"Senior Grindelwald, is there anything I can help you with? Anything at all, as long as I can do it!"
Neville's eyes shone with excitement, eager to do something for Adelaide to repay her trust.
Adelaide narrowed her eyes and looked quietly at Neville, seemingly deep in thought.
After a moment, she spoke: "Neville, you must understand, I helped you not to receive anything in return. I simply admire your heroic parents; they made great sacrifices for Britain's Wizarding World. As a witch raised in Britain, I deeply feel their greatness and selflessness, so I wanted to do something for their son."
Adelaide's gaze fixed intently on Neville, her eyes revealing an earnest expectation.
"Neville," Adelaide said softly, "if you truly wish to do something for me, then go and help The Chosen One."
"The dark clouds hanging over the British Wizarding World have not completely dissipated. Those wicked Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort are lurking in the shadows, watching and waiting for an opportunity. I hope you will step forward, assist The Chosen One in completely eradicating Voldemort's forces, and restore a true era of peace and prosperity to the British Wizarding World."
Neville's body trembled slightly, his voice filled with hesitation and lack of confidence: "B-but, with just me? I... I'm quite dull. I'm afraid I won't do well..."
Adelaide smiled faintly, her smile carrying a touch of warmth and encouragement.
"Neville, don't sell yourself short. Everyone has their own value and capabilities, and you are no exception. I will always help you from the shadows. You can come talk to me about your daily life often, and for major events or troubles you cannot solve, I can also help strategize."
Adelaide paused, then continued: "But one thing is very important: please do not mention me excessively in front of others. I must not steal The Chosen One's spotlight."
"The Chosen One is a banner. We must build his prestige so more aspiring Wizards are willing to follow him. Only then can we gather greater strength to jointly oppose Voldemort's dark forces."
After hearing Adelaide's words, Neville's admiration for her grew even stronger.
He felt Adelaide was like an angel—kind, righteous, and selfless.
Such a person was the true inheritor of the Gryffindor spirit!
Neville couldn't help but feel that someone like Adelaide would shine brilliantly no matter which house she was in. Her character and actions were worthy of everyone's learning and admiration!
"I understand. I will absolutely live up to Senior Grindelwald's expectations of me!"
Neville secretly made a vow in his heart, determined to closely follow the footsteps of Senior Grindelwald and The Chosen One, contributing his own strength to the prosperity and development of the Wizarding World.
Adelaide, feeling pleased, turned and continued her search for that regularly absconding toad, Trevor.
Adelaide had quite a lot to do this year. Now, with seeds like Neville and Hermione taking root and sprouting in Gryffindor House, she could easily keep track of The Chosen One's movements even without paying special attention to his every action.
Currently, Dumbledore's attitude towards Adelaide was quite contradictory. On one hand, Dumbledore hoped Adelaide would help Harry fulfill his destiny. On the other hand, he feared Harry would get too close to Adelaide, be brainwashed, and deviate from the future he had designed for Harry.
Therefore, Adelaide absolutely must not appear too interested in The Chosen One. She needed to maintain a distance from Harry that was neither too close nor too far, lulling Dumbledore's vigilance, while simultaneously staying informed of Harry's latest developments to respond promptly.
Adelaide walked into the carriage at the end of the train. Her line of sight was blocked by two massive "mountains of flesh."
These two "mountains of flesh" were blocking the entrance to a compartment, one on the left and one on the right. Draco Malfoy's somewhat arrogant voice came from behind them.
"...Weasleys all have red hair, freckles all over their faces—"
Just as Draco was about to continue, Adelaide quickly spoke up, interrupting him in a stern tone: "Malfoy, your people are blocking the aisle!"
Her voice was full of authority, causing Draco to startle.
Draco clearly hadn't expected Adelaide to suddenly appear in this carriage. He looked somewhat flustered at Goyle and Crabbe, then hurriedly ordered them to stand in a line pressed against the train window, clearing space in the aisle.
Seeing that Draco did not continue, Adelaide finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She secretly congratulated herself on arriving in time, successfully shutting Draco up and preventing him from saying things that might make Harry dislike him—first impressions were very important in relationships.
Draco's pampered, arrogant attitude, cultivated since childhood, was, in Harry's eyes, practically identical to that of his cousin who often bullied him. If Draco were to publicly mock the Weasleys for not being able to afford children, Harry would definitely not have the slightest bit of goodwill towards him.
And Draco was an extremely tsundere person; he'd rather die than easily admit he was wrong.
If this continued, they would likely become sworn enemies, just like in the original story.
This was absolutely not the situation Adelaide hoped to see. She absolutely could not let these two's willful actions push the House of Malfoy towards Voldemort's side.
"Harry, so you're here."
Adelaide walked into the compartment and introduced him: "This is Neville Longbottom. His parents, like yours, were heroes. I think you two should have a lot of common topics to discuss—by the way, what just happened here?"
Draco spoke up indignantly to tattle: "That red-headed Weasley kid mocked my name!"
"I didn't mock it! I, I just thought..."
Ron was at a loss for words. The image of Draco's somewhat comical name flashed in his mind—alright, he had actually mocked him just now.
Feeling ashamed, Ron's face flushed red. He lowered his head and said softly, "Sorry."
Seeing this, Adelaide raised an eyebrow and said, "It's good you realize your mistake. Malfoy just wanted to be friends with you all. You're all classmates; there's no need to create a tense atmosphere."
"Even though Malfoy might be sorted into Slytherin in the future, I hope you won't hold any prejudice against him—Harry, you know, Alice also came from Slytherin. Not all Slytherins are bad, and not everyone from Gryffindor is necessarily good."
As she spoke, Adelaide's gaze swept over the half-dead rat on Ron's leg. Peter Pettigrew noticed her line of sight and was so scared his fur stood on end.
Adelaide paid no attention to this waste of space. She continued, "I still need to help Neville find his toad, so I won't chat with you all any longer."
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