Upon hearing Tom's words, Hermione's eyes welled up again. The day had finally come. Their eyes met and they looked at each other affectionately. The air was filled with the scent of love.
At that moment, their hair moved: the strands of hair on Tom and Hermione's temples separated and uncontrollably swayed, moving in the air as if drawn to each other, and the two strands came together and intertwined in a delicate twist.
Tom felt his own magic surging, flowing out of him and towards Hermione, and at the same time, a warm magic flowed through Hermione's hair, a magic that had a lively sensation and reminded Tom of the library, as if he wasn't in an ancient deserted city but in a library in the afternoon.
The magic flowed around their bodies and returned through their hair, and their own magic returned to their bodies.
The magic ebbed and flowed like a tidal wave, and it was as if there was something more inside Tom's body, and a connection had been born between him and Hermione.
Two strands of hair fell from their heads, knotting into two thin strands of rope. Tom grabbed one of the strands and wrapped it around Hermione's hand, making a bracelet. Hermione did the same and tied the rope around Tom's wrist.
What had just happened was so subtle, so utterly magical, that Tom and Hermione had never heard of it, but they didn't care. All they could think of at that moment was the figure in front of them and the love they felt for each other. Once the rope was tied, they smiled at each other and then kissed carelessly.
"I love you too," Hermione looked at Tom affectionately, "I wish we would never be separated."
"Yes, we will never be separated."
"In this life, and in the next!"
"Yes, I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
There was a faint glimmer of light on their bracelets.
It would be great if it were just the two of them here, but unfortunately, there is still a whole group of adventurers.
By then, the remaining ten members of the group had cleared a clean clearing not far from Tom, spread a blanket over it, and lit a fire around it. Everyone had seen what had just happened between Hermione and Tom, but no one approached to disturb the scene.
This was a world for the two of them alone.
Moreover, with Tom and Hermione being interrupted, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Alyosha made the decision that he, Yegor, Peter, and Alan would take turns to keep watch for the night. In the morning, they would rise again to explore the city.
According to Will's analysis, there were high chances that this city was the one they were looking for.
To freshen up, the rest of the group lay down on the carpet and prepared to sleep. Tom and Hermione slept on the other side of the fire, wrapped in blankets and cuddled against each other.
Soon, the whole room fell silent, with only the occasional crackle of the fire.
The first night shift was taken by Yegor and Alan, and later Alyosha and Peter would be called to take over the watch. Alyosha had his reasons for this arrangement: Alan and Yegor were the two youngest boys in the group, and the more energetic of the two would find it easier to keep watch. Of course, they were inexperienced, so they had the first half of the night, which was a bit easier.
The second half of the night was entrusted to the dependable Captain Alyosha and the best of the Ministry of Interior, to make sure nothing was missed. As for Will, his specialty was archaeology, and Alyosha wanted him to conserve his energy for the next day.
There is much to be said about the seemingly simple night watch.
The night watch was boring. Alan was physically and mentally exhausted after a long day of work, and despite constantly reminding himself not to fall asleep, he still felt awake in his body and drowsy in his soul. Alan had been staring in one direction for a long time, and although his eyes remained open, he now slept with them open.
At that moment, an invisible black shadow "sneaked" through the edge of the blocked window. It looked like a black cloak about two centimeters thick, but it was so large that it passed through the window opening without its tail being seen for a long time. It slid against the floor, emitting a faint rustling sound. But the sound was drowned out by the crackling of the fire.
No one knew that a special magical creature was approaching them. At that moment, everyone was asleep, and the night guard was distracted.
The shadow had found its target. Like a rippling black cloak, it approached Tom...
In his dream, Tom felt a cold, cold and damp touch, and he instantly woke up to see half of his body wrapped in a black curtain, and Hermione in his arms was also wrapped in black substance, which, upon seeing Tom awake, accelerated violently and slid towards Tom's face, trying to suffocate him.
Tom recognized the cloak-like creature as a Lethifold.
It was clear what had happened to the previous expedition: they had been attacked while sleeping by a Lethifold, and they had all been silently devoured. Lethifolds don't eat anything else, so backpacks, sleeping bags, and other items remained untouched.
Tom unconsciously pushed Hermione, and the next moment he was completely enveloped, he tried to transform, but no matter what he turned into, the transformed Tom remained tightly bound, the Lethifold was like a rubber membrane, tightly binding Tom.
Tom felt the Lethifold tighten, the pressure coming from all sides, squeezing out every last ounce of air from his body, and he was losing consciousness.
Before passing out, the image of Hermione came to his mind.
"Unfortunately, it's too late..." he thought.
Before succumbing to darkness, a light flickered before his eyes.
Hermione woke up when she was pushed and saw Tom wrapped in a black cloak from which he couldn't free himself. She also recognized the creature in front of her as a Lethifold.
She felt as if she had been doused with cold water, and instinctively grabbed her wand, only to remember that Lethifolds can only be repelled with the Patronus Charm.
She only knew about this spell before the start of summer vacation: she learned it for the final exam and reviewed it later, but she never tried it...
Hermione felt a strong sense of despair: Obviously, right now... why!
In her panic, she saw the crown she had kept in her backpack and quickly put it on her head, remembering the moment she had just shared with Tom...
She raised her wand -
"Expecto Patronum!"