Hermione Granger ⁴

Hermione Granger was in the library, as usual. At that hour the place was usually empty, quiet, perfect. That's why, the first time she heard the door open, she looked up in surprise. She saw a boy enter whom she didn't recognize: tall, thin, with soft features. She thought, without giving it much thought, that he was rather feminine for a boy… but it didn't bother her. If anything, she found him pleasant. What did catch his attention was the book he picked up. Ancient Runes. An advanced volume. Too advanced. Hermione returned to her study, convinced it was a one-off. But it wasn't. During the following days—and then weeks—she saw him again. Always in the library. Always silent. Always with books that didn't match his apparent age. Hermione began to recognize the sound of his footsteps, to glance up without realizing it when he entered, to wonder which house he was from and why she had never seen him before.

It was often said that it was just academic curiosity. Nothing more. Until one afternoon, while looking for a book on a high shelf, she couldn't reach it. She stretched out on her tiptoes, frustrated, when suddenly she felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. You were behind. Without saying much, you easily reached for the book and handed it to her. You smiled slightly and spoke in a low, somewhat hoarse voice. (You were ill at the time, hence your voice.) Hermione turned towards you, surprised, holding the book against her chest. And without knowing it yet, that was the exact moment when the silence between them ceased to exist.