https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1685-A-War-with-No-Victors-One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Five-/12571896/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1687-A-War-with-No-Victors-One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven-/12576013/
Chapter 1686: A War Without Victors (One Hundred and Thirty-Six)
Chapter 1686: A War Without Victors (One Hundred and Thirty-Six)
"Oh dear, you have such a charming smile..."
Katrina, clad only in a white bathrobe, her body damp and exuding the scent of shower gel, sauntered out of the bathroom. She was leisurely drying her hair with a white towel when she noticed Albert deep in thought on the sofa. Playfully, she sauntered over and planted a kiss on his cheek, rousing him from his musings.
"Something amusing happened."
Albert took the towel from Katrina and began to dry her lush red hair. Although he could have easily dried it with a wave of his wand, sometimes these little interactions were important for their relationship.
"Oh? What's this amusing thing?"
Isabelle, also in her robe, sauntered into the room.
Albert paused, turning to glance at the smiling Isabelle, "Is Alice asleep?"
"She tired herself out playing and fell asleep quickly."
Isabelle sat on the sofa next to Albert and asked curiously, "What amusing thing were you two talking about?"
"Fred is probably thinking about getting married. We just had a long chat about it."
Albert ran his hand through Katrina's silky red hair and then waved his wand to dry the last bit of dampness.
"He doesn't seem keen on having Angelina return to the Quidditch pitch. He wants her to get pregnant soon and is considering marriage next year." Albert gently patted Katrina's shoulder to indicate that her hair was now dry.
"Why doesn't he want Angelina to return to the pitch?" Katrina was puzzled. "Aren't they already engaged?"
"It's quite normal," Albert explained. "If Angelina focuses all her attention on Quidditch, it could create problems in their marriage."
Isabelle glanced at her sister and added meaningfully, "Even married couples who separate after the wedding aren't uncommon, let alone engaged couples."
"The main reason is that Fred and Angelina's relationship isn't solid enough," Albert continued, understanding the underlying cause. "They're like a couple who just left Hogwarts. If they don't get married soon, their relationship will likely fizzle out."
There were some things Albert didn't say outright. Fred's concerns weren't unfounded. While it was unlikely that Angelina would go off to university or that he'd send his wife abroad like the previous generation, the situation wouldn't be much better. Their relationship would definitely face challenges.
"Their marriage will probably be delayed indefinitely," Albert shook his head. "Even if they marry early, they'll likely have significant reservations about having children. One focused on making money, the other on Quidditch, without children as an emotional bond, they'd be little more than strangers."
"You have a keen eye for these things!" Katrina hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Should we have a child soon?"
Katrina felt that Albert was right; having a child to bind them together was important.
Even her sister Isabelle and Albert were like a couple still in the throes of young love, but how long could that last? Ten years? Twenty?
Eventually, the passion would fade, and that was probably one of the reasons Isabelle had encouraged Albert to take a mistress.
As for the mistresses he rarely saw, naturally, his feelings faded over time, not to mention that there wasn't much affection to begin with.
If it weren't for the benefit of maintaining connections, Katherine's group would have been treated as expendable.
What about himself?
Perhaps he was doing slightly better.
"Let's wait a little longer. It's not the right time yet."
Albert seemed to understand Katrina's concerns and pulled her into his embrace, gently soothing her.
To be honest, he had never thought about having a son to carry on the family name or business.
"Do you think he'll succeed?" Katrina's cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but let out a soft hum before asking, "By the way, I think there's a similar precedent with the Weasley family."
"I don't know." Albert answered honestly.
"So, there are things that even you don't know."
Isabelle was quite surprised and didn't pay any attention to their little displays of affection.
"There should be some form of contraception in the wizarding world, right?" Albert asked suddenly.
Katrina obviously hadn't looked into it specifically, so she turned to her sister.
"Probably not." Isabelle shook her head. "I'm not really sure, though."
"Haven't you ever used it before?" Katrina was curious.
"Albert has always been very careful in that regard." Isabelle recalled, "I don't think so, at least I've never heard of anyone mentioning it."
"Some plants seem to have similar effects, though." Albert said without hesitation.
"So, you were talking about things to be careful of after getting married?" Katrina forcibly steered the topic back.
"Yeah, they're still quite immature and not ready for parenthood. Fred is worried that he won't be a good father. To be frank, Harry Potter is doing a terrible job; he's far from being a suitable husband." Albert felt that Fred had truly grown up; at least he was starting to consider his future family.
A change in mindset was truly important.
In Albert's previous life, many people, even after getting married, were not mentally mature enough and fell short of being responsible fathers.
"He probably thinks that once Angelina has a child, she won't consider being a Quidditch player anymore." Katrina felt that Fred's actions were cruel to Angelina, as if he was directly crushing her Quidditch dream.
"What about you and Isabelle? What would you do?" She asked.
"I would probably have a direct talk with Isabelle!" Albert said without hesitation. "Many times, the best way to solve a problem is to lay everything out in the open."
"So, do you suggest Fred do the same?" Katrina's expression was peculiar.
"Of course not." Albert shook his head.
"The reason we can be so open with each other is that we have a foundation of trust built over several years, and we believe that we can calmly sit down and solve problems in the simplest and most effective way." Isabelle didn't think this method would work for other couples.
"Don't assume that Fred and Angelina will mature much just because they went through the Second Wizarding War. Their relationship is based on their time as students at Hogwarts. If they don't get married while they're still passionately in love, who knows what will happen once the initial passion cools down."
(End of Chapter)
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