Chapter 339: Becoming an Adult

After breakfast, the group leisurely made their way to the eighth floor and entered the Room of Requirement.

Throughout the journey, Hermione and Cho Chang remained aloof towards Alaric, but their conversation with each other seemed notably more intimate than usual.

Alaric couldn't help but reflect on this change.

For men, there are four major life experiences: enduring hardship together, sharing the same room, dividing loot, and having a romantic partner.

Perhaps Hermione and Cho Chang had reached a stage akin to being close confidants.

Whether this was akin to sharing hardship or having a romantic partner, or dividing loot, was yet to be determined.

In any case, it seemed they had become close friends, sharing a strong bond.

Upon entering the Room of Requirement, Hermione and Cho Chang appeared eager to start their search immediately. However, Alaric raised his hand to stop them.

"Yesterday, you mentioned that organizing this huge mess would help us find the Horcruxes faster.

I had a great idea and conducted an experiment overnight. Let me test it first."

As soon as Alaric finished speaking, Hermione and Cho Chang exchanged mocking glances.

"Overnight?"

"Experiment?"

"Are you serious?"

Each of them spoke in turn, making Alaric smile wryly.

"I'm definitely serious… you don't think I'm making excuses, do you?"

"Who knows if you're just finding an excuse?" Cho Chang rolled her eyes playfully.

"Exactly," Hermione added, "how do we know you're not plotting something, trying to deceive us like last night?"

Just as Alaric was about to explain, Luna spoke up softly.

"Alaric… what did you deceive them about last night?"

"Nothing… nothing at all."

"Children… don't ask these things."

Luna's question made Hermione and Cho Chang blush and stammer. 

"But, you're not much older than me, right?" Luna tilted her head in confusion.

This statement made Hermione and Cho Chang freeze for a moment.

After a while, Cho Chang managed to come up with an explanation.

"Well… determining whether someone is an adult involves more than just age. It also depends on what they have done."

"That's right!" Hermione chimed in, "Only by doing specific things can one be considered an adult."

"Is that so?" Luna pondered for a moment, then turned to Alaric and walked up to him, taking his hand.

"Alaric, let's become adults together."

"Pfft—"

"Cough, cough…"

Luna's words were so shocking that Alaric, who had been standing with his arms crossed, was caught off guard and couldn't help but react.

Cho Chang nearly burst into laughter.

Hermione realized that her words had led to Luna's misunderstanding and quickly moved to pull her away from Alaric.

"Don't just pick anyone!" she said loudly. "It must be someone you really like."

Luna was pulled aside, looking blankly at Hermione and then at Alaric, and suddenly asked,

"Alaric, do you like me?"

Alaric was momentarily stunned by the question.

— How should I answer this in front of Hermione and Cho Chang?

After thinking for a second, Alaric responded honestly.

"Luna is indeed a lovely girl, and I like her a lot."

Despite considering Hermione and Cho Chang's presence, Alaric expressed his true feelings.

Throughout his relationships with several girls, Alaric had always been in a leading position.

Although he started by increasing their affection and attractiveness, he never pushed the relationship further unless the girls took the initiative.

Alaric had learned from his past life that the unattainable is always enticing, while the favored become bold. This might be why he remained single in his previous life.

This was also why, even in this situation, he could speak frankly like an ironclad straight man without worrying about Hermione and Cho Chang turning against him.

As expected, Hermione and Cho Chang reacted to his words with matching eye rolls.

"Just as expected."

"Typical Alaric style."

Their responses indicated that Luna's question had elicited a standard reaction.

Hearing Alaric's words, even Luna, with her naive demeanor, managed a smile.

Then she said,

"So, let's become adults together."

Hermione and Cho Chang, who had just been critiquing Alaric, were thrown off balance once more.

"Why is this conversation circling back around?" Cho Chang said with a mix of frustration and amusement.

"Didn't you say it only applies to someone you like?" Hermione reminded Luna.

"Yes," Luna answered confidently, "but Alaric is the boy I like."

"No way! But you've only known him for less than a week?" Hermione couldn't understand.

"Isn't this a bit hasty?"

Cho Chang approached Luna and asked with suspicion, "Do you have other male friends? You wouldn't only know him, right?"

Luna shook her head.

"No, I know another person."

"Who?"

"Xenophilius Lovegood."

"Who's that? Your cousin?"

"No, he's my father."

The truth was finally revealed.

It turned out that Luna had only known Alaric for a week, and he was already the closest male friend she had.

This revelation was both humorous and poignant.

Hermione and Cho Chang spent a considerable amount of time explaining the concept of affection and maturity to Luna, eventually persuading her to abandon the idea.

When they finally sighed in relief, Luna turned to Alaric again.

"Alaric, our relationship isn't close enough yet," she said with a frown, slightly troubled.

"Let's become adults together once we're closer."

Hermione and Cho Chang were speechless and gave up trying to convince her.

It seemed their future rival count had increased by one, and there was no way to change that.

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