She couldn't bring herself to say the second half of her sentence. Hermione hurriedly lowered her head, burying her face behind the mirror, unable to meet Draco's gaze any longer.
At that moment, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the end of the corridor, along with a clear meow—it was Mrs. Norris!
Hermione froze instantly.
Immediately afterwards, Filch's hoarse and sinister voice drifted over:
"Hmph... It's quiet tonight. I'll see which brat dares to run around after curfew... If I catch him, he'll be locked up until he cries!"
Hermione's face paled, and she hurriedly slammed the mirror shut, her voice strained as she said, "It's Filch! Quick!"
Draco immediately put away the mirror, went to Hermione's side, and grabbed her hand.
"This way!" Draco whispered, pulling her quickly toward the stairwell.
The footsteps behind them grew closer, Mrs. Norris's cries became clearer, and Filch was still muttering something.
The two walked briskly along the wall, pulling Hermione along as they rushed up the stairs, running all the way.
Only after rushing into the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, panting as he gave the answer to the command, did the stone door slowly open.
Once inside the lounge, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall and panting heavily, their hearts still pounding.
Hermione, her hands on her knees, cheeks flushed, hair slightly disheveled, glanced up at Draco, then chuckled softly.
"I almost... I almost got caught."
Draco smiled, gently smoothing her disheveled hair, and said, "It's alright, you're back safe now. Even if you get caught, Filch won't dare do anything."
Before their hearts could calm down from the harrowing escape, the two heard a commotion coming from the common room.
Stepping outside, I found the lights were warm and inviting, and the sofas were full of people.
Some people gathered to play chess, while others chatted and laughed in groups. The sounds of chessboards clattering and quiet cheers mingled together, creating the lively atmosphere typical of a Friday night.
It wasn't until they entered the rest area that the two realized that everyone hadn't gone back to their dorms at all; they had all gathered here to relax and stay up all night.
Ron and Harry spotted them immediately. They looked up from the Wizard's Chess table, waving and calling out, " Draco! Hermione! Over here!"
Olivia walked over with a smile, looked the two of them up and down—their hair slightly disheveled and their breathing not quite steady—and teased:
"Hey, you two really timed your return perfectly. Any later and Filch would have smashed the portrait to pieces."
As soon as he finished speaking, several classmates who had overheard him secretly laughed, their eyes all falling on Draco and Hermione.
Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly, and she muttered softly, "We just... stayed in the library too long."
Draco casually reached out and gently put his arm around Hermione's back, subtly protecting Hermione to his side, and then raised an eyebrow and smiled at Olivia and the crowd that had gathered around.
"There was no way around it; someone insisted on finishing their chores and lingered a little longer in the library, almost getting cornered by Filch in the hallway. It was a close call."
At this moment, Lavender and Parvati walked out of the crowd with smiles on their faces, their steps light and their faces still warm from their earlier laughter.
Lavender walked a few steps to Hermione's side, gently took her arm, shook it slightly, and said:
"It's Friday, Hermione, can't you relax a little? Being buried in books all day, staring at those parchments and Potions formulas, you'll get tired."
Hermione, being led by the arm, took a step forward, her mind still preoccupied with the unfinished lessons. She replied:
"I still have a ton of homework to finish, star charts for Divination, Potions Class, and so on. I don't have time to relax."
"Don't we still have two days off this weekend?" Lavender spread his hands, his tone full of confusion.
"Two days is plenty of time for you to finish all your homework, why force yourself to stay up all night?"
Hermione shook her head, counting her arrangements one by one on her slender fingers:
"After finishing my homework, I need to preview next week's lessons, re-examine the chronological order of History of Magic, practice the spells in Charms Class repeatedly, and make long-term plans for the next seven years of courses. Every step must be taken carefully."
She counted carefully, her eyes filled with the seriousness of her studies.
As Lavender listened, the smile on his face gradually turned into a wry smile, and finally he surrendered with both hands, saying, "Fine, fine, I give up, I completely give up."
After saying that, she switched hands with Parvati, who was standing next to her.
The two exchanged a smile, then turned and ran into the lively crowd on the other side of the lounge.
Ron, who had been sitting at the Wizard's Chess table not far away, saw that the group had dispersed and immediately raised his hand to wave at Draco, then patted the empty chair next to him and said:
" Draco, come here! Play a game of Wizard's Chess with me to relax. Everyone in this house is too bad at chess; none of them are my match, and it's no fun playing."
Upon hearing this, Hermione quickly waved her hand gently, saying with a hint of embarrassment:
"I'm bad at chess, so I won't join in. You guys play."
Draco readily agreed, "Sure, I'll play a couple of rounds with you."
After speaking, his gaze unconsciously turned to Hermione, wanting to ask for her opinion.
"Tsk tsk tsk!" Ron watched this scene and leaned back in his chair.
"Look at him, he has to ask his wife's opinion before playing a game of Wizard's Chess. He's hopeless."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hermione glared at Ron and then turned to Draco, giving him a warning:
"Don't stay out too late, it gets chilly at night, remember to go back to your dorm and rest early."
"Understood." Draco nodded in agreement.
Neville, who was standing nearby, was holding a thick Herbology textbook and let out a long yawn; he was clearly tired too.
He waved to Draco: "I'm going back to sleep now. You guys have fun, don't worry about me."
Having said that, she picked up the book and, with light steps, walked alone up the spiral staircase.
Draco sat down on the sofa opposite the chessboard, the firelight from the fireplace illuminating the black and white Wizard's Chess.
The chess pieces stood upright, exuding a sense of majesty.
Ron leaned forward slightly, his playful expression mostly gone, replaced by a serious one tinged with admiration:
"Friend, you are the bravest person I have ever met in my life, even braver than my older brother Charlie."
"At most, he could only fight a few fire dragons face-to-face, or confront those fire-breathing behemoths, but you..."
Draco couldn't help but laugh at his childish sentiments, "You don't understand, this isn't hardship, this is called enjoying it."
Ron still looked on incredulously:
"Honestly, have you been cursed? Or did she secretly give you Love Potion?"
"If you're really under a curse, don't try to tough it out. I'll go with you to the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey; her medicines are the most effective and can always cure these evil things."
Draco glanced at him sideways, bluntly exposing his thoughts, and said:
"Brother, you're just being sour grapes. If you're envious and jealous, just say so. No need for all this beating around the bush."