Hermione's sanity was teetering on the brink of collapse under the impact of this unprecedented and terrifying truth.
But Draco seemed to have already anticipated her predicament, and said calmly, "Alright, Miss Granger, let's end our conversation here."
The sudden announcement abruptly pulled him back to reality from his utter shock and frozen thoughts.
Before she could even process what was happening, Draco added matter-of-factly, "You should be protecting me now."
"Protect you?!" Hermione's voice suddenly rose, and she abruptly sat up straight on the sofa.
The lingering numbness in her eyes was instantly ignited by rage.
"Why?! By what right?!" Her chest heaved violently, each word filled with resentment at being fooled.
Why should I protect you?! Just because you told me all this?
Upon hearing this, Draco's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Because I still have many secrets to tell, and I mean, not including the ones I've already told you."
"There are other secrets as well."
Other secrets?
Does this exclude past truths that have already overturned her understanding?
Hermione's breathing suddenly stopped.
What did he mean by that? Is there some more terrifying secret than the claim that " Voldemort is Tom Riddle "?
Draco seemed to read her surprise and doubt, his tone becoming increasingly matter-of-fact. "So, you're going to protect me. What do you think, Miss Granger?"
Absurd!
Hermione felt a rush of blood to her head.
This was a complete trap, with each step meticulously planned; Malfoy wanted to manipulate her completely!
The person in front of her was simply the most cunning and deserving to be thrown into Azkaban to keep company with the Dementor!
"Why should I believe you..." Hermione's fingers gripped the sofa armrest tightly.
"You say you know 'other secrets,' do you really know them? Even if you do know them, why should I believe you... If I protect you, you won't use those 'other secrets' to blackmail me again someday, or... or do something even worse?"
Her body swayed slightly, her words filled with struggle and resentment.
"Do you have any other choice, Miss Granger?"
Draco gazed at her calmly, his tone nonchalant.
Hermione opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
"If something happens to me, many secrets will be buried forever," Draco hypothesized.
Hermione slowly lowered her head, her long hair falling down to cover all the expressions on her face.
After a long silence, a hoarse, hollow voice responded, "... Okay."
Draco nodded slightly. "A wise choice, Miss Granger."
"Then, Miss Granger, please take me back now."
choose?
Hermione gave a bitter laugh to herself.
Did she really have a choice? From the moment she stepped into this room, she was no longer in control of her own destiny.
Now, he wants her to escort him back like a servant, like a bodyguard?
Absurd! Shameful! Incomprehensible!
Hermione could only scream silently in her heart.
"Let's go back to the Gryffindor Common Room," Draco's voice came.
A seemingly casual remark declared that from the moment they stepped out of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, the absurd promise to "protect Draco Malfoy " had already taken effect.
Hermione gave a hollow reply, "... Okay."
In the pitch-black Hogwarts corridors, the flickering, dim light of the torches cast long and short shadows of the two figures.
Hermione walked ahead, with Draco following two steps behind her, remaining silent the entire way.
Hermione's face was filled with numbness and exhaustion; her mind was a complete mess, and she was utterly incapable of thinking.
She could only move mechanically toward the Gryffindor Tower, relying on an almost instinctive sense of direction.
Just then, the footsteps behind them suddenly drew closer.
Hermione's body stiffened reflexively, and a fleeting, instinctive wariness flashed deep within her empty, numb pupils.
A hand reached out from behind her side.
The hand was not aimed at her shoulder, nor at any part of her body that was aggressive or threatening.
Instead... it was her right hand hanging by her side.
Draco's hand reached towards her clenched fist.
His intention was crystal clear: he wanted to hold Hermione's hand.
This action was too sudden and too inappropriate.
Hermione whirled around, startled, and cried out, "What... what are you doing?!"
She stared intently at Draco, her eyes filled with disbelief and resistance.
Holding hands? What is this guy trying to do?
Draco's outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air, showing no sign of flinching or trembling despite her violent reaction.
He raised an eyebrow at her and said quite frankly, "What?"
It's very dark here.
"Since you've agreed to 'protect' me, Miss Granger,"
His gaze fell on her clenched fist, his tone carrying a subtle hint of amusement.
"So, making sure I don't slip and fall in a dark hallway, or encounter any... 'accidents,' isn't that also part of 'protection'?"
Hermione's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this explanation!
Is he using the responsibility she was forced to accept to justify his intimate and boundary-crossing intention to hold her hand?
This is utterly shameless!
Is it dark here?
The corridors of Hogwarts were lit with torches at night, so while not bright, they were certainly not pitch black!
Is Draco afraid of the dark?
Could someone possibly fall in such a brightly lit corridor?
This is nothing but an excuse! An utterly despicable excuse!
"You..." Hermione's voice trembled slightly with anger.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and firmly refused, "No."
"If... if you insist on... doing this, if you believe... 'protecting' you includes... including this... unnecessary contact..."
At this point, Hermione's cheeks flushed an unnatural red.
It was both anger and shame.
"So, Draco Malfoy."
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a resolute determination. "You must use your... 'condition'."
She said the word "must" with unusual force, as if she had used up all her strength and her last bit of dignity.
Upon hearing this, Draco's eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into interest.
He slowly withdrew his hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, "Very fair, Miss Granger."
This simple response, like the coldest verdict, crashed down on Hermione's already overburdened heart.
He... agreed? He actually agreed?
Using a condition that would cost her an unknown price to buy this... hand-holding?
As soon as he finished speaking, Draco moved.
He took a step and slowly walked towards Hermione.
Hermione's body trembled violently again the moment she saw him approaching.
She instinctively stepped back, her back slamming heavily against the cold stone wall.
The rough wall exuded a chill, yet it became the only barrier she could rely on at that moment.
She wanted to back away, to run away, to scream, to use all her strength to push away the devil in front of her!
But she couldn't.
Because it was she herself who proposed this deal.
She could only watch helplessly as Draco walked up to her and stopped.
The two were very close, and his faint scent permeated her nostrils.
Under Hermione's resistant and fearful gaze, Draco once again reached out his hand, towards her tightly clenched right fist.
His fingers, slightly cool in temperature, gently pried open her tightly clenched knuckles.
Hermione tried to resist, but found herself powerless.
She could only let his fingers insert between her forced-open fingers, and then slowly tighten.
This is not just a simple hand-holding!
These are fingers intertwined!
A far more intimate and aggressive form of contact than simply holding hands!
Hermione's body trembled violently the moment their fingers intertwined, as if she had been struck by a high-voltage electric current!