Harry, standing beside Ron, wore a gentle smile as Seamus curiously inquired about his vacation.
Harry said mysteriously, "I was with my godfather, and we did some... special things."
He didn't elaborate on whether it was a secret mission for the Order of the Phoenix or simply a family gathering, but the gleam in his eyes when he mentioned his relatives made those around him tactfully refrain from asking further questions, leaving only a sigh of envy.
Lavender and Parvati, best friends, huddled together, their voices high-pitched and shrill, chattering about the new headbands they'd bought for the holidays and the latest article in the Witch Weekly about an improved formula for Love Potion.
"I heard it can last all day now!" Parvati said.
And the various inside tidbits brought back by Lavender's cousin, who was interning at the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic.
As Ginny listened to everyone's conversation, she casually twirled her red hair with her fingers, occasionally interjecting a comment about how many new Ghoul had joined the family. Her gaze would occasionally drift towards Harry, carrying a barely perceptible tenderness.
Luna, in her ethereal and dreamlike voice, recounted how she and her father searched for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack during their holiday.
"Dad said that under the winter moonlight, their corners would refract a rainbow-like halo, but unfortunately we only found some that looked very similar, but were actually light refracted by icicles."
She was wearing a Santa hat she had made herself from mistletoe and glowing beetle wings.
However, Olivia remained unusually quiet amidst the bustling crowd. She simply tidied her quills silently, not uttering a word about the holiday, as if that period was a blank in her memory.
Draco and Hermione sat side by side in a slightly larger armchair, very close together, with a quiet and tacit atmosphere between them that was difficult for others to penetrate.
Just then, Cho Chang walked over with two glasses of Pumpkin Juice, her gaze shifting between Draco and Hermione.
Then, Cho Chang, curious, broke the subtle silence:
Hey Draco, Hermione, what have you been doing on your holidays? You both seem to have a lot of stories to tell.
However, no sooner had she finished speaking than Ron turned around abruptly and loudly complained in an exaggeratedly unbearable tone:
Why are you asking them this? Is it even necessary to ask?
"Anyone with a brain knows they're inseparable, always so lovey-dovey, it's sickeningly sweet!"
"Are you trying to choke on your own dog food?"
After a string of complaints, Ron rolled his eyes, as if recalling some unpleasant experience of being forced to watch from the sidelines.
Lavender chuckled and chimed in, "Exactly! Anyone with a brain knows it's a date." She winked knowingly, which made Parvati giggle too.
I don't think so.
Luna interjected in her dreamy voice, turning her head to look intently at Hermione with her slightly bulging eyes:
" Hermione's aura suggests she's brimming with a thirst for knowledge; if it were her, she'd likely spend most of her holidays studying or researching some kind of complex Ancient Runes."
"Anyway, studying definitely takes up the most time in Hermione's schedule." Luna's words startled everyone around her for a moment, then burst into good-natured laughter.
Hermione looked back at her with some surprise. Apart from that time in Diagon Alley, Luna hadn't had much contact with her. She hadn't expected her to be so clever, and even to have guessed the Ancient Runes...
Upon hearing this, a hint of amusement flashed across Draco's face.
He deliberately boasted, "Actually, there's nothing special about it. It's just getting up early every day to practice magic and stretch my muscles. After each practice session..."
Upon hearing "practice" and "every time," Hermione's alarm bells went off!
What a foul-mouthed guy! What is he trying to say?!
Does that mean "she gets a spanking every time she loses"?!
If word gets out, where will Gryffindor's know-it-all face be? How will she maintain her image of intelligence and wisdom?
So before he could say anything, Hermione swiftly covered Draco's mouth with a blanket!
The speed of their movements stunned everyone around them.
"Ugh--!" Draco's words were stuck in his throat, only a muffled nasal sound came out. Hermione gave him a look that said, "If you dare say that, I'll take you down with me."
Draco certainly wouldn't tell!
This kind of fun is best left between the two of them!
Parvati keenly sensed something amiss. "Oh! There's a story! There's definitely a story! Every time what? Draco, tell me, what happened every time?"
Lavender, with an even more gossipy look, added:
"Yeah, yeah! Malfoy, tell us! What 'fun' things happen after each sparring session?"
My friends all looked at me with curiosity.
Qiu Zhang smiled somewhat awkwardly, seemingly not expecting his question to cause such a commotion.
Feeling the gossipy gazes directed at her from all directions, Hermione felt her face flush.
She clutched her hand even tighter and explained in a flustered manner:
"No, nothing special."
"It was just a normal magical exchange, summarizing experiences and lessons learned, and discussing spell usage. A very ordinary academic exchange."
She tried to steer the conversation back on track.
However, her flushed cheeks and the intense reaction of covering her mouth earlier already indicated that something was amiss.
"Oh, it's just a normal academic exchange."
Lavender deliberately dragged out his words, then exchanged a knowing look with Parvati.
"Do you blush after every practice session?" Parvati chimed in fearlessly, only to be glared at by Hermione again.
Hermione knew that explaining it would only make things worse.
She simply pursed her lips, adopting a "no comment" stance, refusing to utter a single word no matter what they said.
She cursed Draco a thousand times in her mind, and decided to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with him again!
Seeing that he couldn't get any exciting information out of Hermione, and that Draco was acting like a henpecked husband who would listen to his wife, Draco, though itching to get the information and extremely disappointed, had no choice but to change the subject and start talking about other things related to Quillini.
After secretly letting out a sigh of relief, Hermione quietly pinched Draco's thigh under the table as a warning.
Draco winced in pain, but the smug smile on his lips was impossible to suppress; he just looked utterly irritating.
With the end of the Christmas holidays, life at Hogwarts quickly returned to its familiar routine. Without the Dementor around or the panic of Sirius's escape, the second semester of the third year unfolded in a relatively peaceful atmosphere.
Classes, homework, Great Hall, club activities... the days were so regular they were almost monotonous.
For Draco, this overly normal school life lacked sufficient excitement and... fun.