Crookshanks's ears drooped instantly, and it meowed indignantly.
"I'm not fat! It's just that my hair is too fluffy! That little witch is so stingy, she won't let me eat anything delicious!"
"I'm not saying you can't eat good food," Hermione retorted stubbornly, turning her head away while her fingers still tugged at Draco's sleeve.
Turning to Draco, she earnestly explained, "It really needs to lose weight. At home, it only takes a few steps before lying down on the carpet and refusing to move, and it won't even bother with the cat toy."
No sooner had he said that than Crookshanks exploded in anger.
It suddenly sat up straight from the seat, its fluffy orange fur standing on end, making it look like a fur ball.
It stared intently at Hermione.
Then, it leaped onto the seat next to Hermione and nudged Hermione arm hard with its head.
It kept meowing and shouting:
"You're talking nonsense! I was just conserving my energy! I was so comfortable at home that I didn't want to move! Lying down after just a few steps? You're the one who always tempts me with that thick carpet! And that cat toy, that thing is so childish, I don't want it!"
After saying that, it deliberately moved over to Draco and rubbed its body against Draco's leg.
Maybe he wants Draco to be his backer. Crookshanks so wronged; who would admit to being fat and lazy?
Draco glanced at Crookshanks nestled against his legs, coughed lightly, and earnestly advised:
"You'd better apologize to your owner. You're staying at her house after all; be careful she doesn't actually kick you out. If you anger her, I'll be in deep trouble too."
Upon hearing this, Hermione deliberately put on a stern face, pretended to be angry, and turned to look out the window, adopting an air of superiority.
Crookshanks was instantly dumbfounded, frozen in place. It felt utterly fooled; it hadn't latched onto any powerful figure, it had clearly latched onto a henpecked husband!
It bristled at Draco, its fur standing on end, and roared angrily, "You... you spineless bastard!"
That's really bad.
It argued with Hermione, Draco didn't take its side and instead advised it to apologize. It was truly caught in the middle.
Draco stroked Crookshanks, calming its ruffled fur, and coaxed it gently:
"Listen to me, apologize, and my previous promise will still stand. From now on, whenever I visit Hermione's house, I'll bring you whatever you want to eat, nothing less."
Crookshanks tilted his head and pondered for a few seconds, silently calculating in his mind: It seems to make sense. Apologizing is just admitting defeat, but the benefits can be obtained in a real way. It's not a loss.
After figuring it out, it immediately changed its nature.
He took small, quick steps to Hermione's side, gently nuzzled Hermione's arm with his fluffy head, and said ingratiatingly:
"Master, I was wrong. I shouldn't have talked back to you. I'll exercise more in the future..."
As he spoke, he hooked her wrist with his tail.
That obedient appearance,
It was a completely different cat from how it had been just moments before, with its fur standing on end.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Crookshanks's obedient and ingratiating appearance.
His previously stern face instantly relaxed, his lips curved into a beautiful smile, and even the tension in his shoulders disappeared.
She reached out and ruffled Crookshanks's fluffy orange head, her fingers tracing its soft fur:
"It's good that you know you were wrong. But you mustn't argue back anymore, and you really need to walk around more, instead of always lying down."
Crookshanks nuzzled against her palm, letting out a soft purr, but inwardly he muttered to himself:
"Luckily, I can be flexible. It's just a matter of giving in, and I get a bunch of delicious food in return. It's a win-win situation."
Draco watched as the man and the cat reconciled, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.
While the two people and the cat were talking, Cho Chang were already stunned.
Suddenly, Cho Chang leaned forward curiously, pointed at Crookshanks, and asked, "Wait, are you communicating with this cat?"
"Isn't it obvious enough?" Draco said to her.
Emock was so surprised he could hardly speak, "You guys are so amazing, you can actually understand what it's saying?"
"That's right," Cho Chang reached out and gently touched Crookshanks's paw, and was even more delighted to see that it didn't pull away.
"This cat is so intelligent; it looks different from ordinary cats. Its fur is shiny, and its eyes are especially bright and expressive."
The two men were completely captivated by Crookshanks, and they huddled together in the opposite seats, staring intently at it.
"It's just an ordinary cat, but it's quite intelligent and perceptive."
Hermione explained to them, Crookshanks, listening, flicked his tail and this time disgustedly dodged Cho Chang's outstretched hand.
It curled up, letting the two of them look it over, while mentally thinking, "A bunch of ignorant little wizards. I'm much more powerful than you."
As the group chatted and laughed, a flurry of footsteps and voices came from outside the private compartment. More and more wizard students boarded the train, and the atmosphere inside gradually became more lively.
Two boys passed by the door of a private room, caught a glimpse of Draco inside, but didn't dare to push the door open. They turned around and headed straight for another private room.
Not long after, the train whistle blew a long, drawn-out sound, the wheels slowly turned, and the Hogwarts Express departed from King's Cross Station.
The scenery outside the window began to rush past.
In another third-grade box, Ron slumped in his seat, peering out the window for a long time, frowning and muttering:
"Where did Hermione and Draco go? We've searched several carriages but haven't seen them. There's no sign of them in carriage three at all."
Harry nodded, his gaze sweeping over Lavender and Parvati across from him. "Yeah, I saw them when I got on the bus, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Lavender, resting his chin on his hand, asked curiously, "Could it be that he went to the upperclassmen's carriage? After all, Malfoy has never cared about these rules."
"Possibly. He's bold, and nobody dares to say anything," Parvati chimed in.
Ron pursed his lips, then suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I don't think so. Maybe they used some kind of Portkey and took a shortcut to get to the school!"
Harry paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Probably not. The Hogwarts Express has a magical barrier; the Portkey won't work on it."
The four of them chatted amongst themselves, speculating endlessly about Draco and Hermione's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, in compartment number four, the conversation had turned to Hogsmeade.
Cho Chang leaned against the window, smiling, and said, "Speaking of which, you third-year students are finally going to Hogsmeade this time, right? It's so much fun there."
He immediately chimed in, "Absolutely! Honeydukes candy, Zonko's Joke Shop, and Three Broomsticks ' Butterbeer are all must-visit spots. We went for the first time last year in fourth grade, and we didn't even finish exploring in one afternoon!"
"We'll see when the time comes. Anyway, wherever Hermione goes, I'll go," Draco said.
Hermione glanced at him and added, "I also want to go to Flourish and Blotts to check out the new magic reference books, and Honeydukes peppermint hard candies; they tasted pretty good last time."
"Then you'd better go early," Cho Chang reminded them. " Hogsmeade is super crowded on weekends; you have to fight for even a spot with Three Broomsticks, and Zonko's Shop is always packed."
"If you come across anything fun, feel free to tell us. We're all tired of going to the same places, so it's nice to hear something new."
Crookshanks curled up on Hermione's lap, listening to the group talk about food, his ears twitching every now and then. He secretly memorized the name Honeydukes and was thinking about having Draco bring back some candy.