Isobel's Troubles

"Isobel, have you heard?"

"What did you hear?"

"Everyone is talking about you and Albert."

"About me and Albert?"

Are you really a couple?

Isobel's female companions, unable to resist their curiosity, finally asked about it, wanting to get the answer from Isobel himself.

Albert was a hot topic among the girls.

He was not only a brilliant genius, but also handsome, gentle and polite, and exuded a mysterious aura.

Various rumors about Albert circulated in Hogwarts Castle, which had a fatal attraction for girls of this age with their boundless curiosity.

"That's a good idea."

When asked by her friends, Isobel didn't answer directly. Instead, she gave them a thoughtful smile. "We are indeed good friends, and we occasionally discuss academic issues together. Perhaps you're right, I should give it a try. Maybe I can get Albert on a date, after all, we have a lot in common."

The girls were stunned, regretting ever bringing it up with Isobel. They all realized that their ideal boyfriend was very likely to be snatched away by Isobel.

There's no way around it; the two are best friends, both geniuses, and Isobel is the most beautiful girl in Ravenclaw. If she wanted, she might become Albert's rumored girlfriend without even needing to change the date.

"So you're finally getting ready to find a boyfriend?"

The brown-haired girl passing by heard their whispers and stopped to look at Isobel, asking in surprise, "And you're planning to find someone younger than yourself? I remember you didn't really like boyfriends younger than yourself?"

"I just hate people who are immature at heart." Isobel shook her head in denial; she herself was a mature person.

"I remember that quite a few people used to pursue you, but you rejected them all."

They all knew that Isobel had many admirers, and that she had rejected so many people that she couldn't count them on her fingers and toes.

This alone makes countless girls envious and jealous.

However, Isobel's genius aura was simply too strong, which directly crushed the other party, leaving them only able to look up in awe.

"Those people aren't suitable," Isobel replied calmly. "And you, I remember you also found a boyfriend who is a year older than you."

"We're still just friends, and I'm considering whether to say yes." Penelope lifted her chin, deliberately feigning hesitation.

"Who is it?" Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the new topic.

"Percy Weasley, right?" Isobel said.

Penelope looked at Isobel in surprise, then nodded somewhat embarrassedly in acknowledgment.

"Percy Weasley is excellent. He should become the Head Boy in two years. He's a pretty suitable boyfriend candidate."

Isobel's assessment of Percy wasn't low. "He's very ambitious; he'll probably go to the Ministry of Magic after graduation..."

However, there were some things Isobel didn't say.

She believed that Percy Weasley would choose a partner who would benefit his career and help him advance further in power.

Would Penelope Krivat be a suitable partner?

Obviously not.

However, most students who date boyfriends or girlfriends while in school don't necessarily have marriage in mind.

Now, thinking about it carefully, Albert really was a strange person!

"And you?"

Penelope also had some curiosity about Albert.

If she hadn't gotten together with Percy, she probably would have been very interested in Albert too.

"Albert is quite suitable; he's a very gentle person." Isobel's lips curled into a faint smile.

"You seem to know him very well."

The girls started egging each other on, wanting Isobel to tell them something about Albert.

It's common for girls to comment on boys; sometimes, some girls will even giggle and laugh at a boy.

"I know, no, I don't know him at all. Albert seems very mysterious."

Isobel shook her head and denied it outright. She wasn't actually lying; perhaps she knew Albert better than most people, but the man still gave her a vague sense of mystery.

He was never seen through by anyone, not even Isobel, who was a natural Legilimens.

"My strongest impression of Albert is that he was a brilliant wizard, a truly, truly amazing genius who was skilled in many fields. I really don't know how he did it."

"But aren't you two together all the time?"

"We only occasionally discuss academic issues together," Isobel remarked softly. "He is truly an extremely brilliant genius."

"We know that we have all read several of Albert's papers."

"You don't know, but I dare say that if Albert wanted to, when he graduated from Hogwarts, he would have had more prestige than Dumbledore when he graduated," Isobel said softly.

"It's hard to believe you would say that."

Although they were still a little jealous, they had to admit Isobel's amazing talent.

Before Albert arrived at Hogwarts, Isobel was the brightest student in the entire school. Within just two weeks of entering the school, she displayed Extraordinary Magic talent and exceptional wisdom. She was eloquent, kind, and practically a female version of Albert, or perhaps Albert was a male version of Isobel.

After Albert appeared and replaced Isobel, some people gloated, wanting to see Isobel's furious reaction after his title as Genius Wizard was taken away.

However, Isobel was never angry about it; instead, she became friends with Albert, which seemed incredible to everyone.

Aren't geniuses always arrogant?

Aren't they all people who don't like to admit defeat?

In fact, Albert did put a lot of pressure on Isobel, though the girl never showed it. The more she learned about Albert and delved deeper into what lay beneath his mysterious veil, the more frustrated Isobel felt compared to the past.

At that moment, she understood why her poor sister insisted on taking all the courses; it turned out that she had put too much pressure on her.

Isobel has never valued the OWLs exams as much as he does now, and even wants to get 12 "excellent" grades in the OWLs exams, even though excellent grades are of little use to his future.

After all, she had already made plans for the future, just as Albert had.

As Isobel listened quietly to her female companion talking about Albert, she couldn't help but find it a little funny.

In fact, Isobel knew that they didn't really like Albert, just like many people were vying to become Albert's girlfriend.

