Is this happiness...? Lin Yue's hollow eyes stared blankly at her chest, where her heart was beating violently.

"No... it's more than just happiness." A sudden thought struck Lin Yue deep in her mind, and she blurted it out without thinking. When she realized what she had said, she couldn't understand why she had said it.

"Hmm?" Hermione tilted her head, looking at Lin Yue with confusion. More than happiness? What else could there be?

Seeing that Lin Yue seemed to have no answer either, Hermione smiled and shook her head, gently wrapping her arm around Lin Yue's waist.

"Let's not worry about the rest; just have fun today!"

"Mm." Lin Yue nodded with a blank expression.

After getting into a taxi and heading home, by the time the two girls arrived, the Granger couple had already come home from work and were busy in the kitchen together.

After changing into slippers, Lin Yue walked into the kitchen and politely greeted them, "Auntie, Uncle, good evening."

Hermione, following behind her, also smiled brightly, "Mom and Dad, we're back!"

The Granger couple, who were cooking, turned around to look at their "two daughters" with warm smiles.

"Good evening." ×2

Mrs. Granger picked up a towel nearby and wiped her hands, then squinted and reached out to poke Hermione's nose.

"Come on, tell me, how many drinks did you have today?"

Hermione's expression stiffened, and she awkwardly laughed a couple of times, "Haha, Mom, why would you say that..."

Mrs. Granger withdrew her hand and crossed her arms, "I know my own daughter well enough. Without me and your dad around, you would definitely drink a lot, and you probably had Lin Yue with you too."

Hermione stuck out her tongue but wasn't really scared; after all, her mom wasn't really scolding her, was she? She opened her arms and gently hugged Mrs. Granger's arm, playfully shaking it.

"I didn't drink that much~"

"How much is 'not that much'?" Mrs. Granger raised an eyebrow, feeling quite good watching Hermione cling to her arm, but she didn't forget to tease her.

She hadn't seen her daughter actively seeking affection since Hermione was eight, so she had to make the most of this opportunity.

"Just... two cups each," Hermione carefully held up two fingers.

Mrs. Granger shook her head with a helpless smile, "Alright, since you were out having fun with Lin Yue, remember to brush your teeth well tonight."

"Mm-hmm!" Hermione nodded obediently.

Mr. Granger, who was cooking nearby, looked at his wife and daughter happily interacting and couldn't help but smile with happiness.

Lin Yue watched the interaction between Hermione and Mrs. Granger, and her heart ached, constantly reminding her of the large void within her.

It wasn't until their interaction ended that Lin Yue spoke in her flat tone, "Thank you, Auntie and Uncle, for treating us today."

Mrs. Granger reached out and pulled Lin Yue in front of her, squatting down to look into her dim, lifeless eyes.

"Children should be polite, but that's for outsiders. You don't have to be too formal with your own family; that would be too distant."

Lin Yue subconsciously analyzed the words that Mrs. Granger had just said in her mind. The main point of Mrs. Granger's statement was to remind her and them not to be overly polite, with the implication that... they had already considered her part of the family.

Gently taking Lin Yue's hand, Mrs. Granger lovingly stroked the back of her hand, looking at her and then at Hermione. "From now on, you are also a child of our family, the second daughter of me and your uncle."

After saying this, Mrs. Granger stood up, gave Hermione a meaningful glance, and then gently pushed Lin Yue towards her. "Alright, take little Lin Yue out to watch some TV. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Okay." Hermione took Lin Yue's hand and walked towards the kitchen door, while Lin Yue turned back to look expressionlessly at the Granger couple who were cooking.

"Thank you, Auntie and Uncle."

When dinner was served and everyone began to eat, the Granger couple clearly felt that Lin Yue was different from how she had been during the previous week. Without needing Hermione's reminder, she consciously slowed down her eating pace.

