Hermione struggled a couple of times symbolically, then let him be, though her body was still somewhat stiff.
"Now! Sleep! Immediately! Right now!" she commanded fiercely, trying to regain some control.
Draco buried his face in her fragrant hair and chuckled, "Not going to listen to any more sweet nothings?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Hermione's ears turned red again, and she nudged him lightly with her elbow. "If I tell you to sleep, then go to sleep!"
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to my wife." Draco adjusted his position to make her more comfortable.
But I couldn't help teasing her, "Anyway... I've memorized Miss Granger's 'dark history' perfectly."
"If anyone ever asks me what the weakness of Hogwarts's wisest witch is, I'll say—"
" Draco Malfoy! If you say another word, I'm going back to my dorm tomorrow!" Hermione interrupted him, her voice filled with shame and indignation.
Draco couldn't stop laughing, and finally stopped teasing her, simply holding her even tighter in his arms.
"Okay, stop fooling around, go to sleep."
After playing around, a sense of exhaustion and relief washes over you.
Although Hermione was still embarrassed by the accident, being held so warmly and firmly by him gradually replaced her awkwardness with a strange sense of peace and contentment.
The tense body slowly relaxed.
His breathing gradually became even and long.
Listening to the gradually calming breathing of the person in my arms,
Draco closed his eyes as well, but a satisfied smile remained on his lips.
Room of Requirement, tranquility finally returned, with only the intertwined breathing of the two indicating a peaceful night's sleep.
Hermione's biological clock woke her up precisely at dawn.
As consciousness gradually returned, the first thing I felt was a warm, firm embrace and possessive arms behind me.
She tried to gently move her body to get up, but the arm tightened, pulling her back more firmly.
Then Draco's languid voice rang out.
"Good morning, honey. How did you sleep?" Before Hermione could answer, he continued, "Yesterday someone complained that I said too many sweet nothings and kept saying they wanted to go to sleep... How about today?"
"Want to start your day with something 'good'?"
Hermione's body froze instantly.
The words "yesterday" and "sweet words" are like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of memory.
Last night's words that made her blush and her heart race, the tight embrace that suffocated her, and that final "accident" that left her utterly ashamed...
All the images and feelings rushed in like a tidal wave, instantly overwhelming her newly awakened mind.
With a "whoosh," Hermione's cheeks flushed a bright red at a visible speed.
The shame she had managed to calm down during her sleep last night was now sweeping back in even greater force, because she was now fully awake and her memory was crystal clear.
Her first instinct was to break free from his embrace and bury herself in the blankets like an ostrich, but Draco's arms were firmly wrapped around her, and she couldn't move at all.
"I..." Hermione said, "I don't want to hear anything! You, you let me go! I want to get up!"
"I see..." Draco drawled, as if he were genuinely considering it, but his warm breath brushed closer to her ear, sending a shiver down Hermione's spine.
"It's still early, no rush."
" Draco Malfoy! If you keep talking nonsense, I'm not talking to you all day!"
This utterly ineffective "threat," coupled with her flushed cheeks and trembling shoulders, seemed to Draco like...
They're so cute it's almost unfair!
Draco knew,
Last night's events truly embarrassed Hermione to the extreme; she shouldn't be teased any further, lest she become too angry and difficult to appease.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." He knew when to stop, chuckled softly, and finally released his grip.
But instead of letting go completely, he quickly and lightly kissed her flushed cheek in that position.
"Get up, my shy little witch. But..."
Before she gets angry again,
Draco added,
"Sweet words may be omitted, but a good morning kiss is a must. That's the rule, Mrs. Malfoy."
He used that last form of address again, in a tone that was full of endless intimacy and possessiveness.
Hermione's cheek trembled as he kissed her.
Hearing that name again, which made her heart race, made her feel weak all over, and she had no strength left to argue with him.
Like a startled rabbit, she jerked away from his embrace and scrambled off the bed.
Then, without looking back, she rushed into the bathroom, leaving behind only a mumbled sentence, "I... I'm going to wash up!"
Watching that fleeing figure, Draco leaned comfortably against the headboard. Hmm, a new day, starting with teasing his shy wife—feels pretty good.
Hermione splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom, took a few deep breaths, and finally managed to suppress the overwhelming sense of shame she had felt that morning and calm herself down.
She tidied her hair and pajamas in front of the mirror, making sure she looked "normal" enough.
He then opened the bathroom door, trying to make his voice sound calm and natural, and called out, " Draco, come and wash up too, it's getting late."
He walked in at the sound of the voice. Draco still carried a slight air of morning languor, but his eyes were very clear.
The two stood side by side in front of the sink and began washing up.
Hermione looked at Draco's profile in the mirror, and the discussion about future plans from last night resurfaced in her mind.
She started the conversation quite naturally:
"By the way, Draco, about that fund we talked about yesterday... if it's really going to be implemented, and we're going to pay the House-elf, how much do you think would be appropriate?"
Upon hearing this, Draco paused for a moment, glanced at her in the mirror, and a shrewd glint flashed in his eyes.
"Weekly wage: 1 Knut."
"One Knut?!" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, and she almost dropped her toothbrush.
"This... this is far too little! It's practically nothing! How can this be any kind of incentive? Besides, it's not even enough to buy a bag of the cheapest Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans!"
"Listen to me, Miss Granger. 1 Knut is not the end, it's the beginning, it's 'breaking the ice'."
Draco turned around and looked at Hermione seriously:
"First of all, you need to understand that we are not dealing with the Goblin from Gringotts who have a 'formal' employment relationship with us."
A weekly wage of 1 Knut is symbolic, representing the essential difference between 'having' and 'not having,' signifying that their 'labor' is beginning to be recognized and they are thus receiving 'compensation.'
Even if it's only one Knut, it's a first step in breaking a thousand-year-old tradition, and its significance far outweighs the amount of money itself.
"Furthermore, setting a very high salary from the outset will provoke strong opposition and panic from those Pure-blood families,"
They would see this as undermining the foundation.
"One Knut is so little that they'd consider it 'harmless,' and might even scoff at our fuss, but at the same time, they can't deny the fact that we're 'paying salaries,' so the resistance would be much less."