Hermione jumped up from her chair almost the instant the bell rang.
The movement was so fast that the wooden chair beneath him slid back half a foot, making a creaking, ear-piercing sound.
The sound seemed particularly jarring in the suddenly noisy classroom.
She seemed not to hear the sound at all, or rather, she didn't care at all, and simply slammed the thick textbook of " History of Magic " that was lying between the two of them shut.
The heavy pages collided with a dull thud.
Then, she lowered her head and, with an almost frantic speed, swept her quill, ink bottle, and parchment into the schoolbag at her feet.
Her fingers trembled slightly, and she nearly knocked the quill pen to the ground several times.
Throughout the entire process, she didn't glance at Draco beside her even once.
Thick, brown curly hair cascaded down her shoulders, obscuring most of her face. Only the tips of her ears, still flushed with a distinct blush, and a small section of her fair neck, tinged with a light pink from shyness, were visible.
She just wanted to leave immediately.
Just as Hermione gripped the strap of her backpack, ready to run away, an accident occurred.
She was too flustered.
She just wanted to disappear from everyone's sight immediately, so she didn't even notice the situation under her feet.
As she hurriedly stuffed the heavy textbook " History of Magic " into her already bulging backpack and tried to sling it over one shoulder, the backpack strap slipped behind her in her haste.
She instinctively reached out to hook the chair aside, making room for herself to leave.
With several movements combined and her mind preoccupied, her left foot tripped squarely on the chair leg that had shifted slightly backward when she hurriedly got up.
"Ah!"
A short, sharp gasp, suppressed deep in her throat, pierced the classroom's clamor with clarity.
Hermione instantly lost her balance and fell forward uncontrollably.
The heavy schoolbag, pulled forward by inertia, further accelerated her fall.
Before her lay the rough, cold stone floor, hard and unforgiving, rapidly magnifying in her pupils.
Lavender and Parvati were packing their things when they heard the noise and turned around, just in time to witness this thrilling scene. They both gasped and covered their mouths.
The other students in the classroom who hadn't left yet were also drawn by the commotion, turning around in surprise, their eyes all fixed on Hermione, who was about to fall.
Just when Hermione thought she was about to take a hard fall...
An arm reached out steadily and swiftly from her side.
That arm precisely caught her waist as she leaned forward.
At the same time, his other hand caught the strap of her backpack, which had come loose in her panic, and gently lifted her up, thus relieving the force of her fall.
The dizzying sensation suddenly stopped.
The expected pain and cold did not come as expected.
Instead, there was a solid support with a cool, aloof feel, and a warm body temperature right next to me.
Hermione was still in shock, her mind went blank.
She could only feel herself leaning against someone's arm, her cheek seemingly brushing against the crisp fabric of the other person's black wizard's robe.
She suddenly looked up, her gaze meeting a pair of eyes that were inches away.
Draco had left his seat at some point.
He was leaning slightly forward, one hand firmly around her waist, half-protecting her in his arms, while the other hand held her schoolbag.
"Are you alright, Hermione?"
His voice sounded above her head, and his warm breath brushed against her forehead, bringing a slightly itchy sensation.
" Professor Binns's lectures were boring, but not so boring that people would flee to the ground and wrestle."
Hermione's face flushed even more intensely than the blush that had risen during her embarrassment in class.
She then fully realized the predicament she was in.
She was hugged by Draco! In full view of everyone!
"Let me go!"
She struggled violently, as if she had been burned by a scalding hot iron.
His voice also became distorted due to shock and embarrassment.
Her slender arms pushed hard against Draco's chest, trying to break free from his embrace.
Draco readily complied, immediately releasing his hand from her waist and handing her the backpack back.
Then he took a small step back, widening the distance between them again.
Hermione snatched her backpack and hugged it tightly to her chest, as if it were a shield that could block out all eyes.
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost shattering her ribs.
She dared not look Draco in the eye, nor did she dare look at the expressions of anyone around her.
She felt as if everyone's gaze was like searchlights, all focused on her, leaving her nowhere to hide.
She could imagine how excited Lavender and Parvati would be.
This scene will probably keep them talking about it all night long in the girls' dormitory.
"Th-thank you..."
After Hermione finished speaking, she gripped the strap of her backpack tightly, wanting nothing more than to disappear immediately from this place that had made her so extremely embarrassed.
However, just as she was about to leave, a very soft "tsk" sound came from behind her.
Draco didn't let her leave. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and looked down at Hermione's face, which was filled with embarrassment and panic.
His teasing words reached Hermione's ears.
"Am I some kind of man-eating beast, Miss Granger?"
He raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"So much so that you're... afraid enough to run away?"