Professor Septima, carrying a thick stack of lesson plans, slowly made her way through the aisles between the desks.
Her gaze swept over Hermione's parchment, and she stopped in her tracks. The clear lines of calculations, the precise breakdowns, and the prior annotations of the "Master Number" rules all brought a rare hint of approval to her eyes.
" Miss Granger, your numerical sensitivity is exceptional." Septima gently tapped Hermione's calculations with his pointer.
"Rigorous steps, without any omissions—this is the core quality of Arithmancy."
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and she was about to say something modest when Draco beside her spoke up, "Number 9, inclusive, wise, a natural leader."
He didn't touch a pen at all, not even lay out any draft paper, and simply gave the result the instant Hermione announced the number.
The scene fell silent for a second.
Professor Septima's admiration instantly turned to shock. She leaned down to Draco: " Malfoy, you completed all the addition and simplification in your head?"
It's important to know that calculating the Life Path Number requires breaking down all the digits of the birth date and repeatedly adding them together.
It's easy to make a mistake if you're not careful, and even older students rarely finish without paper and pen.
Just as Draco was about to speak, a boy in the back of the classroom suddenly shouted, "Professor, he and Granger are a couple, of course he knows her birthday!"
Upon hearing this, the class immediately erupted in good-natured laughter, with someone echoing, "Exactly! Malfoy must have memorized it long ago!"
"This is clearly a 'couple compatibility test'!"
Hermione's face flushed bright red instantly. She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to correct a decimal point on the paper.
Under the table, she quietly nudged Draco's leg with her knee and whispered reproachfully, "It's all your fault, always showing off."
Draco remained completely unfazed, even managing a slight smirk amidst the laughter, before silencing the surrounding commotion with, "Professor, I not only know her birthday..."
Then, pointing to the numbers on Hermione's parchment, Draco clearly and logically explained the calculation process:
"1979 + 9 + 19, broken down, becomes 1 + 9 + 7 + 9 + 9 + 1 + 9 = 45, 4 + 5 = 9. This is the result of mental calculation, which is completely consistent with her calculation."
The laughter in the classroom completely disappeared.
" Malfoy, I often hear other teachers discussing your talent." Professor Septima looked at him with appreciation.
" Professor McGonagall praised you for mastering Transfiguration extremely quickly, saying you grasped it instantly. I originally thought it was just because you're Pure-blood."
"I never expected that you would be so capable."
She raised her hand to signal the class to be quiet.
"Mental calculation of life path number requires not only speed, but also an innate sensitivity to the vibrational energy of numbers. This is a talent for Arithmancy, and has nothing to do with anything else."
"With a partner who has an exceptional sensitivity to numbers, it's hard not to be accurate," Draco said, glancing at Hermione beside him.
Hermione's cheeks flushed even more. Seeing this, Professor Septima nodded and turned to continue her inspection.
Before leaving, he said, "Keep this talent safe. The world of Arithmancy is far broader than you imagine; it can accommodate two geniuses."
The classroom was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear the crystal abacus beads hitting the ground.
Many students looked at Hermione's neatly formatted equations, which resembled printed text, and then at Draco, who didn't even bother with drafts.
Coupled with the professor's undisguised remark, "You really are all-around amazing," they immediately began to frantically self-criticize:
What was I thinking, choosing the same class as these two monsters...?
Several boys in Ravenclaw who were usually good at math quietly stuffed their half-finished parchment papers into their desks, their composure crumbling.
"I used to think that Arithmancy were for smart people like us... but now it seems like it's a show for the gods."
" Hermione Granger is terrifying too; the two of them together, who could withstand that?"
Olivia calmly added in her mind: You can still regret it now, but I'm already used to it.
Professor Septima stood on the podium, looking at the extremely jarring classroom, and a rare smile appeared on her face, "It seems this year's Arithmancy will be quite stressful."
The funniest part was yet to come.
The professor had everyone interpret each other's numerology. When it was Hermione's turn, she read Draco's result, "Family and responsibility, business success, fulfillment, possessiveness..."
She couldn't help but laugh halfway through her reading.
The classroom erupted in chaos, the laughter even louder than before. The Ravenclaw boys burst out laughing, "Possessive?"
Professor Septima tapped her pointer to signal for quiet, but a suppressed smile played on her lips.
"Isn't this contradictory, Professor?" someone asked.
She looked at the student who raised their hand to ask a question and gently explained, "This student, you feel there's a contradiction because you haven't understood the core energy of the number 6."
"Actually, there's no contradiction at all. Life Path Number 6 is known as the 'Guardian Number,' and its core values are love and responsibility."
"First, family and a sense of responsibility are the foundation. People born in the 60s treat their homes as havens, have an extremely strong desire to protect their families and loved ones, and are reliable to the extreme; this is their fundamental nature."
"Secondly, commercial success is an extension of capability. This sense of responsibility will enable them to transform 'protection' into strength."
"For example, when running a family business, they will strive to make the business stable and secure so that those around them can live better lives."
"Because they are committed to their promises and keep their word, their partners are willing to trust them, making success much easier."
Third, possessiveness is the other side of protection. It's because people care too much and are afraid of losing that they develop possessiveness.
"It's like protecting your own treasure, not wanting anyone else to touch it. The key is to transform this possessiveness into cherishing, not restraint."
She advised Draco:
" Malfoy, your numerology number 6 means you need to learn to uphold and protect with a sense of responsibility, solidify your confidence with success, and transform possessiveness into respect. Only in this way can family, career, and relationships truly be fulfilling."
" Hermione, do you believe I can do it?"
Draco's question essentially pinned everything the professor had just explained to their future.
Hermione's cheeks burned bright red.
Believe it or not?
She was so embarrassed that she could only stare intently at the number 6 on the paper.
Hermione bit her lower lip, her cheeks burning hot, her mind reeling: How... how am I supposed to answer this...?
"... I... I'll wait and see."
Hermione finally gave a short five-word promise, but it was the bravest promise she could make.
Draco, seeing her shy yet earnest expression, solemnly said, "Alright. Then you just watch!"
This scene was witnessed by the entire class.
Another commotion erupted as people tried to suppress their laughter.
Professor Vector adjusted his glasses, pretending to look away, but a slight smile subtly crept onto his lips.
Olivia sighed silently in the back: Fine, I guess I wasted my time choosing this class. I only learned one thing the whole time...
That is, having your future publicly decided by a couple of high-achieving students.