"There'll be plenty of time to talk about it later," Draco said, gently pressing her hand. "Right now, I just want to... focus entirely on my date with Miss Granger."
Hermione paused for a moment, then slowly closed the notebook.
She looked up at Draco, her eyes no longer filled with anxiety and planning, but with a gentle acceptance.
With a rare touch of playfulness, Hermione steered the conversation. "You're right, we're the ones in control of this relationship, not the problems."
She slightly raised her chin, a smile playing at the corners of her lips:
"So, Mr. Malfoy —do you have any specific proposals for this 'single-minded date'? Or should I handle the planning?"
"I assure you, this plan only includes Honeydukes chocolates and a walk by the Black Lake; it will not involve any strategic analysis whatsoever."
Draco chuckled at her words and said seriously, "I'd like to see Giant Squid. Miss Granger, do you have any ideas?"
Hermione, almost reflexively, said seriously, "Why don't we go to the library? They must have the most detailed information and atlases about Giant Squid— "
Draco, seeing her equally serious expression, burst out laughing.
Indeed, the most Hermione.
Are you serious, or are you kidding me?
"Yes, I have them all!" Hermione couldn't help but laugh, her eyes curving into beautiful arcs.
"I finally managed to get you out here to relax, and instead, you're trying to persuade me to go back to the library."
The two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing at the same time.
The light, crisp laughter drifted on the wind, mingling with the ripples on the lake.
Hermione suppressed her smile, coughed lightly, and reverted to her usual serious demeanor, but with a far gentler quality.
"Okay, if you're really interested, according to records, it prefers to bask in the sun on a clear afternoon, floating in the shallow water near the Quidditch Pitch; that's the best time to observe it."
"The safest way is to sit quietly on that stretch of shore, reading and resting, like we are now, without deliberately disturbing anyone."
"If it happens to appear, we can see it naturally; this is called... the passive observation method."
The two sat very close, almost leg to leg and shoulder to shoulder, the sunlight blurring their shadows into one.
Hermione gently tilted her head and rested her cheek quietly on his shoulder.
A gentle breeze, light clouds, and a vast expanse of golden light shimmering on the lake. In the distance, a castle stands silently, and students passing by on the lawn turn their heads in admiration.
No one spoke, nor was there any need to speak.
Only their breaths, warmth, heartbeats, and the unspoken understanding of gazing together at the end of the lake.
Life is peaceful and time is gentle; it seems like it can stay like this for a very, very long time.
A moment later, Draco silently summoned the system in his mind again.
[System, is there a way to directly summon Giant Squid?]
[Recommended: Beast Taming!]
Draco didn't even blink and immediately made the exchange.
The skill was instantly bound, and a faint sensation spread along the lake water, as if it were quietly conversing with a colossal creature deep within.
After waiting for a while, the lake remained calm, without the slightest movement.
At this moment, Draco turned to look at Hermione beside him and smiled confidently:
" Hermione, do you believe I can summon Giant Squid right here?"
Hermione sat up straight, shook her head seriously, and said, "You mean the Summoning Charm? That doesn't work on Fantastic Beasts at all."
"It's not a spell, it's a call," Draco explained. "I call it, and it comes."
Hermione immediately crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and gave a classic "I'll see how you make this up" look—a look of extreme skepticism typical of a high-achieving student.
"Don't joke around. Giant Squid may be docile, but it's not a pet dog you can just call out to."
"I have never seen any record of a wizard being able to 'summon' it in ' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ' or any related literature."
"This completely contradicts known Magical Theory."
Seeing her earnest yet adorable expression, Draco smiled even more and said, "Shall we make a bet?"
"If you can really do that... it can only be some extremely rare, unrecorded talent, or... you just happened to calculate that it would come to the shallows to sunbathe at this time anyway?"
Hermione didn't budge.
"See, you're changing the subject again." Draco leaned closer, provoking, "I bet you're just too scared to gamble."
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked away and muttered softly, "It's not that I'm afraid... it's that I don't have any suitable bargaining chips."
A sly glint flashed in Draco's eyes as he probed her weakness:
" Miss Granger, are you afraid that if I win, I can call you 'wife' in public?"
Hermione choked, staring at Draco for a long time, unable to speak. She was both ashamed and angry, and unable to refute him.
Draco pressed his advantage, enticingly saying, "It's just one sound anyway. Summoning Giant Squid is such a terrifying thing; you seem to have a better chance of winning, don't you?"
Hermione bit her lower lip, quickly calculating in her mind.
No matter how you look at it, this is impossible; he has no chance of succeeding.
She looked at Draco, a hint of desperation in her voice, and said, "I don't think I'll lose at all... but, just one round... isn't out of the question."
Draco smiled and snapped his fingers lightly, saying, "Then it's settled."
With that, Draco closed his eyes, focused his mind, and activated the Beast Taming ability he had just acquired.
An invisible wave, perceptible only to magical creatures, gently sank into the lake, piercing through layers of shimmering light, reaching the depths of the Black Lake.
At the bottom of the dark lake, a Giant Squid that was lazily taking a nap was gently awakened.
Its enormous eyes slowly turned, looking around in confusion.
There was nothing of the same kind, nothing unusual, so I assumed it was just an illusion and prepared to drift back into sleep.
But the next second, a second, clearer and gentler call came again.
This time, it was absolutely certain: someone was calling it.
Its enormous body twitched slightly, curiously waving its tentacles, and slowly swam upwards following that familiar and reassuring ripple.
On the shore, Hermione saw Draco standing still for a long time, his eyes closed as if he were in a daze.
Unable to resist, Hermione gently poked him and chuckled smugly, "You've been exposed, haven't you? You can't summon him at all, can you?"
Draco opened his eyes, smiled at her with a confident yet mysterious air, and pointed to the lake:
"Don't worry, it has heard you. Look closely at the water; it's coming up."
Hermione looked in the direction Draco was pointing, her expression, which had been playful and confident, suddenly froze the moment she saw the lake.
A circle of exceptionally wide yet exceptionally gentle ripples is silently spreading from the center of the lake.
It wasn't the ripples caused by the wind, but rather the entire Black Lake breathing slowly and deeply, carrying a rhythm of immense life emanating from its depths.
Immediately afterwards, a huge shadow, as large as the sky, slowly expanded and rose under the clear light of the water.
The lake water instantly turned as dark as ink, its bottom invisible, with only a faint sense of oppression emanating from the enormous creature beneath.
Her eyes widened to an unprecedented size, and wrinkles appeared on her forehead.
His chin opened slightly, but no sound came out.
The arms that had been tightly wrapped around her chest now hung limply at her sides, as if all strength had been lost.
The sheer disbelief overwhelmed her entire understanding, Hermione instinctively took a small step back.
His toes brushed against the grass, and he froze on the spot. All the Magical Theory, records, and logical judgments in his mind collapsed at that moment.