"Donating a castle is a good reason," Draco said with a smile, deliberately refusing to budge.
Hermione, amused and exasperated, lightly punched Draco's arm twice, her little fists landing lightly, and said with a hint of playful annoyance:
"Are you going to tell me or not? Here we go again. If you keep me in suspense, I'll..."
He then reached out to tickle Draco's waist.
Draco quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, gently pulling her back into his arms and pressing her against his lap.
"Stop it, stop it, I'm scared of you. Actually, we're allies!"
"An alliance?" Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief.
She instinctively reached out to support herself on Draco's knees to get up, but he gently pressed her shoulder down and pushed her back down.
She struggled twice but couldn't break free, so she had no choice but to relax her body, lie flat with her back against Draco's thigh, and look up at him as she spoke.
"You're lying again! A first-year student like you, forming an alliance with Professor Dumbledore? I'd believe you if you said your family donated to Hogwarts."
Hermione's hair brushed against Draco's palm. He looked down at her upturned face and said, feigning seriousness, "Who says first graders can't ally with the headmaster?"
"Then tell me, how come you're allies with Dumbledore?!"
As Hermione was speaking, she tried to turn over and get up, but I gently pressed her waist down, so she had to continue lying on her back.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she said, "Let me go, it's so awkward lying here."
"I won't let go, or you'll keep asking me questions." Draco lowered his head and moved closer to her, his lips hovering less than half an inch above hers, as if about to kiss her.
Hermione frantically pushed against Draco's chest, tilting her head slightly to avoid him, and in her panic, she gave in, saying, "I won't ask anymore!"
Draco straightened up again, but he didn't actually kiss her. He just teased her, "Don't you like kisses?"
Speechless at the question, Hermione's eyes darted around, avoiding his gaze. After a long pause, she managed to stammer out a lame excuse, "You... you didn't brush your teeth."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"So brushing my teeth is enough? Fine, from now on I'll brush my teeth in front of Miss Granger every day, making sure they're spotless and ready to go at any time, how about that?"
Hermione's face instantly turned bright red, and she said, "No way! I... I'm not ready yet!"
Seeing her eyelashes fluttering, Draco laughed out loud, "Not ready, huh?"
He released his hand from her shoulder, but reached out to ruffle her hair and help her up from his lap.
He casually put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. "Alright, we'll do as Miss Granger says. We'll wait until you're ready."
Hermione, with half her face buried in Draco's arm, muttered, "That's how it is, you can't just be so casual..."
Draco gently stroked her cheek and asked teasingly, "Oh? Did your mother-in-law teach you that?"
Upon hearing this, Hermione abruptly raised her head, her cheeks flushing even more, and stared at Draco with a flustered look in her eyes.
She even reached out and pinched Draco's arm hard, but the force was so light it was like a tickle. "Who told you that! Don't talk nonsense!"
She quickly buried her head back down, saying, "My mom didn't say that... It's just my own feeling that these kinds of things should be taken seriously."
Draco feigned pain and withdrew his hand, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't talk nonsense."
"I'll do whatever you say, I won't do anything arbitrarily. We'll do it when you feel you won't do anything arbitrarily anymore."
Hermione stiffened for a moment, then relaxed gently and snuggled closer to Draco.
Her cheeks still held a lingering blush, but her voice carried a hint of seriousness.
"Are you telling the truth? Is everything really under Dumbledore's control?"
Draco lowered his head and nuzzled her hair, gently patting her back to comfort her.
"Of course, Old Dumbledore knew exactly what was going on. In fact, there was a premonition at the opening ceremony, but nobody knew it."
Hermione looked up at the words, puzzled, and asked, "Opening ceremony? What omen? I didn't notice it?"
As she spoke, she frowned, trying hard to recall the scene, "Was it what he said? Or..."
Draco nodded and said:
"That's right, those three things he specifically emphasized—don't trespass into the Forbidden Forest, Quidditch player screening in the second week, and most importantly, don't go near the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor."
Hermione listened, lost in thought, and then asked with a frown:
"Is there a problem with that? The principal is just reminding us to be careful. Quidditch checks are a common occurrence after the start of the semester. The Forbidden Forest and the Third Floor Corridor are off-limits areas on campus. They've reminded new students about this every year, haven't they?"
You'll understand the issue of Forbidden Forest later; there's no need to delve into it now.
"Just remember, the last time Professor McGonagall punished me with solitary confinement, I only had to clean the castle. But if someone else is solitary confined, they'll be sent to do chores in the Forbidden Forest," Draco chuckled.
" The Forbidden Forest? There are so many dangerous magical creatures in there, why would they put students in solitary confinement there? It's too unsafe!" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Someone will guide you. Just remember it and don't overthink it," Draco said casually.
Hermione nodded honestly, but her heart was itching like she had a little mouse inside her, and a bellyful of questions were stuck in her throat.
Who led them? What exactly is hidden in the Forbidden Forest? And why specifically, are students under solitary confinement going there?
But she swallowed the words back, afraid that if she asked another question, the person in front of her would use that as an excuse to get closer and do something inappropriate like kissing.
"Okay... then I won't ask any more questions."
That's what she said, but Hermione's slightly pouting lips clearly revealed her deep curiosity and resentment.
Draco couldn't help but laugh at her contradictory expression, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "That's more like it."
Draco chuckled softly at her insincere expression, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "That's more like it."
Hermione swatted away his messy hands, smoothed her disheveled hair, and pressed on, "Then what does Quidditch mean? Surely it doesn't have some hidden meaning?"
"Of course we can make an exception and let first-year students participate in Quidditch. Did you forget? Professor McGonagall asked me to try Seeker," Draco reminded him.
Hermione paused for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"So that's how it is! I only thought it was because you were talented and the professor noticed you; I never imagined it was also because the principal had hinted at it beforehand..."
Draco gently shook his head:
"No, Dumbledore wasn't saying those things to me. I was just an accident."
"No one expected the Sorting Hat to sort me into Gryffindor; I was supposed to be Slytherin."
Hermione was instantly stunned, and asked blankly, "If he wasn't talking about you... then who was he saying this to?"