Tom looked at the cocktail in front of him and didn't rush to drink it. Instead, he lifted the glass and gently swirled it, watching as the liquid slowly spun in the glass, leaving a layer of white frost on the walls.
"The sweetness of the sugar cane juice, the acidity of the lemon, and the freshness of the mint complement the warmth of the rum perfectly. Maximum score... Adding the lemon twice to give it greater complexity of flavor. Maximum score... Muddled mint awakens a more intense aroma, like the finishing touch of a painting. Maximum score... And then there's your attention, which surpasses even the maximum score! This is a cocktail that goes beyond perfection," Tom said, leaning against the edge of the table, holding the cocktail prepared by Hermione, and observing her with a certain amusement.
"But why did you put two straws at the end?" he asked, fully aware of the answer.
A rhetorical question.
Hermione maintained her composure and replied naturally, "To prevent ice chunks from blocking the straws."
Upon hearing that response, Tom couldn't help but laugh. Infected by Tom's laughter, Hermione also started to laugh.
"There are too many people here; let's take a walk outside," Tom suggested, realizing that, despite the big party, they were still being watched by many people. On instinct, he wanted to find a quieter, more private place.
"Agreed," Hermione replied, also noticing the crowd and recognizing it was not a good place for a conversation. So, she accepted Tom's proposal, and both of them left the hall together.
In the darkness, some people who had originally wanted to talk to Tom frowned...
After Tom and Hermione left the Great Hall, they headed straight for a less crowded area. After traversing several hallways, there was no one around them anymore.
Many people made the same choice tonight: to get away from the noise and go to a quiet place where they could be alone with that special someone, without being bothered.
Moonlight filtered through the windows and spilled onto the hallway floor. Tom and Hermione huddled by the window, looking at the moon in the night sky.
"It's a shame it's not a full moon; it's not completely round," Tom remarked, taking a sip of his mojito and feeling the combination of freshness and warmth in his mouth.
"Even the moon in its incomplete form has its beauty; it's what we call 'beauty in imperfection.' Humans like this kind of art. Venus de Milo without arms, the Winged Victory of Samothrace... they're all like that; their fame is due to their lack, which leaves room for unlimited imagination. If the statue of Venus de Milo were complete, it probably wouldn't be as famous. It's better for many things to retain a little mystery," Hermione explained seriously to Tom.
Tom smiled and decided not to delve further into that topic.
"Your dress tonight is very beautiful; is it the one you prepared before?" Tom looked at Hermione's seductive dress and felt something unusual in his heart.
It was the sensation of a racing heart.
"Of course not," Hermione shook her head. "I bought it through a contact in London, and it arrived at Hogwarts a few days ago."
Tom recalled that a few days earlier, during breakfast, Hermione received a large package. At the time, he asked her what it was, but Hermione only laughed without answering.
"So that was..." Tom said, reminiscing. Just as he was getting lost in his memories, Hermione leaned in and took a sip of Tom's mojito through the straw.
"It tastes really good; I'm really good at making cocktails!" Hermione exclaimed happily after trying the liquid.
The mojito wasn't very strong, but it could make their cheeks blush slightly, creating an ambiguous and passionate atmosphere.
Tom and Hermione had an average alcohol tolerance, and after a few sips of mojito, both of them were slightly tipsy.
Hermione snuggled into Tom's arms, wrapped in her pirate cloak, and sipped her cocktail sip by sip from her glass.
The effect of the alcohol led her to ask a question.
"I think I still don't know when your birthday is... can you tell me?" Hermione, half lying in Tom's lap, squinted her eyes.
"I don't really have a birthday... if I had to choose one, it would be the day I met you," Tom replied.
"I also know many cocktail tricks; do you want to try?" Hermione made an invitation, and Tom eagerly accepted.
Where could there be a bar at Hogwarts?
Both of them thought of the Room of Requirement simultaneously.
So when they opened the door to the Room of Requirement, they found a room decorated like a bar, with a bar counter in front of them and a wall full of bottles behind the bar.
"Perfect!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly, running to the bar and quickly starting to prepare the drinks.
One after another, Hermione prepared glasses of different styles, some extravagant and some simple, and placed them in front of Tom.
In this way, soon both of them had a somewhat distant look in their eyes. Then, Hermione sat next to Tom and taught him how to make cocktails, taking his hand.
...
The bright morning light filtered through the window of the Room of Requirement, illuminating the spent candles on the chandelier, only the wicks of the candles remained.
The floor of the Room of Requirement was covered with scattered garments: a pirate cloak, a gothic dress, golden-bottomed boots, and a black velvet corset.
On the bed in the Room of Requirement, there was a mix of disheveled clothes, and a pair of young people were fast asleep.
The golden sunlight illuminated Tom's face, his eyelids moved, and the young man woke up.