"Alright, let's go then." Draco reluctantly conceded; this girl was probably his biggest weakness in this life.
When you're with her, all principles have to take a backseat.
Fortunately, the Room of Requirement wasn't far from the Gryffindor Tower, and the two quickly made their way through the shadows of the corridor.
As Draco silently recited his request to the blank wall, the familiar wooden door slowly appeared. He pushed the door open and pulled Hermione inside.
As soon as she steadied herself, Hermione turned around and asked directly, "Back by the lake, when it was just the two of us, you said you could summon Octopus Brother, right?"
Draco admitted, "That's right, I can Beast Taming and understand their speech; it's a natural ability."
"Originally, telling others about this would only cause trouble, and I only intended for you to know, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"No wonder Fang was so well-behaved around you." Hermione suddenly realized.
The next second, a barrage of questions came at her like a machine gun, spoken so fast that she barely paused:
When did it start? Was it inherited or triggered by external factors?
"How exactly does it work? Is it through spiritual communication, emotional resonance, or magical fluctuations that we haven't learned yet?"
"What is the scope? Is it limited to Magical Creatures, or can it include ordinary animals as well? Would Bowtruckle and Thestral work? What about dragons?"
Are there any side effects? Will it put a burden on your or the animal's mind? Does the Ministry of Magic have any relevant registration regulations?
Draco was completely dumbfounded. So she got up in the middle of the night to gather up all her questions.
I was just waiting to find a secluded spot to ask them all at once, no wonder I couldn't sleep and kept tossing and turning.
Draco replied, half-laughing, half-crying, "I was born with it, and I've never told anyone except you. Are you touched, Miss Granger?"
Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Draco with utmost solemnity: "I swear by my wand—"
Before she could finish speaking, Draco immediately reached out and grabbed her wrist to interrupt her, "Don't swear! I believe you, you don't need to do this."
Hermione paused, sighed softly, and said remorsefully, "I shouldn't have been so curious, constantly asking you questions."
"Even if you hadn't asked, I would have told you," Draco said softly. "I never intended to hide it from you."
Hermione's gaze lingered on Draco's face. After a few seconds of silence, she said earnestly, "I will keep this secret with you."
"It's not that serious," Draco smiled reassuringly. "There are quite a few people who can communicate with animals; it's not some extraordinary ability."
"But you're different." Hermione immediately shook her head, her eyes filled with undisguised envy. "You can communicate with all animals, and you don't need to learn it; you're born with it."
Seeing the envy and longing in her eyes, Draco's heart stirred, and he silently asked the system in his mind: Can this ability be passed on to others?
[The system's voice was flat: Yes, but a magical Enlightenment must be performed on the target, doubling the Fortune Points consumed.]
Draco breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, it wasn't too outrageous.
Exiting the consciousness space, Draco looked at Hermione, whose eyes were still shining, and asked with a smirk, "Envious? Want some?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Hermione's eyes lit up instantly, like two small flames being ignited.
She subconsciously leaned forward slightly; this was an instinctive posture ingrained in her bones when she encountered knowledge that she found extremely interesting.
"Want it?" Hermione repeated, her voice trembling with barely suppressed excitement.
"This is simply... priceless!"
"Do you know what? If I could do that, I could personally verify the authenticity of every record in ' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' Hippogriff, and even communicate with a phoenix about the secrets of immortality... This would be a revolution in the entire epistemology of magic!"
Seeing her talking non-stop with sparkling eyes, Draco smiled and asked, "So, do you want to learn? I can teach you."
Hermione gasped sharply and instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.
For a fleeting moment, a greedy desire flashed across her face.
That's not greed; it's the most sincere yearning of a scholar standing before the ultimate mystery.
"You... you're serious? This ability has a complete theoretical system? There are spells, logic, and principles that can be learned? Isn't it an innate talent that can't be replicated?"
Hermione's voice became a little shrill from excitement.
"Of course it's true," Draco nodded and said, "And you don't need to slowly study books and practice spells; I can teach you instantly."
As soon as she said that, Hermione's eyes welled up with ecstatic joy, but it was immediately suppressed by an even more rigorous rationality.
She instantly suppressed all her excitement, frowned, and quickly pressed for an answer:
"How could anyone possibly teach that?"
"How can innate talent be passed down so easily?"
What price do I need to pay to learn this?
"Will it be like touching Dark Magic, slowly eroding one's mind?"
How can I guarantee that I won't misuse it after learning it?
"Even if it's unintentional, using the guise of 'doing it for their own good' to forcibly influence an animal's will... that's unacceptable!"
Draco stood there, watching her switch from a fanatical academic genius to a strict moral inspector in a second, and laughed helplessly.
I'm truly impressed by this little girl.
How does one's mind hold Astronomy amount of knowledge, an insatiable curiosity, and a set of bottom-line rules even stricter than the regulations of the Ministry of Magic?
Seeing her so serious that she was almost getting stuck on her own thoughts, Draco couldn't help but reach out and gently flick her forehead.
"Wait a minute, Professor Granger, don't put yourself in moral constraints, and don't think of this as something as dangerous as the inheritance of Dark Magic."
Hermione was startled by the flick, but remained tense.
But the hint of expectation in her eyes still showed.
"This ability has no cost, no side effects, and will not erode the mind; it is simply the purest resonance of natural magic."
"I'm transmitting this to you in a way that's like a sudden Enlightenment, like directly unlocking a natural capacity for perception. It's not forced indoctrination, and you don't need to give anything in return."
Draco softened his tone and explained carefully.
"Moreover, it doesn't have the ability to forcefully control anything; for now, it can only communicate and listen. It's difficult to abuse it even if you want to. At most, it can understand the cat downstairs cursing Filch, or chat with the mice in the castle."
Hermione's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but she remained cautious. "Are there really no hidden dangers? Won't the Ministry of Magic investigate? Won't it cause trouble for Fantastic Beasts?"
"Really not." Draco nodded firmly and gently took her hand in his.
"I will only pass this on to people I completely trust, and you are the first and the last."
Upon hearing these words, Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and her previously aggressive rationality softened instantly.
Her eyes flickered slightly, and her voice lowered a few decibels. "... Then, can I learn it?"
"Of course." Draco smiled, squeezed her hand, and mentally gave the command to the system.