A precise Sectumsempra instantly left a deep wound on Scabbers' vital area, and a pair of small bells were separated from the rat's body; immediately after, Adelaide sprinkled some Essence of Dittany on the wound, successfully stopping the heavy bleeding, and the surgery was complete.
"Squeak—Squeak!"
Scabbers lay limp on Percy's lap, his eyes lifeless, with two clear tears sliding from the corners of his eyes.
Adelaide had used Sectumsempra, and the damage caused by such magic was not easily recovered from.
After the surgery, Adelaide looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction, while Percy and the Weasley Twins, who had gathered around to watch the entire process, subconsciously squeezed their legs together. Harry and Ron turned pale, clearly terrified by Adelaide's actions.
"Hiss~ Is... is this really going to extend Scabbers' lifespan?"
Percy asked tremulously.
Adelaide said with a smile, "Don't worry, at least he won't die before he's supposed to."
This sentence left the boys watching in a daze. What did "won't die before he's supposed to" mean?
Just then, Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen, wearing a brightly colored apron, her face beaming with a warm smile.
She probably wanted her daughter to have more contact and interaction with witches of the same age, so she warmly said to Adelaide, Alice, Cho Chang, Hermione, and Luna, "Children, why don't you stay at The Burrow for a few more days? Just treat this place as your home, don't be polite!"
At this point, Mrs. Weasley's eyes suddenly darted around as if she had thought of a brilliant idea, then she said excitedly, "How about this, we'll clear out George and Fred's room for you to stay in, and let them sleep in a magic tent in the yard."
Hearing their mother's proposal, Fred and George frowned with looks of grief and indignation, crying out in unison, "Oh, Mom, are we really your biological children?"
Their tone was full of disbelief and grievance, and their over-the-top performance made Adelaide burst out laughing.
Mr. Weasley looked at his two sons and replied with a smile, "Of course you are—but, to let the little princess of the Weasley family, Ginny, make a few more good friends, I think this arrangement is quite good."
Fred and George looked at each other and sighed helplessly.
Fred muttered, "Fine, if it's for our lovely little sister to make more friends—"
George chimed in with perfect timing, "Even if it means returning to the trash can tonight, it's fine—"
The Weasley Twins' enthusiasm and humor were infectious, filling the living room of The Burrow with laughter.
When the topic turned to whether they could stay over at the Weasley family's home, Adelaide said that she, Hermione, and Alice needed to ask Dumbledore for permission. Harry, standing nearby, also hurriedly chimed in, asking Adelaide to help ask Dumbledore if he could stay as well.
Luna's parents were very straightforward and agreed without hesitation to let their daughter stay.
Their thoughts were the same as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's; they also wanted Luna to make more good friends, believing she would have a pleasant time here.
Meanwhile, Cho Chang used floo powder to return home first, and before long, she hurriedly returned with a small suitcase.
Cho Chang told everyone that she had obtained Dumbledore's permission. Not only could she stay at the Weasley house, but she could also return to Dumbledore's ancestral home with Adelaide and the others afterward.
Hearing this news, both Hermione and Alice frowned, while Adelaide didn't show it on the surface but was secretly delighted.
Dumbledore had finally done something right—Cho Chang was a smart and considerate girl; with her around, the relationship between Hermione and Alice would surely be more harmonious. Adelaide estimated that the coming days would be much easier.
The magic tent Mr. Weasley had borrowed from Professor Kettleburn came in handy again. Compared to the slightly cramped room of the Weasley Twins, Adelaide clearly preferred this spacious and comfortable magic tent.
So she, Alice, Hermione, Cho Chang, Luna, and even Ginny, who didn't want to be separated from the older girls, all swarmed into this two-bedroom magic tent.
Harry unexpectedly also received Dumbledore's permission to stay, and he moved into Ron's room.
After seeing off the other guests at The Burrow, everyone finished washing up in order and then, like a flock of chirping little birds, eagerly crawled into the tent. Then, a "Battle for Adelaide" over who could sleep in the same room as Adelaide broke out again.
Alice was the first to strike, arguing that Hermione had already monopolized Adelaide for a while and should now give the spot to someone else.
Hermione secretly cursed Alice for being stupid; she felt that their biggest enemy right now was clearly Cho Chang, not each other.
But before Hermione could speak up to retort, Cho Chang unexpectedly took the initiative to say, "I also share a dormitory with Adelaide when we go back to Hogwarts, so I won't compete with you girls tonight."
Cho Chang's words were brilliant. First, she gained a wave of goodwill from Adelaide with her generous attitude, and then she subtly showed off her friendship with Adelaide as they were in the same year, same house, and same dormitory.
This made Hermione so angry she almost spat blood, but she also understood that if she quarreled with Cho Chang now, she would only be seen as a foil to Cho Chang, lowering Adelaide's goodwill.
She could only suppress her resentment and state that since she had slept with Adelaide alone for half a month, she could also give up the spot.
Ginny didn't care where she slept; she stayed in the tent just for the excitement.
The final room division was Adelaide, Alice, and Luna in one room; Cho Chang, Hermione, and Ginny in the other.
Alice, the TV addict, had stayed up half the night watching TV yesterday and had been playing all day today, so she was already exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Listening to Alice's steady breathing, Adelaide also wanted to drift off to sleep, but after a while, she felt the mattress vibrate, and then a soft body with a slightly low temperature slipped into her covers.
Adelaide opened her eyes to see a pair of large eyes shining in the moonlight looking at her; the one who had crawled into her covers was actually Luna.
"I usually sleep with my mother; I can't fall asleep alone."
Luna said innocently, blinking her large eyes.
Adelaide pursed her lips. She didn't want to cause more trouble and was going to kick Luna out of the covers, but then she thought about how, in the original story, Luna, who had lost her mother, always slept alone—
She couldn't bear it.
After thinking for a long time, Adelaide closed her eyes, hugged Luna's soft body, and said softly, "Go to sleep."
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