After coming out of Gellert Grindelwald's ward, Adelaide gently closed the door and left the heavily guarded restricted area.
She arrived at the intensive care floor of the Curses ward and walked slowly along the corridor. The atmosphere here was exceptionally eerie; groans and indistinct whispers seeped through the cracks of the single-patient room doors into Adelaide's ears, giving her a layer of goosebumps.
Adelaide had to quicken her pace, finding the room where Professor MacFusty was located among the many wards.
Through the glass window on the door, she saw Jack MacFusty lying quietly on the hospital bed. His semi-naked upper body was covered in strange symbols, but fortunately, he hadn't grown any bizarre things on his body like the patients in the previous rooms—such as several vertical-slit eyes on his cheeks or a pale woman's head growing from his navel.
After nearly two months of meticulous treatment, Professor MacFusty's condition had significantly improved, and the Dark Arts wounds on his body were gradually healing; however, the worrying part was that he still hadn't regained consciousness.
Adelaide knocked gently on the door, then pushed it open and entered the ward, greeting Alice, who was sitting beside her brother in a daze.
Alice's eyes were red, and she looked a bit exhausted; but when she saw Adelaide, a joyful smile appeared on the face of this usually haughty little Witch.
Adelaide stepped forward and said softly to Alice, "It's been hard on you, but Christmas is almost here. I want to invite you to go out for a stroll to relax and welcome the New Year in a better state."
Alice hesitated for a moment, but between her comatose brother and her friend's invitation, she ultimately chose the latter and nodded in agreement.
Adelaide took out the carefully prepared set of beautiful Muggle clothes from her backpack, handed them to Alice, and said with eyes full of smiles, "Come, dear Alice, change into these clothes."
Alice took the clothes somewhat hesitantly and, with Adelaide's gentle and patient help, put them on piece by piece. When the last button was fastened, a "Muggle Limited Skin Edition" Alice appeared before Adelaide's eyes.
Adelaide stepped back a few paces to look Alice up and down, a satisfied smile gradually spreading across the corners of her mouth. As expected of the clothes she picked—they looked great!
This was the first time Alice had ever worn Muggle clothes. She stared wide-eyed at herself in the small mirror on the wall, stunned by her own new image, a faint blush unconsciously creeping onto her face.
Hand in hand, the two of them walked out of St Mungos Hospital with light steps.
As soon as they stepped outdoors, they were met by London's gloomy, grey sky, with heavy dark clouds that seemed to weigh people down. Gusts of damp, cold wind blew past, slicing across their cheeks like blades, but this didn't affect the expectation and excitement surging deep within their hearts in the slightest.
Adelaide pulled the still somewhat bewildered Alice into the subway station and squeezed into the carriage with the flow of people.
Along the way, Alice was very curious about the unfamiliar Muggle clothing and the subway around her, but out of etiquette, she forced herself not to look around, which was quite a struggle.
Fortunately, the train soon pulled into the station where they needed to get off. Following the signs, the two of them arrived at Chinatown in Soho, Westminster.
Just as they stepped into this area, a rich Oriental atmosphere instantly hit them.
Large red lanterns hung high on both sides of the street, connected like a winding red dragon. The entrances of various shops were adorned with brightly colored and exquisitely patterned Spring Festival couplets and "Fu" characters, revealing a thick festive atmosphere. The bustling crowds moved through it, with hawking and laughter rising and falling—it was so lively!
While holding Alice's hand tightly for fear she might get lost, Adelaide kept instructing her on various precautions: always watch your wallet and valuables to prevent being targeted by thieves; don't easily trust strangers who strike up a conversation; remember to bargain when buying things... After saying a great deal, she finally led Alice into the crowded throng with peace of mind.
They tasted some food in Chinatown—actually, although the food here was quite distinctive, there was still a certain gap compared to the real thing in China, and the prices were relatively high.
However, for Adelaide and Alice, who weren't short of money, this small flaw didn't affect their spirits.
Moreover, after enduring four long and agonizing months of the relentless torture of Hogwarts' British "delicacies," even the most ordinary and unremarkable Chinese food appearing before them at this moment tasted like an exquisite feast to Adelaide and Alice.
The two lively and cute girls were like two nimble and cheerful little birds, flitting through the unique food stalls of Chinatown, contentedly enjoying this hard-won delicious moment.
While slurping noodles, Adelaide planned to invite Cho Chang to come again in a couple of days—things are often full of such drama; just when everything seemed so wonderful, an accident suddenly happened.
Just as Adelaide and Alice, having eaten so much that their stomachs were already full, had to choose to share a sweet and delicious Tanghulu to make a little room for more tempting food, a voice filled with disbelief came from behind Adelaide, abruptly interrupting their joyful atmosphere.
"Adelaide, is it... really you?"
As the voice sounded, Adelaide subconsciously turned her head to look, only to see someone holding half a packaged Roast goose and a steamer of Xiaolongbao, staring straight at her with wide eyes and a face full of shock—it was actually Hermione!
"Pfft... cough cough cough!"
Adelaide suddenly spat out the Tanghulu she was chewing, coughing as if she were about to cough up her lungs.
Seeing this, Alice hurried to reach out and gently pat Adelaide's back, trying to help her catch her breath, while Hermione's expression on the opposite side turned even worse.
While anxiously patting her, Alice asked with concern, "Adelaide, are you okay? Quick, drink some water and calm down."
Finally stopping her coughing, Adelaide widened her eyes and looked at the familiar figure not far ahead with utter disbelief.
Heavens! How is this possible?
In this metropolis of London, with a total area of nearly 1,600 square kilometers and a population of almost seven million, she actually ran into Hermione so easily?
Thinking back to the farce she had directed on a whim this summer vacation, Adelaide's heart was suddenly filled with regret and unease.
Could it be that today is actually not a good day to go out?
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