American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1027 Hermione has grown into a brave young woman!
Late at night, everything is quiet.

Moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the barn's high windows.

The air was filled with the aroma of dry wheat straw, a faint smell of engine oil, and a hint of stale old wood.

Unable to sleep, Hermione curled up and went to the "secret fortress" in the barn.

Although it was late at night, she felt no sleepiness at all.

Voldemort's shadow coiled around her thoughts like a cold snake, and Dumbledore's pale face and the Death Eaters' hideous skull masks flashed alternately in her mind.

Peter's relationship with Fleur was like a tiny thorn stuck in her heart, making her inexplicably restless and uneasy.

She needs to calm down and have some time alone to sort out this mess.

The quiet of the barn and its distance from the noise of the living room became her only refuge at this moment.

To distract herself, she looked at the clutter around her.

Several old farming books with peeling covers, and a few wooden boxes covered in dust, their original appearance unrecognizable.

She walked to a wooden box as if possessed.

Inside were only some old, faded farm photos, a few rusty medals, and a dark blue hardcover photo album.

Curiosity temporarily overcame her worries. Hermione carefully brushed the dust off the album cover and, under the cool moonlight, gently opened it.

The first photo that caught her eye made her pause slightly.

The background of the photo is a golden wheat field on a farm, with waves of wheat rolling to the horizon.

Three figures stood side by side on the edge of the field, their smiles so bright they seemed to melt the sunlight.

The one in the middle is Mr. Peter, and he looks exactly the same as he does now.

He casually draped one hand over the shoulder of a dark-haired boy next to him.

The boy looked to be eleven or twelve years old, wearing a plaid shirt and overalls, his eyes crinkling with laughter, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

This boy must be Clark.

And standing on Peter's other side...

Hermione's fingertips gently traced the photograph as she looked at another boy.

Ah Zu is wearing a uniform, with a red cape hanging down his back, moving on its own in the photo even though there is no wind.

Peter's hand on his shoulder seemed to carry an invisible force, gently pulling his slightly stiff body towards him.

The photo was still, but Hermione could almost picture the scene being taken: Peter's hearty laughter, Clark's excited chatter, and Azuna's slightly awkward yet cooperative response.

A bittersweet feeling, mixed with warmth, welled up in Hermione's heart.

This was a side of Mr. Peter she had never seen before—so relaxed and full of life.

"So...this is what they were like when they were little..."

Hermione muttered to herself.

Mr. Peter, he must be having a very hard time.
They are taking care of this group of unique "children".

Just as she was immersed in this unexpected discovery, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on her lips—

"Are you looking for some treasure, Miss Granger?"

A deep, gentle voice, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, suddenly broke the silence of the barn.

Hermione was so startled that she almost threw the photo album in her hand.

She turned around abruptly, her heart pounding.

Peter was already standing a few steps away, unnoticed.

Peter crossed his arms, a barely perceptible, almost mischievous smile on his face, his gaze gently falling on Hermione and the photo album in her hands.

“Mr. Peter…”

Hermione's cheeks instantly burned.

She frantically tried to close the photo album and hide it behind her back, her movements clumsy and flustered, like someone caught stealing candy. "I...I didn't mean to go through your things, I just...I just..."

"It's ok."

Peter's voice had a calming power.

He strode over, his footsteps making a soft sound on the barn floor.

"Just some old photos, of Azu and Clark when they were kids... they were quite a handful."

His tone carried a hint of nostalgia as his gaze swept over the photos of Clark and Azu in the album.

The barn fell silent again. Hermione, clutching the photo album, felt the heat on her face hadn't completely subsided, and her heart was still beating a little fast.

She lowered her head, twisting her fingers around her clothes, unsure of what to say.

“Hermione,” Peter’s voice rang out again, this time more serious.

"Regarding Hogwarts, Voldemort, Horcruxes, Death Eaters... the eye of this storm is too dangerous."

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully, “You have a choice: stay here, stay on the farm. It’s safe here. Raven, Rocky, Mark, and Tom are all gone. They’ll handle it. You don’t have to get involved in this dangerous war.”

Hermione paused, taken aback by Peter's words.

Then she raised her head, her expression instantly becoming exceptionally resolute.

"No!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying an unwavering determination: "I will not stay!"

She looked directly into Peter's eyes, and the gentleness in them did not make her back down; instead, it made her even more determined. "That's my school, Hogwarts."

Hermione's voice rose slightly, "There are my classmates, my teachers, my best friends Harry and Ron, and..."

