It was him.
There were other people present.
There was an empty seat that wasn't next to him.
In the instant Hermione stood in the doorway, her mind had already raced through a precise calculation.
Suppressing the emotions churning within her, she pushed the door open and entered with a deliberately steady, yet slightly forced movement.
The three inside the compartment looked over at the sound. When Draco saw Hermione, not the slightest surprise appeared on his face.
Given what he knew of the empty seats on the train, Hermione's choice had been entirely expected.
She would either go to Vincent and Goyle's compartment or come here.
Compared with those two hulking boys, who looked like trouble at first glance, this place clearly suited her better.
A smile curled at the corner of Draco's mouth, and he was the first to offer a greeting. "Fancy seeing you here, Hermione."
Yet Hermione merely gave Draco an indifferent glance, walked straight to the empty seat opposite Neville, and sat down, her movements brisk and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
She set down the magic books in her arms, looked up at Draco, and spoke in a tone like ice in the depths of winter. "It's 'Miss Granger,' Malfoy. We don't know each other well."
At those words, the air in the compartment instantly froze. Even the wind outside the window seemed to fall still.
Neville jolted as though struck by a thunderbolt, nearly dropping the toad cage in his arms.
His eyes widened in terror like two startled rabbits, his gaze darting frantically between Draco and Hermione, as though watching a duel about to erupt.
Finally, he ducked his head sharply and fixed his eyes on his knees, not daring even to breathe too loudly.
With his head lowered, Neville's face flushed scarlet, the redness reaching the roots of his ears, while great waves had already surged through his heart. We're done for, oh Merlin! She-she actually humiliated Malfoy to his face! He's bound to get angry! Will they fight? Should I do something? No... no... I can't do anything... please, don't notice me...
Lavender's mouth fell slightly open without her realizing it, revealing undisguised shock. Her round eyes held both the excitement of watching a spectacle and a trace of timid fear.
Her gaze swept back and forth between Draco and Hermione like a searchlight, unwilling to miss the slightest shift of emotion on either face, lest she miss any detail of this drama.
Draco, too, froze, staring at Hermione in stunned disbelief. Even after she had settled into her seat, he still hadn't recovered.
What on earth was going on? Back at Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, they'd gotten along reasonably well.
How had she become so icy toward him after only a few days, as though they shared some irreconcilable blood feud?
Collecting himself, Draco suppressed his astonishment and asked with some confusion in his voice, "What happened, Miss Granger?"
Hermione looked at Draco without averting her gaze in the slightest, her tone still calm and cold. "What happened, Mr. Malfoy, is that our first interaction in Diagon Alley was founded on a crucial information gap that you failed to disclose."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet compartment. "At the time, I didn't know your family background, nor did I have any intention of investigating it. But now I know.
"Everything your surname represents makes any expectations that might have arisen between us from that conversation in Diagon Alley, beyond the most superficial relationship between schoolmates, both inappropriate and impossible."
"Therefore, any proposals or suggestions of 'friendship' or a special connection are inappropriate and will not be accepted."
"I hope that our interactions at Hogwarts can remain strictly within the boundaries of schoolmates. That would be best for both of us."
After a pause, Hermione's gaze passed over Draco before returning to the magic books on her lap. "Now, if you have no other questions concerning schoolwork or public matters, I believe this discussion can end."
Those words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Draco's head, chilling the faint, still indistinct expectations in his heart to the core.
Every word she spoke seemed to draw a clear dividing line between herself and Draco, severing every possible point of connection.
Neville shuddered again. This time, it was no longer out of fear, but because he had finally understood the root of this conflict.
It was bloodline, it was allegiance, it was everything represented by the surname "Malfoy" that had made Hermione erect such high walls against Draco.
He secretly raised his head and stole a quick glance at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. The fear in his gaze instantly became a complicated mixture of awe, sympathy, and profound fellow feeling.
She... she understands everything, and she dares to say it outright, to a Malfoy! he thought.
That courage actually stirred a trace of indescribable admiration in the heart of Neville, a boy who had always been timid.
Lavender, meanwhile, listened with complete concentration, her eyes unblinking.
Only after Hermione finished her last word did she let out a long, silent breath, finally understanding the answer to this chess game.
Her gaze swept between Draco and Hermione one last time, then settled entirely and steadily on Hermione, her eyes filled with support and admiration.
The lingering trace of fondness and curiosity she had felt toward Draco had long since vanished, replaced by the relief of Thank goodness I saw things clearly.
Draco stared blankly at Hermione, at her face filled with distance and finality. It felt as though something had lightly pricked his heart, stirring an ache he couldn't quite describe.
He nodded slowly, the smile long gone from his lips, his voice carrying a trace of hurt and disappointment that even he hadn't noticed. "I understand."
Staying any longer would only add to the awkwardness and provoke more displeasure.
Hermione's attitude was already so firm that any further argument would probably seem like mere sophistry to her and only make the situation more uncomfortable.
Draco knew perfectly well that leaving now was the wisest choice.
He stood and straightened his robes, trying to make his voice sound as calm as usual, yet unable to hide that indescribable desolation. "I'll go see if there's an empty seat somewhere else."
With that, Draco didn't look at anyone else in the compartment-not the icy Hermione, not the shocked Lavender, and certainly not the timid Neville.
Without looking back, he pushed open the compartment door and strode into the corridor, a bitter smile on his face.