boom--!
Upon hearing Draco's words, Hermione felt a loud "buzz" in her head.
It was like a thunderbolt exploding in her mind, leaving her completely disoriented.
At that moment, Hermione felt as if an invisible force had instantly swept her blood to the top of her head, making her cheeks burn as if they were on fire.
Even the tips of her ears were bright red, as if they were about to bleed.
She abruptly looked up, her gaze meeting Draco's playful eyes.
Those eyes were so sharp, as if they could see right through the turmoil in her heart.
And... and that damned physiological flutter caused by that close contact just now.
The palpitations, like vines, silently coiled around her heart, leaving her both panicked and helpless.
"I... I didn't!"
She blurted it out almost without thinking.
His voice rose unconsciously due to excessive excitement and embarrassment.
The sound broke the brief silence in the classroom.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Hermione immediately realized her lapse in composure.
The temperature of her cheeks rose a few degrees as a result.
She quickly lowered her voice, her tone fierce but her voice weak as she retorted, "I wasn't scared! I didn't run away! I just... I just tripped!"
Her explanations seemed so weak and powerless at this moment.
Her cheeks were flushed red, almost dripping with blood; her eyes darted around in a panic; her lips trembled slightly; and she had seemed to want to disappear immediately.
All of these points to the exact opposite of her explanations, making her rebuttal seem more like an attempt to cover up the truth.
"Oh? Accidentally?"
Draco's teasing tone tickled Hermione's tense nerves like a feather.
"So it seems Professor Binns's lessons were so 'exciting' that even Hogwarts' most diligent and top student 'accidentally' tripped and fell flat on his face in the flat, empty classroom, and even 'accidentally' couldn't hold his schoolbag steady?"
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to drift almost imperceptibly over the backpack that Hermione was clutching as if it were her lifeline.
Then it brushed over her fingers, which trembled slightly from the effort, and finally landed back on her brown eyes, which were burning with anger and shame.
Every glance, every word, struck Hermione's weak spot precisely, leaving her nowhere to hide.
Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to say something to refute, wanting to maintain her last bit of dignity.
But he found his throat tighten and he couldn't make a sound.
She just stared wide-eyed at the face in front of her.
A wave of shame, anger, grievance, and confusion overwhelmed her, making her tremble slightly.
The reactions of the onlookers in the classroom were equally fascinating.
Harry and Ron were completely stunned.
Lavender and Parvati were almost fainting with excitement.
The two held each other's hands tightly, their faces flushed even redder Hermione's.
"He said it! He said it outright! 'Am I some kind of man-eating beast?'"
"OMG! What a domineering CEO's statement! It's so cool! I'm about to scream!"
"He's interrogating Hermione! Look at Hermione's face! It's completely red! Even her ears are red!"
"He's getting closer! They're whispering! What are they saying?! Listen!"
"It's absolutely true! He definitely has feelings for Hermione! He would only say something like that to someone he cares about!"
"Ahhh, I can't take it anymore! This is more thrilling than being chased by Troll! More exciting than watching a magic show!"
"What do you think will happen to them next? How will Hermione respond? Will Draco do something else?"
Other students who hadn't yet left also turned to look.
Although the specific content of their conversation was unclear.
But Draco's clear phrase "man-eating beast," Hermione's flushed cheeks and excited reaction, and the tense yet slightly ambiguous atmosphere between the two were enough to make them speculate wildly.
Whispers rose and fell, and curious gazes focused on the two like searchlights, enveloping the entire classroom in an unusual cacophony and excitement.
Hermione's rationality snapped completely at that moment.
She had only one thought in her mind: I can't stay any longer! Not even for a second!
If she stayed any longer, she feared she would be overwhelmed by the shame and the stares of those around her, and completely break down.
The instinct to escape spread like wildfire in her heart, taking over all her thoughts.
She suddenly took a large step back, the movement so forceful that she almost lost her balance again.
Hermione stumbled a bit before regaining her balance.
She didn't even have the strength or the courage to respond to Draco's piercing question.
She simply glared fiercely at Draco with her brown eyes, which were veiled with a thin layer of moisture due to extreme emotional turmoil.
After glaring at her, she suddenly lowered her head, buried her face in her schoolbag, and hugged it tightly.
Then she turned around abruptly, without looking back, and with almost sprinting speed, smashed through the obstacle in her way and rushed straight out of the History of Magic classroom!
Her figure vanished instantly into the dim light of the corridor outside the door, leaving only a hurried and disheveled silhouette.
Only the chaotic, hurried, and increasingly distant footsteps pounded against the hard stone floor.
Hermione had no idea how she got out of the History of Magic classroom, nor how she rushed up that winding staircase.
Her mind was in complete chaos, making it impossible for her to think or calm down.
An unprecedented sense of shame overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
In her twelve years of life, she had never been so out of control, never so disheveled.
In full view of everyone, he tripped and fell on flat ground, was caught, and was teased in a flirtatious and playful tone. In the end, he could only run away like a frightened rabbit.
This was the greatest humiliation of her Hogwarts career, and perhaps even her entire life!
It wasn't just shame, it was anger.
Anger towards Draco, and anger towards himself.
Draco's relentless pressure fueled her anger; he saw through her thoughts and deliberately mocked her.
She was even angrier at her own weakness, angry at how flustered and out of control she always was in front of him, and angry at how she could feel that damn flutter in her heart just because he was close to her.
She really couldn't understand what Draco was trying to do.
Was he just teasing her? Or did he really have other feelings for her, as Lavender and Parvati said?
The thought made Hermione's cheeks burn even more.
She quickly shook her head inwardly, trying to dispel this absurd thought.
Countless questions swirled in her mind, making it impossible for her to escape.
The inquisitive, gossipy, and sympathetic glances around her, along with the extremely excited expressions on Lavender and Parvati's faces, made her feel utterly ashamed.
Tears welled up in her eyes uncontrollably, the warm liquid blurring her vision.
But Hermione bit her lip hard, forcing back her tears.
No crying! Absolutely no crying! Especially not because of that bastard Malfoy!
She fiercely commanded herself in her heart, clenching her fists tightly to bring herself to a slightly more sober state.
But the surging emotions, like a rushing flood, were breaching the dam of her reason, making it almost impossible for her to control them.
She needs to hide somewhere, immediately!
She needed a quiet, secluded place to calm down, sort out her chaotic thoughts, and quell her turbulent emotions.
She couldn't let anyone see her current state of distress and vulnerability.