Although she still ate a bit faster than the average person, at least she was taking bites instead of just swallowing without care. Seeing this, the Granger couple felt a deep sense of comfort; Lin Yue had changed, and for the better. This lifted their spirits, even allowing them to eat a few more bowls of rice.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. If she had known that saying this would make Lin Yue slow down while eating, she would have said it much earlier, and wouldn’t have let Lin Yue endure such "torture" for so long.

But it wasn't too late to realize this now. Hermione took a hearty bite of lamb chop, knowing at least how to guide Lin Yue towards change from now on, and she could continue using this method.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

After dinner, Lin Yue and Hermione tidied up the dishes together and then sat on the sofa, slowly browsing through a brochure about the villa that the Granger couple had brought back or rather, it was Lin Yue who was slowly browsing through it on her own, while Hermione watched with interest from the side. For her, if her best friend Lin Yue was by her side, it didn't matter where they lived.

Lin Yue flipped through the villa brochure page by page, constantly organizing and summarizing the pros and cons of these villas in her mind.

To counteract the executioners, it would be best if there were no other houses nearby, to avoid collateral damage, and the location should be somewhat remote, making it harder to find.

Ideally, the road in front should be quite dilapidated, insufficient to support large military vehicles, such as armored cars or tanks. Additionally, there must be a back door, the more concealed the better, so that if executioners do appear, Hermione and the others can escape easily.

Based on these requirements, Lin Yue kept flipping through the pages, while Hermione, who initially watched with great interest, soon became confused after a while.

How could Lin Yue not find a satisfactory villa after so long? What kind of villa was she actually looking for?

The Granger couple, who were watching TV while keeping an eye on the two girls, shared the same confusion as Hermione.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer. Lin Yue's hand paused on one of the pages, which featured a villa built in a dense forest.

Since it was located in a forest, to protect against wild animals, the owners had built a five-meter-high wall around the villa. Lin Yue confirmed through careful observation and analysis of the villa's floor plan that there was indeed a back door.

In a dense forest, large military vehicles could not enter, and with the wall as protection, it could also serve as a weapon if necessary.

The location was relatively remote, there were no neighbors nearby, and there was a back door for Hermione and the others to make an emergency escape. Lin Yue felt that this was the best option.

Quickly reaching a conclusion in her mind, Lin Yue handed the villa brochure to Hermione, "Hermione, do you think this villa is okay?"

Hermione took the villa brochure and looked down at it, suddenly surprised by the villa that Lin Yue had chosen.

In the midst of the dense forest, with high walls... So Lin Yue actually liked this style of villa?

However, if it’s surrounded by natural woods, it should indeed be quite interesting, being close to nature. But who knows?

Hermione hesitated and glanced at her parents, wondering if they would be concerned about the safety there.

"I think it's fine," Hermione nodded and handed the villa brochure to her parents. "Mom and Dad, take a look. Lin Yue and I want to choose this villa."

Mrs. Granger took the villa brochure and leaned in with Mr. Granger to look at the villa depicted on it, and both of them were immediately stunned.

Looking at the dense forest surrounding the villa, it would be impossible for the Grangers not to have some concerns about safety; after all, it was a dense forest.

But this was the children's own choice. Hermione was ultimately their daughter, not their accessory. She had her own opinions, and as parents, as long as Hermione's opinions were not too extreme or in violation of any laws or moral boundaries, they should understand and support her.

Mr. Granger looked carefully at the villa in the brochure and then raised his head to smile and nod at the two girls.

"Sure, if you want to stay in this villa, go ahead. I remember you, Hermione, mentioned that several of your friends and seniors would be going too?"

"Yes," Hermione quickly nodded, counting on her fingers, "Harry and Ron, the two boys from our year, and my friend Lin Yue, you know them, Mom and Dad."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger both nodded in agreement.

"And there's also Senior Cho Chang, Senior Marietta, and Senior Penelope. They all take good care of Lin Yue, so we want to invite them to the villa for a gathering."

"Well," Mr. Granger pondered for a moment, "that should be fine. After all, it's a place where people live, and there shouldn't be any large beasts. The seven of you together should be enough to handle general emergencies."

