Draco loosened his grip as instructed, giving Hermione some room to move and allowing her to slightly raise her head and look directly at him.
Hermione took a deep breath.
She reached out and hooked her hand on his exquisite silver tie, gently pulling it down, forcing him to lower his head and come closer to her.
Her fingers slid down the smooth texture of his tie to his bobbing Adam's apple and gently pressed it.
I felt the subtle trembling there caused by tension.
She tilted her head back, her voice soft yet carrying a hint of control. " Mr. Malfoy, do you keep your word?"
Before he could respond, she suddenly sat up.
She nuzzled his angular chin with the tip of her small nose, then gently kissed the corner of his lips.
That wasn't a deep kiss.
Instead, it was a deliberate dawdling, a push and pull, as if teasing a wild beast poised to pounce.
Draco's breathing suddenly became heavy.
His eyes darkened instantly, and he was about to take the initiative and deepen the kiss when she cunningly turned her head away.
Hermione nestled against his chest, tracing circles on his heart with her finger, a hint of triumphant laughter in her voice:
"Is this... comfortable enough? Can the funds be allocated now?"
Draco reached out and pinched her chin, forcing her to look directly into his burning, lustful eyes. "Not enough, Granger! This isn't even enough for interest."
Hermione didn't speak again, nor did she try to dodge.
She simply reached out and hooked her arm around his neck.
Then she leaned in and poured all her feelings into that wholehearted kiss.
This time, she held nothing back; her passion and sincerity were unwavering.
After a long while, their lips parted.
"Feeling better now?" Hermione's fingers were still tucked inside the buttons of his vest, trembling slightly.
Her cheeks were so hot they could cook an egg, and even her voice was trembling with a soft, lingering warmth—the afterglow of passion.
But her eyes remained stubbornly fixed on his face, as if awaiting a verdict.
"Hmm..." Draco deliberately dragged out his words, his smile blatantly wicked, "Almost there. I think we need to discuss the issue of 'comfort' more deeply."
He wanted to tease her a bit more and see what other cute expressions she could make.
But Hermione in his arms suddenly shrank back, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, and threatened through gritted teeth:
"If you push your luck any further... you won't be allowed in the bed anymore! You'll be sleeping on the floor, Malfoy!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.
The air seemed to freeze for a second.
This was the most ruthless threat she could think of.
Yet it was also the most blatant confession!
This statement was so blunt that she wanted to disappear into the ground and erase her memory with magic.
Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Draco, her lips parted, but she couldn't utter a single word to salvage the situation.
Draco's wicked grin vanished instantly, replaced by genuine surprise.
His eyes were filled with disbelief, as if he had heard something out of the wildest fantasy. "You actually know this move?"
In Draco's memory,
Hermione Granger will always be that girl who holds a book and spouts grand theories, and blushes for ages even when just holding hands with someone.
This kind of "bedroom threat," which carries a touch of everyday life yet is extremely explicit, is something she would never normally say.
Hermione buried her face even deeper, wishing she could disappear into the carpet, a muffled voice escaping from her arms. "I... I heard it from Lavender!"
She would never admit it.
In order to understand those complex emotional games, I once secretly read through all the romance novels in the Muggle world late at night.
After countless blushing and heart-pounding nights of reading, I finally managed to come up with this threat that is both shameful and infuriating.
Hermione tried to make her voice sound firm, though it probably wouldn't have much effect. "Are you going to agree or not? If you don't agree to the funding, you'll be sleeping on the carpet tonight! There's no other bed in the house, you choose!"
After saying that, she deliberately glared at him, trying to put pressure on him with her eyes, although to Draco, that look was more like a cat with its fur standing on end bluffing.
Looking at her, clearly shy to the point of exhaustion, yet trying to maintain composure and protect her "ownership,"
Draco couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He reached out and ruffled her tousled curly hair, his fingers gently running through the strands, and said with extreme pride:
"It seems Miss Granger has gotten used to sleeping in the same bed with me? Otherwise, why would she immediately think of 'not being allowed in bed' as punishment? This shows that in your mind, this bed is already our exclusive territory."
Hermione's face flushed bright red instantly.
She reached out and punched his chest in embarrassment and anger. "I didn't! Don't flatter yourself!"
However, before the fist could land, his wrist was easily grabbed and gently pressed onto the carpet, rendering him unable to move.
She glared at Draco, puffing out her cheeks as she retorted, "I'm not used to it! I was just... I was just saying it offhand!"
"Oh?" Draco's voice rose at the end.
He suddenly lowered his head, his warm lips brushing lightly against her sensitive neck, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Who was it that held me tightly last night, refusing to let go no matter what, and even whispered in my ear that my arms were warm and as comfortable as a big pillow? Hmm?"
Hermione's face turned bright red.
She shook her head frantically, "You're talking nonsense! I never said that! I sleep very soundly!"
"Oh? You didn't say that?" Draco said slyly.
"Of course you don't know, you were half asleep then, clinging to me like a koala, your head buried deep in the crook of my neck, your arms tightly wrapped around my waist, murmuring 'It's so warm here'..."
He even deliberately imitated her soft, dreamy tone, mimicking it perfectly, before the person in his arms instantly froze into a stone.
Hermione was truly panicked this time.
She abruptly reached out and covered his mouth, her fingers trembling, her eyes filled with terror and shame. "Stop talking! You must be making that up! How could I say something like that!"
"Fabricated?" Draco's muffled voice, tinged with amusement, came through her palm. "Want to hear your own recording? I have proof."
"You actually recorded me?!" Hermione stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief, then blazing with anger.
" Draco Malfoy, you've gone too far! How could you record my sleep talking! This is an invasion of privacy!"
"How can I catch you, you cunning little fox, if I don't go too far?" He pulled her hand down.
"And I heard you calling my name in your dream, Hermione. Over and over again, so sweetly."
Her movements froze instantly; all her anger and shame solidified in that moment.
She remembered that dream...