Hermione's enrollment at Hogwarts currently only lacks Mr. Granger's consent. Since the complexity of this matter couldn't be explained clearly over a mobile phone, Mrs. Granger invited Professor McGonagall and Adelaide to stay for lunch and dinner while waiting for Mr. Granger to return home.
Professor McGonagall declined Mrs. Granger's invitation; she was in a hurry to get back to school to attend a board meeting on behalf of a certain old man who had snuck out early that morning to eat sweets because he hated meetings.
In any case, Dumbledore had instructed her that she could leave all matters concerning Hermione Granger to Adelaide if necessary, and she also wanted to experience the feeling of being a hands-off manager.
Professor McGonagall ignored Adelaide's pitiful little expression, politely bid farewell to Mrs. Granger, and Apparated back to Hogsmeade Village without looking back.
Because Hermione had stopped her self-torturing school selection and to celebrate Adelaide's return, Mrs. Granger resolutely brought out her quietly accumulated secret savings.
She secretly planned to show off her skills tonight and prepare a sumptuously grand and luxurious feast!
As the high-spirited Mrs. Granger went out with a large bag to buy ingredients, poor Adelaide was left alone in the Granger household, facing Hermione, whose mental state seemed a bit off.
Adelaide needed to stay until Mr. Granger returned from fishing to explain the details of the Wizarding World and Hogwarts to the head of the household. She couldn't leave until they explicitly stated their decision to accept the Hogwarts admission letter and agreed on a specific time to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies.
With only these two young girls of complex relationship left in the empty house, the atmosphere in the living room became subtle once again. Adelaide's eyes flickered uncertainly, like a startled little rabbit, as she tried to avoid Hermione's fixed gaze.
It took a while for Adelaide to adjust her mindset. Squeezing out an awkward smile, she stammered, "Um... Hermione, how about we watch some cartoons first? I remember 'Tom and Jerry' is on right now—"
Hermione interrupted her without hesitation, her flat tone making Adelaide shiver.
"We're going to my room."
This sudden request caught Adelaide off guard. She froze for a moment, then cautiously scooted back a bit, leaning against the edge of the sofa as she asked with a trembling voice, "Huh? Only the two of us are home; is there anything that can't be said in the living room? Why do we have to go to your room..."
Facing Adelaide's question, Hermione's expression gradually darkened, and even her once bright and lively eyes now revealed a hint of chilling murderous intent.
She stared intently at Adelaide and said word by word, "I don't want to repeat myself a third time. Are you going or not!"
Seeing Hermione's serious and slightly threatening expression, Adelaide's heart tightened. She knew that if she defied Hermione now, the consequences would be dire.
Grindelwald's dramatic talent saved her life once again. Adelaide quickly forced a smile and said, "Oh, I suddenly remembered that back in primary school, I often went home with you after school!"
"Back then, we'd be in your room, reading the Bible, doing math problems, and memorizing Latin words together, talking about everything from Shakespeare to English and French classical political economy. Those must have been the happiest times of my life..."
"Thinking back, it really has been a long time since I've been to your room to play. I didn't expect you to still invite me so warmly after a year. Hermione, you're so kind!"
After saying that, Adelaide put on a joyful expression, looking as if she couldn't wait to visit Hermione's room.
Seeing Adelaide's sudden change in attitude and her proactive behavior, the tension in Hermione's face finally eased slightly.
She gave a soft huff, grabbed the admission brochures from the table that she had treated like treasures just days ago, ruthlessly crumpled them into a ball, and threw them into the nearby trash can.
After doing this, she took Adelaide's hand and led her toward her bedroom on the second floor.
Upon entering Hermione's girlish bedroom, Adelaide looked around curiously, taking in every corner of the room.
Aside from the mountain of secondary school recruitment brochures in the corner, Hermione's room was decorated warmly and neatly. The sky-blue bedding and pink curtains added a touch of softness to the space. Adelaide controlled her twitching fingers and turned to face the wall, pretending to be interested in the map of London.
She really wanted to teleport to her room in Iceland to get her camera and take a few photos from a good angle—when Hermione became the Minister for Magic in the future, she could auction them off and probably make a fortune.
However, she might have the life to earn that money but not the life to spend it, so it was better not to take the risk.
Adelaide stepped closer to the city map of London and was surprised to find it covered in dense circles and crosses!
The places circled in red were all secondary schools that accepted female students, while many of them were marked with prominent crosses—she glanced over them and saw about eighty schools crossed out, which roughly matched the number of schools Mrs. Granger said they had visited.
Adelaide raised her eyebrows, thinking to herself that she hadn't expected Hermione to be so persistent in order to find her. Hermione's friendship toward her seemed to be more than just that of a good friend.
Recalling how Hermione had previously misunderstood that she was involved in gang conflicts, and yet instead of being afraid, she had worked so hard to find her—Adelaide was increasingly moved by Hermione's sincere affection.
Hermione was a best friend one could entrust their life to!
"Adelaide, don't just stand there like a log, come over here and sit down!"
After rushing into the room, Hermione didn't stay idle for a moment. She busily tidied up the somewhat disorganized room, finally clearing enough space for someone to sit.
Then she hurriedly ran to a drawer, rummaged around, and finally found a brand-new, fresh notebook. Next, she picked up a fountain pen from the desk and carefully filled it with the thick, black ink from the ink bottle.
After finishing these preparations, Hermione finally looked up and beckoned to Adelaide, who was standing still, signaling her to sit in front of her.
"Listen up, Adelaide. In view of the crime of fraud you committed against me, I am now going to impose a punishment—I order you to report everything you've experienced over the past year in strict chronological order. I will record it based on the dates and events you provide."
Hermione kept a straight face, her expression as serious as a judge presiding over a trial. She would not allow the "prisoner" in front of her to keep even the smallest secret.
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