"I said, wouldn't telling you about the Room of Requirement count as a request?"
"These are completely different things! You're... you're paying back money with something free! Shameless!"
Hermione trembled slightly with anger upon hearing Draco's shameless words.
Her gaze was fixed on Draco's face, trying to find the embarrassment that came with being exposed.
However, what she saw was a grinning Draco.
Then Draco spoke.
"Don't be angry, Miss Granger."
"I was just kidding."
Hermione's lips moved, as if she wanted to retort or scream, but she felt like a fool who threw a punch only to hit the air.
Draco seemed completely oblivious to Hermione's escalating anger and humiliation.
He even tilted his head slightly, his gaze carrying just the right amount of confusion.
"I never imagined that my promise would be so... valuable in Miss Granger's heart."
Draco's nonchalant words reduced all her anger and accusations to a trivial joke, a farce of her overreaction.
This is utterly turning black into white!
This is a fallacy of misrepresentation!
Absolutely appalling!
Hermione felt as if she had been hit over the head with a blunt object; the color drained from her cheeks instantly, leaving them as pale as paper.
The flames of anger still burned in his chest, but there was an even stronger sense of humiliation at being thoroughly mocked.
There's also a sense of powerlessness, as if you can be easily manipulated by the other person's words.
She wanted to argue, to point her finger at him and say...
You're talking nonsense! What I care about is fairness! It's your shamelessness! Not your worthless promises!
But when the words reached his lips, he couldn't utter a single one.
Because no matter how she argued, she seemed to have fallen into the trap set by the other party's words.
Her explanation only confirms that she cares.
By not offering an explanation, it was as if they tacitly agreed to his distortion.
"Time for jokes is over, Miss Granger," Draco said with a laugh.
Hermione's heart sank, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
The real negotiation—no, the one-sided disclosure and demand—is about to begin.
However, just as Hermione instinctively clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to force herself to concentrate and prepare for what was to come regarding promises and secrets...
Draco did something that completely caught Hermione off guard.
His gaze slowly moved downwards, finally settling on Hermione's eyes.
Her eyes were likely red and swollen from prolonged crying and various emotions.
Hermione felt extremely uncomfortable under Draco's sudden gaze.
She instinctively wanted to turn her head away to avoid the uncomfortable gaze.
But Draco's gaze remained fixed on her face like a shadow.
Just as Hermione was about to protest the offense, Draco made a move.
He didn't speak, but his hand, which had been casually reaching to adjust his cuffs, reached into the pocket inside his wizard's robe.
Hermione's gaze involuntarily followed his hand.
Draco pulled a clear crystal bottle from a seemingly inconspicuous pocket inside his wizard's robes.
The crystal bottle was crystal clear, reflecting an icy blue light under the warm room light.
The bottle had no labels, only a crystal stopper with finely engraved threads at the neck.
The liquid in the bottle had a light mint blue hue, and it shimmered softly as Draco shook it.
Hermione's breath hitched.
This Potions... she had never seen it before.
The color, the simplicity of its unlabeled design, all exuded an extraordinary aura, far surpassing the ordinary drugs she was familiar with.
Draco held the small crystal bottle between his fingers, raising it to eye level with both of them.
His gaze finally shifted from Hermione's swollen eyes to the bottle in her hand, and then slowly returned to Hermione's face.
"Anti-swelling medicine," Draco explained.
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Hermione's red and swollen eyes once more.
I think you need it.
He moved the crystal bottle forward, getting closer to Hermione.
"You're probably not in the right state to continue this conversation."
Hermione was stunned.
Anti-swelling medicine?
At times like this?
Just as she was being thrown into disarray by his verbal games and bracing herself for an even heavier blow, he... pulled out a bottle of anti-swelling medicine?
incredible.
When would Malfoy ever care if her eyes were swollen?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when Draco's next words instantly extinguished any lingering suspicions of goodwill in her mind.
"I don't want everyone at Hogwarts to think I made you cry at breakfast tomorrow."
Draco's words struck Hermione hard.
It's not concern.
Never has been.
It's to avoid suspicion.
It was to protect his reputation and image as Malfoy.
He didn't want anyone to associate him with the incident of making Hermione Granger cry.
A mixture of humiliated anger and a chilling coldness swept over Hermione once again.
I see!
For a fleeting, laughable thought, she even had a moment of her own!
How could Malfoy possibly have even a shred of genuine concern for her?
All his thoughtfulness, all his sharing, even this seemingly timely bottle of anti-swelling medicine, was nothing more than a means to an end for his own purposes.
In fact, she was overthinking it; Hermione might not have accepted it if Draco hadn't said that.
Draco didn't hand the potion bottle directly to Hermione; instead, he unscrewed the stopper on the crystal bottle, which was engraved with fine threads.
A soft "pop" sound was particularly clear in the quiet room.
An extremely light yet refreshing fragrance instantly wafted out from the bottle opening.
Then Draco did something that made Hermione's scalp tingle instantly.
He held the open crystal bottle and handed it to Hermione.
Do you want me to apply it for you?
Draco's voice was not loud; his tone could even be described as gentle.
This suggestion struck Hermione like a thunderbolt.
Help her apply it?
Let him touch her eyes with his hand?
Should I touch her most vulnerable and private parts at this moment?
Hermione felt the hairs on her body stand on end in an instant.
This is no longer a verbal probing or psychological oppression; it is a blatant violation and test of personal boundaries!
No! Absolutely not!
Hermione jerked back, her back slamming heavily against the soft velvet back of the sofa with a dull thud.
The soft fabric, which should have provided some cushioning, now felt like a hard stone wall, making her chest feel tight.
She abruptly turned her face away as if dodging a deadly venomous snake.
She avoided the crystal bottle Draco offered, and also avoided his terrifyingly calm gaze.
"No!!" Hermione cried out in protest.
"I can do it myself!" she said, almost as if she were doing it herself.
Then she suddenly reached out, not to take the crystal bottle Draco offered.
Instead, he clearly grabbed Draco's wrist, the one holding the crystal bottle!
Her movements were quick and urgent.
But when Hermione touched Draco's cold wrist, she was momentarily stunned.
She had never been so close to Draco Malfoy, and never imagined that one day she would have physical contact with him in such an intense way.
What alarmed her even more was that when she grabbed his wrist, Draco didn't struggle at all, nor did he show any anger or resentment, and he didn't even move his body.
He seemed to have anticipated this reaction.