My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 1115: The Real Me - Novel Cool

Chapter 1115: The Real Me

Chapter 1115: The Real Me

After enjoying the refreshing iced watermelon, the group sat down for a casual chat before Katrina and Mrs. McDougal excused themselves to attend to their respective tasks.

Recently, Mrs. McDougal had started working on her "Family Therapy Handbook" at the suggestion of Albert and Isabelle, to pass the time while staying in the safe house. Katrina was called upon to help organize the materials and learn something new in preparation for running a beauty salon in the future.

It's always good to keep oneself occupied.

"Is it really okay to reveal all that?" Isabelle turned to Albert after the two women left.

"What do you mean?" Albert asked, confused, clearly not understanding her concern.

"You don't usually share your secrets with others, and even I only know a small part of them." Isabelle was aware that Albert kept many things to himself.

"You said it yourself; I just wanted to reassure them and keep them from wandering off." Albert, skilled in Legilimency, could guess what Katrina and Mrs. McDougal might be thinking. He sighed softly, feeling that things were becoming a bit complicated.

"It's unlike you to do something like that. It might affect how they perceive you." Isabelle studied Albert's face and spoke softly, "They might even think that you're finally showing your true colors."

"True colors?" Albert looked taken aback.

"Yes, true colors." Isabelle nodded.

"But... I've always been like this, haven't I? I never intentionally hide myself." Albert mumbled.

"I somehow feel that you're not lying." Isabelle was surprised. As a natural Legilimens, she could intuitively sense if someone was lying, even if they shielded their minds.

"I'm not lying at all. People are complex beings." Albert patted his thigh, gesturing for Isabelle to come closer. He loved the feeling of holding her.

"Aren't you hot? And aren't you going out soon?" Isabelle took Albert's hand and adjusted her posture to get more comfortable.

"It's not urgent. It's not like it's something important." Albert held Isabelle in his arms and asked curiously, "How do you see me?"

"You don't know?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

"How do you see me? As a nice guy?" Albert asked with a smile. He didn't really care about how others perceived him, but since Isabelle brought it up, he couldn't help but be a little curious, especially since she was a girl he liked.

"Considerate, gentle, understanding, caring towards women, and a warm personality..."

"You're making me blush." Albert interrupted Isabelle and touched his cheek, "I didn't know I had so many strengths."

"You're not happy about it?" Isabelle saw through his fake expression. Though he said that, she knew he was delighted inside.

"Yes, I am. I'm glad to hear such praise, especially from you." Albert didn't deny it, "Go on, I think I can take it."

"So, how do you see yourself?" Isabelle asked with a smile.

"Selfish, lazy, greedy, lustful, afraid of death... Oh, and scheming." Albert listed his character traits.

Isabelle turned her head in surprise and looked at Albert up and down, apparently not expecting him to describe himself using a string of negative words.

"I think your biggest flaw is hypocrisy." Isabelle nodded again, as if to affirm her statement.

"No, no, I'm not a hypocrite at all. I just don't exaggerate myself." Albert shook his head, "Europeans tend to be overly confident or arrogant, so they may perceive me as a hypocrite. I just have a clear understanding of who I am, and I live more truthfully than most people, that's all."

"So, you think of yourself as a selfish, lazy, greedy, lustful, afraid-to-die, and scheming person?" Isabelle didn't actually sense many flaws in Albert.

"Everyone has a different perspective on people and things."

"Take myself as an example." Albert smiled, "If I weren't greedy, where do you think I got all those Galleons from? Just from the 10,000 Galleons that the Weasleys gave me?"

"You probably don't know how many Galleons we have. It's much more than you imagine. Even if we don't work for the rest of our lives, we probably won't be able to spend it all." Isabelle was aware that Albert was wealthy, but she had no idea of the exact amount. All she knew was that they didn't have to worry about money.

"Do you think I helped the Weasley brothers open their shop just because I wanted to fulfill their dream?" Isabelle remained quiet as Albert spoke.

"It's because I saw an opportunity to make a lot of money without lifting a finger. All capitalists are greedy." Albert said self-deprecatingly, "Though I don't think I deserve the title of 'capitalist'."

"So, you're willing to invest in opening a beauty salon because you see potential in it.

Isabelle had long guessed as much.

