Returning to Professor McGonagall's office, Draco gently pushed open the door a crack and peeked inside, intending to see if the tutoring session had ended.
Upon looking at him, his gaze met Professor McGonagall's calm eyes, and he froze on the spot.
Professor McGonagall withdrew her gaze from Draco, turned to Hermione, and said:
" Miss Granger, you've finished your homework for today. Please continue."
Your schedule shows that there is an important... non-academic matter scheduled for the next few days.
As she spoke, her gaze returned to Draco.
" Draco, this 'escort mission' is entrusted to you."
Draco understood immediately and quietly gave Professor McGonagall a thumbs-up.
Hermione turned around at the sound and saw Draco; her eyes lit up with joy.
She immediately stood up, tidied the paper and pens on the table, and, holding her precious notebook, walked up to the professor, bowed, and thanked him.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I've learned so much tonight. I'll be going now."
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the notebook in Hermione's arms, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched Hermione run quickly toward Draco.
Draco simply left his office door wide open, allowing Hermione to walk out easily.
Before leaving, Hermione waved to Professor McGonagall one last time.
After saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall, the two walked side by side down the corridor.
Hermione clutched Professor McGonagall's notes tightly to her chest, as if she were holding a priceless treasure, and her steps became more cheerful.
Before Draco could speak, she eagerly turned to the side and shared:
" Professor McGonagall's lecture was so profound; it was on a completely different level from what we learned in class!"
"Of course, the classes only cover the basics, so everyone can learn them and build some confidence, right?" Draco replied with a smile.
Do you know?
Hermione suddenly leaned closer and said in an amazed tone,
"She suddenly asked me, 'What changes have occurred in the nature of objects?' I answered verbatim from Kiddle's book, and she immediately interrupted me—"
At this point, Hermione deliberately lowered her voice, trying to imitate Professor McGonagall's calm yet authoritative tone.
She said it was the answer from the book; I was asking for your understanding.
"Oh my god, I was completely stunned... I've never thought about this problem like this before! 'Overwrite, replace, or swap?' This question is so profound!"
As she spoke with great enthusiasm, a faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Draco teased her by raising an eyebrow:
"So, how will you thank me for taking Professor McGonagall's attention for you and giving you time to think?"
Hermione blinked and smiled slyly, "Then I'll... let you teach me more about Transfiguration."
Draco feigned a wail. "Seriously, Granger? What kind of thanks is this? It's a reverse thank you, isn't it?"
"Don't you like it?" She tilted her head to look at Draco, a mischievous look on her face.
Draco exaggeratedly drew out his words, "I love it so much..."
Hermione, however, seemed not to understand Draco's sarcasm, and nodded with a smile, "That's good."
As she spoke, she immediately tucked her notebook into her arms and unfolded a scrap of parchment she had brought from the office.
The page contained a simple diagram of Transfiguration, and Hermione excitedly pointed at it:
"Look! She actually mentioned the ' Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration '! That's something only NEWTs learn in depth!"
She also said there are five important exceptions to this rule, and that emotional resonance directly affects the stability of the Transfiguration... This explains a lot of things I couldn't understand before!
Looking into her bright eyes, Draco chuckled, "It seems Professor McGonagall has high expectations of you."
Hermione's eyes lit up even more at those words.
A bright smile, almost impossible to suppress, flashed across his face, but he quickly suppressed it and returned to his serious expression.
"Yes, I understand."
"This is not a regular after-school tutoring session at all; it means I have to work harder and can't slack off."
"What she taught me was far beyond the first-year curriculum, and I had to prove that I deserved that expectation."
She looked at Draco and said to him solemnly and slightly seriously:
"Actually, Professor McGonagall has even higher expectations for you, so you have to give it your all and not slack off."
Draco's face immediately fell, and he said miserably:
"No way! My initial intention in coming to Hogwarts was to have an easy time, but now it's getting further and further away from that intention. Please have some compassion, Miss Granger."
Hermione gently poked Draco's arm, Hermione eyes resolute. "Absolutely not. If you dare to slack off, I... won't let you off the hook."
Draco quickly changed the subject. "Let's not talk about studying for now. You've been studying all day, aren't you hungry?"
As he spoke, he reached behind his back and pulled out two steaming hot scallion pancakes, which still had a faint aroma of caramelization.
Hermione's eyes widened suddenly, filled with surprise at the familiar scene.
Previously, I was prejudiced against Draco and dared not ask too many questions, but now I finally couldn't help but ask:
"Where did you hide it? How did two of them suddenly appear out of nowhere...?"
Draco said casually, "It's unspeakable, eat quickly while it's hot."
Hermione didn't press the matter further, but looked at the notes in her hand and then at the biscuits, saying with a troubled expression, "I can't take any more."
"That's easy, just hold the notebook in one hand and the biscuit in the other," Draco said casually.
"That won't do!"
She immediately frowned and hugged the notebook even tighter.
"These are Professor McGonagall's notes, they're so precious! What if they accidentally fall and break?"
Draco was both amused and exasperated.
"It's not that delicate. Besides, Professor McGonagall isn't asking you to treat it like an antique. The more you use it, even if it's a little damaged, the happier she'll be. Doesn't that just show you've taken a good look at it?"
"That's true, but we still need to be careful," Hermione said stubbornly.
"Alright, alright," Draco reluctantly conceded, taking the notebook from her arms. "You eat it, I'll hold it for you."
"That won't do!" She pulled the notebook back.
Draco's face fell, and he pretended to be sad, clutching his chest. "So you're afraid I'll break it?"
Hermione quickly waved her hand. "No! I meant... aren't you going to eat? Are you just going to watch me eat all by myself?"
Draco laughed and said, "I'll eat after you finish."
Hermione looked down at the steaming pancake in her hand, her brows furrowing even more. "It'll get cold now. Hand-pulled pancakes get hard and hard when they're cold, and they won't taste good at all."
"Okay, okay, I'm scared of you."
Draco held up the cake and waved it at her, then deliberately sighed.
"I see now. In your eyes, I'm not even as valuable as Professor McGonagall's notebook. You're definitely my precious darling."
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly after her thoughts were exposed.
She stubbornly insisted, "No... it's just that it's precious, so it's always better to be careful."