"Oh my, Hermione, are you so shy? Draco has been calling you 'wife' for so long, how come you can't even say a more intimate nickname? Just calling Draco Draco you sound so distant!" Mary teased with a sly smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Hermione.
"I... I didn't!" Hermione stammered, "I'm just used to it, and what's wrong with calling him Draco!"
"That's just an excuse. I think he's really just shy!"
Becky added insult to injury with a grin.
"Are you still going to fight, mixed-gender or not?!" Hermione, a little annoyed by their laughter, raised her voice slightly, trying to change the subject, "If not... we're going back!"
"Let's play! Of course we'll play!" Jack quickly smoothed things over, afraid the joke would spoil the mood, and immediately finalized the match.
"Let's form teams as Draco suggested. Becky and I will be on one team, and the two of you will be on the other. Get on the field and start fighting!"
"Alright, alright," Becky had no choice but to nod in agreement, "Then I'll team up with Jack."
Jack, however, was quite optimistic, patting his chest and declaring, "We're strong too. If we coordinate well, we might not lose!"
With the teams decided, the four picked up their rackets again and headed to the court: Draco and Hermione on one side, and Jack and Becky on the other.
Stepping onto the court, Hermione put her earlier embarrassment behind her and got into game mode. She stood on the left side of the baseline, gripping her racket tightly with both hands, her back straight, staring intently at Jack and Becky opposite her, her whole body tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.
This was, after all, her first doubles match, albeit for entertainment purposes, and her partner was Draco, an unpredictable element.
"Remember your positions later. I'll guard the baseline, and you'll be at the net. Don't run around or try to show off. Doubles is all about teamwork, understand?" Hermione turned to Draco, who was standing at the net looking relaxed, and gave him a few instructions.
Draco, who was casually warming up with his racket, turned around and replied, "Okay, honey. But with my skills, I can win no matter what, right? Don't be so nervous."
"Don't be so arrogant, there are a lot of things that can happen on the field," Hermione retorted irritably. "Don't blame me if we lose."
"I'll just deny it," Draco said matter-of-factly.
Hermione glared,
"Because you were in charge, and your poor command led to the failure, shouldn't you bear the main responsibility?" Draco explained.
Hermione's eyes widened in anger, and she was about to retort...
Jack, watching from the opposite side, couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Hey! You two over there, are you still going to fight or not? The match is about to start! Can you two stop showing off your love on the field?"
"Take your time with your show. We'll just wait here until you're done being all lovey-dovey before we start fighting," Becky said, unconcerned.
Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger at their conversation. She glared at Draco, signaling with her eyes that it was all his fault, to which Draco responded with an innocent shrug.
Their eyes met briefly, and Hermione, feeling awkward about continuing her banter with Draco, called out to him, "We're ready too, let's begin."
Tom, acting as the temporary referee, cleared his throat and announced, "The match begins! First set, Jack / Becky serve!"
In the first round, after several rounds of steady rallies following the serve, Jack hit a high ball, and the opportunity arose.
For Draco, who was positioned at the net, this was an excellent opportunity to attack, and he could even score directly with a smash.
" Draco!" Hermione also had high hopes for him.
However, when Draco saw the high ball, his eyes lit up. Without saying a word, he suddenly jumped into the air, his body stretched out, and he unleashed a magnificent and powerful smash.
"Bang--!"
The tennis ball hurtled out like a cannonball, until...
It flew out of bounds.
The ball slammed heavily onto the advertising boards behind the baseline.
"Out of bounds. 0-15, Jack / Becky scores."
Tom delivered a merciless verdict.
Seeing Draco still maintaining his stylish finishing pose, Hermione scolded, "What did I just tell you?! You could have just volleyed that ball normally, why did you have to show off?"
Draco flicked a stray hair from his forehead. "Elegance is more important than victory. Wasn't that jump cool?"
"Handsome my foot!" Hermione was so angry she almost threw her racket. She pointed to the ball mark out of bounds. "We're playing doubles! It's a doubles match, not a solo show!"
"Seriously, honey? It's only the first goal, and you're already complaining about your husband?" Draco said, feigning grievance.
Hermione ignored him.
"Ahem!" Jack called out again, "You two, watch your catch! Can't you wait until after the game to start flirting?"
This interruption helped the two get back into the game.
This time it was Becky's serve. A weak second serve landed on Hermione's forehand side. Hermione adjusted her mindset and hit a forehand smash, sending the ball into the gap between Jack and Becky. Jack managed to return the ball, but the quality of the return was poor, and it floated towards the net.
Seizing the opportunity, Draco moved to the net to volley. However, just as he swung his racket, Jack seemed to have anticipated it, hitting a high-quality drop shot close to the net. The ball dropped rapidly after clearing the net and looked like it was about to bounce back.
Standing at the baseline, Hermione panicked and instinctively rushed forward to save the ball as she saw it close to the net.
She had only taken two steps when she remembered that Draco was right in front of the net, and that the ball should be handled by Draco was closer to the net!
Charging forward by yourself could not only cause you to collide with Draco, but it would also completely open up your defensive zone!
"Oh no!" Hermione stopped in her tracks, trying to back away.
But it was too late. In the instant she hesitated, Draco was also startled by her forward momentum, and Hermione, due to the sudden stop, lost her balance and was about to fall.
Just then, a hand firmly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. Hermione and Draco's eyes met, and the tennis ball landed on the open ground between them.
It bounced twice and then stopped moving.
"Honey, why are you running around like this? Didn't we agree that you'd guard the baseline and I'd take care of the net?" Draco said with a helpless smile.
"I was afraid you'd be too slow to react and wouldn't be able to catch that ball! It was so close to the net..." Hermione explained somewhat awkwardly.
Draco was both amused and exasperated, and helped her sit up straight. "Are you afraid I won't be able to receive the prize, or are you afraid I'll steal your thunder?"
"Hahaha!" The people watching from the sidelines, and even the referee Tom, couldn't help but laugh. This couple was hilarious. One of them insisted on showing off by spiking the ball out of bounds, while the other didn't trust his partner and ran around aimlessly. As a result, the ball landed in the middle and no one caught it.
Jack and Becky on the other side couldn't help but laugh.
Jack shook his head and sighed, "Hey guys, can't we just play properly? Your teamwork... it's absolutely amazing."