Let's Get Married!

After the mission was completed, Qiu, Cedric, and the other three returned to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters to report back.

Only Hermione brought Professor Burbage to the Ministry of Magic.

Along the way, many Ministry of Magic officials greeted her.

This includes department heads, directors, and even Wizengamot.

Currently, Hermione's position is merely assistant to the Minister for Magic... and she's still in the apprenticeship role.

In terms of position, it's really not worth mentioning.

But the fact that she took on this position before graduating from Hogwarts is unprecedented and speaks volumes.

In addition, Hermione is famous, powerful, and has a famous boyfriend Stark.

William had just become the youngest Wizengamot in history and was also the commander of this war.

It goes without saying that Granger has a bright future.

Sooner or later, one of them will become a minister, and perhaps we'll even see a husband-and-wife ministerial couple.

Therefore, officials who are optimistic about her future naturally want to cultivate a good relationship with her.

Hermione responded to each question, treating everyone with kindness and gentleness, without any coldness or timidity.

The young girl had been "trained" by William day and night for six years, and her Emotional Intelligence had long since improved.

She's definitely not a first-grader anymore; Hermione doesn't even have many friends.

There was a little incident along the way: Hermione and Professor Burbage ran into Scrimgeour and Percy while riding the elevator.

Since losing the last election to Bones, Scrimgeour has been a complete loser.

Originally, as the Head of the Auror Office, he was second only to the leader, but he still held real power.

Now, he's been kicked into the position of director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation... It seems like a promotion, but it's actually a demotion in disguise.

Because the previous director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation was Barty Crouch.

Barty Crouch Sr. lost the election to Fudge and was transferred to this department.

Over the years, Fudge has openly and secretly divided up many of the company's functions into other departments, deliberately undermining Barty Crouch Sr..

After Bones took over, he showed no intention of reversing the decision and, following Fudge's example, threw Scrimgeour into the fold.

Now, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation has become a place for exiling those who have lost in political struggles.

Scrimgeour looked as if he had aged decades.

Some time ago, he was sent to meet with the Russia Minister for Magic to win him over in order to fight against the Death Eaters.

At the meeting, he called the Russia minister by his name, Fudge.

This clearly shows how severe the blow was.

And of course, there's Percy.

Scrimgeour lost a political battle, while Percy simply had a winning hand but played it terribly.

Despite having his father's backing, being the only Weasley family child to pursue a career in politics.

She used to have a good relationship with William... a clear indication of her political influence.

Unfortunately, he is now abandoned by everyone and can't go back even if he wants to.

After all, when Fudge was in power, he publicly broke with his father and even wrote an open letter in the newspaper condemning Dumbledore and William.

He even participated in Harry's trial and followed Fudge in arresting Dumbledore.

Now that Fudge and Umbridge are in jail, he's in a very awkward position as a traitor.

The only reason they weren't purged by William was out of respect for the Weasley family.

Otherwise, given William's methods, he would have been exiled to Siberia to dig potatoes long ago.

But Percy's political future ended there.

He was sent back to the Department of International Exchange and Cooperation to continue his research on crucible thickness.

In short, becoming Scrimgeour's superior and subordinate is a case of being in the same boat...

Surprisingly, Scrimgeour quite admires Percy and plans to promote him to the position of Department of International Magical Cooperation after his retirement.

But Percy wouldn't have it; he was still young and wanted to prolong his political career.

So when he encountered Hermione, he eagerly approached her:

"Hermione, it's been a long time. I heard William became Wizengamot, but I haven't congratulated him in person yet."

"Or, how about I come over for a visit sometime?"

Hermione said coldly:

"Percy, William is busy commanding the war and probably won't have time to see you. You should worry about Mrs. Weasley rather than William and me."

"You haven't been back to your the Burrow to visit your mother in a long time, have you?"

Percy's face turned bright red; he hadn't been back for two years.

After the elevator stopped, Hermione and Professor Burbage left in style.

Only Percy and Scrimgeour remained, silent.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the VIP conference room, Hermione did not go in immediately.

At that moment, a war council was being held, and her position was not high enough to qualify her to attend.

Several Auror stood guard at the entrance, ready to kill any wizard who attempted to enter.

After a short wait, the meeting room door opened.

Professor Burbage looked up, expecting to see Headmaster Dumbledore.

But what I saw was a horrifying scene:

A group of officials she often saw in the Daily Prophet.

They were undoubtedly one of the most powerful and influential people in the United Kingdom, and they stood around the young man like lackeys.

Even the Minister for Magic, Bones, looked grave as he questioned Stark.

For a moment, Burbage even thought that William was more like the Minister for Magic.

After seeing all the officials off, William turned to Hermione and smiled:

"How are you? Nothing happened, right?"

"No, I've already brought the person." Hermione tilted her head, gesturing towards Professor Burbage.

William looked at Burbage, took a breath, and said:

"Thank you, Merlin. It's good that you're alright. Before Dumbledore left, he repeatedly told me to make sure you were safe."

"Where's the principal?" Burbage asked curiously.

"It's a confidential matter, so please forgive me for not being able to speak frankly," William said with an apologetic smile.

Dumbledore temporarily left United Kingdom to lobby other countries' Ministry of Magic to join the war.

