Dinner was in full swing in the Great Hall when Lavender suddenly slapped his forehead, stared at Draco, and realized what was going on:
"Oh, right! So you really were the one who helped Neville find the toad on the train!"
Neville paused, his hand holding the bread stopping, and he stammered, "Actually, I already knew... but I was never sure."
"Back then, we all suspected it was you, but you never said anything. Why do good deeds without leaving your name?" Parvati looked at Draco with curiosity.
Draco took a bite of his pastry and casually tossed out a remark:
"Because I am Lei Feng."
Upon hearing this, the entire table fell silent for a split second. Olivia looked utterly bewildered. " Lei Feng? Who's that? Does our Hogwarts have such a famous person?"
Draco swallowed the food in his mouth and calmly explained:
"A Muggle who loves to do good deeds quietly, never leaving his name."
"If you do a good deed and are only thinking about getting praise and fame, that's too mercenary and meaningless."
"Besides, I don't want to get involved in all that messy karma afterwards. Thanking people every day is just too much trouble."
Hermione, who had been listening intently, was trying to figure out who Lei Feng was when she heard the second half of the sentence and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"That person is really stubborn... They're clearly soft-hearted, but they insist on pretending they find it troublesome."
Draco tapped the edge of her plate lightly in response. "It's better than some people initially thinking I'm some kind of troublemaker."
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned her face away to drink her Pumpkin Juice.
Neville nodded, seemingly understanding, and said earnestly, holding the bread, "Anyway... Malfoy is a good person."
Lavender looked at Hermione and said with a disappointed expression:
"My God, why didn't you say so back then! If you had admitted it earlier, Hermione wouldn't have misunderstood you for so long, and you two might have been together by now, instead of dragging it out until now!"
Hermione's hand, which was sipping Pumpkin Juice, suddenly stopped, and her face flushed red.
" Lavender! Don't talk nonsense... Back then, he was always so arrogant, how could I possibly think that way!"
"No, not at all! I was incredibly kind back then, my attitude couldn't be better. You can ask Lavender if you don't believe me," Draco said, sounding aggrieved.
Lavender, who was suddenly called out, was stunned for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and nodded very sincerely:
"Indeed! To be honest, Hermione, Malfoy wasn't arrogant at all back then."
"I even felt a pang of sympathy watching his lonely figure turn and leave; he was nothing like the young master of the Malfoy family."
Hermione froze upon hearing this, staring at Draco with extreme embarrassment.
"Actually, you're too naive. Hermione didn't misunderstand me back then; she had a prejudice against my family—and she wasn't the only one with that prejudice," Draco said to Lavender.
"In many people's eyes, the surname Malfoy has long been associated with arrogance, Pure-blood, and darkness. It's perfectly normal for her to be wary of me and distance herself from me."
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent for a moment. Olivia quietly stopped laughing, Neville lowered his head, and Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, too embarrassed to interrupt.
Hermione's grip on the knife and fork tightened slightly, and she looked up at Draco.
The embarrassment in her eyes faded slowly, replaced by a complex tenderness, and she whispered:
"I... that's what I thought back then, but things are different now."
Draco stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled and said, "Yes, how could I, Malfoy, not win over a girl I set my sights on?"
The atmosphere shifted quickly and dramatically, reaching an all-time high in sweetness.
The people around were stunned; they almost broke their backs from the sudden, direct ball.
One second they're talking about family prejudices and old misunderstandings, the next they're declaring that if they've set their sights on someone, they're definitely going to get them.
Lavender and Parvati gasped, staring at each other intently, their eyes wide with disbelief that they had actually seen it.
Ron's chicken leg froze with a "thud," Harry completely forgot to chew, and Neville stared blankly, not reacting for a long time.
Hermione was momentarily stunned by his blunt and domineering remark.
The initial complex tenderness was instantly replaced by overwhelming shyness, and she gripped the knife and fork even tighter.
She glared at Draco, her eyes no longer showing anger, but only the panic and burning blush of having her secret exposed in public.
The next second, almost instinctively, she reached under the table and gently pinched Draco's side, playfully scolding him:
" Draco Malfoy! Shut up—"
Draco, far from stopping despite the pain, instead reached out and firmly put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "Why not?"
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow at the people next to him.
This sudden intimacy and directness completely overwhelmed the onlookers.
A warm breath, carrying the boy's unique scent, landed on her head, and Hermione froze in his arms.
Her cheeks were burning hot enough to steam Pumpkin Pasties; she wanted to struggle but dared not make any big movements.
"Oh--So this is a public declaration of sovereignty?"
Olivia, who was standing next to her, couldn't hold back any longer and started whistling wildly, which attracted the attention of several people at the next table.
Seeing the two of them so close together, Ron's roasted chicken leg suddenly lost its appeal. He snuggled closer to Harry, a sour taste in his mouth, and muttered a complaint:
"Seriously... can't you be more mindful of the occasion? I don't want to be a third wheel here."
Lavender cupped her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling with pink bubbles, and couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the two of them:
Merlin's socks... they're so sweet! They make me want to fall in love right now!
Hearing the comments from the crowd, some shipping the couple and others expressing envy, Draco hugged Hermione even more naturally, gently resting his chin on the top of her head.
He completely ignored the jeering from the people at the table and said, "See? Everyone thinks it's perfectly reasonable, but you're still being stubborn."
Hermione kept her head down, not daring to look at anyone. She gently pinched him in his arms, but ultimately didn't push him away.
Draco knew his limits and didn't hold her for too long, releasing her shoulders after a while.
If this shy girl were really allowed to be pestered like this in front of everyone, she would definitely put down her knife and fork, blush, and run away.
Parvati, still enjoying the show, grinned mischievously and said, "Why aren't we continuing? We haven't had enough yet."
Draco glanced at Hermione beside him, who was pretending to chop potatoes, and asked smugly, "What, still not full of dog food?"
As soon as she finished speaking, two gentle figures approached. Hannah and Susan came over carrying unfinished desserts.
Hannah smiled and shook her head, "We're at the table over there, we're already stuffed."
Susan, standing beside her, nodded and said, "I saw the commotion from afar and immediately guessed it was you two. I was right."
Hermione lowered her head even further after being told off, and secretly stepped on Draco under the table.