"That's a big problem." Draco's lips curled up. "If you lose, it's reasonable for me to call you 'wife' in front of others, right?"
Hermione froze, her cheeks flushing bright red. Realizing what had happened, she reached out and pushed his shoulder, scolding him with a mixture of embarrassment and exasperation:
"Reasonable my foot! Draco Malfoy, you're using fallacies again!"
She clenched her fists, but still forced a calm expression as she glared at him. "When I said 'what I wanted to say,' I meant your secret! Not some nonsense like that!"
"If you dare do that, not only will I not lose, but I'll also make you copy the ' Standard Book of Spells ' ten times, until your hand aches!"
Then, fearing he might actually resort to dishonest means, he added:
"Either we play by the rules and keep it a secret, no tricks allowed; or this bet is void, and I'm not falling for your scheme!"
Draco, seeing her cheeks puffed out in frustration, chuckled and waved his hand, relenting, "Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that he hadn't persisted this time; she had thought that, given his personality, he would definitely have clung to her to the bitter end.
The next second, Draco leaned over again, gently twirled the end of her hair with his finger, and said:
"How about this, we'll continue this bet with my wife until next time, is that alright?"
Hermione shook her head vigorously without hesitation, her voice firm and resolute. "No, absolutely not! Don't even think about it."
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Draco said. "It's just someone calling your name in front of others."
"Besides, who knows when the next bet will be? Maybe it'll be when we actually get married."
Hermione's face flushed bright red instantly. " Draco Malfoy! Can't you be serious for once?! Who... who wants to marry you?!"
Draco's eyes held amusement as he pretended to stroke his chin, tilting his head earnestly as he asked, "Oh? Are we planning to just date and not get married?"
Hermione's face burned even hotter, both angry and embarrassed, and she didn't know how to reply, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Finally, all she could do was glare at him and force out a trembling, angry voice. "Who wants to date you!"
He turned his face to the window, wanting to completely ignore this shameless guy.
Draco, seeing her pouting and turning her face away, reached out and gently touched her arm, saying in a serious tone:
"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Think about it carefully. Actually, it's simple: just don't bet with me next time, right?"
Hermione turned around upon hearing this, paused for a moment, and then quickly made a mental decision.
That seems to make sense. As long as I refuse to make a bet with him, this matter will never come to fruition, and no matter what tricks he tries, there's nothing he can do.
She bit her lower lip, glared at Draco, and as if she had made a momentous decision, uttered a single word. "Fine!"
"That's right." Draco nodded and said, "Actually, Miss Granger has taken advantage of me quite a bit without me even realizing it."
Hermione frowned instantly, staring at him with a puzzled look. "It's always you who takes advantage of me! Every time, it's you teasing me, playing pranks on me, and even touching me inappropriately..."
"No," Draco quickly waved his hand, "I didn't mean physical advantage, what are you thinking?"
"You still dare to say that!" Hermione blushed.
Draco chuckled wryly and explained slowly, "What I mean is, whether it's a bet or just anytime, things always seem to tilt in your favor. I've never really let you suffer a loss."
"You're talking nonsense again," Hermione couldn't help but retort. "Every time, you end up achieving your goal, and I never get the benefit."
"Oh? What's the purpose?" Draco suddenly asked, his eyes gleaming with an irrepressible smile.
Hermione steeled herself, looked up to meet his gaze, and said, "You... you've been plotting against me from the very beginning!"
Even she was startled by these words, and her fingers unconsciously twisted her school uniform.
Draco paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Now that you mention it, it seems you're actually right."
He seemed to remember something else, and his tone became serious. "However, the benefits you received weren't just empty words, they were real, right? Like that night at the Room of Requirement."
Why bring this up?!
Hermione's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple. She quickly lowered her head to flip through her textbook, not daring to look him in the eye, her heart pounding as if it would burst out of her chest.
"I'm telling you this seriously, you're just overthinking it..." Draco chuckled at her expression and tapped her textbook.
"Who's thinking nonsense? You were the one who implied something!" Hermione was still engrossed in flipping through her textbook.
Draco feigned grievance and said:
"I mean, that night at the Room of Requirement, I told you a secret, and you had to grant me one request."
"Now look what's happened. I've prepared the energy-boosting medicine for you, mixed the eye drops to get rid of your dark circles, and told you all my hidden secrets, but I haven't gotten a single benefit from it. I even have to make a roundabout bet with you to make a request."
Hermione paused, her finger hovering over the page, as if to say, "Oh, right."
She was speechless for a moment, having never even considered that possibility.
Seeing her stunned expression, Draco said with a hint of flirtation, "If we followed the old rules, you would have had to answer when I asked you to call me 'husband,' right?"
These words were like a small flame, instantly making Hermione's face turn bright red.
"Screw you! Who told you about those old rules? They're obsolete!"
Draco sighed with feigned regret, saying, "I shouldn't have agreed to your offer so easily; I've made a huge mistake."
Hermione gritted her teeth upon hearing this, and said through gritted teeth, "Stop blaming me! Who was it that followed me shamelessly in the first place, and wouldn't leave no matter how hard I tried to get rid of them?"
Suddenly, Hermione snapped back to reality, slammed her textbook down, and muttered in a low voice, " Draco, you've ruined everything! I couldn't study properly!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Draco paused for a moment, then smiled broadly and said:
"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault, but the bet is settled, you can't go back on your word."
"Who's as shameless as you, always cheating all day long?" Hermione glared at him, hurriedly straightened her textbook, and pretended to read the contents carefully.
Draco was laughing heartily and was about to lean in for a few more teasing remarks when a clear, mocking voice suddenly rang out from behind him:
"Hey, isn't that Granger and Malfoy? Just like any other newly dating couple, they're inseparable, always sticking together wherever they go."
It was Lavender who spoke; she walked in with her arms crossed.
Behind her were several of Draco and Hermione's roommates, a group of people watching them like they were watching a spectacle.
Hermione took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the heat on her face, and looked up to meet the onlookers' gazes. She spoke frankly and calmly:
"We're just discussing the preview material for Defence Against Dark Magic. Class is about to start, so please stop making a scene and disturbing others."