"Achoo!"
Albert turned aside to cover a sneeze, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and vigorously rubbed his nose.
"Are you all right?"
Hermione looked up from the parchment before her, staring in surprise at Albert as he sneezed several more times.
"Someone's probably badmouthing me behind my back!"
Albert casually brushed it off, intending to continue discussing the latest proposal for supplying Avalon with electricity.
However, Hermione had already lost interest in the parchment in her hands. After looking up and carefully scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was nearby, she deliberately lowered her voice and teased Albert. "I'd wager it's those lovers of yours thinking about you."
Though being too intimate risked exposing them, Hermione rather liked the feeling.
"You want to attend tonight's Welcome Banquet too?"
Albert immediately saw through Hermione's thoughts, unable to understand why she was interested in such a thing as well.
"I do! Everyone else is going, so it doesn't seem right for me to be the only one not going. Besides, the more people there are, the livelier it'll be!"
Hermione looked at Albert expectantly, hoping he could think of a way for her to make time to attend that night's Welcome Banquet.
"The Time-Turner can only take you back five hours. That's a bit too short." After pondering it for a moment, Albert still shook his head. "By then, I might not have any spare energy left to cover for you."
Hermione knew her own circumstances well, but she could not help feeling a little disappointed at Albert's words. "Looks like I'll have to give up. Taking a risk over something like this really would be unwise."
Hermione had chosen this path herself. No matter how it ended, she could not blame anyone else. All she could do