The Slytherin Of The Scamander Family Book 2 (Hermione x Male Reader)

The Mysterious Diary And The Break-in

For several long weeks, Hermione was confined to the Hospital Wing. Seth visited her every day, bringing stacks of homework-at her request, of course. They would talk and laugh as Seth tried his best to replicate the lessons she had missed with the help of Shadow, Mischief, and Twig. This often involved a lot of bouncing on his toes, waving his hands in the air, and chasing the three pets around the Hospital Wing, which never failed to make Hermione giggle.

Harry and Ron visited occasionally, but they were preoccupied with trying to make sense of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lockhart had brought Harry and Seth to the front of the class to demonstrate the movements of a yeti, which turned out to be nothing more than walking normally while waving their arms around.

Currently, Seth sat by Hermione's bedside in the hospital wing, the gentle hum of the room filled the silence between them. Today, the conversation had been light, mostly about trivial matters, but Seth couldn't shake the memory of a night that had been bothering him for weeks. It was the night outside the Gryffindor common room, when Hermione had looked like she wanted to say something important but had abruptly changed the subject. The curiosity gnawed at him, and he felt like now was the right time to bring it up.

"Hermione," Seth began, trying to sound casual but with a hint of concern in his voice. "I've been thinking... that night in front of the common room. You seemed like you wanted to ask me something, but you didn't. What was it?"

Hermione froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She had hoped he wouldn't remember, that the moment would just fade away, but now here it was, staring her in the face. Her feelings for Seth were something she had kept hidden, and the memory of Arielle Diggory-the girl who had been so important to Seth-still stung painfully.

"I... I..." Hermione's voice faltered, and she could feel her face flushing.

Panic welled up inside her. She wanted to tell him, wanted to ask about Arielle, but the fear of what it might mean, of how it might change things between them, held her back. How could she compete with a memory? With someone who had meant so much to him?

Seth noticed her hesitation and leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Hermione, what's wrong? You can talk to me, you know that."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She felt trapped, torn between her feelings and the fear of rejection. The image of Arielle-beautiful, talented, and forever linked to Seth's past-flashed in her mind. How could she possibly bring that up now?

Just as she was about to force herself to say something, Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room, her presence a sudden and almost welcome distraction.

"Mr. Scamander, it's time for you to go. Miss Granger needs her rest." Madam Pomfrey said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Seth looked back at Hermione, worry etched on his face.

"We'll talk later, okay? Promise me." He said.

Hermione managed a weak smile, her heart still pounding.

"Yeah... later."

As Seth reluctantly left the hospital wing, Hermione let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The weight of what she hadn't said lingered in the room, pressing down on her like a heavy blanket. She watched Seth go, a mix of relief and regret swirling in her chest.

She had missed her chance to ask, but the question remained, burning in the back of her mind: Would Seth ever see her the way he had seen Arielle Diggory? And more importantly, did she have the courage to find out?

-

Seth slowly made his way toward his common room, his mind clouded with questions. What was it that Hermione wanted to say but couldn't, no matter how hard she tried? Would he ever find out what she wanted to say but couldn't? These questions kept running through his mind until he suddenly noticed a flood of water.