Becoming his girlfriend is more about satisfying my possessiveness while also showing off to the girls around me, as if to tell them that I am more outstanding and charming than them.

When talking to others, they can also casually show off their possessions, which is a rather speechless and superficial idea.

Isobel never liked talking about these things with others; she could always see through their thoughts and easily avoid those awkward topics.

If necessary, a few casual words are enough to give them a gentle nudge.

Ever since Isobel decided to ask Albert out, her female friends have started giving her bad advice, suggesting that the guy should be the one to say it first, otherwise the girls would feel it's beneath them.

Isobel just gave them a perfunctory reply, leaving them to do whatever they wanted.

However, in the following days, her female friends began to wonder if she had already won Albert over.

The curious tone of their voices made her both amused and exasperated.

Isobel made up an excuse to brush it off, saying that he would bring it up again when they discussed academic matters next time.

Who knows when the next academic discussion will be?

This explanation led her female companion to believe that Isobel had already been politely rejected by Albert, but was just too embarrassed to say it aloud, so she stopped asking and, out of sympathy, offered her some words of comfort.

Isobel was quite pleased with their idea and happy that they thought that way.

As April slowly approached, the OWLs exam drew closer, which inevitably made her feel a sense of urgency. Even with the Time-Turner, she still felt somewhat tired.

Isobel was increasingly enjoying dating Albert, even though Albert's kissing skills were still quite average, she felt very relaxed with him.

Albert always managed to take her to all sorts of interesting places, and even if they were dating at school late at night, she didn't have to worry about being caught by the Mr. Filch.

However, Isobel soon discovers that her boyfriend seems to be interested in a first-year Gryffindor girl named Hermione Granger and is even making a point of contact with her.

Isobel doesn't believe that Albert approached Hermione Granger simply because she was Harry Potter's good friend; there may have been other reasons.

Could it be that Albert is attracted to Hermione Granger and captivated by her charm?

Isobel quickly dismissed this idea; could a first-grader really have that kind of charm?

Isobel used his spare time to observe Miss Granger and even had a few chance conversations with her.

She discovered that Miss Granger was also a genius no less than her sister, but why was such a genius sorted into Gryffindor? It was as puzzling as why Albert was in Gryffindor.

It's easy to see that Hermione also has feelings for Albert. When both parties develop feelings for each other, the chances of them ending up together are extremely high.

Her situation was similar to Albert's.

However, Isobel wasn't actually worried about Hermione's problem, because she knew that even if Hermione had any ideas later, it would be too late.

Sometimes, being a step too late means it's too late.

No matter how fast you rush, it's too late.

Moreover, Albert and Hermione haven't even started yet.

Relationships, like friendships, require both parties to invest time and effort in careful nurturing and maintenance to last.

Albert and Isobel are actually quite similar; they can sense that each other is carefully nurturing the relationship, like planting a flower, carefully watering and fertilizing it, waiting for it to bloom and bear fruit.

As Katrina said, she had already won from the start.

As for Hermione and Albert, they'll probably become good friends! However, Isobel doesn't quite understand why Albert wants to get close to Harry Potter. She believes that with Albert's intelligence, he should know very well that someone like Harry Potter is actually a nuisance and will bring unnecessary trouble to himself and those around him sooner or later.

However, Albert deliberately approached Potter, seemingly with a strong purpose, which puzzled her.

And that Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, the more I look at him, the more something seems off about him.

He seemed ill, and the professor's stuttering gave Isobel the feeling that he was faking it.

Why pretend to be someone you're not? It's obvious it's not a good thing.

Albert clearly knew something about Quirrell, otherwise he wouldn't have kept himself away from him.

Is he dangerous?

And they've got their eyes on Harry Potter?

The only Lord Voldemort, which means Professor Quirrell is very likely a Dark wizard? What was Quirrell's reason for taking a position at Hogwarts? Was it to murder the Savior Potter?

Or... something hidden in the school.

Whether Dumbledore knew or not, Isobel didn't know, but she knew that Albert clearly knew quite a lot.

Why did you take the initiative to ask Professor Quirrell questions a while ago?

It is said that the final question was about the extent to which Professor Quirrell deliberately avoided him.

Why? Why do he do this? How much did he actually know?

Isobel recalled Albert's ability to Divination, and given the amazing talent Albert had displayed, she wouldn't be surprised at all if he really could glimpse the future.

So, what did Albert see? It all confused her.

If you encounter danger, actively avoiding it is the best course of action.

Isobel suddenly understood why Albert was in Gryffindor.

Thinking about these questions stems largely from my curiosity about Albert.

However, she never bothered to ask.

Isobel was not worried about Albert's safety, especially after the Smith incident, she had confidence in Albert.

However, he has little confidence in his younger sister.

Katrina's problem has been troubling Isobel, who can see that her sister has feelings for Albert.

In this respect, Isobel was very satisfied with Katrina's eye for talent.

She also knew that if it weren't for her, there was a high chance that the two of them would end up together in a year or two.

But the problem is, there's only one person, and it's impossible to give in, not even to one's most beloved younger sister.

That...

What should we do?

Find an opportunity to let Katrina know about this.

Perhaps now is a good opportunity? Isobel decided to go and discuss it with Albert.

Katrina will definitely find someone she likes in the future! Isobel comforted himself with this thought.

After all, her younger sister is also quite outstanding.