"Are we heading back to the castle?" Wayne asked.
Hermione thought for a moment, then said, "Let's take a walk; I'm feeling a bit full and could use some exercise."
Wayne had no objections. They strolled leisurely along the black lake, the water sparkling under the sun, the Cho breeze causing ripples, and occasionally, fish would leap out of the water, only to be swallowed by the Grindylow lurking beneath.
A gust of wind blew past, but Wayne was unaffected since his robes were magically temperature-controlled. Hermione, however, tightened her clothes against the cold.
As October approached, the temperature in the Scottish Highlands had dropped below ten degrees. Wayne kindly cast a temperature-regulating charm for Hermione, who immediately felt much better.
"Wayne, how do you know so many spells?"
"Just practice more, and you'll get the hang of it," Wayne answered casually, while Hermione secretly pouted.
She had also self-studied many spells in private, but her progress was slow; some simple spells were quick to master, but the more difficult ones required time to research.
To avoid feeling discouraged, Hermione looked at the black lake and softly said, "I read in a book that a whole tribe of merfolk lives in the black lake; I wonder if that's true."
"It's true," Wayne said, tossing a stone into the water, but it sunk after just three bounces.
"You can sometimes see them from the Slytherin common room through the window."
"Though, those merfolk are really ugly," Wayne sighed, shaking his head. "They're nothing like the beautiful mermaids from the legends."
Hermione crossed her arms and scoffed, "What if they were actually beautiful mermaids? What would you do?"
Wayne chuckled, "I wouldn't mind having another pet."
"Hmph!" The little witch pinched Wayne and walked away.
"Hey, why are you pinching me for no reason?"
"Why should I care?"
"Wow," Wayne laughed despite being annoyed. "So unreasonable?"
"What? You're not happy about it?" the little witch provocatively said. "I just can't stand you daydreaming. If you're so capable, why don't you actually catch a mermaid?"
"If I actually caught one, what would you do?" Wayne raised an eyebrow.
"If you really brought one here… I… I'll let you decide!"
Hermione thought for a moment; it was written in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" that mermaids didn't actually exist. They were just figments of people's imaginations. Suddenly, she felt bold and made a bet.
"Alright, just you wait." Wayne agreed, "If I don't find a mermaid before graduation, I'll accept a condition from you."
"It's a deal!"
They clasped hands and both smiled victoriously.
When they returned to the common room, Cedric and the others had come back from Hogsmeade.
Upon seeing Wayne, Cedric first offered him a cup of butterbeer, then whispered, "The things you asked me to buy are in the dormitory; I'll bring them to you."
Wayne nodded, indicating he wasn't in a hurry. Cedric then handed him some sweets he had bought from Honeydukes.
"Where should I teach you to make the map tomorrow?"
"Any classroom will do; it's too crowded in the common room."
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