Chapter 1333: Hermione Granger, the Relationship Expert
Chapter 1333: Hermione Granger, the Relationship Expert
At the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, in the Savior's bedroom, Harry was preparing for his regular outdoor training session with Fiendfyre.
"Do you really think Albert will come to teach us Dark Magic Defense?" Hermione had lost count of how many times she had brought up this topic with her two best friends.
"Hermione, I know you're excited about meeting Albert again, but you've been repeating yourself a lot these past few days," Ron grumbled as he draped his cloak over his shoulders, glaring at Hermione for the constant badgering of his ears.
"I...I'm just saying it's out of character for Albert," Hermione said, a bit flustered.
"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" Ginny asked, handing Harry a rain-repelling cloak in case their training session was interrupted by another downpour.
The weather in Britain was still in the rainy season, and rain could spring up anywhere.
"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said, donning the cloak she offered.
"You're welcome, Harry," Ginny replied, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before sticking her tongue out at a scowling Ron and walking away.
"Are you two dating?" Ron's face looked like it had been beaten, his expression incredibly sour.
"What?" Harry was bewildered, not expecting Ginny to take the initiative like that.
"Ron..." Hermione began, but was cut off by Ron's raised hand.
"You..."
"Just shut up, Ron. You don't know anything," Hermione snapped, feeling an urge to punch him and knock some sense into him as she saw how abnormal he was acting.
"What don't I know?" Ron asked, taken aback by Hermione's forceful demeanor.
"That Ginny likes Harry, can't you tell at all?" Hermione said softly, noting Harry's embarrassment. "Ginny has always liked you, I think you should..."
"I thought she just admired the lightning scar on my forehead," Harry said, pushing his hair back to reveal the famous lightning-bolt shaped scar.
"Don't be silly, Harry. No one would admire a scar for that long," Hermione chided, feeling that Harry was incredibly dense when it came to matters of the heart, or perhaps he was just pretending to be clueless.
"So, Ginny has always liked Harry?" Ron stared at Hermione, his mouth hanging open as if he had just heard the most astonishing news.
"Yes," Hermione sighed. "You two are incredibly dense when it comes to romance, no wonder neither of you has found a girlfriend yet."
"You're not any different," Ron retorted sourly. "So, is Ginny planning to pursue Harry now?"
"Can we not talk about this?" Harry tried to steer the conversation away from this topic, feeling awkward discussing his love life with his best friends, especially when the object of his affection was Ron's sister.
Hermione ignored Ron and fixed her gaze on Harry's eyes, asking suddenly, "And you, Harry, do you like Ginny?"
"That..." Harry was taken aback by Hermione's directness and hesitated before answering with a bitter smile, "It's not a matter of liking or not. I can't involve her in all of this. Ginny has a bright future ahead of her, but I have nothing to offer except facing V...I mean, the mysterious figure."
"The situation isn't as bad as you think," Hermione said softly, offering comfort. "Besides, Ginny isn't foolish. She understands the current situation and isn't expecting a marriage proposal. She's just seizing the last opportunity to avoid any regrets."
Ron opened his mouth, but no words came out. He turned to glare at Hermione, who stood there holding her wand.
"Didn't Dumbledore say that you possess the power of love, which the mysterious figure lacks?" Hermione said.
Harry looked at her, amused and exasperated at the same time. "Let's go, we're getting off-topic here."
"Harry, you do like Ginny, don't you?" Hermione persisted.
"What about you, Hermione? Do you like Albert?" Harry countered. "You have to answer my question first."
"Yes, I do," Hermione admitted. "Albert was the first friend I made at Hogwarts."
"That sounds like you're just humoring me," Harry said.
"I've always admired him, just like all the other girls. The only difference is that I'm his friend," Hermione said, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. "I think it was in our second year when I, like so many other girls, had a crush on him. Unfortunately, he already had a girlfriend. You have no idea how many broken hearts there were when the news got out."
"After that, his relationships were pretty stable until they got married recently," Hermione continued, noticing the strange looks from Harry and Ron. She shrugged, "I know there's no possibility for us, but that doesn't change the fact that I once liked him. I just regret not confessing my feelings earlier, even though I knew he only saw me as a friend. What about you, Harry?"
"Me?"
Ron was most concerned, not about the relationship between Harry and Ginny, but about Hermione's words, which felt like a stab to his heart.
"If they don't share a common experience as the foundation of their relationship, once Harry defeats the mysterious figure and becomes the true savior, it will be much harder for Ginny to become his girlfriend then." Hermione spoke with a meaningful tone. "This shared experience they have now is the most precious. Ginny understands this, but you... you truly don't get it at all. We're not just trying to matchmake Harry and Ginny; we want Harry to continue living."
At this moment, Ron once again felt that his intelligence wasn't enough. He truly couldn't understand how this was related to keeping Harry alive.
"Okay, you've confused me," Ron took a deep breath and asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "How is this related to keeping Harry alive?"
Hermione took a deep breath and explained, "Harry now wants to drag the mysterious figure to his death, and I don't know why he has such thoughts. But from the way he has become indifferent to many things, we should realize that we need to divert his attention and keep him from having such foolish thoughts. Finding a girlfriend for Harry is undoubtedly the best solution."
"But why don't you just talk to him directly?" Ron was even more confused.
"If it would have worked, I would have done it already." Hermione felt exhausted and didn't want to continue this conversation with Ron.
"Okay, I get it," Ron nodded slowly.
"Come on, Ron, we're leaving," Harry's voice echoed from the corridor outside.
"Coming!"
(End of Chapter)
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