Inside the shop, Ollivander was hunched over, carefully wiping an ancient wand behind a long table.
Draco, holding Hermione's hand, paused, then called out, " Ollivander!"
The old man stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.
The dim light fell on his wrinkled face, and his sharp, clear eyes immediately fell on their tightly clasped hands.
He wasn't surprised; he simply straightened up slowly, squinted, and looked them over from head to toe.
Then a knowing smile appeared on his lips.
I saw it.
" The Daily Prophet has published it several times already, about the Malfoy family and Miss Granger."
Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Draco gripped it even tighter.
"I didn't come here today to buy a wand."
"Oh? Why is that?" Ollivander placed his wand on the table, crossed his hands in front of him, and looked like he was waiting for a good show.
"We've come to fulfill a vow."
Ollivander raised an eyebrow slightly, and a playful smile immediately appeared in his worldly-wise eyes.
"To fulfill a vow?" the old man repeated. "When did my little wand shop become a place for making wishes?"
"You know perfectly well," Draco said, glancing at Hermione's face beside him. "Back then, you deliberately pushed me next to her."
Hermione gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Watch your tone..."
"Of course I know," Ollivander said. "I could tell from the first moment you stepped into this store."
"Your wand and hers have long been in harmony."
"I only gave it a gentle push. After all, the wand chooses the wizard, but some destinies... are more selective than the wand."
Hermione was startled.
"Whether it was your doing or fate's arrangement, I accept it. I'm here today to tell you—your 'investment' from back then has paid off," Draco said.
Ollivander squinted, carefully examining the young boy and girl before him, who were no longer the little children they once were, and slowly nodded.
"No amount of writing in the Daily Prophet can compare to what I saw with my own eyes."
He looked at Hermione and nodded slightly. " Miss Granger, you've made him very good."
He then looked at Draco, a hint of childlike teasing in his eyes, and said, "And you, Malfoy —at least you didn't waste my little scheme back then."
Draco smiled slightly, unusually refraining from arguing, but instead glancing sideways at Hermione beside him.
"We dare not waste it."
Hermione's cheeks flushed from the words of the old man and the young man. She gently pinched Draco's palm, signaling him to stop showing off so recklessly.
Draco, however, laughed even more smugly.
Instead of restraining himself, he took the opportunity to pull her closer to him, clearly intending to let Ollivander see her clearly.
The old man picked up a piece of chamois leather and gently polished a newly repaired magic wand.
"Wizards come here every day to choose wands; I've witnessed too many encounters and missed opportunities."
Ollivander's gaze fell on Hermione's still slightly tousled curly hair.
"I knew it back then, this girl's hair would make you completely infatuated."
"You're absolutely right. The biggest mistake I've ever made in my life is this messy hair," Draco said without any hesitation.
" Draco!" Hermione was so embarrassed that she couldn't lift her head and could only protest in a low voice.
Ollivander chuckled.
"You don't need to be embarrassed. Many relationships start out as clashes, full of arguments and fights, but eventually they become inseparable."
He put down his wand, took a small, exquisite piece of sycamore wood from the drawer, and handed it to Hermione.
"Take this."
"When you chose your wand back then, I deliberately kept a small piece of it. It's not anything valuable, but it carries the scent of your first meeting."
"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander." Hermione carefully took the warm, smooth piece of wood, which still retained a faint woody scent.
Draco's joking expression also vanished, and he nodded slightly, unusually serious. "Thanks."
The old man waved his hand, reverting to his aloof and mysterious wand maker persona, only now his eyes had softened considerably.
"You're welcome! It was the wand that chose the wizards, it was fate that chose you, and you've made it this far through your own efforts."
As he spoke, he looked at their clasped hands and added, "No matter what you encounter on the road ahead, remember why you came here together."
"I can't forget it," Draco said calmly.
Hermione nodded.
"We're leaving now, so as not to disturb your work." Draco took her hand and turned to walk towards the door.
As he reached the door, Ollivander suddenly called out lightly from behind, " Malfoy."
Draco turns around.
The old man raised his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Be good to her."
"The entire Wizarding World knows, don't you think?"
The wooden door closed gently, leaving the wand shop's ancient atmosphere behind.
The sunlight fell on the two of them again. People were coming and going in Diagon Alley, and no one knew what had happened in that small, old shop.
Hermione leaned gently on his shoulder and whispered, "So... it was all destined from the very beginning."
"Once I've set my sights on you, do you think you can escape? Even Professor McGonagall can't stop you," Draco said domineeringly.
Hermione froze, lifting her head from his shoulder, her eyes widening slightly. "You... you know?"
"Just a guess." Draco said with a faint smile.
Hermione paused for a moment, then looked towards the distant street, lowering her voice as if recounting a long-ago event:
"At that time, Professor McGonagall and I went to the Leaky Cauldron first, and she simply told me the facts."
"You say you're from the Malfoy? Let me take a closer look."
Draco's expression gradually calmed down; he didn't interrupt, but simply listened quietly.
Hermione continued softly, "I haven't liked you since then, and I've made up my mind to stay as far away from you as possible."
At this point, Hermione looked at Draco with a hint of lingering fear. "If you hadn't insisted on not letting me go... I probably would have avoided you for the rest of my life."
The atmosphere was incredibly tender.
Then Draco suddenly spoke in a serious tone:
"So... it's not too much for you to have ten or eight kids, is it?"
Hermione froze, the romantic moment shattered completely.
She was both angry and embarrassed, and slapped his arm. " Draco Malfoy! Can't you keep the romance going for a little longer?!"
Draco replied with an air of self-righteousness, "People always have to come back to reality."
"I don't want to!" Hermione puffed out her cheeks. "Doesn't childbirth hurt?"
"We're wizards, we shouldn't feel any pain... right?"
Hermione glared at him. "Do you know how wizards have children?"
Draco honestly shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then why are you talking nonsense!"
"Isn't having more kids a good thing?" Draco persisted.
"You're so great!"
Hermione huffed angrily, then suddenly blurted out, "Anyway, if we really have the baby, you'll be the stay-at-home dad."
Draco grinned smugly. "So you're agreeing to me living off you?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed red, and unable to bear it any longer, she raised her foot and stomped on his foot hard.
"You've gone astray again!"
Draco immediately jumped up on one foot, clutching his instep and feigning pain, while exaggeratedly hissing and gasping for breath.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Hermione, you've murdered your husband!"
Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing at his comical and exaggerated manner.
My anger from just now vanished instantly.