A lecture?
Perhaps.
But Hermione knew Albert had never been someone who liked lecturing others.
Unless they were close family or friends, Albert would not even spare them a second glance. In his own words: respect other people's fate.
To put it bluntly: I don't give a damn if they die! So when Albert went to such lengths to point out a shortcut for her, Hermione felt warm and sweet inside. She knew Albert cared deeply about her, or he would not have patiently said all that and prepared a fallback plan for her.
But Hermione was also a girl with strong opinions of her own. Although she knew Albert's suggestion might be better, she ultimately did not change her mind about working at the House-elf Relocation Office—commonly known as being stubborn.
This was actually Albert's fallback plan's fault. With a way out secured, Hermione no longer had any reservations. She would do whatever she wanted and refused to leave herself with any regrets.
Even if the Ministry of Magic truly had no intention of recruiting for the House-elf Relocation Office, she still had the alternatives Albert had left her: finding work in the Magical Creatures Management Control Division, or becoming Kingsley's assistant.
She could still continue helping House-elves, so the outcome would not be too bad.
To thank Albert for his help, Hermione, newly freed from her studies, devoted more of her time and energy to him. She diligently played the role of his lover, forcing Albert to make time with the Time-Turner so he could spend more time with her!
The sisters at home were rather displeased by this. They would rather Hermione attended the girls' twice-yearly gatherings than monopolized Albert's spare time and energy by herself.
Fortunately, this would not last long. Otherwise, Isobel would probably have