"Over there, look!"
"That's Grindelwald the Second. I heard she rode a Dragon and used a bludger to kill over thirty Death Eaters at St Mungos Hospital the other day!"
"Hiss—that... that's a bit too ridiculous, isn't it?"
"That's nothing! Didn't you see the Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts on Wednesday afternoon? A goalpost that thick was snapped clean through by the bludger she hit!"
Listening to the increasingly absurd whispers around her, Adelaide really couldn't keep it together; how did these rumors even get linked up!
People in the corridor kept walking past her and then turning back to stare intently at her, making Adelaide feel like some kind of talking magical creature.
Where is The Chosen One?
Come out and help, distract some of this attention!
The Chosen One didn't appear; instead, it was Hermione and Pansy who sought out Adelaide.
Adelaide had just finished Transfiguration and was planning to go to the Great Hall for lunch when Pansy emerged from some corner, grabbed Adelaide's arm, and started acting spoiled in a coquettish manner: "Sister Grindelwald~ You're so good at Quidditch, can you teach me how to ride a flying broomstick? We have Flying Class soon, but I still don't know anything. I'm so worried I'll make a fool of myself in Flying Class~"
Before Adelaide could say anything, Hermione stomped out from the corner behind them and shouted at Pansy: "You're from a Pure-blood family, what are you pretending to be a rookie for!"
Then she turned to Adelaide and said with a frown: "Ignore her. If anyone's being taught, it should be me. I'm Muggle-born and have never touched a flying broomstick before."
Seeing this, Pansy not only didn't let go of Adelaide's arm but leaned even more boldly against her shoulder, putting on a lazy air and saying slowly: "Miss Granger, it's precisely because you're from a Muggle family that no one will laugh at you even if you don't fly well. But it's different for me; I represent the Parkinson Family. If I perform poorly in Flying Class, it would be losing face for our family~"
"Hmph, if you lose face for your family, it's only because you didn't practice hard before!" Hermione retorted, refusing to back down.
"Tsk, why can't you Gryffindors understand human speech!"
Hermione stood on Adelaide's left, while Pansy leaned on Adelaide's right. Seeing the atmosphere between the two getting more and more tense, as if a Lion-Serpent conflict was about to break out, Adelaide felt a massive headache.
You guys argue all you want, why put me in the middle... At this tense moment, Alice, who had just finished Potion Class, happened to pass by. Seeing the scene, she couldn't help but walk over curiously.
"Pansy, I remember you're quite good at Quidditch," Alice said with a smile. "Don't you often play matches with Draco and the others?"
Upon seeing Alice, Pansy's face instantly turned flustered. She stammered in reply: "Uh, Sister Alice, I... I haven't played Quidditch for a long time, I've gotten rusty."
Her voice trembled slightly; she was clearly caught off guard by Alice's sudden appearance.
Damn it, if it weren't for that Gryffindor Know-it-all appearing out of nowhere, she would have already made off with Sister Grindelwald!
Alice rolled her eyes, grabbed Pansy's arm, and said sternly: "As a member of Slytherin House, if you have a problem, why don't you ask a senior from your own house instead of bothering Adelaide?"
After saying that, she pulled Pansy away, lecturing as they went: "It just so happens I've also been selected for the Slytherin Quidditch Team. I'll give you some good training these next few days, so get mentally prepared!"
Pansy was startled by Alice's sudden move. She struggled and pleaded: "Sister Alice, no—"
However, Alice didn't stop. Her strength was clearly much greater than Pansy's, and in a moment, she had pulled Pansy out of Adelaide's sight.
Beside her, Hermione watched Pansy being forcibly dragged away by Alice. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a grin.
However, her happiness didn't last long—after Transfiguration class, Cho Chang, who had stayed behind to ask Professor McGonagall questions, returned.
Cho Chang took only a few seconds to figure out what had just happened.
With a faint smile on her lips, she walked straight toward Hermione and said softly: "Sister Hermione, Adelaide is a flying genius. If she teaches you the tips for beginners to ride a flying broomstick, you might not be able to learn them. It's better if I teach you."
Hearing this, Hermione waved her hands hurriedly: "Uh... no thanks, Senior Cho Chang, how could I trouble you..."
Cho Chang interrupted Hermione righteously: "Sister, what kind of talk is that? We're good friends, and I'm older than you. It's only right that I help you. Why would I find it troublesome?"
After saying that, Cho Chang turned to Adelaide and said: "Adelaide, you go ahead and have lunch. I'm going to take Sister Hermione to the training grounds to practice riding a flying broomstick properly."
The intense Lion and Snake shura field quickly dissipated with the intervention of Cho Chang and Alice.
Thanks to Cho Chang and Alice, Adelaide rarely got some time to herself.
She walked into the Great Hall with light steps. During the meal, Adelaide noticed Neville, who was also dining there. She gave him a pre-arranged signal, and upon seeing it, Neville nodded hurriedly.
After finishing her meal, Adelaide rose and left the Great Hall, heading toward a secluded spot behind the Herbology greenhouses.
That was the meeting place she and Neville had agreed upon. She would wait there for Neville to come and report on Harry's recent situation.
After the start of the term, although Hermione had been given the nickname 'Know-it-all' because she always liked to rush to answer questions in class, she wasn't isolated like in the original story because she often went to play with Adelaide.
Currently, the relationship between Harry and Hermione was only at the level of nodding acquaintances, while Neville, thanks to Adelaide's matchmaking, had become good friends with Harry and Ron, attending classes and eating together.
Adelaide waited for over an hour, until even her Astronomy homework was finished, before Neville finally came running over, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"What took you so long?"
Adelaide teased with a smile: "Could it be that Harry and the others couldn't bear to let you leave?"
Neville's face turned beet red instantly. He shook his head in embarrassment and explained: "No... I just remembered the meeting place wrong."
Adelaide was somewhat speechless. To help Neville remember, she had specifically chosen the spot behind the Herbology greenhouse, his favorite subject, yet he still got it wrong—as expected of you, Neville!
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