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Chapter 1627: A War Without Victors (Seventy-Seven)
Chapter 1627: A War Without Victors (Seventy-Seven)
Since returning from Diagon Alley, Hermione had been rather distracted.
She had expected her meeting with Albert's other lovers to be relatively amicable, but what she hadn't anticipated was how those three foreign witches would take the opportunity to consult and belittle her, leaving her feeling utterly disgusted and annoyed.
Was being beautiful such a great achievement?
Staring at her reflection in the mirror on the table, Hermione had never before been so concerned about her appearance.
While she believed that Albert valued inner beauty more, otherwise, why would he have accepted her if he only cared for looks?
Despite this, Hermione was still angry and somewhat shaken by the encounter. Sometimes, the truth could be hurtful.
Just as Albert's other lovers had said, she didn't pay much attention to her appearance, and she lacked the outstanding qualities they possessed...
It wasn't that Hermione liked to deny reality.
She couldn't help it.
After all, Albert's other lovers were all stunningly beautiful, and she was the only exception, so it was natural for her to have these thoughts and for her heart to waver.
Even if Albert truly didn't mind, Hermione couldn't help but start caring about her looks more than she used to.
It wasn't that Hermione herself was overly concerned, but she wondered if Albert was. Any woman would want to present her best self to her lover, rather than always looking like a mess.
Suppressing the urge to use the communication bookmark to chat with Albert, Hermione picked up her quill and forcibly pushed down the aversion rising within her. She began to recall what those unpleasant women had said and recorded the suggestions they had offered that might be of use to her.
Just as Hermione was about to carefully review what she had written, there was a sudden knock on the door. Ginny's voice came from outside.
"Hermione, can I come in?"
"Come in," Hermione replied, putting away her notebook and getting up to open the door for Ginny.
"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, concern evident in her eyes. She had noticed that Hermione's expression hadn't been very good ever since she left the witch's beauty shop, as if something unpleasant had happened there.
"It's nothing. Those annoying foreigners just gave me a lot of unsolicited advice," Hermione said, her tone sharp.
"You know them?" Ginny asked, a little surprised, but it seemed from Hermione's tone that she was familiar with them.
"I met them a few years ago at the Quidditch World Cup, and they also attended Albert's wedding later on," Hermione explained with a twist of her mouth. "They're probably Albert's admirers, jealous of my relationship with him. It's surprising that Isabelle isn't worried about them having other intentions."
Ginny opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.
She actually had a good impression of those beautiful women, but not knowing the full situation, she didn't pursue the topic further. After returning the book she had borrowed from Hermione earlier, she changed the subject.
"Here's your book. I think there's some useful information in it, but I won't be able to make use of it anytime soon."
As she spoke, Ginny gently patted her slightly protruding belly.
It had been several months, and it was becoming quite noticeable.
"Don't take their words to heart too much. You're at your most beautiful age right now," Hermione said, as if reassuring both Ginny and herself.
Just then, a commotion erupted from downstairs.
Hermione frowned slightly and walked to the doorway, cocking her ear to listen. However, it was too noisy downstairs to make out what was happening.
After exchanging glances with Ginny, Hermione went back into the room, picked up her wand from the table, and headed downstairs to investigate the source of the noise.
Hermione was cautious. She listened carefully to the sounds below while descending the stairs and, upon confirming that there wasn't any major issue, gestured to Ginny. With her wand at the ready, she carefully made her way down, soon discovering that the ruckus had been caused by Harry and Ron.
"Harry and Ron are back," Hermione called up to Ginny before turning to the two boys. "What's going on? What were you arguing about?"
"Kingsley was recently attacked," Ron blurted out, revealing a shocking secret. "We'll probably have to pull an all-nighter tonight."
"Attacked!" Hermione exclaimed, startled.
"Is Kingsley alright?" Ginny asked anxiously, having just come downstairs in time to hear the bombshell.
"He's fine," Harry reassured them softly.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, sensing something sinister afoot.
"It was werewolves," Ron explained eagerly, quickly filling her in on what he knew. "It's all very strange, especially since the two werewolves happened to transform near Kingsley's house. We suspect it's the doing of Voldemort's remnants."
"Werewolves? Transformation? Wait, today is the 10th, a full moon," Hermione said, looking out the window at the round moon. She hadn't realized it was a full moon earlier.
"That's why we suspect it's a warning from Death Eaters, or they might be planning to target Kingsley," Harry added, his expression grim. Either way, it indicated that the situation could be spiraling out of control. The Ministry of Magic was still in the process of rooting out hidden Inferi, and they weren't fully prepared to confront the Dark Wizards head-on.
Hermione seemed to remember something. "How's Remus doing?" she asked suddenly.
"Remus locked himself in the basement, and Tonks took the day off to keep an eye on him," Harry replied, having some knowledge of the situation.
"Alright, Harry, we should get going, or we'll be late," Ron said, handing a small bag to Harry. It contained various Dark Magic defense gadgets, which might come in handy during their probable involvement in the werewolf-capturing operation tonight.
"Do you have any other tasks tonight?" Ginny asked, looking anxious. She wasn't keen on Harry going out at a time like this and felt that it couldn't be anything good.
"We must capture those two werewolves before they cause more chaos," Ron replied.
"Don't worry, it's just a werewolf-capturing operation, and all the Aurors from the Ministry will be involved," Harry reassured Ginny, patting the bag Ron had given him. "Besides, we're well-prepared."
Mrs. Weasley handed them sandwiches she had prepared and gave them each a hug. "Be careful, and watch out for werewolves and Death Eaters."
"You need to be careful here as well. We've reinforced the protective enchantments around the house, but if the Death Eaters want to cause trouble, this place won't be safe either," Harry said solemnly to Mrs. Weasley. "If necessary, you can evacuate to the safe house, and you can also contact others. We must maintain a sense of vigilance."
"We will, and you take care as well," Mrs. Weasley replied.
Ginny also stepped forward to give Harry a hug before standing at the doorway of their humble home, watching as Harry and Ron disapparated.
(End of Chapter)
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