The two embraced when suddenly a faint yet clear meow came from the end of the corridor.
"Meow--"
They both turned to look at the same time.
Under the dim yellow light, a gray cat was crouching at the corner, its round eyes staring intently at them.
It's Filch's cat again.
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly tensed up.
Where there are cats, there is Filch.
Sure enough, the next second, a series of dragging footsteps accompanied by an annoyed cough emerged from the shadows.
Filch's wrinkled face appeared in the light, his eyes glaring as if they were about to spit fire.
"You two! Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, you're hugging and kissing in the hallway! What kind of behavior is this! School rules..."
Hermione blushed and hurriedly let go of Draco, taking a half-step back.
She wasn't afraid of being punished; she was just embarrassed to be caught red-handed.
Draco remained unfazed; instead, his brow furrowed and his face turned cold. " Filch, do you know who we just dealt with? How dare you yell at me like that?"
Filch's throat bobbed; he felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.
The Malfoy family kids are always arrogant, but tonight's look in their eyes... it's not just their usual tantrums, it's like they've really taught someone a lesson.
But he's incredibly stubborn.
He defiantly declared, "Who did you deal with? I'd like to hear!"
Hermione quickly reached out and grabbed Draco's arm, whispering, "That's enough, Draco, don't argue with him, let's go back to the dorm."
Draco patted Hermione's hand and looked at Filch with annoyance. "What do you know so much for? Coming to patrol in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, I think you're just bored out of your mind."
Filch, stung by this, immediately blushed with rage. "It's my duty to patrol! You think you're in the right for breaking school rules? I'll write down your names right now and deduct all your House Points..."
Draco suddenly raised his voice slightly and shouted into the corridor, " Little Peeves! Someone's bullying your young master!"
The sound had barely faded when...
Filch's anger vanished instantly, followed by a deathly pallor. "Wait, wait—um... you guys should go back now! It's late, get some rest! Don't... don't do it again next time!"
Even Mrs. Norris, standing at his feet, drooped her ears and tucked her tail between her legs, revealing a human-like expression of fear.
Draco scoffed, casually putting his arm around Hermione's shoulder, and said dismissively, "Let's go, Hermione, don't bother with someone like him."
Hermione kept her head down, but her shoulders trembled slightly as she desperately tried to suppress her laughter.
Only after the two walked side by side did Filch dare to breathe a sigh of relief, gritting his teeth as he stared at Draco's retreating figure and muttered, " Malfoy... don't let me catch you! Someday..."
To everyone's surprise, Draco seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he suddenly stopped and whirled around. "What did you say?"
Filch jumped in fright, his face instantly plastered with a fawning yet stiff smile, waving his hands repeatedly. "N-nothing! Take care! Take care, young master!"
Draco gave him a cold glance before turning back, putting his arm around Hermione, and disappearing around the corner of the corridor.
After walking a distance Hermione said helplessly, "Why are you always sulking with Filch? He's just on patrol."
Draco's arm remained casually around her. "I was just pretending. Why would I stoop to his level?"
"This guy is a natural bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. Yet he dared to spoil the sweet moment between Young Master Malfoy and Young Mistress Granger. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll forget who's not to be trifled with at Hogwarts."
"I'm not Mrs. Granger..." Hermione's cheeks flushed red.
She broke free from Draco's hand and walked briskly forward.
"That's Mrs. Malfoy!"
"None of those!"
The two said their goodbyes quietly at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. Draco watched Hermione run up the girls' stairs before turning and heading towards the boys' dormitory.
In the boys' dormitory, the roommates were already fast asleep, lying sprawled out in various positions, their breathing even.
They were so used to Draco not coming home until late at night that they didn't even bother to ask.
It's obvious to anyone that he's gone on another clandestine night out with Hermione.
As soon as Hermione pushed open the door to the girls' dormitory, the lights that had been dimmed inside instantly lit up by about half.
Lavender was the first to peek out from under the covers, excitedly shouting:
"I knew it! I knew you'd gone out with Draco! Look at the sweetness on your face, you can't hide it!"
Parvati immediately sat up, wrapped in a blanket, and smiled knowingly, "Tell me, tell me, where did you two go tonight?"
Olivia simply rested her chin on her hand, giving off an expression that said, "I know everything."
"That young lady was incredibly nervous when she went out, and her face was flushed when she came back. Is there any need to ask?"
Hermione instinctively cupped her cheeks in her hands, hastily retorting, "Impossible, I clearly saw it, there was no redness..."
As soon as he said that, everyone in the dorm burst into laughter.
"Oh dear, we don't even need a mirror, the three of us can see each other clearly!"
Lavender got out of bed and moved closer to Hermione, gently poking her burning cheek.
"Her face turned bright red from ear to chin; she's clearly been charmed by that Malfoy brat!"
Hermione was surrounded by them, her face instantly turning bright red. She frantically tried to explain, but the more she spoke, the more incoherent she became.
"Don't talk nonsense... We just... we just ran into a little trouble, it's really not what you think..."
"Can you always find someone with a gentle face when you encounter trouble?"
Can you maintain a positive mood when facing challenges?
"Can you walk with a smile even when you're facing difficulties?"
The three girls chattered away, making Hermione both embarrassed and ashamed. She could only cover her burning face and crawl into her bed.
Lavender returned to the bedside, grinning mischievously.
"Alright, alright, we won't force you to talk anymore! Let's go to sleep. You need to conserve your energy for dating too~"
Lavender returned to the bedside, grinning mischievously.
"Alright, alright, we won't force you to talk anymore! Let's go to sleep, you need to conserve your energy for dating too~"
Hermione's cheeks flushed even more at her words, and she scolded playfully, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't talk to you anymore."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything, I won't say anything." Before crawling back into bed Lavender added, "Anyway, we're all waiting to attend the wedding!"
Parvati and Olivia couldn't help but laugh, and the lights in the dormitory gradually dimmed along with the laughter.
Hermione lay on her bed, and couldn't help but think of Draco.
She gently touched her cheek, as if it still retained some warmth.
In fact, that was just mentioned.
In the darkness, she quietly curled the corners of her lips and buried her head in the pillow.
Everyone slept exceptionally well that night.
Hogwarts was immersed in the silence of the night, and the Forbidden Forest outside the castle had long since returned to its usual deep and secluded state.
The centaurs stood guard by the moonlight, and the unicorn's soul returned to the forest, as if that thrilling confrontation had never happened.