Narcissa walked slowly forward, her gaze gently sweeping over Narcissa's new hairstyle before settling on her flushed cheeks.
She chuckled and said, "We've been dating for three years already, why are you still calling me 'Madam'?"
Hermione's head buzzed when she heard this, her cheeks burned even more, and she almost stammered.
After hesitating for a while, she finally called out tentatively, with a hint of shyness, "Auntie..."
That soft, gentle "Auntie" made Narcissa's smile soften even more, and she reached out and gently took Hermione's hand:
"Oh, so good."
"My dear Hermione, you look absolutely stunning today. This hairstyle suits you perfectly—it's so gentle and lively, and it matches your personality flawlessly."
Narcissa exclaimed in admiration.
Admiringly, she gently reached out and carefully touched Hermione's small, wavy hair on her shoulder:
"Whose craftsmanship is this? I've never seen such a perfect and exquisite design."
Draco immediately stepped forward, proudly emphasizing:
"It was me. From start to finish, I designed, trimmed, and dyed the entire piece myself."
Upon hearing this, both Narcissa and Lucius were stunned, and the doubt on their faces instantly intensified.
"Son, you? When did you learn all this?" Narcissa was still somewhat incredulous.
"This isn't something you can just tinker with a few times. The technique, color scheme, and design all exude professionalism. You've never dealt with these things before, have you?"
Lucius was the same.
"Are you sure you did it yourself? Or did you just have a stylist doing it for you? People of the Malfoy family don't need to say such polite things."
Seeing the doubt on Lucius and his wife's faces, Hermione took Narcissa's arm and earnestly testified for Draco:
"Uncle and Aunt, it's true, Draco did everything himself."
She recounted the process in detail...
" Mrs. Prim said she wanted to learn from him, and the customers in the shop all gathered around to watch, praising his excellent skills."
"Son, I never knew you had such delicate and skillful craftsmanship. You dressed Hermione up so beautifully; it's clear you put a lot of thought into it."
Lucius, standing to the side, slowly nodded as well.
"The craftsmanship is excellent, and the aesthetic sense is tasteful. It's very good that you're willing to put in this much effort for Miss Granger."
"Have you had lunch yet? The manor kitchen still has desserts and black tea on hand. Would you like to try some?" Narcissa asked.
"We've already eaten at Hermione's," Draco replied, his gaze sweeping over the grandfather clock in the living room. "It's lunch break now, I'll take Hermione to my room for a bit."
Narcissa smiled and nodded, "It's good that you've eaten. The manor's desserts are ready. Try them when you wake up."
"Go."
Lucius picked up the black tea beside him and took a sip.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Draco took Hermione's hand and turned to walk towards the stairs.
I walked up the marble steps to the second floor.
Draco opened his bedroom door, pulled Hermione inside, and closed the door behind him.
As soon as Hermione entered the room, she pulled her hand away from his, took two steps back, and looked at him warily, her cheeks flushed slightly.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
She had been to Draco's room before.
We've been here before, doing homework together and discussing Magical Theory, but it's lunch break now, and it's really too ambiguous for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together.
Draco walked to the bedside and sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world, patting the spot next to him. "Lunch break, what else could I be doing?"
"You're not going to give me a new room for lunch break?" Hermione said urgently. "There are plenty of empty rooms in the manor!"
Draco looked intently at her. "My bed is big enough; two people can sleep in it without any problem, don't worry."
Hermione was speechless, stomped her foot, and said, "Did I mean that?!"
Upon hearing this Draco grinned mischievously and approached her, gradually forcing her against the wall. He braced his hands on the wall beside her and pulled her into his arms.
What does that mean?
"A man and a woman alone in a room, even sleeping in the same bed—what kind of behavior is that! What will people say if word gets out!"
"What did you say?" Draco lowered his head, causing Hermione to shudder, before he chuckled softly.
"They say Young Master Malfoy and Miss Granger have a good relationship?"
"Or are you thinking something even more outrageous?"
"I didn't!" Hermione's cheeks turned even redder.
Seeing her flustered expression, Draco finally became serious. "I was just kidding. I brought you to the room because I wanted to study with you."
"Learn what?" Hermione crossed her arms and took two steps back.
She knew Draco too well; she wouldn't just call her here to study for no reason. There must be another reason.
"Learn a spell." Draco.
Hermione's doubts deepened. "What spell?"
" Expecto Patronum," Draco uttered.
Hermione was startled, then frowned:
"Why learn this? This spell is for fighting Dementor; we don't need it in everyday life."
"It works," Draco said decisively.
Hermione instantly became angry and slammed her hand on the desk. "Not again! You always play games with me, what's wrong with you that you can't just say it directly?"
"To deal with Dementor."
"What?" Hermione's voice suddenly rose, staring at him in disbelief.
"We're going to have to deal with Dementor? When? Why?" A barrage of questions blurted out.
"It should be soon," Draco replied, dodging her other questions.
Hermione was even more puzzled. "How did you know that?"
"I can predict the future."
Draco said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. Of course, she didn't believe in any kind of prophecy. Draco must have learned something from the Malfoy family's channels, but he just didn't want to say it outright.
But looking at his determined expression,
She also had a nagging feeling that what he said wasn't a joke, and that the threat of Dementor might really be close to them.
Because he's always right.
"Are you really just here to learn Expecto Patronum? You don't have any other intentions?" Hermione asked warily.
Upon hearing this, Draco put his hands in his pockets, leaned back against the desk, and looked at her openly:
"You're overthinking it, Granger."
"I promised you before that I wouldn't touch you inappropriately before you came of age."
Hermione was startled, instantly recalling his time at the France mansion... Her cheeks flushed rapidly.
The previous wariness and questioning vanished instantly. "Who... who remembers this... I was just asking."
"So you believe me now?" Draco turned and walked to the other side of the desk, opening a thick spellbook.
" The Expecto Patronum is Patronus Charm, and it's quite difficult. I'll teach it to you before school starts, so you won't be scared later."
Hermione's heart tightened, and she immediately pressed, "You mean, we'll definitely need to use this spell after school starts?"