A Pack of Lies

After breakfast, the two of them left the Great Hall together.

On the way to the Room of Requirement, Isabelle suddenly asked, "Have you ever peeked into Miss Granger's future?"

"Do I look like the kind of person who'd do that?"

Faced with his girlfriend's almost accusatory questioning, Albert shrugged helplessly, wearing an expression that said, I didn't. Don't slander me.

"I think it sounds exactly like something you'd do."

They stopped before the Barnaby the Bold tapestry on the eighth floor. Isabelle turned to stare into Albert's eyes, raised a hand to poke his chest, and said seriously, "You're quite nice to most of your friends, but I feel like you're being a little too nice to Granger. You probably don't know that lots of girls have noticed it. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're planning to court Miss Granger."

"How would they know I want to court Miss Granger?" Albert deliberately put on an extremely exaggerated expression.

After Isabelle stared at him for a while, Albert had no choice but to wipe that look off his face and ask helplessly, "All right, I was just joking. Why would they think that?"

"Jealousy, probably."

"That's what I thought." Albert looked at Isabelle with interest, waiting for her to continue.

"You know quite a few pretty girls. Louise, Catherine, and Valeria, whom you met a while ago, are all very beautiful. I don't think you'd be interested in a little girl who's barely grown up yet," Isabelle listed.

"You forgot to include yourself," Albert added.

She paid it no mind and continued, "So the only explanation is that you think very highly of Miss Granger's future. Befriending someone when they're young is completely different from waiting until they grow up, come of age, and achieve something before becoming