More and more people gathered on the road, Draco and his gang almost completely blocked the corridor.
He had no choice but to wave his hand, signaling everyone to disperse in twos and threes, making room for other students to pass.
The little flirtatious conversation between Draco and Hermione had just come to an end.
Everyone immediately switched gears and launched into a collective scathing critique of Snape, continuing their tirade all the way to the Great Hall where they sat down for dinner without stopping.
Draco is undoubtedly making headlines across the entire school today.
He set a new record for the highest number of points deducted by a single person in Hogwarts history in a single class, and people would secretly point and whisper about him wherever he went.
Seamus, stuffing mashed potatoes into his mouth, said bitterly, "I swear, even that lousy pot of potions next to me is laughing at me! Snape looks at me like I'm a slug stuck to his shoe that he can't get off!"
Upon hearing this, Ron retorted in a loud voice, "That's not complaining, that's belittling yourself! If you're going to belittle someone, belittle him."
"That old bat! My dad used to say he was a Death Eaters! No wonder he's so dark and evil!"
Harry glanced at Draco and said quietly and earnestly, "Thank you, Draco. If it weren't for you today..."
Draco chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Why are you being so formal with me? We're friends, it's only right that I help you share the burden."
Lavender sighed, looking shaken. "Yes, we were all completely intimidated by him. We didn't dare say a word."
"Let's just be honest. Even someone as eloquent as Draco couldn't gain any advantage, let alone us," Parvati suggested.
"I'll just have to work hard to get better grades in other classes to make up for it." Olivia also felt it was best to avoid provoking Snape.
"That's right! Snape doesn't need a reason to deduct points! His status is what it is; we're inherently at a disadvantage," Dean added indignantly.
"I bet he's deliberately finding excuses to deduct Gryffindor points so Slytherin can win the House Cup. He started doing it in the first week of school!"
Listening to everyone's complaints, Hermione sighed heavily and said with a worried expression:
"How many questions do we need to answer correctly, and how many bonus points do we need to get, to make up for the points we lost in Potions Class...?"
Lavender immediately laughed and reassured him, "What's there to be afraid of? With you two scoring giants here! Even if Snape's mouth goes numb from deducting points, he still won't be able to overtake us!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Because everyone knows that what Lavender said is the absolute truth.
The hustle and bustle of lunch gradually subsided. Hermione gently closed her empty plate, her gaze habitually drifting towards the library. "I want to go to the library to organize my notes from this morning..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd that had been gathered together scattered like birds.
Are you kidding me? Who wants to bury themselves in books after finally getting to the weekend?
Even Olivia, who usually liked to be with Hermione, waved her hand and ran off with Lavender and the others.
Neville was left standing awkwardly to the side, while Goyle and Vincent, two big guys, followed Draco closely, looking like they would follow their big brother wherever he went.
Looking at the string of little tails following them, Draco smiled helplessly and said, "Don't follow us, we're not going to the library."
Neville paused, his round face full of confusion. "Huh? Not going? I thought..."
Goyle immediately slapped his forehead, revealing a smug expression that said, "I knew it all along."
He lowered his voice and egged him on, "Big brother isn't going to study, he's clearly going on a date with his wife!"
"Then we won't bother you any longer! We won't bother you any longer!" Vincent quickly and considerately pulled Goyle away.
The two slipped away quickly, disappearing around the corner of the corridor.
Neville hesitated for half a second, then suddenly realized what was happening, his cheeks flushed, and he hurriedly waved his hands:
"Oh, I get it now! Draco, Hermione, I... I'm outta here too! You guys have fun!"
Before the words were even finished, the person had already vanished without a trace.
The noise subsided instantly, and the corridor fell silent, leaving only Draco and Hermione.
The afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows and onto the floor, its warmth making one's heart soften.
Draco turned his head, looking at her slightly reddened earlobes, and lowered his voice, pleading with a hint of expectation:
" Miss Granger, let's skip the library and go for a walk by the Black Lake. It'll help us relax; we were cooped up in the cellar all morning."
Hermione initially wanted to stick to her plan, but seeing the obvious expectation in Draco's eyes, her heart softened instantly.
She sighed softly and said, "I had all my plans for the afternoon. But seeing how excited you are, let's go for a walk."
Draco was overjoyed and couldn't resist reaching out to gently lift her into his arms, exclaiming happily, "I love you to death, Miss Granger!"
Hermione froze instantly, her cheeks burning hot, filled with panic and anxiety.
She gently patted Draco's shoulder with her little hand and said urgently in a low voice, "Put me down! There are still people around! There are still people walking on the road!"
Students passing by nearby stopped and watched the scene with great interest.
The girls' eyes lit up, and they whispered among themselves, finding the scene both daring and romantic.
The boys whistled silently, their faces beaming with amusement.
Seeing her so nervous she was practically shrinking back, Draco felt a mix of delight and itch.
Knowing that the girl was easily embarrassed and couldn't stand being teased in public, they quickly and carefully put her down.
The moment he landed, Draco suddenly frowned and said, feigning seriousness, "By the way, Miss Granger, you seem to have something dirty on your hands."
Hermione instinctively raised her right hand, opened it, and looked at it. It was clean. "Where is it?"
"Not this one, it's the left hand," Draco said with a serious expression.
Hermione, unsuspecting, obediently raised her left hand.
The next second, Draco's palm gently covered hers, firmly grasping her cool and soft hand.
Hermione paused for a moment, then realized she'd been tricked again. She gave Draco a light glare and said with a hint of coquettish reproach:
You lied to me again!
Draco chuckled softly, his fingers tightening slightly as he felt the warmth of her palm.
"How could you possibly win Miss Granger's hand without using a little trickery?"
If it were in the past, she would have been too shy to break free.
But now, she simply squeezed back lightly, without flinching or appearing awkward in front of others.
Instead, Hermione slightly raised her chin, met the gazes around her, took Draco's hand, and strode confidently and calmly forward.
It's as if it's silently declaring to everyone, "This person is mine!"
Sunlight fell on her slightly curled hair.
Looking at the faint, proud yet gentle smile on her profile, my heart softened.
This is more reassuring than accumulating a lot of Fortune Points.
System: Hmm?
Draco thought to himself, "Are you kidding me? How can you cheat without boosting your Fortune Points, right? How can you protect Hermione?"