Draco, far from panicking, laughed even more blatantly and simply reached out and pulled Hermione close to him.
He then leaned down close to her flushed earlobe and said, "Look, it's hard to refuse everyone's advances, so why don't we kiss them and satisfy them?"
The warm breath brushed past her ear, and Hermione froze, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.
She was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look up, and all she could hear were the guests urging her to "give them a kiss".
Finally, unable to bear the teasing and Draco's jokes any longer, she broke free from his arm and ran towards the stairwell without looking back.
Their footsteps were so fast, as if they had spotted some ferocious beast.
Hermione hid in the room she had booked to avoid the commotion, leaving everyone with only a flustered silhouette.
Draco, watching her flee in disarray, finally burst out laughing, "Slow down, don't fall!"
Upon seeing this, the guests in the room burst into even louder laughter.
Madam Rosmerta covered her mouth and laughed, teasingly saying, "This little girl is so shy!"
At that moment, the little girl Hermione was running up the stairs in a panic, the wooden steps making a soft creaking sound as she stepped on them.
Clutching the room key given to her by Madam Rosmerta, her cheeks were burning hot, her mind filled with Draco's teasing remark and the jeers from downstairs.
She found the guest room, pushed open the door, and went in. Hermione closed the door behind her, leaning against it, her heart pounding wildly.
Although the room was small, it was decorated very warmly, with soft carpets, a small fire burning in the fireplace, and clean bedding on the bed, which slightly dispelled her embarrassment.
Not long after, there was a soft knock on the door, and Draco's cheerful voice came in:
"Wife, open the door, it's me."
Hermione dawdled to the door, not opening it immediately, and whispered through the door:
"Don't come in, I don't want to talk to you."
"Are you angry?" Draco asked softly.
No, no...
"Then open the door for me!"
The voice outside the door was gentle and soft. Hermione's initial embarrassment and annoyance had long since dissipated. After hesitating for a moment, she gently opened the door a crack, revealing only a pair of eyes staring at him:
"Who told you to talk nonsense? There are so many people watching..."
Draco pushed open the door and walked in, then closed it behind him, shutting out the noise from downstairs.
He looked at Hermione's still flushed cheeks and pinched them affectionately. "Okay, okay, it was my fault, I shouldn't have teased you."
Then his tone became serious again, "But I'm speaking from the heart; one day we won't be able to live openly and honestly."
Hermione's heart raced even faster under his gaze. She turned her face away, walked to the fireplace to warm her hands, and muttered softly:
"Who wants to be fair and square with you..." Hermione said, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
Draco smiled and walked over to her, sitting down next to her.
"Did I really scare you outside just now?" Draco asked concernedly, remembering his previous harshness towards Rookwood and worried that Hermione might be upset.
Hermione shook her head, then turned and looked at him softly:
"No, I was just worried about you. Don't be so impulsive in the future, okay?"
"Okay, whatever you say." Draco readily agreed, gently taking her hand in his, the warmth of his palm seeping through her fingers. "As long as you're alright, I'm not afraid of anything."
The two nestled together by the fireplace, the wind and snow still raging outside the window, the only sound in the cramped attic the sound of their breathing.
Draco looked at Hermione, whose cheeks were still flushed, and tentatively asked, "Now that no one's around, can you give me a kiss? Just for how domineering I was earlier."
Hermione lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescing to his request.
Draco was overjoyed. He gently cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned down to kiss her.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment. A minute passed quietly before Hermione gently pushed his chest, panting slightly, her cheeks flushed, and whispered her protest:
"No, no more kissing... we're going out later."
Draco reluctantly let go of her. "What are you afraid of? We can just not go down tonight."
Hermione's eyes were a mixture of reproach and shyness. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair, turned her face away, and muttered softly:
"No, Madam Rosmerta is still downstairs, and we need to bring some food up."
Seeing her shy expression, Draco contentedly pulled her into his arms. "Okay, whatever you say."
Hermione nestled in his arms, and the room was filled with sweetness.
After a few more tender moments, Hermione pulled Draco to his feet, straightened their clothes, gently opened the door, and cautiously glanced downstairs.
"Now that I've figured it out, I thought you were going to stay in the attic until dawn," Madam Rosmerta teased.
The surrounding guests looked over at the sound, and another round of good-natured laughter followed, causing Hermione's face to flush slightly again.
She walked quickly to the bar with her head down, while Draco calmly followed behind her, reaching out to protect her.
He even raised an eyebrow at the jeering guests, looking every bit the protective father of his little girl.
Madam Rosmerta smiled and brought over two servings of warm Christmas treats and Butterbeer, pushing them towards the two of them. "Have something to warm yourselves up."
Hermione clutched her Butterbeer mug, too shy to look up. Draco thanked her politely, then gently offered her a pastry. Outside, the snow continued to fall...
Draco took a bite of his honey oatmeal biscuit, swallowed slowly, and asked, "Who were those two people just now?"
Madam Rosmerta paused as she wiped the glasses, then told the two men who had just been there who they were.
"They're both notorious dark wizards. The one in the top hat is Viktor Rookwood, and the rough-looking henchman next to him is Theophrastus Harlow."
She put down the rag and whispered about their background:
" The Rookwood family has been entangled with Dark Magic forces for a long time. Rookwood himself is ruthless and cunning, profiting through underhanded means and providing cover for many dark wizards. The Ministry of Magic has been after him for a long time but has yet to find any evidence against him."
Harlow is his henchman, tyrannical and cruel, only ever following Rookwood in committing evil deeds. The two of them together have done countless heinous things, and the shopkeepers of Hogsmeade have long since avoided them like the plague.
Hermione was sipping her Butterbeer when she heard the word "dark wizard," and her grip on the handle tightened suddenly.
She had only seen sporadic reports about escaped dark wizards in the margins of the Daily Prophet.
This was the first time she had truly learned about these two infamous dark wizards, Hermione's brow furrowed instantly.
A sense of lingering fear also arose in my heart.
It turned out that what they had just faced was not an ordinary troublemaker, but a truly evil dark wizard.
"They... are they really the dark wizards we've been wanted for so long?" Hermione asked. "Then how dare they blatantly barge into Hogsmeade and directly cause trouble for Draco?"