The next second, she quickly raised her chin, her eyes instantly becoming sharp and assertive, exuding the aura of a little female cat whose territory had been invaded.
"I think the decision of 'whether it' is possible or not' shouldn't be made unilaterally by you."
"This involves the mutual willingness, compatibility, and determination of both parties to operate the business together; it cannot be settled with a mere, flimsy statement."
After speaking, Hermione instinctively glanced at Draco, trying to catch his reaction, a hint of barely perceptible tension hidden in her eyes.
Draco glanced at the girl and felt a chill run down his spine.
He's short, fat, and ugly—he has all three.
She couldn't help but clutch her stomach, her face a mixture of disgust and amusement. "Please stop disgusting me, please!"
The girl immediately cried out in distress, "How could you do this!"
People around her also silently distanced themselves from her.
Hermione stepped forward, took Draco's arm tightly, turned her head to give the girl a standard, elegant but cold, fake smile, and said:
"Thank you for your appreciation, but as you can see, this position is currently vacant, and the requirements for candidates are very high."
As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Draco and pulled him out of the crowd without saying another word.
Draco turned back as he walked away, adding a finishing touch, "And there will never be a vacancy."
Hermione's heart instantly swelled with sweetness, her secret joy almost overflowing, yet she maintained a serious expression.
She had to project a powerful aura to intimidate any fools who dared to try and get close.
Draco let her lead him, then turned back and waved towards the lake. "Too many people, Octopus Brother, see you next time!"
The Giant Squid obediently raised one of its enormous tentacles and gently shook it, as if waving goodbye.
Then its massive body sank silently into the depths of the lake, leaving only a ripple that gradually subsided.
The students who were still standing there could only watch it disappear.
Those who arrived later looked utterly dejected; they hadn't even seen a single tentacle.
Ron, Harry, and Olivia, who arrived late, bumped right into us.
Ron excitedly rushed over to us as soon as he saw us. " Draco, Hermione, did you see the Giant Squid? I heard it was acting really strange today, the whole thing floated to the surface!"
Draco, without batting an eye, said, "I saw it, but there were too many onlookers, and it's too timid; it's already slipped back into the water."
Ron and his group instantly showed expressions of great disappointment, but they were still unwilling to give up and tried to squeeze towards the lake.
They had no idea that the person who had just caused a sensation throughout the school was passing them by.
Such a big event, especially since it happened to be a Friday, drew almost half of the Hogwarts students to the shore of the Black Lake.
Ron pounded his chest in frustration. "Damn it! I should have come out for a stroll right after I finished eating! Giant Squid —you left too early!"
Lavender rolled his eyes. "Are you here mourning?"
"How can I not cry?" Ron said. "What Hogwarts student wouldn't want to see Giant Squid in person!"
Olivia tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. "Strange, Giant Squid usually don't hide, so why are they causing such a commotion today?"
Just then, a Gryffindor from the same house happened to pass by and overheard this, immediately coming over to spill the beans:
"You guys don't know yet, do you? Today's squid was supposedly summoned by Draco! The scene was absolutely spectacular; the squid rose to the surface like a small mountain!"
Neville slapped his forehead, a knowing look on his face. "I knew it! It was Draco's doing again."
Ron's eyes widened as he asked the man, "Is that really true?!"
"Of course it's true!" the student exclaimed excitedly. "The squid even became friends with Draco, and Draco gave it a name... Octopus Brother!"
" Octopus Brother?!"
Everyone repeated it in unison, their tone filled with an unbelievable sense of absurdity.
I wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh out loud; it just felt utterly absurd.
"Isn't that incredible?" A passing upperclassman shook his head with a smile. "It's clearly a squid, but they call it Octopus Brother."
Who can truly understand Draco's style of doing things?
The only constant is that he manages to cause a huge commotion wherever he goes.
Parvati was stunned for a moment before he reacted. "Huh? So Draco was behind the whole thing? Then why did they act like it was none of their business when we ran into them earlier?"
Ron slapped his forehead. "Oh no! You all know Draco is a show-off, and he loves to secretly plot big things!"
Harry, more composed, said, "I think... he probably just doesn't want to be surrounded by people like a celebrity."
Olivia nodded in agreement. "I think so too. And if Hermione hadn't been there, probably no one would have known he could summon squid."
Lavender clutched his chest, looking utterly charmed. "Oh, stop it, bro, that's too much PDA!"
The upperclassman who broke the news added, "Seriously, it's said that Draco even made Octopus Brother shake hands with Miss Hermione."
"What?! They even shook hands?!" Ron instantly bristled. "No way, Hermione and Draco are definitely hiding a lot of secrets. We have to turn back right now!"
A group of people turned around and rushed back in a hurry. The older student watched their hurried backs and a smile crept onto his face.
The castle was almost empty at this moment; everyone had crowded to the lakeside.
Draco and Hermione had a smooth journey and soon arrived at the quiet library.
After confirming that the surroundings were isolated by Silencing Charm, Draco leaned closer to Hermione, asking with a smug look on his face, "How was my performance today? Am I the perfect boyfriend?"
Hermione pursed her lips slightly, smiled, and nodded earnestly. "Yes, if the full score is 'Outstanding,' I can give you an 'Exceeding Expectations'."
"Exceeded expectations? Then why hasn't it peaked yet?" Draco asked, puzzled.
Hermione chuckled at Draco's amusement and explained softly, "The point was deducted because you actually doubted that you had performed well enough."
Draco immediately grinned, dropping the pretense and moving even closer, asking expectantly, "Hey, that's not important. What's important is, is there any reward?"
Hermione glanced at Draco helplessly. "Is this the time for the reward?"
"Wasn't it worth it for me to be so amazing today?" Draco blinked.
Hermione reluctantly conceded, "So what reward do you want?"
"A kiss isn't too much to ask, is it?" Draco said, leaning slightly closer to her.
Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she gently pushed Draco's face away, launching into a set of rigorous logic:
"This is a library! And... I believe that in a relationship, constant praise without reasonable boundaries can distort the dynamics of interaction and weaken the intrinsic motivation for mutual growth."
"Recognition and 'rewards' should be a natural feedback mechanism for effort and quality, not a fixed routine; over-supply will devalue them..."
Hearing her launch into another long, serious speech, Draco quickly raised his hands in surrender and interrupted her with a laugh:
"Stop—I know, I know, I was just kidding. Okay, okay, I don't want it anymore?"
But the next second, a soft, warm, and moist touch suddenly came to my cheek, so fast it felt like an illusion.
Draco was startled and immediately turned to look at her.
Hermione, however, had already turned her head away nonchalantly, pretending to rummage through her bag for something, but the tips of her ears were secretly turning red.