Watching that petite figure struggling so hard in the water, Draco's smile widened.
This little witch, even her escape is so amusing.
At the other end of the pool, Hermione began to swim enthusiastically, using her unique swimming style to circle back and forth along the short side of the pool.
To prove that she could swim without Draco's help, Hermione swam with great focus, seemingly muttering to herself, probably giving herself a shout or correcting her movements.
Looking at this scene,
A brilliant idea popped into Draco's head.
So he slipped silently into the water.
Hermione was completely unaware of this.
She was swimming with great enthusiasm; the joy of exercise, coupled with the excitement of mastering a new skill, completely overshadowed any slight embarrassment or annoyance she felt.
I mentally counted: This is already the fifth round trip!
Good, that's progress! Hermione secretly encouraged herself.
As she swam back to roughly the starting point, she looked towards the edge of the pool with a touch of pride, perhaps to show off her achievement, or perhaps simply to search for that familiar figure.
But the pond was empty.
Only rippling water and dappled sunlight.
"Huh?" Hermione stopped splashing around, steadied herself on the water, and looked around in confusion, but he wasn't on the terrace either.
" Draco?" she called out, raising her voice.
Only the sea breeze offered a faint response.
Where did this guy go?
Could it be... that he thought I was getting too bored swimming and went back to his room? Or... is he up to something again?
As she waded through the water, craning her neck to look towards the suite, her mind racing with various possibilities...
Sudden!
Something grabbed my ankle.
"Ah!!" Hermione screamed in terror, instinctively struggling and kicking, trying to break free from the iron grip!
Her violent movements stirred the calm pool water into a boiling state, with huge splashes of water spraying everywhere.
"Let me go! What is that! Get away! Draco! Help--!" Hermione cried out to Draco for help immediately.
However, the monster's claws did not loosen their grip; instead, they slowly slid upwards along her smooth calf, with a chilling sensation.
Before she could react,
He was suddenly pulled underwater.
"Ugh!" Hermione was caught off guard, and a little pool water instantly filled her nostrils. In a panic, she was about to open her mouth to breathe when she felt her lips being sealed by a warm and soft object.
Hermione's body, which had been tense from shock, instantly softened. The burning sensation in her lungs was soothed by the sudden kiss, replaced by a dizzying feeling as if her brain was deprived of oxygen.
Hermione's eyes widened in the blurry underwater vision.
Draco's magnified face was inches away; he skillfully pried open her teeth and breathed over her.
It's that bastard Draco!
In an instant, the shame and indignation of being tricked replaced the fear!
Before the kiss was over, Hermione, relying on memory and instinct, pinched Draco's soft side hard.
The water's resistance did indeed reduce the explosive power and speed, but Hermione, enraged to the extreme, didn't diminish the ferocity of her pinch.
Draco's triumphant groan turned into a painful gasp, and a string of tiny bubbles rose from where their lips met.
Although he winced in pain, he didn't let go of the kiss. Instead, he retaliated by gently biting Hermione's lower lip.
Even after the kiss ended, Hermione's anger had clearly not subsided.
Taking advantage of Draco's pain and the slight loosening of his grip,
Her legs, like the most flexible and resilient seaweed, tightly wrapped around his waist, fixing herself firmly to him, attempting to use her full weight and entanglement to make him lose his balance and swallow water!
Hermione's underwater strangulation caused Draco to sway, but his core strength was extremely high, and he quickly regained his balance by tensing his muscles.
He tightened his arms, pressing Hermione's body, which was wrapped around him, against him. The two were pressed tightly together in the water, their limbs intertwined, forming a strange balance that was both antagonistic and intimate.
Draco then made a provocative gesture.
One hand slid down the curve of Hermione's thigh to the back of her thigh, hooked the elastic band at the high waist of her swim trunks, and then pulled it outwards, making a threatening gesture as if to pull it off!
Hermione froze, her legs tightening around his waist, and her hands loosened their grip on his waist!
Her eyes widened in terror again underwater; she was still afraid that something might happen to this utterly shameless rogue...
Finally, he managed to break free from Draco's grasp, frantically kicking backward to quickly create distance.
Seeing her instantly cower in fear, Draco smirked.
A bubble escaped from the corner of his mouth.
Then he gestured for her to go up, and with a quick swing of his leg, he was the first to float to the surface.
"Splash--"
"Splash--"
The two emerged from the water one after the other.
Hermione gasped for breath as soon as she touched the air, wiping the water off her face with her hands while glaring at Draco not far away with her eyes burning with anger.
" Draco Malfoy! You bastard! You scared me to death, and now you want to... You filthy! Shameless!" Hermione cursed, her cheeks flushed red with anger, her chest heaving violently.
"It's a practical exercise," Draco wiped the water from his face and swam closer to her. "I want to see if our brave Miss Granger can effectively retaliate and protect herself when faced with sudden underwater harassment."
This shameless teaching summary infuriated Hermione so much she almost fainted. "Who wants this kind of practical exercise?!"
She was so angry she wanted to pounce on him and hit him, but she was wary of his past underwater offenses, so she could only slap the water hard, splashing a spray of water.
It was poured on Draco's face.
"What were you trying to do just now?! Do you believe I'll really fight you to the death?!" Hermione demanded, recalling the hook she'd made underwater.
"What did I do?" Draco asked, adopting an expression as innocent as a first-year student at Hogwarts.
"I just noticed your swim trunks straps seemed a little loose, so I wanted to tighten them for you so you wouldn't accidentally... expose yourself while swimming. It was just me being considerate, it was gentlemanly behavior, how could you accuse me like that, Hermione?"
His tone was sincere and earnest, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
"Nobody believes you! You call that tying it tight? You clearly wanted to rip it off!" Hermione was so angry that she blurted out whatever came to mind, her face turning even redder.
"I don't care! You scared me! You have to make it up to me!"
Hermione's pouty expression and slightly domineering personality make her even cuter.
"Didn't you just punish me severely underwater with your little pliers? Look, it's all bruised. Isn't that enough compensation?" Draco pointed to his side, his expression aggrieved, though it was hard to see through the water.
"That doesn't count! You deserved it! It was self-defense!" Hermione retorted immediately, then quickly came up with an idea.
You must remove one condition I owe you!
"Wow! Miss Hermione, you're taking advantage of my misfortune!" Draco clutched his chest, exclaiming dramatically, "Not only is my kidney injured, but you're also trying to rob me of my precious debt?"