Hermione was awakened by a slight noise beside her.
Her eyelashes fluttered open, her sleepy eyes still carrying the confusion of just waking up.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was nestled in Draco's arms, and instantly, all sleepiness vanished.
Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly.
She stood frozen, too afraid to move. The peace and dependence she felt while asleep had transformed into shyness.
She could clearly feel the steady breathing of the person behind her, and the warm hand wrapped around her waist.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, their hair intertwined on the pillow, and an ambiguous atmosphere quietly filled the room.
Hermione tried to move his arm away quietly, afraid of waking him, but as soon as she moved, the arm around her waist tightened unconsciously.
"Stop fooling around..." Draco's murmured in her ear.
The sound made Hermione freeze in her tracks, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
Hermione stood there, stunned.
The hand that was wrapped around her waist remained firmly clasped, showing no intention of loosening its grip.
She bit her lower lip, carefully turning her head to the side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that his eyes were still closed, his expression still hazy from sleep, seemingly just unconscious murmurs and movements.
Relieved slightly, Hermione tried to gently pry his fingers open again, her movements so slow they were almost imperceptible.
He silently chanted in his mind: Let me out, I want to get out!
But the moment her fingers touched Draco's knuckles, his eyes snapped open.
Those sleepy eyes, still half-asleep, quickly cleared when they met her peripheral vision.
Hermione immediately saw the sly smile in his eyes, and then realized that instead of loosening his grip, he tightened his arms, pulling her even closer to him.
"Awake? Why not sleep a little longer?" Draco asked.
The languid sounds of someone sounding after a long afternoon nap reached Hermione's ears, instantly making her blush and shift her body slightly.
"Let go of me! I've been sleeping for so long, dinner must be ready a long time ago, your aunt must be getting impatient!"
"What's the rush?" Draco said casually. "My mother is always sensible; she won't pressure me."
Even so, he slowly released his grip.
As Hermione struggled to sit up, Draco reached out and helped her.
Hermione hurriedly sat up, tidying her disheveled hair and the hem of her clothes. She didn't dare look at him, only muttering with her eyes downcast:
"It's all your fault! You insisted on making me take a nap and even locked the door. What if people misunderstand?"
"What misunderstanding?" Draco asked, then answered himself, "The misunderstanding that we slept in each other's arms? That's the truth."
As he spoke, Draco sat up, casually brushing aside the blonde hair on his forehead, and looked at her with amusement.
"You!" Hermione's cheeks flushed.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Draco glanced at the twilight outside the window and said, "If you dawdle any longer, my father might really nag you."
Hermione quickly got up, straightened her clothes, and smoothed her hair.
I breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that my clothes were neat and tidy.
Just thinking about how we had just fallen asleep in each other's arms made her cheeks burn.
She followed Draco with her eyes downcast.
Draco walked to the door, opened it, and stepped aside, gesturing for Hermione to go first.
Hermione lowered her head and quickly walked out of the room. Just as she turned the corner of the corridor, she saw Narcissa standing at the top of the stairs, looking at them with a gentle smile.
"Awake?" Narcissa stepped forward, her gaze sweeping lightly over the two of them. She didn't ask any questions, only spoke softly.
"Dinner has been kept warm. Come downstairs quickly, your uncle and I have already eaten."
Hermione nodded quickly upon hearing this, thanked him softly, and followed Draco downstairs.
Lucius had not left yet. He sat in the main seat, a cigar between his fingers, but it was not lit, and a glass of whiskey that had long since gone cold sat in front of him.
Seeing the two come downstairs, he glanced at Draco briefly, then nodded slightly, indicating that they should have their meal.
Draco pulled a chair over for Hermione to sit down, then served her some soup. Once the House-elf had retreated outside and only the three of them remained in the dining room, Lucius slowly began to speak.
" The Hogwarts Express departs next weekend, Dementor will board to patrol."
Draco simply grunted in response, indicating that he was listening.
After the reminder, he said no more, stubbed out his cigar, stood up, straightened his exquisite Pure-blood nobleman's robes, and left the restaurant, leaving the two of them to dine alone.
"Is the food to your liking?" Draco asked.
"Delicious." Hermione was biting into a small piece of grilled steak, her cheeks puffed out, her voice still slightly muffled from chewing.
As she spoke, she scooped up another spoonful of cream of mushroom soup and put it in her mouth, her eyes filled with the satisfaction of enjoying the delicious food.
"Eat more if you like it." Draco smiled.
As she spoke, she picked up a small silver fork from the side, gently speared a small piece of roasted foie gras, dipped it in a little sweet and sour cranberry sauce, and offered it to Hermione's lips.
Hermione paused, her cheeks flushing red again. She looked away and whispered, "I can do it myself..."
"Open your mouth." Draco pushed the silver fork forward a little more, his tone carrying a gentle tone that left no room for refusal.
Hermione took a small bite of the foie gras, her cheeks burning, and couldn't help but steal a glance at the boy beside her.
Draco, seeing her obediently open her mouth, smiled and casually forked a sweet grape, offering it to her again.
Hermione obediently opened her mouth again and gently took the grape into her mouth, the sweet juice spreading on her tongue.
After finally swallowing, she frantically pushed Draco's arm. " Draco, stop fooling around..."
"If you don't want to make a fuss, then feed me once."
Hermione looked up at him sharply, but was defeated by his smiling eyes, and hesitated for a long time.
She then shyly picked up a fork, carefully forked a small piece of dessert, and quickly brought it to his mouth.
Draco opened his mouth and ate it.
After finishing dinner, the two tidied up and got up, by which time night had completely enveloped Malfoy Manor.
Draco takes Hermione home.
Reaching the door, Hermione said, "I'm here."
"Get some rest and don't think about Dementor."
After reminding Hermione, he restrained himself from approaching, only whispering a farewell, "Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She nodded gently, her voice barely a whisper, "... Goodnight, Draco."
After saying that, she quickly pushed the door open and went inside.
She stole a glance at him just before the door closed, then gently shut it.
"You're back?" A gentle voice suddenly came from behind, startling Hermione.
Her hand was still on the doorknob, and she almost cried out in surprise.
She hurriedly turned around and saw Mrs. Granger standing in the living room, holding a glass of warm milk and smiling at her.
"Mom~" Hermione clutched her chest, her heart pounding even faster, "What are you doing standing here? You startled me."
Mrs. Granger stepped forward and handed her the warm milk. "You look so distracted, I thought you were going to stand at the door until dawn."
Hermione took the milk, lowered her head, took a sip, concealing her fluster, and muttered softly, "No way..."