Of course, having Hermione by my side is the greatest comfort.
But seeing her buried in books and those parchment documents about the House-elf' rights program all day long...
Draco felt it was time to find some other, more vibrant spice for himself and Hermione.
So, on an ordinary weekend afternoon,
As Hermione rubbed her aching temples, finally closing the thick book of Transfiguration that could be used as a weapon, she prepared to begin the next section of her notes on Ancient Runes variants.
Draco stood up, snatched the quill from her hand without a word, and then dragged Hermione out of the pile of books.
"Let's go, wife."
"Where are we going?" Hermione looked at him blankly. "I still have notes to organize, and this afternoon I need to go to the library to look up information about the ancient contracts of House-elf..."
"Those can wait," Draco interrupted her, reaching out to pull her up from her chair. "Come with me, I'm taking you somewhere; it's important."
Hermione looked at him suspiciously, and he half-dragged, half-pulled her out of the library, through the castle corridor, and uphill.
It wasn't until Hermione reached the familiar tapestry on the Seventh Floor, opposite the one depicting the Troll bat beating Barnabas the Barmy, that she realized what was happening.
" The Room of Requirement? What are we doing here?" She was even more puzzled. There was neither the urgency of Ancient Magic trial nor any important matters requiring secret discussion today.
Draco didn't answer immediately, but instead led her back and forth in front of the tapestry three times, silently reciting his needs.
A smooth wooden door appeared.
He pushed open the door and went in first.
Hermione followed inside, and the sight before her made her pause in surprise.
Before me was a spacious, bright room with gleaming dark wood floors. One wall of the room was a huge floor-to-ceiling window, outside which was the illusion of Hogwarts Lake and its surrounding mountains. Soft sunlight evenly filled the entire space.
At the other end of the room stood a rather old brass phonograph, with several vinyl records scattered around it.
A pleasant fragrance, similar to that of waxed wood floors, wafted through the air.
"This is..." Hermione looked around, puzzled.
Draco walked over to the phonograph, skillfully picked out a record, put it on, and lowered the needle.
After a soft hissing sound, a melodious, soothing waltz with a classical rhythm flowed out from the brass trumpet like a gentle stream.
He gracefully performed a standard invitation.
"Come practice dancing, my dear Miss Granger." Draco casually unbuttoned the collar of his school uniform.
The fourth-grade Yule Ball is just around the corner.
" Yule Ball?" Hermione blinked, still looking confused. "What Yule Ball? I've never heard of it. Are there any events like that in fourth grade?"
She mentally reviewed the events at Hogwarts and couldn't recall Yule Ball specifically for fourth-year students.
"Next year will be different," Draco said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "When we move up to fourth year, Hogwarts will host a grand event: the Triwizard Tournament."
" The Triwizard Tournament?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. As a witch with a keen interest in the history and politics of the Wizarding World, she certainly knew about this ancient and dangerous competition. "But wasn't it discontinued many years ago? And it's said to be extremely dangerous!"
"The event can be restarted after a suspension, and the danger can be controlled," Draco said calmly. " The Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards have basically finalized the agreement to restart the competition next school year."
"As an important part of the event, there will also be a grand Yule Ball, which requires the Champion and their partners, as well as students in fourth grade and above, to participate."
"This is an international social occasion. Delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be there, along with many foreign wizards and Ministry of Magic officials."
Seeing Hermione's thoughtful expression, Draco added, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation:
"And our good friend Pheobe will also be representing Beauxbatons at the ball. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of her because you stumble and fall while dancing, do you?"
" Pheobe is coming too?!" Hermione was indeed drawn to the news, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
But then another point of doubt emerged in the conversation.
"Wait a minute," Hermione looked at Draco with suspicion, " The Triwizard Tournament has restarted... Such important news, even the Daily Prophet hasn't officially reported it, and Hogwarts hasn't given any notification. How do you know? And in such detail? You even know Pheobe might come?"
She was just curious.
"Never mind that!" Draco changed the subject. "The important thing is, Pheobe will come. Because of her Veela blood, there will definitely be a lot of male wizards swarming around her."
"But I'll definitely revolve around you."
Draco concluded by emphasizing,
A slight blush rose to Hermione's cheeks.
"...Boring, who wants you to keep running around me."
But Hermione thought again and realized she really needed to practice.
The thought of being ridiculed by the whole school for stepping on someone's foot at the dance, or being made to look like a country bumpkin by Pheobe, sent a chill down my spine.
"You're right," Hermione took a deep breath, her eyes hardening. "We really should practice beforehand; we can't let Hogwarts... and ourselves down."
After saying that, Hermione couldn't help but recall the time during a previous holiday when Draco suddenly decided to teach her to dance.
At that time, she was completely absorbed in her books and had no interest in dancing, a useless social skill. She also felt that she was not very athletic except for flying.
The result was naturally clumsy; she kept stepping on Draco's feet or failing to keep up with the pace. After several failures, she simply said in a fit of pique that she wouldn't practice anymore, since she wouldn't be able to use it anyway! Then she left Draco, who looked helpless, standing to the side.
Looking back now, I feel... a little embarrassed.
Draco clearly recalled that dark history as well, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He naturally reached out, gently taking her hand in one and placing his other hand lightly on her waist.
"Then, Miss Granger, please give your hand to this unworthy dance partner."
"Don't worry, this time I'll definitely teach you patiently and make sure you shine at the ball..."
"Just don't do what happened last time, jumping halfway through and trying to hit me with your wand, or abandoning me and running back to the library."
Hermione blushed and glared at him reproachfully. "I didn't! You were the one who led the way that time!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The music continued to flow.
Draco began to guide her through reviewing the most basic dance steps.
This time, Hermione was noticeably more serious, trying to concentrate and feel his guidance and the rhythm of the music.
Draco, breaking down the movements, offering gentle hints, and occasionally lightening the mood with offhand comments in a voice only the two of them could hear.