Hermione's body, which had been somewhat tense, noticeably paused when she heard the words "another way."
As if struck by some surprise, she immediately opened her eyes, turned her head to look up at Draco, and her eyes instantly lit up with curiosity.
"Another way? What way? When did you prepare this? How come I had no idea?"
Looking at her eager expression of wanting to learn,
Draco's lips curled into a wicked smile. He slowly reached out and pinched her delicate chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze completely.
His cunning gaze was like that of a fox waiting for its prey to fall into its net. "So you want to know? But that's a secret!"
Hermione was itching to get his attention because of his deliberately mysterious manner, and her cheeks began to heat up uncontrollably again.
But she still stared at him with bright, unblinking eyes, filled with curiosity, yet feigning a reserved air of "I don't really want to know."
But in the end, she couldn't resist Hermione whispered, "... Just tell me already, stop keeping me in suspense!"
"Call me 'husband,' and I'll tell you." Draco suddenly leaned closer, his tone full of teasing and ambiguity.
"Otherwise, I'm always the one calling you 'wife,' but you've never once called me that on your own initiative."
"No matter how I look at it, I feel like this deal is a huge loss, Miss Granger, don't you think?"
Hermione blushed dramatically.
She had rehearsed the word "husband" countless times in her mind while looking at her diary late into the night.
But when she actually said it aloud, facing his teasing yet affectionate gaze, she still felt both hot and shy.
Hermione opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Finally, as if she had made a tremendous decision, she bit her lower lip hard, turned her face away, and dared not look at him.
After burying her burning face deep into the warmth of his neck, she whispered, "... Husband."
Draco laughed heartily.
Laughter came through clearly through their tightly pressed skin, sending a shiver down Hermione's spine.
He reached out and gently patted her back, as if soothing a frightened kitten, and said in a triumphant, nasty tone:
"Huh? The wind is too strong, I can't hear you."
Hermione sullenly shrank further into his arms, like an ostrich trying to hide itself, but in the end, she couldn't resist him. She raised her voice slightly, still filled with shyness and trembling, but much clearer than before. "H-husband..."
Hermione was both embarrassed and anxious by his shameless behavior. She squirmed uncomfortably in his arms, trying to bury her face even deeper like an ostrich hiding itself.
But this time, as if summoning all her courage, she raised her voice slightly and called out again in a soft, whiny voice, "Hus... husband..."
"That's right, good girl." Draco finally smiled with satisfaction, and he lowered his head to kiss Hermione's soft lips deeply, as if rewarding her.
Draco then dropped his joking expression and began to slowly reveal the answer, his fingers casually stroking the delicate skin of her back.
"Actually, I had already made arrangements with all the shopkeepers when Hogsmeade was invaded by Dementor."
"I personally invested in their shops, holding only a small share, about 10%."
Seeing her surprised expression,
Draco continued his narration:
"Remember at the Three Broomsticks the other day? Madam Rosmerta offered to sign the contract with me first."
"Once my father officially becomes Minister for Magic, these shopkeepers will be more than eager to latch onto Malfoy's coattails and use our influence to solidify their businesses."
Hermione looked up at Draco in surprise.
In an instant, she understood all the key points.
All the shopkeepers in Hogsmeade are shrewd people; they can see the winds and know who to side with.
Draco was not only generous, willing to take only a small share, but more importantly, he had the incoming Minister for Magic, Lucius Malfoy, standing behind him.
For businessmen, this wasn't just a collaboration; it was a windfall, and no one would refuse it.
It turns out that Draco was not just all talk, nor did he simply rely on his family's power to intimidate others.
He had been secretly making plans behind the scenes for a long time.
Using their wisdom and resources, they paved a smooth and wide road for her, just waiting for her to walk across it.
Her eyes instantly felt hot.
An indescribable feeling of emotion welled up in my heart.
"Thank you, Draco!"
Draco reached out and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, then gently kissed her lips:
Why thank me when I'm talking to my own husband?
Hermione's face was practically overflowing with happiness.
She nestled back into Draco's warm embrace. "Meeting you, Draco, is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."
"Good to know." Draco said contentedly.
Hermione shifted restlessly in his arms, her slender fingers gently clutching the fabric of his pajamas, her fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. She slowly tilted her head back, the blush on her cheeks still lingering, only deepening with her next words. Her long eyelashes fluttered timidly like startled butterfly wings. She pursed her lips, finally mustering her courage, and whispered in an incredibly soft, sweet voice, "Can't you... say something sweet too? You're just teasing me."
This simple sentence was like a key, gently unlocking a floodgate in Hermione's heart that called "being affectionate."
Perhaps the night was too gentle, and the embrace too warm.
Or perhaps it was the honesty and emotion he had just evoked that had disarmed her completely; he stirred in his arms and said softly:
"Couldn't you... at least say something nice... instead of just brushing me off with 'I know'...?"
Hermione's face began to burn as she said this.
Even though I was the one who asked first, once I actually said it, a wave of embarrassment washed over me.
At this moment, she was all soft and fluffy, like a melting marshmallow, completely devoid of her usual assertive and eloquent demeanor in class.
Draco was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to make such a request, but then a joyful smile spread across his face.
He said jokingly:
"I never imagined that our strong-willed Miss Granger would actually ask me to say sweet nothings?"
Hermione's face flushed even hotter, as if her secret had been exposed. She immediately retorted softly, a little defiant, her eyes darting around, avoiding his gaze. "I... I just... said it offhand! It's fine if you don't say anything, who cares?"
Hermione's face instantly became even hotter.
She seemed both burned by Draco's words and embarrassed by her own "spoiled" behavior, which was out of character for her.