Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione’s Houseguest

After returning from Hagrid's hut, Qin Yu stopped by the Great Hall for a quick bite before heading back to the Gryffindor dormitory. He desperately needed a shower—after a day spent gutting spider corpses and bottling venom, he reeked to high heaven.

As hot water sluiced over him, Qin Yu did a quick tally of their recent haul. Three pints of S-grade Acromantula Venom, three pints of A-grade, and five pints of C-grade. If their initial pricing held—S, B, and C grades at 150, 120, and 100 Galleons per pint—the total came to a whopping 2,310 Galleons!

Not bad at all. Even split four ways, that was over five hundred Galleons each. More than enough for a Nimbus 2000 apiece for him and Hermione.

The thought sent a ripple of excitement through him. Still, nothing was certain until the venom actually sold.

…

After his shower and a quick meal, Qin Yu pulled out the book he'd gotten from Hagrid. It was a concise guide to magical creatures—essentially a pocket version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—and, more importantly, penned by none other than Newt Scamander himself. The book was a rare collector's edition, seldom printed and highly prized.

He skimmed through it at lightning speed, then carefully wrapped the precious volume in brown parchment. Once he'd finished a short letter, he summoned his owl, Trig.

He tied the package and letter to Trig's leg, instructing him to deliver it to the Granger home in a certain Muggle neighborhood in London.

The letter was short and sweet: a bit of encouragement for Hermione to keep working hard, a mention of a dream in which he'd seen her, and a note that he'd gotten a rare magical creatures book from Uncle Hagrid for her to read in her spare time.

With the letter sent, Qin Yu called it a night. He was still "recovering from a serious illness," after all, and with no phone to scroll through, there wasn't much point in staying up late. He certainly wasn't about to make small talk with Elvis, Jimmy, and the other first-years. Better to get some sleep.

…

Because he'd sent the letter so late, it was already past nine when Trig tapped on the Grangers' window. Hermione was overjoyed to receive a reply so quickly. She hurriedly set out toast and ham for the weary messenger, then retreated to her room to open the package.

This letter was much shorter than usual—just a single sheet, not even filled. But since she'd just received a long letter two days ago, Hermione forgave him for being "perfunctory." Especially when she read that he'd dreamed of her. Any lingering annoyance melted away, replaced by a giddy longing to hop on Trig's back and fly straight to Hogwarts—if only Trig were big enough for the job.

"The letter should arrive late, so don't worry about replying today. Let Trig stay at your home for the night," Qin Yu had written at the end.

So Hermione wasn't in a hurry to write back. Instead, she flipped through the book he'd sent. It was late, so she only glanced through a few pages before her mum called her to bed. She settled Trig on her windowsill, spreading a soft blanket for him to sleep comfortably.

"Good night, Trig!" she whispered as she slipped under the covers.

"Hoot~" came the gentle reply.

A sweet smile spread across Hermione's face as she closed her eyes. She hoped she'd fall asleep quickly—maybe then she'd dream of Qin too.

He'd written that if you dream of someone, that person will have insomnia.

So… would Qin lose sleep because of her?

With those whimsical thoughts swirling in her mind, she drifted off. Whether she really dreamed of Qin Yu was a secret only she would know.

…

Whether or not Hermione dreamed of him, Qin Yu certainly didn't sleep well. Or, more accurately, he woke up far too early. Having gone to bed early, he was wide awake by four in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep.

So, he slipped out of the Gryffindor common room and wandered the castle's empty halls. At this hour, Hogwarts was utterly silent, cloaked in a hush that made it feel as if the whole building was holding its breath, waiting for dawn.

As he wandered, Qin Yu found himself reacquainting with the school's mysteries. Without realizing it, he rode the shifting staircases all the way to the eighth floor of the main castle.

"How'd I end up here?" he muttered, surprised.

But since he was here, he decided to explore a bit more. The eighth floor was much like the rest of Hogwarts—broad corridors, quirky paintings. He paused to admire one portrait and greeted its drowsy occupant, who barely managed a sleepy yawn before nodding off again.

Just as Qin Yu was about to move on, the wall beside him shimmered and began to change. An ancient, imposing door slowly materialized where the smooth stone had been.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and, after confirming he wasn't hallucinating, broke into a grin.

Of course! He remembered the system reward he'd claimed just before passing out in the Acromantula cave—the right to summon the Room of Requirement.

And this, without a doubt, was the legendary Room of Requirement!

"Early bird gets the worm, huh?" Qin Yu chuckled, even if the saying felt a bit off.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The Room of Requirement was empty—nothing like the cluttered treasure trove from the movies. But then, he realized, the room transformed based on the needs of whoever entered. His needs weren't the same as Harry Potter's.

Maybe it was empty because it was meant to be a storage space—a warehouse for all the magical creature byproducts he planned to collect. That would be perfect for his business.

He wandered around, taking note of the layout. There wasn't much else to see for now, but he knew he'd be back. Something told him this room would prove invaluable in the future.

…

…

The Weasley twins, George and Fred, had always been the mischief-makers and point-losers of their year—a constant headache for many, especially Professor Snape. Every time he saw them, it was as though he glimpsed the ghosts of old enemies, always looking ready to lob a Sectumsempra their way.