She paused for a moment, as if remembering something, and lowered her voice.

“You have no idea, Mr. Peter, what memories I have there. I remember the first time I rode a broomstick and almost fell off, the first time I was so nervous in Potions class that I added the wrong amount of porcupine quills too early, and the cauldron exploded, spraying Professor Snape's robes all over me… He deducted fifty points from my score and put me in solitary confinement for a month…”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh softly and somewhat awkwardly, but her eyes shone even brighter.

"And the heart-pounding feeling when I first found 'The Powerful Potion' in the library's restricted section, the unparalleled sense of accomplishment when I successfully cast the Levitation Charm for the first time..."

Her voice gradually calmed down, yet it was full of strength:
“Hogwarts gave me a home, Mr. Peter. It gave me knowledge, it gave me friends, and it gave me… myself, from that messy, bookish little girl with disheveled hair who almost bumped into a pillar on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters…”

As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Peter, a hint of shyness barely perceptible in her eyes. "Back...back to the first time I met you in Diagon Alley...I was clumsily carrying my books and almost tripped over the threshold..."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but were quickly replaced by a more determined light.

“I grew up there, Mr. Peter. I learned courage, I learned responsibility, and I learned to protect everything I cherish in the darkness. I cannot hide when it needs protection the most.”

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, or as if she had unloaded some kind of burden, straightened her back, and met Peter's gaze.

"I will never abandon my friends, never abandon my school. I will go back, and together with Harry and Ron, find all the Horcruxes, end this, protect Hogwarts, and protect everyone who deserves to be protected!"

The girl's voice was clear and powerful, each word resounding.

The moonlight outlined the contours of her young and determined profile, her brown eyes burning with a fearless flame.

Peter looked at her quietly, the gentle smile on his face gradually settling into a deeper appreciation and recognition.

He didn't speak immediately, but simply extended his hands.

A warm palm gently landed on Hermione's thin shoulder.

"Hermione Granger."

Peter's deep voice reached Hermione's ears and seemed to be imprinted on her heart, "You've grown into a brave young woman."

It's not "girl", but "teenager".

It's not "smart", but "brave".

This simple comment, like the most precious medal, instantly struck Hermione's softest and proudest spot.

A surge of warmth welled up in her eyes, her nose stung, and her vision blurred.

She pressed her lips tightly together to keep the tears from falling.

She gently brought her face close to Peter's hand, feeling the strength he was transmitting to her from his palm.

The moonlight silently bathed the barn, enveloping the two in a tranquil and warm glow.

The next day.

The morning at Patrick Farm was a bit quieter than usual after Raven, Rocky, Mark, and Tom had left.

A kind of quiet that made Ah Zu feel uneasy.

"Tsk."

Ah Zu crossed his arms and muttered under his breath, "Finally, some peace and quiet from that bunch of noisy troublemakers."

Although he said it like that, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

I wonder if Raven and the others will get killed by Voldemort?

Azu couldn't help but let his mind wander.

"Forget it, why should I worry about it?"

Ah Zu shook his head and decided to go have a cup of coffee first to relax.

At the "Talon" café, Azu walked to the counter and casually pointed at the menu.

"Double espresso, with ice."

A few minutes later, Ah Zu took his cup and sat down by the window—where he could clearly see the street outside.

Just as Ah Zu was enjoying his coffee, a very strange figure was staggering across the road.

The other person was completely wrapped in a thick gray robe, with even their head and face covered up, leaving only a pair of eyes deep in the shadows visible.

Even more bizarrely, his wrists and forearms exposed outside his tattered sleeves, as well as the part of his neck peeking out from the gap in his hood, were all wrapped in thick, grayish-white bandages.

The strange man walked very slowly, his movements stiff and bizarre, as if each step was accompanied by immense pain, completely oblivious to his surroundings and the speeding vehicles.

"Buzz!"

The next moment, an old pickup truck, rusty and with a deformed hood, sped around the corner.

The driver seemed to be looking down at something in the passenger seat, completely unaware of the slowly moving "bandaged monster" in the middle of the road.

"careful!"

Someone in the coffee shop gasped in surprise.

The screeching sound of brakes shattered the tranquility of the small town in the early morning!
"boom--!!!"

A dull, loud impact rang out.

The front of the pickup truck slammed into the unsuspecting bandaged man.

The immense impact sent him flying through the air like a rag doll, tracing a high arc before crossing the yellow line in the middle of the road and crashing heavily onto the sidewalk outside the window of the café where Ah Zu was.

(End of this chapter)