It was unclear what Dumbledore was plotting, but as he was parting ways with Adelaide, he suddenly expressed a desire to give her some compensation.
This decision truly left Adelaide bewildered, as Dumbledore actually intended to significantly move up the home visits for Muggle-born new students, which were originally scheduled to begin on August 8th; he moved the date for visiting Hermione Granger's home from August 8th all the way up to July 20th.
Dumbledore also kindly told Adelaide that she would be permitted to take Hermione and Harry with her to Diagon Alley to purchase various supplies needed for new students.
Hearing this, Adelaide froze on the spot, her face full of question marks.
What kind of compensation was this?
This was clearly sending her to the "execution ground" ahead of schedule!
This black-bellied old bee must be retaliating against her for having Vinda Rosier write a letter to her Great-Granduncle!
At this moment, Adelaide was filled with regret. Dumbledore had already decisively informed Professor McGonagall of the situation and solemnly instructed her to arrive punctually at Number 7, Wisteria Road at nine o'clock on the morning of July 20, 1991, to meet Adelaide.
That day happened to be a Saturday. According to common sense, the Granger family would likely be staying at home leisurely to rest and relax, which would make it easier for Professor McGonagall and Adelaide to carry out the home visit.
Faced with such a situation, Adelaide had no choice but to hurry to Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, thinking of selecting a gift for Hermione.
After some hard thinking, Adelaide finally remembered that the Hermione of the original timeline seemed very interested in the book "Hogwarts: A History" and had flipped through it many times.
Without hesitation, she bought the deluxe hardcover edition of "Hogwarts: A History" and wrapped it tightly with exquisite gift paper.
Not only that, Adelaide also very carefully tied a beautiful bow on the wrapping paper and neatly wrote a line of words: "To my best friend, Adelaide (a red heart) Hermione." She sincerely hoped this carefully prepared gift could awaken the friendship in the depths of Hermione's heart and make her abandon the dangerous idea of turning her into a specimen.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the morning of July 20th arrived.
Deep dark circles hung under Adelaide's eyes; she had been anxious all night and only managed to squint for a short while until dawn.
She sat listlessly at the dining table, mechanically stuffing the breakfast carefully prepared by Mrs. Figg into her mouth bite after bite. The usually delicious bacon now seemed to have lost its original flavor, existing only to fill her stomach.
After finishing breakfast, Adelaide blinked her eyes hard and then slapped her cheeks vigorously with both hands, forcing herself to perk up.
A crisp and rapid doorbell rang outside; Professor McGonagall had come to pick her up.
Adelaide took the gift and walked quickly to open the door. To her surprise, Professor McGonagall standing outside was not wearing her black robes today, but had changed into a deep purple dress.
The deep purple hem of the dress shone like the most brilliant stars in the night sky, swaying gently with the breeze; looking up further, an exquisite gold necklace hung around Professor McGonagall's slender neck, its shimmering light complementing her fair skin, making her look even more noble and elegant.
And Professor McGonagall's unique cool temperament was like a winter plum blossom, proud against the snow and frost, standing aloof from the world.
Adelaide's eyes were full of wonder. Even as time passed and years changed, it could not erase Professor McGonagall's innate beauty and charm—it truly could be said that "beauty never fades with the years!"
Professor McGonagall didn't think there was anything different about her today; she took Adelaide's arm and used Apparition to arrive in front of the Grangers' house.
Adelaide stared blankly at the sign that said "The Grangers" on the doorplate. Although only a little over a year had passed since she last came here, to Adelaide, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Once, she used to enter and leave this door with great joy, playing to her heart's content with her good friend Hermione; now, revisiting the old place, a faint sense of nostalgia couldn't help but well up in her heart—it would have been better if Hermione hadn't said those words about turning her into a specimen.
Adelaide's mood at this moment became exceptionally complex and subtle. She was going to personally explain the Wizarding World to the future Minister for Magic and hand the acceptance letter to Hermione Granger with her own hands—until now, she truly felt that she had integrated into this magical world and was quietly changing the course of history in some way.
Professor McGonagall turned to look at Adelaide and asked softly, "Miss Grindelwald, shall I ring the doorbell, or will you?"
Hearing this, Adelaide was slightly stunned at first, then took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, resolutely stepped forward, and answered firmly, "I'll do it!"
She raised her hand, hesitated over the doorbell for a moment, then hardened her heart and pressed it—better to die early and be reincarnated sooner!
"Ding-dong~"
A crisp and rapid doorbell suddenly rang in the Granger house. That sound was like a bolt of thunder piercing the calm air, causing Adelaide's already tense heartstrings to be pulled to the extreme in an instant; her stomach felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, starting to churn and stir uncontrollably.
"Who is it?"
Accompanied by the questioning inquiry, Mrs. Granger walked quickly out of the house following the sound of the doorbell.
When she clearly saw the person standing outside the door, a smile of mixed surprise and joy immediately blossomed on her face, and she couldn't help but call out loudly, "God bless! Our lovely Adelaide has actually returned! Has your illness been cured?"
After saying that, she called out excitedly into the house, "Hermione—come out quickly, Adelaide is back to see you!"
Inside the house, Hermione was currently buried in research, searching for enrollment information regarding London secondary schools, when her mother's extremely excited shout suddenly reached her ears.
At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but then she clearly heard her mother mention Adelaide's name once more.
Hermione's body stiffened abruptly, and the materials in her hands unconsciously slipped to the floor. Could it be that she hadn't misheard?
With a heart full of suspicion and disbelief, she didn't even bother to put on shoes and dashed to the door like an arrow from a bow, barefooted.
When Hermione finally rushed to the door and took a good look, she saw that jerk she had been thinking about day and night standing at her doorstep, her face as pale as paper, with a faint smile barely squeezed out to greet her—though that smile looked so bitter and forced, it was almost uglier than crying.
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