girls' staircase,

And slammed the door shut behind her.

Leaning against the door,

She placed her hand over her chest,

Trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

Harry's words had completely caught her off guard.

But…

Why did she feel a strange sense of anticipation?

Her fingers lightly brushed the spot on her cheek

Where Harry had kissed her a few days ago.

The moment she realized what she was doing,

She jerked her hand away as if she had been electrocuted.

Hermione let out a slow breath,

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

But what exactly was she thinking about?

Even she didn't know.

As she slowly made her way up the spiral staircase,

A small frown appeared on her face.

Wait…

Had she just smelled something strange on Harry?

A scent that was…

Light and refreshing…

Ravenclaw Tower – Second-Year Girls' Dormitory

"Cho, are you feeling sick?"

One of her roommates asked, concerned.

"You've been lying in bed without moving ever since you came back from the library."

Cho suddenly sat up straight, waving her hands.

"I'm fine! Really!"

Her roommate didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure? Your face still looks really red…"

Cho awkwardly averted her gaze.

"I'm totally fine! If I weren't, I'd have gone to St. Mungo's by now!"

Her voice sounded a little too defensive.

After everyone had gone to bed,

Cho quietly pulled out a beautifully bound notebook.

Carefully, she placed it on her desk and opened it.

This was her diary.

And as everyone knows—

Girls who keep diaries are always adorable.

Cho never used to mind writing in her diary in front of her roommates,

But for some reason, tonight, she felt too embarrassed to do so.

So, she waited until everyone was asleep,

And then quietly got out of bed.

She pulled out a Muggle fountain pen,

And as her delicate, elegant strokes danced across the page,

Rows of neat, flowing Chinese characters began to take shape.

Unlike her classmates,

Who always scribbled down their notes in English,

Cho preferred to write in her native language.

Even though she was only twelve years old,

Her handwriting was already remarkably refined.

When her dormmates had first seen her writing,

They were in awe of the intricate, block-like symbols.

"It's so pretty!" they had gushed,

Some even jokingly begged her to teach them.

At the time, Cho had been half-amused, half-exasperated.

Dressed in a light yellow nightgown,

She leaned forward over her desk,

The soft glow of candlelight casting delicate shadows over her face.

Strands of silky black hair slipped down over her cheeks,

Half-hiding her concentrated expression.

"…This afternoon, I met Harry Potter. I realized that he's different from what I imagined, but he's just as remarkable as the stories say—though this is only my first impression."

"…What surprised me most was that, at first, I actually thought he might have Chinese heritage. His appearance is just… so easy to misunderstand."

"…I fell asleep in his arms! No… I didn't fall asleep, it was something else entirely. It was like I was completely mesmerized, lost in the warmth… and in that moment, I forgot all about time."

"…His embrace felt so warm. I don't know why, but it reminded me of so many things—my mother's arms, my hometown, the clear, rippling river from my childhood… the blue sky, the white clouds…"

As Cho wrote,

It was as if she had returned to that moment.

And the more she thought about it,

The hotter her face felt.

"That was so embarrassing… wasn't it?"

She quickly shut her diary,

Tucking it carefully under her soft, plush pillow.

But sleep wouldn't come easily tonight.

Because every time she closed her eyes,

She saw that same sunset-lit embrace—

Two figures, standing close together, locked in each other's arms.

Meanwhile, in Gryffindor Tower…

Harry Potter was fast asleep,

Using his school uniform as a pillow—

Grinning in his dreams.