Daphne put on a smile again, grabbed the bill, paid the bill, and left the restaurant with Vincent.
Hermione could roughly guess the outcome from their expressions, while the naive Astoria didn't think much of it, assuming that her sister Vincent were discussing who should pay the bill.
After saying goodbye to the Greengrass sisters, Hermione took Vincent's arm. "I don't want to go back so soon. Where to go next?"
"Hmm—" Vincent looked around. "It's almost evening, let's take a stroll."
As the start of the school year approaches, the bustling streets of London remain as lively as ever.
As they walked, the two arrived at Charing Cross Road, a few blocks away.
Hermione glanced instinctively at the Leaky Cauldron, sandwiched between a bookstore and a record store. She tightened her grip on Vincent's arm and stopped at the roadside. "Should we... should we go in and take a look?"
"No," Vincent patted her little hand gently. "I'm the most wanted criminal in the British Wizarding World right now. It would be troublesome if I were recognized."
Hermione tightened her grip on his arm.
She knew Vincent wasn't referring to the trouble that had Auror's pursuit, but rather to the discovery that their still-intimate relationship had been revealed.
"I'm not afraid of trouble."
The door to the Leaky Cauldron suddenly opened, and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, which quickly returned to its firmness.
Their eyes met, Vincent understood her feelings.
He reached out and gently pinched her nose. "If we find out, just say you were forced by me."
Hermione pouted, her eyes looking somewhat forlorn. "Will the Ministry of Magic believe me?"
Vincent grabbed her wrists tightly with both hands. "Of course I'll believe it. Forcing a little witch to go shopping with you, isn't that great dirt on you?"
Hermione was so angry she laughed.
Every single time, every single time the topic comes up, he avoids the question with a joking tone, just like he is now.
Hermione, whose little hand he was gripping tightly, stood on tiptoe and glared at him fiercely, "I'm not that little witch who needs your protection anymore. Didn't Fred and George say that I'm the Big Sister Head of Gryffindor?"
Vincent paused for a moment, then a wicked smile crept onto his lips. "Alright, so you admit you're the Big Sister Head now."
Hermione's eyes flickered, then she glared back sharply. "With me here, no one will dare to arrest you."
She shook off his hand and held his large hand tightly. "Come on, I'll take you into Diagon Alley."
She had only taken a few steps forward when she suddenly froze in place.
Vincent was also stunned, because the people who came out of the Leaky Cauldron were actually acquaintances, and two of them were standing face to face at the entrance of the bar, chatting and laughing.
"You... you guys?" Hermione stared at Phoebe and Bill, who were also standing there in a daze, with a look of suspicion on her face.
These two, one with silver hair and the other with red hair, are simply too eye-catching.
Phoebe and Bill hadn't expected to run into Vincent and Hermione, and both of them awkwardly moved aside slightly.
"Wow~" Vincent and Hermione exchanged a smile.
Phoebe's face darkened, as if she were trying to hide something.
She strode up to the two of them. "Are you crazy? There are wizards all around here. If you're recognized, you're doomed."
Bill then came over and said, "It's not safe here. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
Vincent pointed to the bookstore next door, and Phoebe and Bill, understanding the unspoken message, followed him and Hermione inside.
The bookstore was large, with a second floor, and the four of them found a quiet corner to sit down.
Phoebe and Bill felt very uncomfortable being stared at by the two people opposite them, as if they had been caught doing something wrong and were feeling guilty.
"Bill and I are colleagues." Phoebe avoided Hermione's teasing eyes. "I told you before that I found a part-time job in London."
"Oh." Vincent nodded. "How long have you been working at Gringotts?"
"Three days."
Vincent gave Bill a thumbs up.
The Weasley family' cool eldest brother is quite capable; in just three days, he's chatting and laughing with the aloof Phoebe.
"Ahem—" Bill coughed. "Let's not talk about Phoebe for now, Vincent, when did you get back?"
"Phoebe?" Hermione found the blind spot and stared at Phoebe with a half-smile.
We've only been colleagues for three days, and we're already so close that we call each other by our first names?
Vincent patted Hermione's small hand gently, signaling her not to push too hard. "I came back two weeks ago."
"Ah!?" Phoebe quickly covered her mouth. "You weren't discovered by the Ministry of Magic?"
Vincent smiled mysteriously, "I'm staying in an absolutely safe place, a place that even the International Confederation of Wizards wouldn't dare to enter casually."
"Where?"
"Muggle Army Base".
Phoebe opened her mouth, then suddenly closed it again.
Bill became interested. "Muggle army base? My dad has always wanted to go inside. If I have the chance, I definitely want to visit it."
"Really? I'll be staying in Britain for a while, and you're welcome to come visit anytime."
It's not you, it's all of you.
Bill didn't deny it. "That's great. How about next Thursday? We happen to have the day off."
"Thursday...the 7th..." Vincent glanced at Hermione, who was still staring at Phoebe beside him. "Sorry, I'm not available that day."
"I see." Bill thought for a moment, then turned to ask, "Phoebe, when is your next vacation?"
"I think it's the 13th."
"Then let's go with number 13."
Vincent nodded, noted the date, and said, "It's getting late, so we won't bother you any longer."
Bill didn't deny it this time either. "There's no disturbance at all. We were just discussing where to have dinner. Do you have any suggestions?"
"If you're having a candlelight dinner, I recommend Charing Cross Road in Chelsea. The chef there is excellent at making France."
The words "candlelight dinner" made Phoebe's eyes light up.
Based on their behavior, who would believe they're just ordinary colleagues?
Before leaving, Hermione winked meaningfully at Phoebe, and Vincent gave her a knowing thumbs-up.
After the two left, Phoebe finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I never expected to run into them."
"Yeah." Bill turned his gaze away from them. "Let's go too, Chelsea is quite far from here."
Phoebe smiled, stood up, and left the bookstore with him.
"The Wizarding World is so small." Hermione took Vincent's hand and led him away from the Leaky Cauldron, heading south toward Leicester Square.
"They are indeed small." Vincent squeezed her little hand. "Cedric and Cho, Phoebe and Bill, Tonks and Professor Lupin."
"And Ginny and Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "Ginny came to see me several times during the summer. She was already very pretty, but she's become even more beautiful after learning how to dress up."
She suddenly stopped and moved closer to Vincent. "In the end, there's still you and me."