"No rush."
Those three words were like nails nailed to Hermione's eardrums.
As he spoke, he tightened his embrace, which was both gentle and cold.
Hermione's body froze completely the moment those words were spoken and the embrace tightened.
After an unknown amount of time, Draco's steady voice once again broke the suffocating silence.
"Hold on?"
At this moment, his arm seemed to loosen its grip very slightly, no longer as tightly as before.
But he maintained a supporting and semi-embracing posture to ensure she wouldn't actually fall due to weakness.
Hermione's eyelashes trembled violently.
She managed to regain a sliver of consciousness from the immense shock and paralysis, but her mind remained a jumbled mess, buzzing incessantly.
Standing firm? She wasn't even sure if she was still "standing".
He was supported entirely by the strength of his arms.
This realization made her even more ashamed and indignant.
She didn't answer, but instead used all her strength to try to regain some control over her body.
Then her body tried to lean back again, trying to create that suffocating distance.
Draco seemed to notice her almost negligible resistance.
He didn't say anything, nor did he let go of her hand.
But he seemed to have adjusted the force he applied, allowing Hermione to support her weight more steadily.
Although her legs were still as weak as cotton.
Then, he slightly increased the distance between their bodies, changing from being tightly pressed together to a distance where there was still contact.
This was enough for Hermione to breathe a little more easily.
Draco's gaze calmly fell on her pale, bloodless face, sweeping over her lips, which had lost their color from being tightly pursed, and her eyes filled with shame and indignation.
He asked, "Would you like to sit down?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the sofa next to him.
sit down?
Hermione's thoughts were momentarily caught in a daze because of this overly casual, even somewhat considerate, question.
sit down?
With him?
No.
Absolutely not.
The thought arose as if by instinct.
Sitting down means spending more time together, a more passive stance, and the possibility of falling back into Draco's controlling rhythm.
Standing still, at least... at least you can retain the last vestige of the illusion that you can escape at any time.
So, almost the instant Draco finished speaking, Hermione replied, "No... no need."
She spoke quickly and urgently, as if afraid that if she spoke too slowly, she would be forced to accept the suggestion to sit down.
"Oh?"
Draco paused in confusion, then tilted his head, a playful smirk playing on his lips.
Could it be...?
Miss Granger,
"Do you like... my embrace?"
"Like"? "Embrace"?
What is he saying?!
How could he?! How dare he?!
Using the word "like"... to describe how she feels right now?!
He's distorting everything! He's defiling everything!
He was twisting all her resistance, shame, and pain into something ambiguous in the most flippant way!
"Boom--!"
An unprecedented surge of anger and shame rushed into Hermione's mind.
"You--!!"
A short, sharp sound came from her mouth.
Hermione abruptly raised her head, her eyes burning with a fierce, almost explosive rage and flames of humiliation.
"You're talking nonsense!" Her voice was filled with anger and a resounding denial.
"Who, who would like--!" she growled, but the words "your embrace" stuck in her throat.
Her face flushed bright red, and even her neck and ears were stained with a bright red.
Hermione tried to struggle again, wanting to push him away and escape the suffocating space.
Ignoring Hermione's struggles, Draco steadily supported her arm, half-carrying and half-dragging her body, and turned around to walk towards the sofa in front of the fireplace not far away.
He carefully controlled his strength, making sure Hermione wouldn't fall due to weakness, and also making sure she couldn't break free.
But that kind of thoughtfulness, in this situation, only made Hermione feel doubly humiliated.
"You... let go of me! I can walk by myself!" Hermione continued to growl, trying to shake off his arm.
But the arm remained as still as an iron band.
Her struggles only made her more disheveled and breathless.
Draco seemed not to hear her angry shouts and struggles.
He calmly half-supported, half-carried her, and they walked a few steps to the sofa.
Then, he adjusted his posture and pressure slightly, gently helping Hermione sit down.
"Sit properly," Draco said firmly as Hermione sat down.
Then, he took a small half-step back, creating a distance that wasn't too intimidating.
"Don't move around, or you'll fall and make things even more embarrassing."
As he spoke, Draco's gaze swept over Hermione's messy brown curls.
Strands of hair, disheveled from the struggle and escape, clung to her pale cheeks, giving her a vulnerable and disheveled appearance.
"Look at your hair, it's such a mess. How are you going to explain this to your roommates when you get back to the dorm? I think I should help you fix it."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand, as if to reach into Hermione's hair.
No-no!
Hermione recoiled as if burned, pressing her back firmly against the sofa and instinctively raising her hands to protect her head.
Her eyes were filled with panic and resistance, "Don't touch me! Stay away from me..."
Draco's hand froze in mid-air, then slowly withdrew, a slight, resigned smile on his face. He said easily, "Fine, fine, I won't touch you."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over her wrinkled school uniform again.
"When you go back, don't look so disheveled, lest people see you and think you've been bullied by someone."
You're the one who bullied me! It's you! It's you! Draco Malfoy! You monster! You bastard!
These words surged within Hermione's chest like magma, almost bursting from her throat and turning into a hysterical roar.
But the words stuck in her throat.
She couldn't say.
In the end, she just bit her lower lip tightly, her voice extremely low. "... I know."
Seeing this, Draco nodded in satisfaction. "Good to know, so you won't have to explain it to your roommates later."
He changed the subject and said:
"It's getting late. We need to come up with an excuse for our late-night outing. How about we say we went to the library, got so engrossed in studying that we lost track of time?"
This excuse is plausible, fits Hermione's character, and perfectly covers up everything that happened tonight.
Hermione didn't refute, but simply responded softly, "... Mm."
Draco chuckled softly, his gaze returning to her, and said with a playful look:
"I've noticed that Miss Granger used to be quite talkative, both in class and in private, always able to chatter on and on. Why has she become so quiet and reserved around me?"
Hermione's body stiffened slightly. She raised her head, and the previous panic was gone from her brown eyes, leaving only a cold indifference.
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Furthermore, I don't think there's anything between us that needs... casual conversation."
"Alright, alright." Draco shrugged and sighed helplessly.
"Although you don't have much to say to me, I'd like to have more conversations with you."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious. "However, if you feel that 'protection' agreement is a burden, I think it can be voided."
"What... exactly do you want?"
Hermione looked up abruptly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, which was quickly replaced by a deeper wariness.
She didn't believe he would let her off so easily; this sudden concession must hide a deeper scheme.
Draco sighed as he looked at her. "It seems Miss Granger doesn't trust me. In that case, let's just leave it at that."
He stood up and straightened his robes. "It's really getting late, Miss Granger. You should rest."
He stopped at the top of the spiral staircase without turning around, but his voice carried clearly, with an undeniable hint of warning:
"Don't forget, Miss Granger. Wait for me to come to class tomorrow."
"You know, it's not just the Gryffindor, but some Slytherin as well, who haven't been very friendly to me. They already made a move on the very night I arrived."
"Remember to protect me closely, Miss Granger."
After saying that, he went upstairs and left, leaving Hermione standing there, frozen in place, her body ice-cold.