But lately, the twins seemed to have turned over a new leaf. Aside from classes, meals, and sleep, they were rarely seen around school. Rumors swirled that they were plotting something big, and speculation ran rampant.

If George and Fred knew what people were saying, they probably wouldn't care in the slightest. After all, you couldn't be a prankster at Hogwarts and still worry about your reputation.

This morning, the twins didn't linger at school either. After breakfast, they hurried straight to Hagrid's hut.

"Never realized Uncle Hagrid was so knowledgeable," George remarked to his brother.

"Just like Qin said, 'When three people walk together, there's always something to learn from someone.' He's totally right," Fred agreed.

"That's not actually Qin's saying—he told us it's from an Eastern sage. But it makes sense. We should be more humble and learn from people with real skills," George corrected him, nodding sagely.

"Exactly! Only by learning can we keep growing—and maybe someday run our own business empire!" Fred chimed in, eyes shining.

For a moment, the twins felt like paragons of virtue.

That lasted right up until they saw a golden little unicorn nuzzling Qin Yu like a pet dog. Their composure shattered.

"Hagrid, what's going on here?"

"Since when do proud unicorns act like that?"

They didn't know whether to be jealous or heartbroken.

"Oh, Qin came by early this morning, and the little unicorn wandered out of the Forbidden Forest. As soon as she saw him, she got all affectionate," Hagrid explained.

"But why? I don't get it!"

"Me neither!"

Their voices cracked with emotion.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's because Qin saved her when she was in danger. She's grateful, maybe even a little attached. Unicorns are incredibly sensitive creatures, you know," Hagrid said.

George and Fred sighed in unison. That was something they definitely couldn't compete with.

Still, they quickly bounced over.

"Anna, we're Qin's good friends. Nice to meet you!" George said to the little unicorn.

"Yeah, we're Qin's friends, and you're Qin's friend too—so that makes us all friends!" Fred added.

The unicorn looked at them with curious eyes as the twins tentatively reached out. But the moment their hands got close, Anna gave them a warning poke with her horn—no touching allowed.

The twins looked crestfallen, but Anna happily accepted the fresh carrots they offered.

Tsk, just like her mother, Kelly. Like mother, like daughter.

…

"All right, Anna, time to go home. Your mum will worry if you're gone too long," Qin Yu said, patting the unicorn's head.

She let out a soft whinny, nuzzled against him one last time, and then reluctantly trotted off into the Forbidden Forest.

"She's beautiful!"

"Can't wait to see her grow up—she'll be a stunning, snow-white unicorn!"

George and Fred sighed dreamily.

Qin Yu ignored the two "lovesick fools" and turned to Hagrid. "Any word from the owls?"

After exploring the Room of Requirement that morning and grabbing breakfast, Qin Yu had come straight to Hagrid's hut—only to be ambushed by the little unicorn's affection. Honestly, who could say no to a golden unicorn the size of a pony?

He'd nearly brought her back to the Gryffindor dorm, but reason prevailed. The Forbidden Forest was her true home.

Once Anna had left, he remembered the real reason for his visit: customer feedback.

"Yep, everyone who got a venom sample wrote back. I skimmed the replies—they're all pleased with the quality, but most say our prices are a bit steep," Hagrid reported.

George and Fred listened intently.

"If they're happy with the product, let's cut the price by ten percent," Qin Yu decided after a moment.

"Ten percent? All at once?" George frowned.

"That's over two hundred Galleons less overall!" Fred calculated instantly.

"Really? Over two hundred?" Hagrid was surprised.

Qin Yu grinned at their reactions. "Who said we're discounting everything?"

"Then what's your plan?" Fred asked, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

George and Hagrid looked at him expectantly.

"Hunger marketing," Qin Yu announced. Before they could ask, he continued, "The discount only applies to a limited supply—each customer can buy up to ten ounces total, across all grades. No more."

"Why not sell more? We can't use it ourselves, and aside from Severus, no one at Hogwarts buys this stuff," Hagrid protested.

"I said not now. Doesn't mean never. Remember: a good merchant controls the market, not the other way around. Think about how you'd do that," Qin Yu said, addressing the twins. He wouldn't force Hagrid to overthink it.

The twins fell silent, deep in thought.

Leaving them to ponder, Qin Yu asked Hagrid for parchment and quill. He wrote personalized replies to each interested customer, notifying them of the limited-time discount and asking them to confirm their order quantities for delivery.

"This is a lot of work…" Hagrid complained.

"That's business for you. There's always haggling—only then do both sides walk away satisfied," Qin Yu replied with a smile.

Hagrid nodded, thoughtful, though it was unclear if he fully grasped the point.

Once that was done, the four of them didn't rest. At Qin Yu's suggestion, they cleaned, sorted, and catalogued the various Acromantula parts Hagrid had butchered the day before. After all, every bit was worth something—no point letting it rot in storage.

Qin Yu planned to send these along with Hagrid on his next delivery run. Whatever sold, sold.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!

Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!

👉 patreon.com/GoldenLong