Hogwarts in the shadows

Early in the morning on the weekend, Hermione's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them gently twice.

Although it is the weekend, Hermione still won't lie in bed.

She rubbed her little head on the soft pillow a few times and then sat up.

She was about to wash up in a daze, but as soon as she got out of bed, she felt something strange; it was too quiet around her.

She did not hear Lavender Brown snoring, not even the slightest sound.

This woke her up immediately and her heartbeat quickened unconsciously.

She hurried to get the wand next to the pillow.

"Good morning, Miss Hermione." A shrill voice sounded.

An An's figure appeared in her sight and bowed respectfully to her.

Hermione turned her head and saw that it was An An. The tension in her heart instantly dissipated.

"An'an." She guessed, "Did Hephis ask you to come?"

"Yes, the master asked me to pick you up." An An replied respectfully.

"Pick me up?" Hermione's eyes flashed with surprise.

"Wait for me." She said and rushed to the bathroom.

"Okay, Miss Hermione." An An stood quietly by the side waiting.

Hermione wanted to take care of her hair, but thought it would be a waste of time.

She simply applied two bottles of fabric softener and hurried out of the bathroom.

An An brought the neatly dressed Hermione and performed Apparition, and they arrived outside Delacour's villa.

Hermione knocked gently on the door.

The person who opened the door was a one-year-old child with a pair of emerald eyes.

He was wearing loose casual clothes, looking playful and cute.

"Hello, thank you." Hermione greeted politely.

A sly smile appeared on the child's face, which was extremely inconsistent with his age.

He responded crisply: "Hello! Pretty lady, who are you looking for?"

Hermione leaned forward slightly, looking anxiously into the house, with a hint of urgency in her voice: "I'm looking for Hephis, is he in there?"

The child blinked, a playful look on his face: "My name is Hephis, are you looking for me?"

A trace of surprise flashed across Hermione's face, and she chuckled, "Uh... your name is also Hephis!"

She paused and added, "I'm looking for an older brother with the same name as you."

Hephis raised his eyebrows slightly, and a playful arc appeared at the corner of his mouth: "There is no big brother."

Hermione turned to look at An An who was standing respectfully beside her.

She looked at the child's emerald eyes again, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged in her heart.

She suddenly came to her senses and exclaimed, "Ah! You...how did you become so small!"

Hephis said with a hint of helplessness: "Hermione, I am really sad that you just recognized me."

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. She stretched out her finger and gently poked Hephis' forehead, scolding: "You did it on purpose!"

Hephis laughed, "Hermione, you're so cute."

Hermione's eyes rolled, and she suddenly squatted down and picked up Hephis.

A smug smile spread across her face: "Humph! Little brother is not behaving well."

Hephis was somewhat embarrassed by Hermione's sudden action.

He struggled to get out of Hermione's arms: "Hermione, put me down."

Hermione hugged him tightly, her eyes curved and she refused to let go: "No, let sister hug you."

Hephis sighed helplessly, he knew that this was Hermione's revenge on him and he could only let it go.

"Where is this?" Hermione looked around curiously.

Hephis tilted his head, "Here! This is a certain old woman's home."

Hermione was stunned. What did this mean?

"That's the 'old woman' you commented on the last time she went to Hogwarts," Hephis explained patiently.

Hermione couldn't remember for a moment, "Who is it?"

"Fla Delacour's home." Hephis revealed the answer.

"Snape is here too, but they're out now and will be back in a bit."

"An An, thank you, go and get busy!" Hephis said to An An who was standing aside.

An An responded respectfully: "Yes, Master."

He turned and ran to the kitchen. He was now mainly responsible for Hephis's diet.

When they were the only two left, Hermione carried Hephis to the sofa and sat down.

She asked curiously, "How did you become like this?"

Hephaestus began to patiently explain his nirvana and rebirth.

Hermione's eyes sparkled with excitement: "Wow! Is it so magical?"

"Why don't you try it too?" Hephis asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Hermione shook her head quickly: "I don't want to."

She paused and continued, "I still have to take care of you, right? Little brother."

She deliberately emphasized the words "little brother".

Hephis rubbed his little head gently in Hermione's arms.

"Sister, I want to drink milk."

"You want to die!" Hermione pushed his little head away.

She then started to pinch Hephis's pink little face, and it felt really good.

Hephis looked at Hermione's happy face and let Hermione pinch his hand for a while before pulling her hand away.

He reached out and held Hermione's hand: "It happened quite suddenly. Snape moved me here overnight for my safety. I didn't have time to tell you and made you worry."

Hermione shook her head: "It's okay, as long as you are safe."

She paused and asked, "How long will it take for you to recover from this condition?"

Hephis pondered for a moment: "According to the current growth rate, it will probably take another twenty-six days."

For the next two days, Hermione stayed at Delacour's house, staying with Hephis.

She now especially loves to pinch Hephis's little face.

Every time, Hephis could only let her do whatever she wanted with a helpless yet doting smile.

He didn't pull her hand away until Hermione was satisfied and let go.

Hephaestus, Hermione, Snape and Flora, the four of them became very warm during this time.

They ate together, they took walks together, they played together, just like the happiest family of four.

Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, Hephis returned to the age of eleven.

Hermione only comes over on weekends because of her school classes.

So there were only Hephis, Snape and Flora at the table tonight.

The three of them were sitting around the dining table, enjoying a warm dinner.

Suddenly there was a deafening noise outside the villa.

Momo ran up to them in a panic and reported anxiously.

"Master, someone has invaded the manor, and the defense formation has been fully activated."