After flying a few steps away, my feet seemed to stop on their own, as if defying my will.
She bit her lower lip, as if anticipating something.
After hesitating for a moment, she quietly turned her head and looked into the deep night behind her.
Draco didn't keep her waiting long.
Before long, a familiar figure, with platinum blonde hair reflecting the moonlight, broke through the night wind and sped toward her.
Draco saw her obediently stop in front of the castle, not actually "escaping" back to the tower, but quietly waiting for him in the night sky, and an unconcealable smile spread across his face.
"I thought," he said, hovering the broom steadily beside her, his tone laced with obvious pleasure and teasing, "That the ever-reserved Miss Granger would be so shy as to hide in the deepest part of the library."
The blush that had just faded was now returning to her face.
"I'm just... I'm just worried that someone like you, a young master, might have a bad sense of direction and get lost in the dark edge of the Forbidden Forest. Then I'll have to trouble the professor to find you."
Hermione turned her face away and retorted, deliberately avoiding looking at his smug expression in order to conceal her true intentions.
Draco chuckled, not calling out her lame excuse, but simply maneuvering his broom to slowly approach, eventually hovering beside her in the night sky above Hogwarts Castle.
The two exchanged a glance and, in perfect unison, descended to a lower altitude, Depulso towards the relatively secluded entrance to the tower.
After putting down their brooms and stepping into the castle's warm corridor, Draco naturally put away their brooms and turned to ask her:
"Go to the Room of Requirement?"
"Okay..." Hermione almost without hesitation.
The two of them, familiar with the place, arrived at the familiar wall on the Seventh Floor. They walked back and forth three times, silently thinking that they needed a quiet and comfortable space to rest.
As I pushed open the door, warm yellow light spilled out.
The room is simply and comfortably furnished: a large bed covered with soft bedding is placed against the wall, a small round dining table with two chairs, and a cozy recliner in the corner.
Everything was just right.
Draco closed the door, shutting out the outside world.
He walked to the center of the room, not going to the desk or recliner as usual, but instead, with a thought, he redeemed two still slightly steaming meals from his System Space.
Two servings of refreshing and appetizing mixed rice noodles, and two bowls of crystal-clear, cool mung bean sweet soup.
"You've been up all night, are you hungry?" He asked casually as he carried the tray to the small dining table.
Hermione was indeed feeling a bit hungry; the tension, shock, and flight had taken a toll on her energy.
"Hmm, a little."
Hermione sniffed the unfamiliar aroma in the air and looked curiously at the food Draco had placed on the table.
It was unlike any late-night snack she usually saw at Hogwarts: "What... is this?"
"A typical Chinese late-night snack: rice noodles and mung bean soup." Draco pushed one of the dishes towards her and sat down opposite her. "Try it; it should suit your taste."
Hermione has been at Hogwarts for so many years,
Late-night snack options are always limited to sandwiches, cookies, Pumpkin Juice, or hot chocolate.
Chinese snacks were a relatively unfamiliar and novel area for her, because she had eaten the hand-pulled pancake that Draco had given her before.
Hermione's appetite was whetted by the tempting bowl of mixed noodles sprinkled with crushed peanuts and chopped scallions, but she hesitated when she saw the two thin wooden sticks next to it.
She is very skilled with a knife and fork.
But they were helpless against the two small sticks.
She hesitated for a moment, picked up the chopsticks, and tried to pick them up like she was holding a pen, but she couldn't get the hang of it at all.
The glass noodles were slippery between the chopsticks.
She asked somewhat awkwardly, "How... how do I use this?"
A gentle smile flickered in Draco's eyes. He didn't tease her directly as he usually did; instead, he stood up and naturally sat down in the chair next to her.
He reached out and gently covered her hand that was holding the chopsticks.
Then, adjusting the angle and position of her fingers, he patiently taught her how to properly hold the chopsticks.
"Bend your fingers like this... Yes, your thumb is here, and your index and middle fingers control the opening and closing... Like this, try to apply force."
His voice rang in her ear, low and magnetic, his warm breath gently brushing against her sensitive earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine.
His fingers, which were wrapped around her, trembled slightly uncontrollably, almost unable to hold the two delicate chopsticks.
My heart started racing again, and all the blood seemed to rush to the skin he was touching.
Draco felt her fingers trembling and found it somewhat amusing. He turned his head to look at her face, which had instantly turned bright red, and deliberately asked, "Why are you shaking like that?"
" Miss Granger can calmly decipher even Ancient Runes, yet she's stumped by two small chopsticks?"
Hermione's face flushed bright red, like a ripe tomato. She panicked and dared not look at his face so close to hers, and could only stare intently at the innocent-looking noodles in the bowl.
"I... I wasn't shaking! It's... it's just that the chopsticks were too slippery!"
She felt annoyed.
Even though my mind was perfectly clear and I understood his instructions, being pressed against him from behind like this, with my hand firmly in his grasp, made me feel...
All their senses seemed focused on the contact between their skin; how could they possibly calmly control their fingers?
However, Hermione is Hermione after all.
They have an exceptionally strong learning ability!
Under Draco's guidance,
After only a couple of tries, the muscle memory in her fingers seemed to be awakened, and she quickly found the correct way to apply force and coordinate.
Hermione flicked her wrist,
It actually managed to pick up a small, glistening rice noodle!
"See, it's not difficult." Draco released his grip at the opportune moment and sat back in his chair. "I knew it, how could such a simple trick possibly stump Miss Granger?"
Hermione's hand was still suspended in mid-air, holding the rice noodle in her hand. What she felt embarrassed about at that moment was not actually the fact that she "couldn't learn to use chopsticks".
She was embarrassed by how naturally he had touched her hand, how close he had been to her side, and how patiently and gently he had taught her step by step...
This unsettled her more than any complex incantation or profound Magical Theory.
Hermione quickly lowered her head, put the mouthful of noodles into her mouth, trying to hide her emotions with the food, and whispered, "I'm a quick learner... what can possibly be difficult for me?"
The mixed rice noodles had a refreshing and appetizing flavor, with just the right amount of saltiness and the crunch of crushed peanuts, which suited her taste perfectly.
But Hermione's mind was still mostly on the moment she had just been teaching him.
She glanced triumphantly at Draco across from her.
"I've learned it," Hermione said softly.
Her tone was soft, as if she were reporting to him, or perhaps unconsciously seeking a little praise.
Draco watched as her chopsticks gripped the food with surprising skill, and she picked it up steadily.
A smile played at the corners of his lips. "I knew it. How could something like this possibly stump you, Hermione Granger?"
After being praised, Hermione lowered her head and began to slowly enjoy the novel and delicious midnight snack, her movements becoming more and more practiced.
Draco picked up his chopsticks and ate with her.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the soft clatter of cutlery and the chewing of food, creating a peaceful and warm atmosphere.