Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione’s Houseguest

"Aragog is back," Hagrid announced to Qin Yu, his voice a mix of relief and apology.

The giant of a man had just returned from the Forbidden Forest, his thick coat still clinging to the chill of the woods.

"Hmm? Who?" Qin Yu, busy grooming the unicorn Kelly's mane, didn't immediately catch on.

"That old Acromantula who ran off," Hagrid explained, miming eight legs with his hands for emphasis.

Qin Yu carefully plucked the unicorn hairs from the brush, handing them to Fred for safekeeping. He nodded in sudden realization. "Oh, that one... Didn't you say the old fellow ran away from home?"

Truth be told, Qin Yu had no fondness for the Acromantula. Back when he'd stumbled into the spider's lair, he'd made it clear he was Hagrid's friend. Still, the creature had let its brood attack him. Without his system, he'd probably have been spider food by now.

Maybe the old spider wouldn't hurt people itself, but the cold indifference it showed as Qin Yu and the little unicorn faced danger was something he couldn't forgive. Hence, he always referred to Aragog as "it," never by name.

"Well, Aragog didn't have a good time after running off. He nearly got himself killed passing through the centaur territory... Now that it's getting colder, he snuck back. I only found out during my patrol just now," Hagrid sighed, adding, "He specifically asked me not to tell you he'd returned."

"...," said George.

"...," echoed Fred.

Wasn't he not supposed to tell Qin? Why's he saying it then? the twins thought in unison.

"Hmph, what, is it afraid I'll finish the job?" Qin Yu snorted.

"Probably. Aragog said you were absolutely terrifying back then—if he hadn't run for it, he'd be dead too..." Hagrid nodded, entirely serious.

Rolling his eyes, Qin Yu parted Kelly's mane with a precise center line and replied coolly, "Tell him that since he didn't hurt me, I won't hurt him either. And let him know it's only because of you, Uncle Hagrid. As for his offspring—they brought it on themselves. Their bodies are ours now. If he has any complaints, I'd be happy to discuss it with him personally."

George and Fred nodded vigorously. Acromantula venom was a hot commodity—they even had buyers as far away as Brazil.

"I promise you, Aragog won't object. His children have gone completely wild—he can't control them, not at all. They're nothing like him," Hagrid assured the three.

Qin Yu understood. Aragog was Hagrid's hand-raised pet, like a Muggle's loyal (if slightly dangerous) dog. But Aragog's children were wild—untamable beasts, more like wolves than pets. Hagrid cared for Aragog, but not for the rest. Aragog felt the same—he simply had too many descendants to worry about sympathy.

"Alright, then. Let him stay in his old lair," Qin Yu said, then, as if remembering something, added, "Oh, and tell him: if your friends ever come through again, he'd better keep his little ones in check. If anyone gets hurt, I won't hesitate to blow up the spider cave a second time. We'll see if he escapes twice."

Of course, Qin Yu had no intention of actually unleashing his Obscurus Power on the spiders again—but a little intimidation never hurt. It was just a big bug; surely it didn't understand the meaning of psychological warfare.

"I'll pass along the message," Hagrid promised with a solemn nod.

…

Qin Yu and the twins had gotten their hands on venom and carved out a small niche in the magical market. Meanwhile, thanks to Hagrid's "negotiation," Aragog had earned a temporary reprieve—and a warning. The Acromantula incident, for now, was resolved. More or less.

The twins relaxed, Hagrid headed back to the Forest to deliver the message, and the only one left dissatisfied was the little unicorn, Anna.

She'd been circling restlessly the entire time Qin Yu was grooming her mother, clearly impatient for her turn.

Hagrid's arrival had delayed Kelly's styling, which annoyed Anna even more. Now, with Hagrid gone and Kelly's mane parted so perfectly even a perfectionist would be pleased, the little unicorn trotted over, eager for her own grooming session.

Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh at her antics.

He removed the last of the white unicorn hairs from the brush, handed them to the twins for collection, and began brushing Anna's golden mane. The unicorns only allowed Qin Yu to handle their grooming—the twins were strictly forbidden.

As for the golden hairs from Anna, there was no need to collect them; even Ollivander wouldn't want those for wands. But Anna watched him expectantly, so Qin Yu had the twins use a separate bag for her golden hairs, just to keep her happy.

And so, a Friday afternoon slipped by.

Qin Yu spent it helping the unicorns with their manes—a rare, peaceful break. The twins, meanwhile, were more than satisfied with their haul of unicorn hair.

When Hagrid returned with Aragog's assurance, the three boys left his hut and made their way back to Hogwarts castle.

…

On the walk back, George and Fred led the way, while Qin Yu strolled behind, lost in thought.

Inevitably, his mind drifted to Aragog—and then to the system that had once saved his life.

Funny, ever since the Acromantula incident, the system had gone completely silent. Where had it disappeared to?

Was it… out of credit?

He stopped in his tracks and, half-joking, thought, System, system, are you still there? If you are, give me a sign!

He waited five seconds. Nothing.

Just as he was about to walk on, a voice echoed in his mind:

"Squeak—!"

"...," Qin Yu deadpanned.

He was speechless for a long moment before finally grumbling, Your work ethic's really slipped lately. How long has it been since you gave me a choice mission?

All my extra income's dried up—I'm stuck earning Galleons the hard way, and it's exhausting.

"Ding! Host's strong desire for adventure detected. Would you like to activate S-Class Difficulty World Mode?" the system intoned, emotionless as ever.

"S-Class Difficulty World Mode? What's that supposed to mean?" Qin Yu was caught off guard.

"In this mode, the world will descend into maximum chaos. You, Host, will be in constant danger, and I'll be able to issue choice missions frequently," the system droned.

"...So you're saying, if I want to flirt with death, you'll show up with more missions?" Qin Yu blinked, then smacked his lips.

"Your understanding is correct. Would you like to activate S-Class Difficulty World Mode? You have five seconds to decide. If you do not respond, it will be activated by default. Five-second countdown: 5, 4, 3..."

"Whoa, whoa—NO! Absolutely not!" Qin Yu shouted, panicked.

Come on, I'm living just fine! Why would I want S-Class difficulty? Are you trying to get me killed?

"Ding! Host's response received. Maintaining current world difficulty," the system replied.

Then, almost smugly: "If you ever wish to activate a higher difficulty, please summon me anytime!"

Qin Yu rolled his eyes. "I'm not a masochist—why would I ever want higher difficulty?"

"Then do not summon me," the system replied.

"Yeah, fine… Wait, hang on, that sounded almost… emotional? Are you sassing me?" Qin Yu asked, suddenly amused.

"…"

"Do you have human emotions?" he pressed.

But the system stayed silent—not even a squeak.

After a few more tries, Qin Yu gave up. He really didn't want to provoke the system into suddenly activating S-Class mode. He was perfectly content with life as it was—no need for extra chaos.

A cold evening wind swept across the hillside, making Qin Yu hunch his shoulders against the chill.

At the twins' distant shouts, he hurried to catch up.

…

Later, sitting at the long table in the Great Hall, Qin Yu sipped hot tomato soup, warmth spreading through his belly.

After polishing off two meat pies and a potato, he left the hall and made his way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office on the third floor.

Since Professor Swenton had decided to teach him alchemy, the office had become a cramped laboratory—packed with all manner of alchemical materials and instruments.

When Qin Yu knocked and entered, Professor Swenton greeted him with a satisfied grin. "Perfect timing! I've cracked the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center's formula. We can start refining the materials right away!"

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