Hermione's face flushed, and she was about to refuse when Draco had already taken her hand and calmly stepped into the magical circle.
"It's not difficult." The lead witch said, handing over two delicate hawthorn wood wands and explaining the rules with a smile.
"Place your palms together, draw upon your magical power, and manipulate the spiritual fire to swirl around each other until it forms a heart shape."
Hermione did as he asked and pressed her palms against Draco's. She could feel the warm magic in his palms, and her hands felt a little tense.
"Relax and follow my magic," Draco said.
The two raised their hands simultaneously, and the spiritual fire responded immediately. At first, it was just tiny fireflies floating up, but it gradually coalesced into a pale golden band of light.
The performer's aura was originally just a simple circle, but Draco's fingers flicked it, his magic controlled with extreme precision.
The spirit fire not only swirled around the two of them, creating layers of patterns, but also enveloped crystal stardust within it.
Even the ribbons automatically twisted into a garland, attracting the Golden Snitch replicas in the air to circle around the two of them.
Finally, it coalesced into a dazzling heart of light, several times more magnificent than the performer's demonstration.
The cheers from the audience erupted instantly, even more enthusiastic than before. The performers stood aside, looking at the two people enveloped in magical light, feeling both surprised and embarrassed.
They had intended to warm up the atmosphere with the couple's interaction, but the boy's magical control far surpassed theirs, making their performance seem like a child's play.
They had practically shot themselves in the foot, but they still had to put on stiff smiles, thinking to themselves that they should never have chosen this couple who looked so intimidating to go on stage.
Draco withdrew his magic, and the Heart of Light slowly dissipated into fireflies, landing in Hermione's hair. He took the glow-in-the-dark badge from the lead witch and pinned it to her lapel.
Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd, the two walked off the stage, leaving the performers behind them no choice but to grit their teeth and continue performing.
After watching the magic show, the two walked hand in hand back to the Three Broomsticks. Draco waved to Madam Rosmerta behind the bar and said softly, "Let's go upstairs and rest."
"Get some rest," the lady said with a smile and a wave.
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly as she followed Draco up the stairs with her head down and her steps light.
After entering the guest room, the two quickly brushed off the snow and dust, and then washed up...
When it was time to rest, Hermione stood by the bed, looking rather awkward.
The bed in the guest room is a single soft bed, just wide enough for two adults to lie down; it's not cramped, but it's definitely not big either.
If you're lying together, you're bound to bump into each other.
Just thinking about it made Hermione blush.
Draco saw right through her thoughts, a smile playing on his lips, and slowly walked to her side, saying:
"What are you standing there for? It's late, you should go to sleep."
"This bed... is too small. Should I go downstairs and make do for the night?" Hermione said, her eyes darting around.
"It's freezing outside, and there aren't any extra beds downstairs. Do you want to catch a cold?"
Draco frowned slightly, feigning seriousness, then gently pulled her wrist, leading her to the bedside, and said softly:
"Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you. Just sleep peacefully, I promise I'll behave."
He first lay down on his side on the inside of the bed, making most of the space for Hermione, then patted the bed beside him and said gently:
"Come on up, look, this bed is big enough for everyone, and it's still warm even if we all squeeze together."
Looking into his clear and sincere eyes, Hermione's shyness eased a little, but she was still a little embarrassed.
After dawdling for a while, she slowly lifted the covers, quietly lay down, and pressed her body close to the edge of the bed, trying to keep her distance from Draco.
But the bed was only so big, and no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, she inevitably bumped into Draco.
The fire in the fireplace gradually dimmed, leaving only a faint warm glow in the room. Hermione, who had initially been somewhat reserved, was gradually enveloped by sleepiness, and her breathing became light and even.
But not long after,
She suddenly noticed a slight movement under the covers; the person next to her had turned slightly to the side.
A hand, warm to the touch, gently and tentatively reached out towards her.
Hermione's body stiffened instantly as her fingers brushed against her side. Her drowsiness vanished without a trace, and her face flushed red in the darkness.
She kept her eyes tightly shut, afraid to open them; her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and even her breathing became cautious.
She could clearly feel the hand moving; the palm slowly wrapped around her waist, with very light pressure.
Hermione stood ramrod straight, her mind blank, neither uttering a word of rebuke nor turning away.
She stood frozen in place, letting him hold her.
Hermione is pretending to be asleep...
But she couldn't keep up the act any longer. She felt Draco's arm around her waist tighten slightly, and he called out affectionately:
"Daughter in law!"
"My body is so tense, it's not comfortable to sleep..."
Draco continued.
The unexpected word "wife" made Hermione shudder, and she could no longer pretend to be fast asleep.
"You!" She was both ashamed and anxious, twisting her body to try to break free from his embrace.
Draco didn't give her a chance to escape at all; with a single exertion of his arm, he pulled her even tighter.
"Relax, I'll hold you and won't bother you."
Hermione stopped struggling, pressed down on his hands around her waist, and muttered angrily in a low voice:
"You always say that. You just said you'd promise to behave properly, and this is what you call proper conduct?"
"Hehe!" Draco couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"The rule I'm talking about is simply having no evil thoughts in my mind and just sleeping with my wife. That doesn't count as breaking the rule," he said playfully.
"Wow, that's really something!" Hermione was amused by his twisted logic, but she only lightly pinched the back of his hand.
Finally, Hermione slowly relaxed her tense body, obediently leaned against him, and closed her eyes.
In the room on the second floor, Hermione Granger is attempting a difficult tactical retreat.
One of her feet had successfully emerged from the thick down comforter, but the other foot encountered strong resistance—not from the corner of the comforter, but from a long, slender leg pressing down on her waist.
"If you continue to move with that force that looks like you're going to blow up the Ministry of Magic, I'll have to take drastic measures, Granger."
A complaint with a heavy nasal tone came from behind Hermione, accompanied by warm breath spraying onto the back of her neck.
She rolled her eyes helplessly, and even though the other person couldn't see her, she turned around and looked at Draco, whose platinum blonde hair was sticking up in a messy mess, with a few strands hanging down in front of his forehead.
" Draco, it's already 9:30." Hermione whispered, trying to move his leg away with her fingers.
"It's the Christmas holiday, what's wrong with letting me hug my wife a little longer..." Draco said, not only not letting go, but tightening his arms even more.