Happy times are always fleeting. Just as everyone was still immersed in the joy of victory, a notice about the ban on using magic during the holidays was quietly handed out to every student.
Their wardrobes also seemed to have been enchanted; suddenly, they became empty, and all their belongings had been packed away and placed into suitcases.
The tall Hagrid appeared before the crowd. Waving his thick arms, he led the students toward the small boats by the river; the boats swayed across the shimmering water, carrying students filled with joy and a hint of reluctance slowly toward Hogsmeade station.
On the hogwarts express, Adelaide sat with Cho Chang and Alice. They had already changed out of their usual school robes and into their favorite everyday clothes, looking exceptionally youthful and beautiful.
Along the way, they shared interesting stories and secrets, their laughter echoing continuously throughout the carriage.
When the train arrived at King's Cross Station, the moment of parting finally arrived.
Despite her heart being full of attachment, Adelaide still waved goodbye to her two friends with a smile, repeatedly promising that during the upcoming holidays, she would definitely write to them on time every week to share the details of her life.
After hearing their affirmative responses, Adelaide let out a long sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. She then turned around, her steps as light as a young deer's, and ran straight toward the Aston Martin V8 Vantage quietly parked not far away.
Standing beside the sports car, Edward always had a warm and charming smile on his face. He naturally reached out and steadily caught the small, exquisite suitcase Adelaide handed over, as if he had practiced this movement countless times before.
Edward walked gentlemanly to the passenger side, pulled open the door, and gave a slight bow with a "please" gesture, respectfully signaling Adelaide to get in and take a seat.
How could such a cool and eye-catching supercar fail to attract the attention of the surrounding passersby?
Numerous Muggle passersby cast curious and surprised glances this way, whispering and pointing.
Some even stopped their hurried steps to stand and watch, secretly speculating about the background of the handsome young girl sitting in the passenger seat of this top-tier sports car.
But at this moment, Adelaide had no heart to care about the looks and discussions of others. Just now, when Edward took her suitcase, he had handed her a handwritten letter from Dumbledore. As she hurriedly scanned the flamboyant handwriting on the paper, she instantly felt like a lit powder keg—with a "bang," her temper exploded!
You've got to be kidding me!
"...Edward, I left Haskui in the Headmaster's Office. Can you find an Owl for me? I need to write a reply to Dumbledore."
Edward said while starting the sports car, "Mr. Dumbledore said not to contact him until you complete the mission in the letter. He also said you should bravely face your past mistakes and not run away or anything like that."
"..."
Adelaide was left speechless and could only embark on the journey to Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey, with a complicated mood.
There, she would meet up with Mrs. Figg and take on a vital mission—monitoring and ensuring that the savior successfully receives the admission letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and then accompanying the savior to Diagon Alley with Hagrid to purchase the various necessities for school.
Adelaide had long expected this mission. It was nothing more than Dumbledore wanting her to build a good relationship with the savior so they could face Lord Voldemort together in the future; that wasn't difficult.
What made her feel miserable was another task on the paper—accompanying Professor McGonagall to Hermione Granger's home. Not only did she need to personally explain the Wizarding World in detail to that clever, Muggle-born Hogwarts freshman, but she also had to hand the Hogwarts admission letter to Hermione herself.
Merlin's black stockings!
Adelaide wailed inwardly. Was Dumbledore trying to get her killed?
Even though it was the height of summer, Adelaide couldn't feel even a tiny bit of warmth.
On the contrary, a bone-chilling cold, like an icy poisonous snake, rapidly spread from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, as if a bucket of polar ice water had been poured over her head, heartlessly soaking her from head to toe.
Adelaide's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to last year. Out of "goodwill," she had told a small lie to Hermione; then, during their brief reunion at Christmas, looking into Hermione's eyes filled with anger and unknown terrifying thoughts, she had tricked her again, saying they could meet as early as this summer... In truth, she hadn't planned on meeting Hermione this summer at all!
Adelaide's original plan was to wait until the new term at Hogwarts officially began to see Hermione again—based on her understanding of Hermione, this girl who always followed the rules and was a model student valued school rules more than her life. She would definitely not do anything outrageous or out of line within the school, which would eliminate the possibility of Hermione beating her up or chasing her down inside Hogwarts.
By then, Adelaide would only need to use a few little tricks of acting cute and then use some sweet talk to coax her. She figured the matter of her lying to Hermione last year could be easily smoothed over, and they would still be good friends.
The thought of meeting Hermione during the summer involuntarily brought back the scene of waving goodbye to her in Chinatown, especially that threat-laden sentence Hermione had uttered upon parting: "I'm going to turn you into a specimen and display you in my study!"
Adelaide suddenly felt a chill rush up her spine, the hair all over her body stood on end, and even her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
Her body became somewhat stiff, as if she really were about to turn into a specimen.
Now it was the long summer break. If she met Hermione outside of school at this time, there would probably be very little guarantee for her life!
Just thinking about that kind of terrifying scenario made Adelaide shudder, and her heart felt as cold as if it had fallen into an ice cellar. She only hoped that when the time came, the guards from the Wizengamot protecting her in the shadows could rescue her from Hermione's hands alive... Or, if she jumped out of the car now to find Cho Chang and Alice and accompanied them to HK or Romania, would it still be in time to escape this impending, terrifying situation?
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