Chapter 6: A London Holiday

Yuri quickly caught up with Tom. He waved the bouquet of flowers in his hand excitedly. "Who are you really? Is this magic?"

Tom simply smiled at him.

Yuri's breath quickened. His keen intuition told him that this was the most important and unmissable opportunity of his life. He had an urge to give Tom all the money he had on him, but Tom refused and only took the £25 that Yuri had handed him.

"Consider it a debt," Tom waved his hand and then walked away.

Yuri watched the young boy's figure recede into the distance and sat down on the ground, lighting a cigarette.

...

Hermione stood by the open window, gazing at the familiar and comforting garden, inhaling the scent of fresh grass wafting in from outside. She couldn't believe it even today: two days ago, a cat had turned into a person right in front of her eyes and told her she had been accepted to a magical school called Hogwarts. It was even more surreal than a fairy tale!

She stood by the window, holding a furry tiger plushie. She looked calm, but her trembling arms betrayed her nervousness. She was about to embark on an uncertain journey, leaving her parents behind to enter a world she knew nothing about. Her life had been completely upended by this mysterious school! According to the Granger's plans, she was supposed to grow up and attend a prestigious medical school, graduate to become a respectable doctor, or return home to take over the family clinic. But suddenly, Hogwarts had appeared, telling her that if she didn't want to be a wizard, she wouldn't make a good dentist?

Hermione looked at the well-trimmed raspberry bushes and the clean path, the shrubs filled with her mother's favorite flowers. These scenes that used to bring her immense joy now seemed dull.

As she gazed at the shrubs, a familiar figure suddenly crossed her mind. She wondered if that person had received their acceptance letter...

Hermione picked up an unfinished detective novel, left her room, changed her slippers to sandals at the doorstep, and headed straight for her newly discovered "secret hideout."

It was called a secret hideout, but it was really just a pond. Thanks to a small stream that connected to it, and years of good environmental care, the water in the pond was surprisingly clean. The pond was surrounded by lush green trees, making it a perfect place to escape the summer heat.

Hermione turned onto a shaded path, and beneath it lay the pond, surrounded by dense willow trees that swayed gently in the breeze.

She was looking for a shady bench to sit and read when she saw something unexpected: a fishing rod by the edge of the pond. She stopped in her tracks.

She approached the fishing rod, carefully pushing aside the branches of the willow trees. And there, sitting on a small wooden stool, was a familiar figure. His name was Tom.

Tom was rolling up his pant legs, perched on a small wooden stool, and beside him was a battered old jar. He was fishing with utmost concentration, unaware of Hermione's approach.

"Can you catch fish here?" Hermione asked curiously. The sudden sound startled Tom, and he almost dropped his fishing rod. He looked annoyed as he turned toward the source of the noise.

Hermione was standing by the edge of the pond, holding a book. She was dressed in a beige top and shorts, white knee-high socks that clung to her slender calves, and brown sandals. Her chestnut hair was casually tied into a ponytail.

Tom's anger faded somewhat as he saw her. At that moment, the float on the water's surface suddenly bobbed, creating ripples.

"Got a bite!" Hermione exclaimed.

Tom fumbled for a moment but managed not to let the fish slip away at the critical moment. He successfully reeled in a palm-sized fish.

The fish was a mottled brown, with three spines on its back and near its gills.

"What kind of fish is this?" Hermione approached, looking at the struggling fish on the hook, her curiosity piqued.

"A Yellow Perch," Tom answered, carefully removing the fish from the hook and preparing to put it in a container.

"Can I touch it?" Hermione looked delighted, even though she didn't know what a Yellow Perch was. But her enthusiasm was infectious.

She reached out her hand to take the fish, underestimating its determination to resist. As a result—

"Be careful!"

"Ah!"

The Yellow Perch decided to strike back and stabbed Hermione's index finger with its spine. Tom quickly took control of the fish, tossed it into the container, and examined Hermione's injured finger.

Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep, but Hermione still winced in pain. It wasn't that she was particularly sensitive; it was just that the spines of a Yellow Perch were venomous, and being pricked by one caused excruciating pain. In a while, the wound would swell and itch.

Tom looked at the wound, his expression serious. Hermione felt a bit uneasy; it wasn't the venom that worried her but rather Tom's focused attention.

"Yellow Perch spines are venomous. You're lucky it wasn't a deep wound," Tom said, his tone serious.

"Thank goodness," Hermione replied, relieved. It wasn't the venomous aspect that troubled her, but Tom's initial intent focus. She felt her pulse quicken. "What should I do?"

Tom pondered for a moment before offering a solution. "There are two traditional ways to counteract the venom. One is to apply urine to the wound..."

"No way!" Hermione's eyes widened in shock. The idea of using urine to treat the wound was too unpleasant for her.

"...Or you can apply the mucus from the Yellow Perch on the wound. It will help alleviate the pain," Tom continued, offering a more palatable option.

The second suggestion brought relief to Hermione. Although the slimy mucus still looked rather unappetizing, it was definitely more acceptable than urine. She watched as Tom collected some mucus from the Yellow Perch and applied it to her finger. Strangely enough, it did seem to ease the pain.

"Since Yellow Perch live in water, you should clean the wound with iodine or something similar when you get home," Tom advised her.

"Thank you," Hermione said, genuinely grateful for his help.

Tom looked at her and realized that Professor McGonagall hadn't guided her to Diagon Alley. It seemed not every new student had the privilege of having a staff member accompany them.

"That might be troublesome," he muttered to himself. "For Muggle families like yours, it can be quite challenging to navigate the path to Diagon Alley."

Thinking about this, he raised his head and looked at Hermione. "If you don't mind, I could accompany you and your family to Diagon Alley. I've been there once."

"Really?" Hermione's face lit up with delight. Her giggles echoed along the water's edge.

(End of Chapter 6)