With William in charge for the time being, he wasn't afraid to leave.

"In short, as you've seen, it's dangerous outside, especially given your recent remarks, which have greatly angered Tom." William paused, then continued:

"They'll all be staying at Hogwarts until the war ends; it's safer there, Death Eaters won't dare to cause trouble."

Burbage nodded gratefully and then asked:

"Does this mean I can no longer write my articles?"

"No, we must resolutely support whatever the enemy opposes," William laughed loudly.

"You can continue writing; your articles will be published in the Daily Prophet as soon as possible."

Professor Burbage left satisfied.

Seeing that no one was around, William stretched and said, "I'm exhausted after a day of meetings."

Hermione massaged his shoulders.

"The production speed of alchemical items needs to be increased," William said softly, his eyes closed as he rested. "We must add a few more production lines."

"Isn't it supposed to take a while? Why the sudden rush?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Voldemort's Troll have become cavalry, and the Centaur must be deployed into the battle sooner," William explained.

That's right, Akali has now become an arms dealer, supplying most of the alchemical weapons for this war.

In fact, many of these recent graduates were poached by Akali.

In addition to the bows and arrows equipped by the Centaur, they also invented many magic cannons filled with magic power.

Both its power and range are greater than that of a magic wand.

"I'll inform the twins," Hermione said softly.

"Are we going home now? Anne just told me with her Safety Watch that she's made dinner and is waiting for us to come back."

William opened his eyes, his eyebrows raised... Anne was cooking herself?

I've never tried it before. Is it safe to eat?

The final battle is about to begin, and William certainly doesn't want to die from food poisoning.

Upon returning to his home in Ottery St Catchpole, William smelled the aroma of malt as soon as he entered the house.

William and Hermione have been so busy lately that Anne, who had nothing to do during the summer vacation, started cooking.

This was a surprise for the two of them.

Fortunately, Anne didn't shout, "Try my homemade candied noodles!"

She simply served turkey sandwiches, flatbread, malt pudding soaked in rum, and mashed potatoes.

Anne sat in the chair, looking at the two of them expectantly, with a playful look that said, "Come on, praise me!"

William took a bite of pudding.

The taste was surprisingly good.

To put it simply... compared to Hermione, my sister's cooking skills, while not exceptionally good, are at least at a normal level.

Of course, William isn't saying that Hermione's cooking skills are beyond what a normal person would do...

He meant that Hermione's cooking was still too advanced for humans.

After all, flesh and blood are weak and frail; perhaps only when machines ascend can they accept this kind of... "unrealistic, yet grounded, dark cuisine."

After eating several puddings, William nodded and said, "Hmm, not bad!"

Anne waited for a long time, then wrinkled her nose. "That's it?!"

The little girl rolled her eyes, wanting to take away all the food she had personally cooked.

William pressed down on the plate and quickly said with a smile, "It's delicious. From now on, you'll be cooking."

Anne raised her eyebrows, but didn't react. Instead, she glanced at Hermione and deliberately spoke softly:

"Brother, who do you think cooks better, me or Hermione...?"

"..."

Despite all the precautions, this potentially disastrous question came up unexpectedly... No wonder Anne was so eager; she was probably just waiting for this line.

After finishing their meal, the three of them played rock-paper-scissors.

Despite Anne's attempts to cheat under William and Hermione's Legilimency, from "one game to decide the winner" to "best of three games," "best of five games," and so on, she ultimately lost as expected.

She went to clean up the dishes, still wondering why she always lost.

William and Hermione went out of the house and took a walk in the yard.

The path along the river is paved with cobblestones, closely spaced and orderly. After being washed by the rain, the cobblestones, which already have few sharp edges, become even smoother and more rounded.

Hermione took off her shoes, took William's hand, and walked slowly along the cobblestone path.

After walking only a few steps, she felt a cool sensation seeping into the soles of her feet, and then she started to whine and refused to walk on her own.

William had no choice but to crouch down, carry her on his back, and walk towards the pavilion by the river.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, Hermione didn't get down. She had William bend over, then leaned forward herself and reached out to splash some of the cool river water.

William stared at the river, lost in thought.

Hermione asked softly, "William, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking..." William said calmly, "The war is about to begin, and I wonder how many wizards won't survive this summer."

Hermione tilted her head back, looked at the moonlight, and suddenly said:

"William, if I also die on the battlefield, please don't be sad."

William reached out and pinched her cheek, glaring at her. "If you die, I'll definitely forget you," he said, turning to go find Phoebe.

So you absolutely, positively must not die, understand?

Even if you die, I will resurrect you, even if I have to find the Death!

Hermione smiled radiantly, rested her chin on the boy's shoulder, and suddenly murmured:

Let's get married after this summer.

"Huh?" William paused, then said, "You hadn't graduated yet back then."

"So what if I haven't graduated? I'm an adult now! I'm yours all along." Hermione tied her ponytail around William's neck and huffed.

"Do you think you're still young, haven't had enough fun, or regret it and don't want to marry me?!"

William smiled and said, "I will definitely give you the grandest wedding ever."

Hermione nodded in satisfaction, hugged William, pressed her cheek against his, and whispered:

"William, it's so good to know you."

Hermione, me too.