It was already embarrassing enough for Malfoy to see her cry once, but to have it happen again... she'd be too ashamed to face him...
There wasn't much to see there...
Hermione bit her lower lip hard, racking her brains but still not knowing what to do.
Draco spoke.
"I think it might be too much pressure for you, Miss Granger, to have me owe you another favor."
"After all, our previous 'agreement' has already... well, it's been a bit of a hassle for you, hasn't it?"
Hermione's face turned even paler, and her body trembled even more violently with anger and shame.
"This is none of your business!"
Draco raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "Fine, it's none of my business."
"How about this: if you still want to ask me questions, it'll be your turn to owe me a favor."
"That's fair, isn't it?"
These words caused Hermione's already confused mind to instantly go completely blank.
If it were me... I'd owe him a favor?
What's the meaning?
How did it all turn out like this in the blink of an eye... that if she wanted to ask him a question, she had to owe him something in return?
This... this is simply... shameless! Absurd! Incomprehensible!
Hermione stared wide-eyed at Draco in disbelief, as if she were seeing him for the first time.
She thought to herself that the Sorting Hat had truly had a keen eye for talent when it sorted him into Slytherin.
Such cunning and treachery were practically ingrained in Slytherin's very being.
He first used partial truth as bait to lure her in.
Then, when she got the answer and became extremely eager for further information, she casually overturned the extortion plan and proposed a new plan that seemed "fairer".
How is this "fairer"?
This is clearly a complete reversal of the power dynamic!
This is simply taking opportunism and shameless scheming to the extreme!
No, this is worse than looting during a disaster!
This was when she most desperately needed answers, and they used information as a hostage to blackmail her, turning her from a creditor into a debtor!
Draco laughed. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything that goes against your principles."
This was supposed to be a concession, but to Hermione, it sounded more terrifying than a direct threat!
"Does not violate principles"?
What are her principles?
Doesn't she harm her friends? Doesn't she do evil? Doesn't she violate the moral principles she considers important?
That sounds nice, but who knows what kind of trap is hidden in his words "not violating principles"?
Shameless! Despicable! Insidious!
She screamed silently in her heart, but she knew that any verbal abuse or attack would be futile.
In this game where the truth is the bargaining chip, she has already lost and has no choice but to compromise.
Hermione bit her lower lip hard, then released it with great difficulty.
Deep teeth marks were left on the lips.
"... explain."
Hermione only said one word.
A word that couldn't be simpler.
Yet it seemed as if she had exhausted all her strength, all her pride, and all her dignity.
Draco's smile faded slightly, "As you wish, Miss Granger."
"A new agreement has been reached, Miss Granger. You owe me a favor. And I will answer you... about Tom Riddle's 'aftermath'."
Draco slowly began to speak, recounting a long-forgotten legend.
Tom Marvolo Riddle, one of the most outstanding students in Hogwarts' history, is handsome, charming, academically excellent, and a favorite of the professors. Almost everyone believes he has a bright future.
"After graduating from Hogwarts, he did not, as many had expected, enter the Ministry of Magic or achieve great success in other righteous fields."
He chose another path. A path... older, more powerful, and... darker.
He traveled far and wide, venturing into forgotten, forbidden corners to uncover the deepest, most hidden secrets of magic—secrets considered evil and untouchable by most wizards. He studied Dark Magic deeply, and... mastered it.
Hermione's heart sank little by little as Malfoy's calm yet ominous narration unfolded.
A dark path... forbidden secrets... mastery of Dark Magic...
These words gradually overlapped with the image of Tom Riddle, the "good student" she had just learned about.
Then, an even more dangerous image came to mind for Hermione.
Before she could think further, Draco's voice continued.
He was no longer satisfied with the name ' Tom Riddle,' the identity. He considered it part of his ordinary, even... unclean, past.
He gave himself a new name. A name that symbolized power, authority, and... a complete break with the past.
He began to gather followers—wizards who also craved power, were dissatisfied with the weak rule of the Ministry of Magic, believed in the supremacy of Pure-blood, and were willing to follow him, pledge allegiance to him, and assist him... in achieving a greater goal.
Hermione's breath hitched when she heard the " Pure-blood supremacy" doctrine, and her chest felt as if a boulder was pressing down on it.
She recalled the arrogant and exclusive attitude of some people in Slytherin House.
"His power grew stronger day by day, his followers increased, and his... ideas began to spread throughout the Wizarding World, attracting wizards who were dissatisfied with the status quo, yearned for change, or simply pursued power."
"Fear began to spread. People dared not utter his name, as if the name itself carried an ominous magic, bringing disaster and death."
"They used another name to refer to him, a name that symbolized the boundless darkness and reign of terror he brought with him."
" Tom Marvolo Riddle, the top student who opened the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts fifty years ago, murdered Moaning Myrtle, and perfectly framed Rubeus Hagrid..."
He paused deliberately, whetting Hermione's appetite before speaking.
"After leaving Hogwarts, he embarked on a path to pursue the ultimate power of Dark Magic. He abandoned his old name, gathered followers, and spread terror..."
Ultimately, he became the most evil dark wizard in the Wizarding World in recent decades.
People feared him and dared not call him by his name, instead referring to him as --
"' The You-Know-Who '."
"Or, more directly, let's call him --"
"' Voldemort '."
Voldemort.
That nightmare whose mere mention of his name in the Wizarding World is enough to send shivers down the spines of adult wizards.
Even though he has been gone for eleven years, the shadow of his name and the threat of his remaining followers still loom over the Wizarding World.
He... is that Tom Riddle?
That top student from Hogwarts fifty years ago?
How is that possible?!
Hermione's mind completely stopped functioning the moment the name Voldemort was uttered.
The Room of Requirement fell into a deathly silence.