https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1647-A-War-Without-Victors-Ninety-Seven-/12529421/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1649-A-War-with-No-Victors-Ninety-Nine-/12529423/
Chapter 1648: A War Without Victors (Ninety-Eight)
Chapter 1648: A War Without Victors (Ninety-Eight)
"How enviable."
Valeria muttered enviously as she watched Isabelle walk away with Albert, "I wish I could attend Harry Potter's wedding as Albert's partner!"
"Don't even think about it." Catherine bluntly shattered Valeria's fantasy, "Unless you're willing to use a complex potion."
At that moment, the girls were gathered in the courtyard, enjoying their afternoon tea. Ever since they had come to England for a vacation, they had grown fond of this leisurely lifestyle.
"Don't you want that too?" Valeria huffed in dissatisfaction.
"No, weddings are boring."
"You're just making excuses."
"Albert's wedding is indeed boring." Katrina twisted her mouth in agreement.
Weddings were inherently dull affairs, especially after the initial novelty wore off. She believed that Isabelle would much prefer to stay at home and enjoy their afternoon tea.
Moreover, it was a Weasley family wedding they were talking about.
Aside from various alcoholic beverages, there would be pies and sandwiches.
Perhaps Harry's wedding would be a bit better, but the cuisine at British wedding banquets still didn't compare to the delicious dinners they were accustomed to.
Most importantly, they would have to spend a significant amount of time on meaningless small talk and superficial socializing, which would be torturous for Isabelle, who could read people's minds.
To avoid such a predicament, Albert handed his gift to George and temporarily left the bustling wedding venue with Isabelle. They strolled hand in hand through the streets of Avalon, enjoying a moment of tranquility away from the crowd.
Many guests were also curious about this wizarding village that was under construction, and along the way, they encountered several guests discussing Avalon in loud voices.
"This place will become a wonderful village."
Isabelle gazed at the villa before them, which had a sign with Albert's name on it, and turned to her husband, saying, "However, living between two places might be inconvenient."
"It's just a matter of setting up a portal, and we can leave a house-elf here as well."
Albert understood Isabelle's concerns, but his relationship with Katrina was also something he couldn't publicly disclose, so it was necessary to maintain separate residences.
Moreover, Albert needed such a "home" to interact with the outside world, and it was also partly for little Alice to have a happier childhood.
Isabelle was well aware of these reasons, or else she wouldn't have just verbally complained to Albert about it.
As they deliberately avoided the guests and wandered along the gravel path on the outskirts of the village, they coincidentally ran into Lupin and Tonks on patrol.
"How are things going?"
Albert smiled and greeted the couple.
"I think no one in their right mind would cause trouble at this time."
Tonks curiously sized up the young lady beside Albert; it was her first time seeing Albert's wife.
She was a very beautiful and amiable girl, and she didn't show any disgust towards Lupin's werewolf identity.
Tonks looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping before lowering her voice and saying to Albert, "After the last full moon, there seemed to be some negative whispers."
"That's normal." Albert replied jokingly, "I think many people must be very excited."
"Excited that you might make a mistake?"
Isabelle knew that Albert didn't care about such things, but she took it upon herself to respond to Lupin.
"Just like there are always people eager to prove that Dumbledore is just an ordinary man, they probably want to prove that you're also just human." Lupin's face also showed a hint of disgust, "But don't worry, Kingsley still trusts you."
"I am indeed just a mortal." Albert spread his hands helplessly, "And to be honest, I don't really care about what they think. It's their choice to form whatever opinions they want."
"I recall Dumbledore saying something similar." Lupin had recently learned about Albert's plans for the werewolves from Kingsley and couldn't help but sigh, "Perhaps all great men share certain similarities."
"Great men?"
Albert's face twitched, but before he could respond, Tonks interjected, "Kingsley is also expected to attend Harry's wedding today. He probably wants to talk to you about that incident."
"I expected as much."
Albert concluded his brief conversation with the Lupin couple and continued strolling outside Avalon village with Isabelle, laughing and chatting intimately.
"Oh, so this is where you were hiding! Everyone's been looking for you!" Their sweet date was eventually interrupted by Hagrid.
"What do they want from me?" Albert raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased.
"You'll know when you get there. Don't keep them waiting too long." Hagrid winked at Albert and then waved goodbye as he walked away.
"It looks like our peaceful time is over."
Albert gave Isabelle an apologetic look before they returned to the lively wedding venue. Fred then informed him that Kingsley was looking for him.
The 'they' Hagrid mentioned indeed referred to Kingsley.
The Minister of Magic obviously didn't want to be surrounded and harassed, so he had used the pretext of discussing Hogwarts' educational issues with Professor McGonagall. His assistant, Percy, stood by his side like a loyal dog, and upon spotting Albert, he vigorously waved him over.
"See you later."
After parting ways with Albert, Isabelle joined the other girls, who invited her to tour Harry and Ginny's new home.
The villa sparked new dreams for the girls, several of whom planned to marry their boyfriends in the next few years. They were curious if married life would be as wonderful as they imagined.
What could they do when Isabelle, a married woman, looked so happy and content?
"Marriage... it's not as wonderful as you might imagine." Isabelle surveyed the villa before her, feeling that something was missing.
"Of course, it's not as terrible as you might think, either."
"You seem so happy." Autumn looked at her senior, Isabelle, whose cheeks were flushed and whose demeanor exuded even more elegance and charm. She, too, longed for such a married life.
"My situation isn't typical, so it's not a good example." Isabelle stood on the balcony, watching Albert talk to Kingsley, and murmured softly.
In Isabelle's eyes, Albert stood out among British men.
"I think you should figure out what kind of life you want." Isabelle shared her post-marital experience with the girls, "But believe me, most girls will have to deal with mundane daily tasks after marriage, so take your parents as a reference, and don't have unrealistic fantasies."
"Will married life really change that much?" Autumn thought of her own family.
The girls weren't fools; they had already suspected as much but were unwilling to accept it. After all, in their eyes, Isabelle was an exceptional case, and they hoped to emulate her marital bliss.
However, Isabelle knew that her situation wasn't typical, so she kept her responses vague. She mostly talked about the potential issues they might face after marriage and how to adjust their expectations regarding family and even children.
Nonetheless, this intimidated many of the girls present, as the problems they might encounter after marriage could very well outnumber the challenges they had faced in their entire lives.
(End of Chapter)
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