After allowing Draco to share the book, Hermione immediately gripped the quill pen again, forcibly drawing all her attention back to Professor Binns and the blackboard.
However, the slight redness at the base of her ears lingered for a long time.
Her slightly stiff sitting posture, with her back ramrod straight, also revealed her inner turmoil.
Draco's lips curved upwards very slightly.
He said nothing, neither thanking him nor exchanging any pleasantries, but simply moved his body more naturally toward the center of the table.
The distance between the two was instantly stretched to its limit by this shared textbook, " The History of Magic."
Hermione was so close that she could clearly smell his scent.
It's like the damp grass after the rain, mixed with the unique smell of ink and paper from old books in a historic library.
The scent was nothing like the strong, overpowering perfume that she had imagined the Malfoy family would wear.
This made it easy for her to accept.
Draco's black robe had sleeves that almost touched her arms.
The subtle tactile sensation of the fabric rubbing against her skin felt so close that she instinctively pulled her arms further in.
But they dared not shrink it too obviously, for fear of appearing too deliberate.
Draco turned his head slightly without her noticing, and Hermione could feel his warm breath brushing against her cheek.
This made her heart tremble involuntarily.
Over time, Hermione's muscles all became tense.
Even her breathing was deliberately light and shallow, as if afraid of revealing her panic.
She forced herself to stare at Professor Binns ' figure, the writing on the blackboard, and the dense ink marks on her own notes.
But out of the corner of my eye, my gaze, like an uncontrollable vine, always finds itself irresistibly drawn to the side.
Draco was bowing his head slightly.
His eyes were fixed intently on the textbook she was pushing towards him, revealing a handsome and pleasing appearance.
You're insane, Granger.
Hermione thought.
Hermione felt that she probably wouldn't be able to hear a single word tonight.
The person next to me has such a strong presence.
The chaotic thoughts swirling within me grew louder and louder.
Draco remained silent, his gaze steadily fixed on the pages of the book.
Only occasionally, as Professor Binns' monotonous narration continued, would he raise his finger and lightly tap a line of text in the textbook.
His actions were so open and honest that Hermione wondered if she was being too sensitive and overthinking things.
The History of Magic class continued, albeit dullly.
Professor Binns ' voice was like an old clock, ticking away, measuring the long passage of time.
Beside the table by the window, two figures were drawn into a small space that belonged only to the two of them because of an open, thick textbook.
Outside, there were noisy whispers, drowsy classmates, and gossipy, inquisitive eyes.
The only sounds in the space were the scratching of pen tips across parchment, occasionally accompanied by the soft rustling of pages turning.
Outside the window, the night at Hogwarts grew ever darker, and the sky was studded with glittering stars.
The castle's spires outlined a majestic silhouette in the night.
In the classroom, besides Hermione and Draco, there were two other people who never succumbed to sleepiness.
Those two were naturally Lavender and Parvati.
They certainly didn't develop a strong academic interest in the treaty concerning the Goblin Rebellion.
The only driving force that sustained their resistance to Hogwarts' most powerful hypnotic spell was undoubtedly their fervent "shipping" of their favorite characters.
Professor Binns's buzzing had automatically relegated them to insignificant background white noise.
Even the hypnotic effect disappeared, leaving only the function of creating an atmosphere.
All their senses and attention were drawn to that tiny corner as if by a magnet.
Using the open textbooks and quill pens as cover, they huddled so close together that their heads were almost touching.
The two engaged in a passionate, almost bubbly exchange, in voices only they could hear.
"Look, look! They're so close together!"
Lavender's eyes gleamed with gossip.
" Draco's hand just touched Hermione's textbook! Good heavens, it looks like he's highlighting important points for her?"
Parvati watched intently.
While cautiously observing the movements in the front row, he quickly responded:
"And Hermione didn't refuse! Her face was completely red when she pushed the textbook away! Do you think they're really...?"
She didn't finish her sentence, but the ambiguity and curiosity in her tone were already self-evident.
"Definitely!" Lavender nodded vigorously, his eyes burning even brighter.
"Just think about it, on the first day of school they were called to the Headmaster's Office together, got involved in the Peeves incident together, and now they're attending classes together and sharing textbooks! And Hermione blushed just now, Draco defended her so fiercely... This is practically a scene from a novel!"
"That's more exciting!" Parvati's voice was filled with excitement. "A forbidden love! Two people who are incompatible are bound together by fate!"
"Oh my god, I'm already looking forward to what will happen next! What do you think Draco will do next? Will he give Hermione a gift? Or help her in Potions Class?"
Their heads drew closer and closer, their voices almost overflowing with excitement.
His eyes scanned back and forth between Draco and Hermione like searchlights, capturing every subtle interaction.
These details, which may seem insignificant to others, became irrefutable evidence of an unusual relationship between Lavender and Parvati.
This ignited their gossip-loving spirits, making them eager to rush up and ask the two what their relationship was.
The two individuals they were closely "observing" were completely unaware of this.
Draco noticed but didn't care at all.
His attention was always focused on the girl beside him and his own plans.
Hermione, on the other hand, was completely consumed by her inner turmoil and the ambiguous atmosphere around her.
They had no time to pay attention to the intense, gossipy stares coming from the back row.
The classroom remained dull, and the night remained deep, but a completely different undercurrent was surging within this small History of Magic classroom.
All of this, centered around the two figures in the front row sharing a book, quietly brewed, foreshadowing that the new term at Hogwarts was destined to be anything but peaceful.