After holding Hermione tightly in his arms, Draco buried his face in her soft, fluffy brown hair, greedily inhaling her unique fragrance:
"Anyway, I have a share in the Three Broomsticks, so I have the right to stay in bed on my own turf, don't I?"
Hermione sighed helplessly, about to retort, when Draco changed the subject. "Rather than those boring Butterbeer, I'd rather study..."
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his deep, magnetic voice carrying a hint of dangerous allure.
His gaze lingered on Hermione's beautiful lips.
"What are you researching?" Hermione asked knowingly, her cheeks flushing red.
"Investigating why a certain Gryffindor know-it-all sleeps like a koala, stealing the covers."
Draco grinned wickedly, and the next second, he suddenly flipped over, pinning Hermione firmly beneath him. "As punishment, I'm taking back that perfunctory 'good morning kiss' from before."
"You already kissed me!" Hermione protested, pressing her hands against his firm chest.
"That doesn't count," Draco said matter-of-factly.
After saying that, he gave Hermione no chance to refute him.
He lowered his head and used a gentle yet aggressive kiss to completely silence her.
Hermione's response was passionate and eager; she ran her hand through his platinum blonde hair.
Draco was clearly enjoying the feeling, so he deepened the kiss, his tongue aggressively exploring every sweet inch of her mouth.
However, people still need to breathe!
"Ugh... Ugh!" Hermione finally couldn't help but let out a muffled groan of protest, pushing hard against Draco's hard chest with both hands.
Draco reluctantly released her.
Both of them were breathing heavily. Hermione was taking deep, greedy breaths of fresh air, her cheeks as red as ripe apples, and her dazed eyes held a hint of reproach.
"Are you trying to murder me?" she asked, trying to calm her racing heart and refocus on a rational topic.
"I just remembered something. Next time you encounter that kind of trouble in Hogsmeade, you can simply use the Memory Charm to deal with those dark wizards..."
Draco, who was still savoring the kiss from earlier, suddenly brightened up upon hearing this.
"My wife is so smart!" He exclaimed with a sudden realization. "How could I forget? This is much better than Stupefy. After all, even though Lockhart is a fraud, his 'special skill' is indeed quite useful."
Hermione was still feeling shy about being called "wife," but the next second...
To show his affection, Draco leaned in and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
Because the kiss had been so intense, and Draco's movements were so fast, Hermione felt her face was all wet.
She paused for a second, then quickly raised the back of her hand and vigorously wiped her cheek.
" Draco!" Hermione glared at him disdainfully. "You're smart, fine, but... and you're drooling! Are you a dog?"
Draco watched her wipe her face, and instead of feeling embarrassed, he smiled even more brightly.
He reached out to pinch Hermione's reddened cheek, but Hermione nimbly dodged him.
"That's a mark of love, Miss Granger." Draco withdrew his hand matter-of-factly and lay back down on his pillow.
He put his hands behind his head, but his eyes sharpened. "But you're right, the Memory Charm is a good idea."
" Draco, get up," Hermione said.
"I won't!"
" The Three Broomsticks ' lunch reservation is almost here." Hermione said this, but her body betrayed her by pausing beside him for a moment.
Just a few minutes later, she resolutely pulled her hand away. "I'm going to wash up. You'd better be dressed properly before I come out."
Hermione went into the bathroom, and the sound of running water soon followed.
Draco rolled over in bed, the image of the two dark wizards flashing through his mind, and his urge to stay away vanished almost entirely.
He sighed, took out parchment and a Quick-Quotes Quill from the bedside table drawer, lay down on the bed, his expression unusually serious, and the quill flew across the paper.
Draco wrote home asking someone to secretly protect Hermione's parents, since who knew if those ruthless dark wizards would harm two Muggle...
After finishing the letter, he rolled up the parchment and whistled.
A barn owl, seemingly Accio out of nowhere, gracefully landed on the windowsill. Draco untied the window, tied the letter to the owl's leg, and watched it disappear into the blue sky before feeling a little more at ease.
Just as I closed the window, the bathroom door opened.
Hermione saw Draco sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, and raised an eyebrow. "Still not up? Draco, do you want me to use the Summoning Charm to summon you to the bathroom?"
"I'm contemplating life," Draco said lazily, leaning against the headboard with a mischievous grin. "And, I'm waiting for a witch's good morning kiss as my motivation to get out of bed."
Don't give me that.
Hermione picked up her wand and pointed it at him. "I'll count to three. If you're still in that bed, I'll turn you into a toad and throw you into the Black Lake."
"One..."
Draco didn't move.
"Two..."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, and the tip of her wand flashed.
"Alright, alright, you violent witch." Draco raised his hands in surrender, slowly throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.
But instead of going to the washbasin, he went to his desk first and picked up another letter that had just been delivered by an owl—it had flown in while Hermione was washing up, and he had almost forgotten to open it because he was so busy writing to his family.
"Whose letter is this?" Hermione asked curiously as she walked over.
Draco unwrapped the sealing wax and glanced at the contents of the letter. "It's a letter from Professor Babbling."
" Professor Babbling?" Hermione repeated.
"Hmm," Draco handed the letter to Hermione.
"She has some matters concerning Ancient Magic fluctuations to deal with, and she told us to go to her office when we return to school to see if there are any traces of Ancient Magic on the map there."
Hermione glanced at the letter quickly and handed it back to Draco.
Draco took the letter, folded it casually, and put it in his pocket. Hermione then grabbed him and dragged him towards the bathroom.
"Now, right now, go wash your face and brush your teeth!"
Half an hour later,
The two men, dressed neatly, appeared behind the Three Broomsticks counter.
"Good morning, dear!" Madam Rosmerta greeted her warmly. "We have freshly baked Butterbeer, or would you like something more refreshing?"
"Good morning, madam." Hermione smiled politely.
"Two breakfasts, thank you."
Draco pulled out a chair for Hermione.
After a quick meal, they said goodbye to Madam Rosmerta and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the bar.
The wind outside was a bit chilly, making Hermione shrink her neck. Draco naturally put his arm around her shoulder and used his coat to shield her from the wind. Just as they were about to Apparition back to school along the path, Draco suddenly stopped.