The reason Hermione had become so cold-blooded and ruthless was that she had witnessed the atrocities committed by the Death Eaters with her own eyes too many times.
There was no point in reasoning with the naturally savage Death Eaters; only fists could make them back down.
Having endured two months of brutal war, she finally understood Harvey's original well-intentioned advice.
A war triggered by interests usually evolves into a situation where neither side will rest until the other is dead.
Conflicts over interests cannot be mediated, meaning ultimately only one side can win.
And the loser will often lose everything!
Hermione carried a heavy responsibility; behind her were the teachers, students of Hogwarts, and countless innocent people.
She could not afford to fail.
Therefore, for the sake of victory, she had to compromise and become the very "dragon" she once loathed the most.
At this moment, in the northeast corner of Hogsmeade Village, stood a perfectly intact house, its second-floor window emitting a faint glow.
In the bedroom, after a bout of desperate, passionate lovemaking.
The young couple whispered sweet nothings beneath the covers.
Hermione had endured two full months of loneliness on her own; every time danger loomed, she would think of that annoying playboy, Harvey.
Tonight, she seemed to want to vent all the dissatisfaction accumulated over those two months, greedily demanding and fucking for over three hours.
It wasn't until just now that this "reunion is better than a honeymoon" battle finally ceased.
"Darling, where exactly have you been these past two months?"
"Without you, I've spent every day in fear, terrified that Voldemort would catch me one day..."
Hermione buried her head deep into Harvey's chest, sniffing the familiar scent that brought her a sense of security, narrating her experiences of the past two months with a sob in her voice.
In front of outsiders, she always wore a mask, appearing as though she were always confident and composed.
But in front of her most intimate lover, Hermione could finally take off that mask and express the fragility within her heart.
At this moment, Hermione seemed like a wounded kitten; her pitiful姿态 of seeking comfort filled Harvey with infinite tenderness and pity.
He reached out and gently wiped the two tear tracks from Hermione's cheeks, speaking softly to comfort her:
"Don't be afraid. I will always be your strongest backer. I promise I will never leave you again."
The witch known to the outside world as the Angel of War was now acting like a little girl, only knowing how to cling tightly to Harvey and sob incessantly.
Once she felt a bit better, Hermione slowly raised her head. The weakness in her eyes completely vanished, and as she steeled herself again, her intellect reclaimed the high ground.
A flash of suspicion crossed her eyes as she asked:
"Where have you really been these two months? You didn't happen to forget the way home because you were enjoying yourself too much in the New World, did you?"
"How is that possible!" Harvey quickly denied it and explained.
"I drank the physique-enhancing potion newly developed by Professor Snape. Although I successfully broke through my bottleneck, I was unconscious for a full two months."
"If there had been any other way, I wouldn't have been so helpless!"
"You have to know, the moment I woke up, I rushed back immediately. I'm definitely not lying this time, I swear on my life!"
If it had just been the first part, Hermione might have found it somewhat credible.
But afterward, this bastard actually started making those hypocritical oaths again?
From childhood to adulthood, this scene had played out countless times.
A nameless fire of anger rose in Hermione's heart. She cast a vicious glare at Harvey and turned her back to him, no longer wanting to hear his bullshit.
"Uh, to be honest..."
Harvey had just started to explain when he was interrupted by a huffing Hermione: "Stop! I don't want to hear your 'honesty'!"
This girl was truly hard to please, but considering she was virtuous enough to tacitly accept the fact that he was a playboy...
Harvey had no choice but to patiently coax her.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I won't tell the 'truth', but I definitely won't lie either."
"From now on, I'll stay with you every day. Once we settle this business with Voldemort, we'll go settle down in the New World."
"In the future, we'll have a cute little girl or a mischievous boy who loves making trouble, and then we'll grow old together for the rest of our lives..."
As she listened, a gentle, maternal light gradually appeared in Hermione's eyes; she was moved.
But on the surface, she maintained an expressionless face and retorted:
"Get lost. Who wants to have kids with an annoying jerk like you? If you want children, go find Cho Chang and Wanda!"
Hearing this comment dripping with jealousy gave Harvey a massive headache.
Just as he was about to say something to change the subject...
He suddenly turned his head to look out the window, his tone growing heavy: "A large number of strange wizards with murderous intent are approaching Hogsmeade. It seems your intel was accurate; the Death Eater army is here."
Hearing this, Hermione didn't have time to keep being jealous. she hurriedly tried to roll out of bed to prepare for battle.
But perhaps because her stamina had been depleted too much just now, her body, still sore and weak, couldn't find any strength.
She only made it halfway through the motion of rolling over before she collapsed onto Harvey's body.
"Look at you. You were too greedy for my cock just now; now you know you were wrong, don't you?"
Hermione's pretty face instantly turned beet red. She gave certain someone a weak punch with her soft fist.
"Cut the crap! Help me up quickly. The Death Eater army is coming; I have to stop them in time."
Harvey shook his head and tucked the girl back into bed. "With me here, there's no need to trouble the famous Angel of War to take action."
"You stay home and rest well. Just wait for the good news of You-Know-Who's downfall."
With that, Harvey nimbly rolled out of bed. With just a thought, his wizard robes appeared and were fully equipped in an instant.
Immediately after, he cast Apparition.
With a crack.
Leaving behind a trail of blue smoke, he vanished from the bedroom.
Hermione felt she could still fight, but after flailing on the bed for a while, she finally resigned herself to her fate.
...
In the blink of an eye, Harvey appeared on the open ground on the outskirts of Hogsmeade Village.
It was a night for murder—the moon was dark and the wind was high.
Shadow after shadow streaked rapidly across the sky.
Over twenty Death Eaters, acting as the vanguard, impatiently Apparated to the perimeter of Hogsmeade.
They merely exchanged a glance before simultaneously waving their wands in a tacit understanding to cast offensive spells.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...!"
Blasting Curses, Fiendfyre, Blasting Curses, and the Oppugno jinx...
Various multicolored magical attacks flew straight toward the buildings inside Hogsmeade.
But halfway through their flight, a semi-transparent, pale-white magical shield suddenly manifested, blocking all the magical attacks.
The attacking Death Eaters weren't surprised either, acting as if they had long expected this, and continued to bombard the barrier with spells.
Harvey didn't step in to stop them immediately; he had already cast a Disillusionment Charm to hide in the shadows.
He watched these death-seeking Death Eaters with cold eyes.
At the same time, he used his sharp gaze to scan back and forth through the darkness.
He was searching for any trace of Voldemort.
Acting too early might scare away the death-fearing Voldemort; he had to restrain his impulses and patiently find any Voldemort that might be present.
But after a few minutes, he discovered to his disappointment that there was no magical signature of Voldemort nearby at all.
"It seems Voldemort is already on alert; he probably won't show his face this time."
Harvey shook his head, thinking it a pity.
He reckoned he had probably been spotted by the little Death Eaters in Slytherin when he went back to the school to find Professor Snape earlier.