"That's right. I can make money, you're happy, and it's a win-win situation. Why wouldn't I do it?"

"Tell me how you're lustful. I'm actually more interested in that," Isabelle said softly. "To be honest, I don't feel like you're particularly lustful."

Albert nuzzled his head against Isabelle, inhaling the fragrant scent unique to the young girl. "Even if I say this about you... "

"You're still going to pursue other girls?" Isabelle looked to be in a good mood.

"So, after I successfully wooed you, I naturally wouldn't need to consider other girls. After all, I can only marry one wife, so I'll naturally pick the best and most suitable one."

"You want to marry several wives."

"It's the dream of every man, given that they have the means. Very few would refuse."

"Unfortunately, you can only marry one." Isabelle said quietly.

"Yeah!"

"What about the other girls?" Isabelle asked, "I'm talking about Catherine and Valeria?"

"They're both very beautiful, and they seem to be interested in me as well." Albert whispered, "Catherine is similar to you in some ways. She's also a genius and very pretty, a charming girl. But..."

"Catherine does have a soft spot for you. If you settled down in the US, she might even consider pursuing you." Isabelle reminded him.

"Unfortunately, she lives in the US and is unlikely to leave, and I dislike the environment of the US magical world. So, it's destined that we won't have much intersection. At most, we could become lovers, but even that might be a stretch."

"What about Valeria?"

"As for Valeria, that girl has a heavy heart. Of course, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I feel she's more suitable to be a lover."

"Do you want to have a lover?" Isabelle suddenly asked.

"It's the dream of many men. Are you jealous?"

"What about that vampire-blooded girl? Wouldn't she be suitable?" Isabelle asked.

"You mean Yanira? That girl is indeed unique. From the start, she had her sights set on becoming someone's lover." Albert secretly observed Isabelle's expression and continued, "She's quite alluring, but that's about it. I'd probably only see her a few times a year."

"You're being honest." Isabelle wasn't angry; instead, she sighed, "If they heard this, they'd probably be heartbroken."

"They know it's impossible, but princesses always fantasize about their prince charming coming to marry them." Albert asked curiously, "Don't you ever fantasize about your prince charming?"

"No, I can see through most people's thoughts." Isabelle paused for a moment before asking, "What about Katrina?"

"She..." Albert glanced at Isabelle and sighed inwardly, "She's a bit like my little sister, but I already have a little sister, and Nia is also very beautiful, so I'm not interested in having another sisterly figure for the time being."

"Initially, I planned to take two years to slowly search." Albert recalled, "During my first year at school, I needed to familiarize myself with the magical world, so finding a girlfriend had to take a back seat."

"Twelve years old?" Isabelle mumbled.

"Yes, so I never denied that I'm lustful." Albert smiled, "Then I met you."

"What was your first impression of me?" Isabelle asked.

"A pretty girl, and I felt like I'd seen you somewhere before."

"Katrina?"

"Yes, Katrina was within my considerations."

"Considerations." Isabelle said softly.

"She was in the same year, an appropriate age, in Ravenclaw, and very beautiful." Albert said frankly, "As long as she wasn't in Slytherin, I would have considered her. I wanted to build a good relationship and become friends. I get along well with most girls."

Isabelle thought about their initial relationship. It seemed to be like that, but because of her initiative, their relationship progressed rather quickly.

"Anyone else? Autumn or Granger?"

"You fit my criteria for a wife better, and you're a smart and beautiful girl. So, I didn't need to put in extra effort to pursue other pretty girls." Albert curved his lips slightly, "And at that time, you were also proactive, and you could perform Legilimency. It would have been a loss if I let you go, especially since I can only marry one wife. How could I expect to woo another girl and have her become my lover?"

"Can't you just date normally?" Isabelle was speechless and suddenly understood why Albert had called himself lustful.

"That was my initial thought as well." Albert reminisced.

"Katrina has a better personality." Isabelle suddenly said.

"After all, she's an adult now, and she's matured. Just like Nia, she's become a beautiful young woman." Albert whispered, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not an idiot. I know what I want."

"It seems I should be proud of my charm." Isabelle blocked Albert's mouth with hers, feeling a little proud. They were about to get married, and she could sense that most of Albert's attention was on her.

In fact, the entire previous conversation was nonsense.

