Just then--
Draco moved.
He didn't look at Moaning Myrtle again, as if the noisy ghost was nothing more than an insignificant noise in the air.
His gaze slowly moved down from Hermione's pale, embarrassed face to the small wicker basket she was clutching tightly in her arms.
Her fingers were gripping the edge of the wicker basket's handle tightly.
Then, he did something that Hermione didn't expect.
He reached out and gently grasped the edge of the handle on the other side of the wicker basket with his fingers.
Hermione's body stiffened abruptly, and she almost dropped the basket.
She looked up in surprise at Draco.
He continued to look at her calmly, without any ambiguity in his eyes.
"Let's go," Draco said casually.
Then his gaze swept indifferently over the wicker basket.
"Otherwise, the food will get cold."
Those four words abruptly pulled Hermione from extreme embarrassment and chaos into an even more bizarre and surreal reality.
The food is getting cold.
This stark contrast, this completely illogical concern, left Hermione utterly bewildered.
Draco didn't give her any more time to think or resist.
He gripped the edge of the wicker basket handle and applied a little force.
Hermione was pulled forward a step by that gentle force.
Her body was no longer supported by the cold, damp door frame behind her; her feet were on the solid, slightly cool stone floor, and in her hands was the wicker basket that the two of them had been carrying together.
The basket seemed to act as some kind of strange connector, temporarily binding together two people who should have been irreconcilable enemies.
After receiving no resistance from Hermione, Draco picked up the other side of the basket, turned around, faced Hermione sideways, and began to walk forward.
He maintained a stable angle and force in his hand.
She neither made Hermione feel awkward from being pulled, nor did she make her stop.
The whole thing happened so fast that Hermione had no time to react or refuse; she could only follow behind him like a puppet being pulled by invisible threads.
Moaning Myrtle floated behind the two, and seeing them suddenly move together, and that the light blond boy was pulling a basket, she became even more excited:
"Oh! You're leaving together?! Going out to eat together?! Waaah... It really is a date! I saw it! He's holding your hand! Waaah... It's so unfair! Why doesn't anyone ask me out to eat?! Why doesn't anyone hold my hand for a walk?! I've been dead for so many years, and only water rats and leaky faucets keep me company!..."
Her cries were mixed with envy, jealousy, and her usual self-pity.
But Hermione had no time to spare for Moaning Myrtle.
Like a puppet on a string, she was being pulled along by Draco in a wicker basket, staggering forward.
Their footsteps mingled together.
Her mind was still a complete mess.
Was he indirectly pulling her along by pulling the basket?
Where... is he taking her?
Return to the Great Hall?
No, dinner time in the Great Hall has definitely passed long ago.
Back to Gryffindor Tower?
Or... somewhere no one knows about it?
Draco's steps were steady and composed, as if he were leading a Gryffindor girl who had just been forced into a dangerous deal.
The two walked a dozen steps in the dimly lit and silent corridors of Hogwarts in an extremely strange manner.
The castle corridors were empty and silent at night, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing softly on the ancient stone walls.
A soft sound and a heavy sound intertwine to create a strange melody.
The figure in the portrait had long since fallen asleep.
Only a few curious portraits peeked out as they passed by, then quickly closed their eyes again as they walked away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
This deathly silence made Hermione even more uneasy than Moaning Myrtle's earlier chatter.
Hermione finally managed to regain a sliver of reason from the extreme chaos.
She began to realize that Draco Malfoy was leading her around the castle, their destination unknown.
This made her feel a chill slowly creep up her spine.
"Wait!" Hermione finally dared not continue walking.
She tried to stop, leaning back slightly, trying to break free from that invisible pull.
" Malfoy! Where are you taking me? Let go! I can walk by myself!"
Draco stopped in time, but he didn't let go of the wicker basket. He just turned his head slightly and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
He slowly turned around, no longer just to the side, but directly facing Hermione.
"Don't worry, Miss Granger, I understand your... concerns."
This was a strategy of retreating to advance; Hermione couldn't immediately launch a more vehement rebuttal, so she could only temporarily suppress her anger and listen to him continue.
"As for 'where to go'... I know a place."
Draco's tone suggested he was sharing a huge secret.
"A place that even most of the students, and perhaps even most of the professors, might not know about."
Hermione was instantly flustered. The entire school might not even know?
Even the professor doesn't know?
Absolutely secret?
These words acted like hooks, firmly catching Hermione's curiosity.
Draco caught the fleeting curiosity in Hermione's eyes with pinpoint accuracy.
He then leaned forward slightly, closing the distance a little, but with just the right amount of distance to avoid provoking Hermione's strong reaction.
"That place is quiet enough, safe enough, and most importantly, absolutely private. There won't be any uninvited guests—including that annoying administrator."
Hermione definitely needed a quiet corner where she could undisturbed to sort out her chaotic thoughts.
Faced with such a tempting description, Hermione's doubts lessened slightly, but her vigilance remained firmly in control.
However, at this moment, Draco uttered the most crucial sentence.
"This place can perfectly solve your current... needs."
Upon hearing this, Hermione's heart was once again filled with a fierce internal struggle.
Reason told her otherwise.
Don't believe him!
Going with him to a place the whole school doesn't know about is like walking into a trap!
But curiosity and a strong need for a safe and private space whispered a temptation in her heart.
What if he's telling the truth?
Is there really such a hidden place in Hogwarts?
Moreover, she desperately needed a place to sit down, calm down, and eat something to fill her stomach.
Most importantly, figure out what that damn request and secret are all about...
Draco took in the intense struggle in Hermione's eyes, but he didn't urge her on. He just tightened his grip on the handle of the wicker basket.
Finally, after a long silence and standoff, Hermione's lips moved slightly.
She looked away, no longer meeting Draco's all-seeing eyes.
She was afraid she would get lost in that deep pool, and even more afraid of seeing the fleeting smugness in his eyes.
She lowered her head, staring at the swaying wicker basket between them, and uttered two words with deep reluctance and helplessness. "... Lead the way."