Mrs. Granger also nodded in agreement, "But if you go out for a walk in the woods, you must stick together as much as possible and leave markers along the way. Be careful not to get lost, understand?"

"Mm-hmm!" Hermione nodded vigorously.

Meanwhile, Lin Yue's mind began to race as she started to think about what to do in case of an emergency. She realized that she had not considered everything; she had only focused on the safety of the villa's staff and had not thought about other possible emergencies.

According to the Ministry of Magic's regulations, young witches and wizards could use magic to protect themselves in emergencies. If she could use magic... After analyzing the differences between various animals and giants, Lin Yue felt that she could handle it.

Once they decided on this villa, the Grangers said they would communicate with the villa owner, and if all went well, they should be able to take Lin Yue and Hermione to complete the rental procedures the day after tomorrow.

Hermione couldn't help but cheer in her heart as she thought about the upcoming holiday, happily holding Lin Yue's hand as they went upstairs to get some rest.

After Hermione and Lin Yue went upstairs, Mr. Granger took out his phone and called the number listed in the villa brochure.

The person on the other end was very enthusiastic upon hearing that they wanted to rent the villa, and when they learned that it would be seven children staying there, they had no other concerns. After all, aside from various household appliances, there wasn't anything particularly valuable in the villa, and everything was insured, so they weren't worried about the kids accidentally breaking anything.

After discussing a few details, Mr. Granger raised his concern, "Since it will be children staying there, I would like to ask, are there any large wild animals or venomous snakes around the villa?"

The villa owner chuckled on the other end of the line and confidently assured him, "You can rest assured, there are absolutely none. After all, it's meant for people to live in. I have someone who manages the nearby woods year-round, so there are no large wild animals—just a few rabbits and squirrels. There are no venomous snakes either; we apply snake repellent every month."

Mr. Granger felt relieved, and the villa owner added, "Coincidentally, the time for managing the woods is coming up soon. I will have someone clear a small path in the woods, so the children can take a walk along the path when they stay."

"Thank you so much," Mr. Granger said with a smile.

The villa owner laughed heartily, "No problem at all. I have children at home too, so it's always right to be extra careful with the kids."

After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Granger placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, "You really thought this through."

"Yeah," Mr. Granger shrugged, "If the kids want to stay, then it's our job as parents to support them, help them prepare, and ensure their safety."

Mrs. Granger nodded slightly and then thought for a moment, "That's right, I need to go to the supermarket after work tomorrow to see what I need to buy for them."

Mr. Granger chuckled lightly and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, "Let's go together tomorrow."

"Mm-hmm." Mrs. Granger nodded in satisfaction.

At the same time, in Hermione's room upstairs, the lights had been completely turned off, and Lin Yue had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Hermione was lying beside her, watching her sleeping face without blinking.

After just returning home, she had caught that meaningful glance from her mother in the kitchen.

That look from her mother... brought a strange feeling to her heart, a mix of shyness and nervousness.

It felt as if some little girl's thoughts had been seen through by her parents, but what thoughts could she possibly have that her mother could see through?

And it was related to Lin Yue? Hermione cautiously reached out and poked Lin Yue's smooth cheek, afraid of waking her up by accident.

Regarding her feelings for Lin Yue... her mother had seen through them, yet she herself was still unaware. The more Hermione thought about it, the faster her heart raced, and soon the sound of her heartbeat was echoing in her ears.

Biting her lip, she quickly withdrew her hand and closed her eyes to steady her heartbeat.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Hermione slowly opened her eyes again, looking at Lin Yue's calm sleeping face.

Her own feelings... Hermione gently clenched her hand tucked under the blanket. It would be impossible to say she had no awareness at all.

But when it came to articulating what those feelings were, Hermione found herself at a loss. Forget it, she decided, just let it be and go with the flow.

Shaking her head, Hermione continued to lie on her side, gently holding Lin Yue and slowly closing her eyes.