Isabelle never worried about other girls; she was only a little concerned about her sister, and Albert seemed to realize this as well. It was inappropriate for Katrina to live with them, and even Katrina herself was aware of it.

"They all know the reason, but at the moment, there aren't many good options."

Isabelle's concern was evident as she considered the possibility of sending Katrina and Mrs. McDougal to another safe house. Here, under the same roof, was undoubtedly the safest option, and they had the added comfort of family.

Isabelle was anxious about their well-being, just as they feared for Albert's safety.

The two eventually dropped the topic, which was detrimental to family harmony, and the issue was temporarily resolved. As long as Albert didn't have any ulterior motives, there shouldn't be any problems. However, Isabelle was well aware that complicated relationships could easily become problematic over time, and even Mrs. McDougal recognized that their presence in the safe house wasn't ideal, hence her decision to start writing a book and involve Katrina in the process.

"I think Mrs. McDougal is very worried about me getting into trouble," Albert said, steering the conversation away from the awkward topic.

"As long as you understand," Isabelle said, her gaze heavy with emotion as she looked at Albert. "After all, the enemies we face are infamously ruthless Death Eaters and the mysterious Dark Lord. It's only natural for a mother to worry that her daughter might end up like her."

"So, that's why she suggested we have a child sooner rather than later?" Albert could understand Mrs. McDougal's concerns, and he knew that both Isabelle and Katrina were her driving forces to keep going.

"What about you?" Albert asked. "What are your thoughts?"

"What do you mean?" Isabelle asked, her expression guarded.

"Do you want to have a child?" Albert asked directly, his voice gentle. "You're still very young. If we were to have a child now..."

"I don't know," Isabelle shook her head, her eyes downcast. As Albert had pointed out, she was indeed very young. If it weren't for their unusually mature mentalities, they would still be considered children themselves—Albert was only nineteen, and Isabelle had just turned twenty.

To make matters worse, they were on the cusp of a war.

Perhaps Albert had considered this as well, which was why he had brought her mother along—not only for protection but also as a precaution in case she did get pregnant unexpectedly. Someone would be there to support and care for her.

"Don't feel pressured. I'll support whatever decision you make." Albert kissed Isabelle's cheek, his voice soft and reassuring.

"So, that's why you said what you did to them?" Isabelle looked at Albert, her expression a mixture of emotions.

"A cunning and crafty person always knows how to protect themselves well," Albert said softly. "It's also a way to ease their worries."

"Maybe we should have a child soon." Isabelle hesitated, her voice laced with uncertainty. She had been wavering on the decision, but Mrs. McDougal's words had tipped the scales.

In truth, it wasn't just her mother who held this opinion; even Albert's parents felt the same way. They believed that a child and a wife would serve as a tether to Albert, causing him to think twice before throwing himself into danger.

Undoubtedly, Albert had a stronger sense of family responsibility than most, and they could all sense this about him.

"Then I'll have to step up my efforts," Albert said, a hint of surprise in his voice at Isabelle's decision. He didn't argue against it, though, and with the safe house protected by the Fidelius Charm, there was little to worry about in terms of safety. House-elves, in some ways, were even more reliable than wizards, and with a child, their situation might improve.

Isabelle lowered her head and stroked the cat, who was yawning, pretending not to have heard Albert's previous statement.

"When are you planning to do it?"

"On the 13th of next month," Albert said, patting Isabelle's shoulder to signal that she should get up from his lap. "It might be postponed by a day or two, depending on how things go. In any case, before the 12th of next month, we'll leave Britain."

"You're going out?" Isabelle asked, helping Albert straighten his slightly disheveled clothes.

"Yeah, I want to check on the store. I got them a big order recently," Albert said with a smile. "And, I should probably see how they're doing with it."

Today was the last day of the month, and if the Ministry of Magic was indeed planning to take action against the Death Eaters, they would likely not pass up the opportunity to purchase Dark Magic Defense items from Fred and George, even if they weren't very effective. Not all Death Eaters would casually throw around Dark Magic, after all.

"Be careful," Isabelle said, her voice laced with concern.

"I will. I won't be back for lunch, but I'll be home for dinner," Albert assured her.

He tucked his wand back into his glove and began equipping himself with various Dark Magic Defense items before disappearing from the doorway under Isabelle's watchful gaze.

(End of Chapter)

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