Hermione looked up at him, her tone tinged with concern:
"Now you can finally tell me what levels are inside, right?"
Draco's lips curled into a mischievous grin, and he shook his head. "No."
"Hmm?" Hermione raised an eyebrow slightly and gently poked him. "Why not?"
"Think about it," Draco said earnestly, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness.
"Is the feeling of not knowing what the next level is the same as knowing the answer already? There has to be a bit of the unknown to make it exciting."
Hermione frowned, half-believing, half-doubting. "That's true, but I still feel like something's not quite right..."
Draco immediately put his arm around her shoulder and gently shook her like he was soothing a child. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with that. We're going on a date and an adventure, not to class or study."
Once night had completely fallen over Hogwarts, the two of them quietly slipped up to the Third Floor Corridor while the common room was empty.
As Hermione approached the door that forbade entry, her heart couldn't help but race.
"Are we really going in?" she asked softly.
Draco gripped her hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Of course, the promised time alone together."
He gently pushed the door open.
Behind the door, Fluffy, was sleeping on the floor, his three heads drooping, his huge paws almost filling the entire room, and his snoring made the floor tremble slightly.
Seeing such a ferocious creature for the first time, my legs went weak. " Draco! What do we do?!"
"It's alright, don't panic!" Draco calmly took out a delicate little silver music box from his pocket and gently twisted it.
A soft, soothing melody immediately flowed out, quiet and gentle.
Fluffy, who had initially been wary and twitched his ears, gradually relaxed to the music. All three of his heads drooped even lower as he slept more soundly, without even wrinkling his nose.
Hermione stared in disbelief. "You... when did you prepare this?!"
Draco raised an eyebrow smugly, then led her quietly past Fluffy: "We were prepared. We can't let my wife be scared by Cerberus's roar."
The two successfully stepped onto the Trapdoor, gently lowered themselves, and climbed down the ladder.
In the darkness, Draco held her hand tightly the entire time.
"The next challenge," he whispered in Hermione's ear, a mischievous chuckle in his voice, "Is the surprise."
The two landed gently on the ladder, but their legs gave way and they fell into a dark, damp thicket of vines.
The air was filled with the cold, damp scent of plants, and countless slippery vines silently emerged from the shadows, gently wrapping around their ankles and wrists.
Hermione thought for a moment and immediately recognized it, "It's Devil's Snare! The more you struggle with this plant, the tighter it wraps around you; you must stay relaxed—"
A wicked glint flashed in Draco's eyes. He deliberately paused, then tensed up dramatically, feigning a startled struggle.
The vines, which naturally prey on struggling prey, tightened their grip rapidly as if provoked, binding his arms, waist, and even shoulders, rendering him immobile.
" Hermione!" Draco looked at her, his voice tinged with just the right amount of panic, "This thing has me hooked up!"
Hermione panicked instantly, all her tension focused on him, and she quickly stepped forward. "Don't move! Draco, don't struggle! It seems the more you struggle, the tighter it wraps around you!"
She carefully reached out, trying to gently part the vines, but the moment her fingertips touched them, the vines entangled her even more tightly.
Hermione was so anxious that her nose was slightly sweaty. She quickly searched her mind for all the spells she had learned, staring at the vines that feared light and heat, when suddenly her eyes lit up.
" Lumos!"
Warm, bright flames burst forth from her fingertips, like a small ball of soft sunlight.
Upon seeing the light, the Devil's Snare immediately emitted a faint hissing sound and frantically retreated and loosened its grip.
The vines that had been tightly entwined instantly retreated back into the darkness.
Draco immediately "freed" himself, leaned against her, gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and couldn't help but smile.
Hermione was still worriedly touching his arm. "Are you alright? Does it hurt from being pulled so tight? I told you not to move around—"
Draco looked at Hermione, who was feeling sorry for him, with amusement, then lowered his head slightly and gently placed a quick kiss on her burning cheek:
"Thank you, my little hero!"
Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she immediately reached out and gently pushed him away in disgust. " Draco Malfoy! You did that on purpose!"
Draco looked down at her reddened eyes and couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Don't worry, of course I'm fine. I knew my girlfriend would come to rescue me."
Hermione was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant. "You... you bastard!"
"Otherwise, how could I see how worried you are about me?" Draco gently stroked her burning cheek with his fingers. "Besides, only when I'm tied up can you really unleash your power, right?"
Hermione punched him, both annoyed and amused.
Draco readily grasped her small hand that was pounding at him. "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say. I'll be good from now on and I won't deliberately scare my little the Chosen One."
After passing through the Devil's Snare, the space in front of me suddenly became spacious and bright, and the whole room was filled with soft natural light.
The high dome resembles an ancient church, with mottled stained glass windows on the walls, through which sunlight casts colorful patches of light.
The ground was smooth marble, while in mid-air, hundreds of tiny winged keys were fluttering and buzzing around with their feather-like wings.
Some of them are silvery, some are bronze, and some are painted deep blue. Their wings are delicate and fragile, and they fly up and down like a group of flustered yet agile House-elf.
At the other end of the room stood a tall wooden door with a large, bronze keyhole.
It's obvious at a glance that only a specific key can open it.
Hermione looked up in amazement. "It's amazing... This is Professor Flitwick's magic; only he could make such an exquisite Flying Key."
Hermione tilted her head back, her eyes lighting up instantly, her voice filled with the astonishment of a top student:
"This is amazing... This is Professor Flitwick's magic; only he could create such an exquisite Flying Key."
As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze fell on a few old brooms leaning against the corner of the wall.
Upon seeing the broom, the two Quidditch players, who were born to fly, exchanged a glance.
This hurdle, a difficult one for others, was a piece of cake for the two of them.
Draco smirked and said, "Since it's so easy, how about we have a match?"
Hermione looked at him and asked, "What are we competing in?"
Whoever grabs the correct key first wins.
If I win... you have to let me kiss you.