"That's all we can do," Hermione sighed softly.
She looked down at the few notes on the paper about Quirrell's class, utterly puzzled:
"I really didn't expect Hogwarts to have such an unreliable teacher."
Draco suddenly said, "Didn't you notice something was off when you were talking about Cho Chang just now?"
"What?" Hermione looked at him with a puzzled expression.
" Hogwarts changes its Dark Magic Defence Class teacher every year," Draco said meaningfully.
Hermione was startled by what she heard and frowned.
She lowered her head and pondered for a few seconds, then looked up with a mixture of realization and doubt. "Now that you mention it, it does seem like there's a problem... Is there something fishy about this course?"
"Want to know?" Draco tempted.
Hermione glared at him, feigning anger, and scolded, "Are you doing this on purpose? You know I'm curious, so why are you keeping me in suspense? Just say what you want to say, don't keep me in suspense!"
Seeing Hermione's pouty yet expectant expression, Draco couldn't help but chuckle and put his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer.
"Just talk, why are you touching me? This is a common lounge, what if someone comes and sees us!" Hermione frantically tried to break free.
Draco wouldn't let her break free, his fingers gently tapping her shoulders as he said:
"Don't worry, everyone knows we're a couple anyway. Besides, I have to tell you quietly, I can't let anyone else know this secret."
Hermione's face flushed slightly, but she stopped struggling, simply tilting her head slightly to nestle in his arm, and said:
"You keep me in suspense with secrets every day, just tell me already, or all this lunch time will be gone."
Draco chuckled and said to her:
"This isn't exactly a top secret in the Wizarding World, but few in the lower grades know that the position of professor of Defence Against Dark Magic is cursed."
"A curse? What curse? It can even affect Hogwarts ' teaching positions, and Professor Dumbledore doesn't care?" Hermione looked up and asked eagerly.
" Dumbledore isn't ignoring it; he simply has no way to break the curse."
"Guess who it could be, someone with such abilities and such dark intentions towards Hogwarts?"
Draco Mo guided her step by step, his hand resting on her shoulder.
Hermione's pupils contracted sharply, and she blurted out, " Voldemort?!"
"Hmm!" Draco responded softly.
"It's him again! We've only been enrolled for a short time, and he's already involved in two things. Moaning Myrtle's affair is one, and now he's even cursed the Dark Magic Defence Class position. Why would he do this?"
Hermione's brows furrowed even more instantly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the fabric of my sleeve, her tone full of incomprehension and anger.
"Don't be angry!" Draco patted her and then explained gently.
"After graduating, Voldemort specifically applied to Dumbledore for a teaching position in Dark Magic Defence Class, claiming it was to give back to his alma mater, but in reality, he had ulterior motives."
"While using his professorship to search for the Founders's belongings at Hogwarts, he also planned to use his classes to recruit new students as his Death Eaters."
Hermione's eyes narrowed, and she gripped Draco's sleeve even tighter.
" Dumbledore saw right through him and rejected him on the spot," Draco continued.
"He had a very high opinion of himself and couldn't bear such humiliation, so he cursed the position out of resentment."
That means no one can hold this position for more than a year.
Hermione froze, and it took her a long time to recover. She said, still shaken:
"He actually dared to cast such a curse at Hogwarts... and even tried to recruit Death Eaters, he's far too audacious."
Her brows furrowed, and she quickly looked up at Draco:
"Does Professor Quirrell know about this? Why did he get the job?" Hermione asked, moving closer to Draco.
Draco ruffled her hair again, pulled her closer to him, and gently comforted her:
"That's another matter, don't think too much about it. Everything is under Old Dumbledore's control."
" Old Dumbledore?" Hermione looked up at Draco, the panic in her eyes still lingering, replaced by a hint of surprise.
"It's Headmaster Dumbledore," Draco explained.
Hermione was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but smile, the panic in her eyes largely dissipated by the sudden address.
"Who calls Professor Dumbledore that? It's incredibly disrespectful."
She reached out and gently patted Draco's arm, her tone a mix of reproach and amusement.
"Just talking about it in private," Draco chuckled.
Hermione gave a soft snort, then reached out and slapped away Draco's hand that was ruffling her hair, and said seriously:
"Even in private, it's not acceptable. Professor Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts; he deserves the respect due to him."
Draco lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Actually, my relationship with Dumbledore is beyond your imagination..."
Hearing this, Hermione's eyes nearly burst with laughter. She said, "Nonsense, you only dare to say such big things in front of me."
" Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster, how could he possibly have any special relationship with you?"
Hermione wouldn't believe it for a second.
"I'll tell you something and you'll understand." Draco squeezed her fingers.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Didn't you notice that the night Professor McGonagall took me to see Dumbledore, the Old Dumbledore deliberately helped me get away with it?"
Hermione froze upon hearing this, her fingers instinctively touching her chin as she carefully recalled the words.
After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, startled, and sat up straight from Draco's embrace, realizing what had happened:
"I was wondering why something felt off that night! He clearly knew everything, yet he just said a few casual words and let you go. I thought I was overthinking it, but it turns out he did it on purpose?!"
Seeing her surprised expression, Draco couldn't help but chuckle, "Do you understand now?"
Hermione was filled with questions, and she couldn't help but ask:
"I don't understand why Professor Dumbledore would go out of his way to cover for you. What exactly is your relationship?"
"Didn't I already say that we have an unusual relationship?" Draco said, downplaying the seriousness of the matter.
Hermione blinked and said with utmost seriousness, "What relationship, gay?"
Draco nearly spat out his drink when those words hit him; he coughed twice before recovering.
He reached out and pinched her soft cheeks with both hands, saying, "Even if Old Dumbledore is, I can't be. Don't you understand that?"
Hermione's cheeks puffed out from being pinched, and she stopped pretending to be serious, her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter.
Then, swatting Draco's hand away, he rubbed his face, a smug glint in his eyes, and said:
"Who told you to keep me in suspense? I'm left with no choice but to guess. Besides, how am I supposed to know your relationship if you don't explain clearly?"
As he spoke, he deliberately tilted his head to look at Draco, "Tell me, what's the connection? It can't be that your family donated a castle to Hogwarts, can it?"