Draco didn't speak, but simply reached out to her waist.
Before Hermione's gasp could even get out of her throat, he easily pulled her into his arms and flipped her over!
In a dizzying moment, Hermione found herself lying on her side instead of... straddling Draco's lap!
A crisp "snap!" sound rang out.
His palm landed on her buttocks with a light touch.
"You're making a fuss now that you're awake, huh?" Draco's other hand was still firmly on her lower back, preventing her from moving around.
Hermione froze!
This pose!
This is the position where someone is "pressed" onto your lap and spanked!
How embarrassing!
All the blood rushed to my head with a "whoosh".
His cheeks, ears, and neck were burning hot.
My hands and feet felt weak for a moment.
"You... you let me go!"
Hermione struggled in vain, her voice filled with both shame and urgency.
"This is punishment. Who told you to cause trouble so early in the morning?" Draco found it extremely amusing to see Hermione's embarrassed expression.
As he spoke, his palm fell again, the force neither too light nor too heavy, yet it made Hermione's face turn even redder.
She struggled to move, but Draco held her firmly, forcing her to bury her face in the blankets beside his legs.
"You, you pervert! Let me go! Where... where did I hit... there!" Hermione said, filled with extreme shame and indignation.
"You wouldn't understand, Miss Granger, would you? Appropriate patting can promote local blood circulation, awaken dormant muscles, and help... well, maintain health and vitality."
"You're talking nonsense!" Hermione jerked her head up, turned her face to glare at him, her cheeks as red as a ripe apple, and said with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "What... what kind of absurd logic is this!"
"What, Miss Granger, aren't you all-knowing?" Draco grinned mischievously at her. "You should know more about these basic physiological facts than I do."
Hermione was instantly speechless.
She certainly knew there were many ways to improve blood circulation, but getting spanked first thing in the morning was definitely not one of them!
But Draco said it so seriously, in the manner of "academic discussion," and even brought up her "academic genius" persona...
She was both angry and ashamed, but couldn't find a stronger rebuttal for the moment; her face was burning hot.
She could only bury her burning cheeks again, muttering with a hint of coquettishness, "You're just... deliberately bullying me!"
"Who told Miss Granger to be so naughty?" Draco said. "If you dare to play a prank first thing in the morning again, I'll use this 'blood circulation booster' method to wake you up."
Hermione lay on his lap, utterly embarrassed, but she still tried to shift the blame, saying, "Who told you to stay in bed so late..."
"You've kept me up all night, can't I even get a good night's sleep?" Draco chuckled.
"I didn't keep you up all night!" Hermione protested, but then realized her words were ambiguous, her face turning even redder as she quickly tried to salvage the situation, "I meant... yesterday... yesterday it was clearly you..."
"Alright, alright," Draco finally took pity and released his hand from her lower back, but kept her lying face down on his lap, no longer "punishing" her.
He pinched Hermione's flushed cheeks and asked, "Tell me, you little rascal, what are you up to so early in the morning, keeping me up? It can't really be just to 'improve blood circulation,' can it?"
Hermione relaxed a little, but still remained lying down, as if this position would lessen her shame.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally revealed her true purpose. "I'm hungry, that's why I called you to get up and cook."
" Miss Granger Hermione Granger, may I ask you something? Do you consider yourself... a good wife?"
Upon hearing his question, Hermione stiffened, then raised her head somewhat defiantly, blushing as she affirmed, "Of course I am! How am I incompetent?"
"What kind of dutiful wife would wake her tired husband so early in the morning and then expect him to cook?" Draco questioned.
Hermione felt a little guilty under his question, but remembering their previous agreement, she regained her confidence:
"Didn't we agree on this? I'll handle external affairs, and you'll handle internal affairs, including... logistics, including cooking!"
"I'm in charge of the household?" Draco continued to ask.
"Who was it that braved the Ancient Magic trials yesterday, pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion? And who will be the one earning money in the magical world and supporting our Miss Granger in the future? Shouldn't those within the Lord entrust you with all the affairs outside?"
His series of rhetorical questions were logically clear and forceful, leaving Hermione completely bewildered.
It seems... that makes some sense?
But something still feels off?
"That, that's because..." Hermione's mind raced, trying to find a breakthrough.
"That's because... I haven't fully unleashed my 'external' abilities yet! Behind every witch who is about to change the magical world, there should be... well, a reliable 'stay-at-home husband' who can handle everything from behind the scenes!"
"This is an optimization of the social division of labor!" The more she talked, the more convinced she became of her point, and she even felt a little smug.
Draco couldn't help but chuckle at her stubborn, self-righteous quirks.
"Sigh, that's easy to say." He sighed deliberately, his tone carrying a hint of "resentment" and "worry."
"Who knows, once you become the Minister for Magic, surrounded by admirers and promising young men, you might look down on me, this 'old maid' who only knows how to cook and do housework."
"And then... abandoning her husband and children, kicking me aside, and going to find someone more 'suitable'?"
"I wouldn't!" Hermione immediately denied.
She struggled violently to turn around and face Draco, but the position was awkward. After a moment's hesitation, she said in a very low voice, "If you don't feed me first... how... how will I feed our children in the future..."
The room fell completely silent as soon as the words were spoken.
After Hermione finished speaking, she froze.
She was immediately so ashamed that she wanted to disappear into thin air, wishing she could use Time-Turner to go back a few seconds and swallow those words back down her throat!
Good heavens! What is she saying! How could she say such a thing! This is... this is too shameless!
Draco was also visibly stunned.
He looked at the little witch lying on his lap, wishing he could bury her in the ground, and could no longer suppress the upward curve of his lips.
That's the truth.
What made Hermione's heart race even more was that
The hand that had been resting on her side slowly moved upwards, its warm palm pressed against her skin through only a thin layer of pajamas.
"Since we're on the topic... let me check how the future Mrs. Malfoy is developing, and whether her food reserves are sufficient," Draco said mischievously.
"Ouch!" Hermione cried out as if burned, her body tensing instantly. She frantically grabbed his "mischievous" hand. " Draco Malfoy! You—you can't ask that! And you... you can't move!"