Not long after I lay down, the dormitory door was gently pushed open.
Harry, Ron, and Neville entered one after the other, their footsteps very soft, presumably to avoid disturbing Seamus.
Harry casually tugged at his bed curtains, Neville shrank back into his own bed, and Ron tossed his wizard robes onto the back of his chair before slamming the covers down.
In the girls' dormitory, Lavender, Parvati, and Olivia had barely stepped into the room when they eagerly sat on Hermione's bed and surrounded her.
Lavender was the first to approach Hermione, nudging her shoulder lightly with his elbow:
"Tell me the truth! When exactly did you and Draco start hooking up?"
"What do you mean by 'flirting'? That sounds so awful! We're just ordinary classmates, there's nothing like the messy stuff you're making up." Hermione rolled her eyes at her.
Lavender burst out laughing at Hermione's coquettish yet stubborn expression.
"Okay, okay, I was being harsh~ Let me put it another way, when exactly did you and Draco develop feelings for each other and become aware of each other's feelings?"
"What do you mean by 'secret feelings'? That's nonsense! He and I are just classmates. If you keep making these wild guesses, I'm really not going to talk to you anymore," Hermione said, annoyed.
Parvati also came over and took Hermione's arm, gently shaking it. "Stubborn, stubborn~ If you're really just a regular classmate..."
Hermione looked up abruptly and asked urgently, "What did he confess? Don't lie to me!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had been too hasty, so she hurriedly turned her face away and forced herself to add, "I don't believe what he'll say... You're just lying to me on purpose."
"Look... look, you got flustered as soon as I mentioned it! You knew I was right!" Parvati pointed with his finger.
"Anyway, it's nothing, say whatever you want," Hermione said, sounding a little unsure of herself.
"Really? Then let's tell you!" Lavender asked excitedly.
"What did Draco mean by 'I promise'? Did he promise to bring the Fat Lady red wine from now on, or... to treat you well?"
Lavender deliberately emphasized the last few words.
Upon hearing this, Hermione forced herself to remain calm and responded:
"What else could it be? It's just that the Fat Lady is always teasing him, and he's just responding casually. Does he really take it seriously?"
After saying that, fearing it wasn't convincing enough, he added,
"It's just to make Fat Lady happy, so she won't keep bringing it up. You're overthinking it."
Olivia chuckled softly, resting her chin on her hand as she replied:
"To appease Fat Lady? There's no need to be so certain. We all heard it; her tone was very serious."
Hermione quickly retorted, "That's always how he talks. He always acts like he's got it all figured out. It's just a habit."
Parvati pressed, "Habit? Then why doesn't he say these things to others? Why only to you behind the door?"
Hermione choked for a moment, then finally managed to say, "It was just a coincidence! I was the only one behind the door at the time; if it had been anyone else, he probably would have said the same thing."
The more he said it, the less confident he became.
The three of Lavender exchanged a smile, all of them could tell that she was putting on a brave face, but they didn't point it out.
Her stubbornness was quite amusing.
"When you ran upstairs just now, you even turned around and glared at him. That look was clearly one of pleading," Lavender pointed out.
"That's because I'm annoyed with him! Who was being coquettish? If it weren't for him, why would you all be teasing me?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled the smile in Draco's eyes when she turned around.
She turned her face away, smoothing a stray hair behind her ear, trying to hide her unease, and then added...
"I just glared at him to stop him from joining in the commotion, but you all misinterpreted it like this; it's not the same thing at all."
"Misinterpretation?" Parvati drawled, "That look in her eyes is so soft, it has absolutely no intimidating power. Draco would probably be thrilled to see it."
Lavender chimed in, "Exactly! If you were really angry with him, you wouldn't have looked back when you ran away. It's obvious you still have him in your heart."
Hermione was speechless for a moment before managing a clumsy reply, "It was just an instinctive turn of the head, nothing as complicated as you're all thinking."
She shrank further into the bed, burying half her face in the pillow, muttering under her breath, "I'm just annoyed with him, not being affectionate."
That stubborn refusal to admit it only made Olivia and the other two seem even more adorable.
"Oh right, Hermione, didn't Draco ask for your address? Did you give it to him?" Olivia suddenly remembered this.
Upon hearing this, Lavender and Parvati immediately perked up, their eyes sparkling as they stared at Hermione, awaiting her answer.
Hermione replied casually, "Yes, he said he might be able to drop something off on his way since he's on holiday."
"On the way?" Lavender scoffed, "That's impossible, he's clearly just looking for an excuse to go to your house!"
"Exactly, exactly. Sending you gifts is just an excuse; he really wants to hang out with you, right? Draco already said that," Parvati agreed.
Hermione, her thoughts exposed, gave a soft snort and turned her face away, stubbornly saying, "He was just saying it casually, but you all take it more seriously than he did."
Even as she said that, the image of Draco standing at the entrance of her alley involuntarily appeared in her mind.
Thinking of this, Hermione blushed again.
"Look at you, look at you, what are you thinking about? Your face is red again!"
Lavender, with his sharp eyes, reached out and poked her burning cheek.
"You must be imagining Draco standing at your doorstep, right? You've even figured out what he'll be wearing?"
Parvati agreed, "Definitely! Otherwise, why would her face be as red as a ripe apple? Hermione, you're so candid!"
Hermione panicked and turned her head away, covering her cheek with her hand, and stubbornly said, "No, it's not! It's just too stuffy in the room, don't make wild guesses."
As he spoke, he waved his hand haphazardly, pretending to be genuinely hot.
Olivia leaned against the bed railing, smiling as she watched her, and exposed her, "The dorm window's open, so it's not stuffy at all. It's clearly just that a little fire's been ignited in your heart."
These words made Hermione even more embarrassed. She burrowed further into the pillow, leaving only her head sticking out, and muttered:
If you keep making fun of me, I won't answer your questions anymore.
Seeing this, Olivia laughed at Lavender and Parvati, "Alright, alright, let's stop here. Don't let Hermione get her brain fried."
Lavender also stopped teasing her, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't say anymore. Our Hermione's face is so red it could fry an egg on it."
Parvati leaned over and smoothed out her wrinkled pillowcase, coaxing her softly, "I won't bother you anymore. Don't stay cooped up, or you'll get a rash."
Hermione then peeked her face out from under the pillow, her eyes still slightly flushed, and glared at the three of them, but she wasn't angry.
Suddenly, Lavender's gaze fell on the otter satchel on the bedside table. He reached out, picked it up, shook it gently, and asked:
"Speaking of gifts for you, what is this? It doesn't look like the kind of thing you would usually choose."
Parvati leaned closer for a couple of glances, and his eyes lit up:
"Wow, it's so pretty! The fur is so soft and fluffy. Where did you buy it? I want to go pick one out too."
Hermione's face flushed instantly upon hearing this, and she hurriedly reached out to grab it, saying, "Don't shake it! Don't shake it! You'll hurt it!"
Her hand had barely touched the soft velvet of the handbag when Lavender deftly dodged it. She leaned forward hastily, saying, "It's just from a regular little shop, nothing special."