Fred and George exchanged a knowing glance, then pursed their lips and let out a loud whistle.
The whistle was full of amusement, and even more so, a mischievous glint in its eyes, as if it were a case of "the more the merrier."
"Wow, they've retaliated! The little viper has finally shown its fangs!" Fred shouted, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around him to hear clearly.
"And that bite was pretty accurate! Look at our little Ronnie, his face is all purple like a beetroot!"
George's gaze fell on Ron's flushed face, his tone becoming even more mocking.
The two brothers, working in unison, clearly found the farce unfolding at the Gryffindor table to be becoming increasingly entertaining.
Ron's face, as expected, went from a furious liver color to an even deeper purplish-red.
He clearly hadn't expected Draco to retaliate like this, let alone that the other party would directly point out his loss of composure.
He opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.
Draco's words undoubtedly struck a very delicate nerve.
In full view of everyone, Ron yelled at a new classmate who hadn't yet made any real attack to get out of the way.
Such behavior is hardly justifiable for Hogwarts, which outwardly emphasizes "fairness" and "etiquette."
"I--you--!" Ron's finger trembled as he pointed at Draco, struggling to speak for a long time before managing to squeeze out only a few broken syllables.
Hermione's brows furrowed instantly, and a quick glance of understanding flashed in her intelligent eyes.
She saw through Draco's strategy at a glance.
This is an attempt to shift the focus, using Ron's lapse in composure to obscure the abruptness and suspiciousness of his own uninvited sitting.
Composing herself, Hermione immediately said in a rapid-fire voice, "This has nothing to do with Ron's performance!"
She tried to steer the conversation back within the logical framework she had set for herself.
"We are discussing your behavioral logic and social boundaries, Mr. Malfoy. Blaming others does not justify your inappropriate behavior."
Draco put down his knife and fork, looked up at Hermione, and a faint smile played on his lips.
" Miss Granger, I know you have many questions about what happened to me this morning. I also know that your questions are based on sound logic, not unfounded prejudice."
Upon hearing these words, Hermione's brain instantly flashed warning lights.
While she was wary, she was also subtly pleased by Draco's precise description.
Hermione raised her eyebrows slightly, the pure resistance on her face fading somewhat, replaced by scrutiny and inquiry.
She instinctively hugged her arms tightly, a posture that served as both a defensive gesture and a signal that she was ready to listen.
"Well, you're right about one thing at least," Hermione said calmly, her tone still somewhat distant, but no longer completely aloof.
"I'm sitting here for a reason," Draco continued calmly.
"Next, rumors about me, and possibly related to many other things, will surely spread like wildfire."
"Instead of letting everyone get information from distorted and misleading rumors, let's get the limited, albeit firsthand, truth from the source, which is me."
Hermione's gaze became increasingly focused, and her slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, clearly indicating that she had begun to seriously consider the feasibility of Draco's words.
"If you'd like," Draco changed the subject, offering his own suggestion.
"During lunch, I can answer three questions for you."
"The scope of the issue is limited to my being taken away this morning and the details of my whereabouts afterward."
"But the premise is that it must not involve privacy or confidential information, and it must be logical."
At this point, Draco paused slightly, clearly sensing that Hermione's brain was already working at lightning speed.
That's right, Hermione was already building a list of questions, and even the order in which she would ask them was already decided in her mind.
Sure enough, after a moment, Hermione nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"In exchange, I need a relatively quiet dining environment," Draco said frankly.
Hermione's gaze swept quickly across the noisy long table around them, countless probing eyes falling on them like searchlights, before returning to Draco's face, a faint sneer playing on her lips, "You call this 'peace'?"
Draco shrugged dismissively, forked a piece of steak, put it in his mouth, chewed twice, and gave a clear "Hmm!"
"Alright." Hermione hesitated for a moment, then finally relented. "At least here, compared to the direct provocations that might occur elsewhere, this could be considered a kind of 'orderly' hostility."
Draco put down his knife and fork, looked up at her, his eyes carrying a hint of persuasion. "Do you think this suggestion... is logically more efficient than sending me elsewhere and letting the rumors spread?"
Hermione fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, and after about two or three seconds, she slowly spoke, "If I accept this... information exchange agreement, it must be based on the following amended terms."
She held up her fingers and listed them one by one. "First, the number of questions has increased to five. Three are not enough to cover the necessary dimensions of information."
"Secondly, I have the right to determine whether your answer constitutes a 'valid answer.' A perfunctory response or an irrelevant answer will be considered invalid."
"Thirdly, as a preliminary demonstration of sincerity in verifying authenticity, you need to proactively provide a piece of information that can be verified by a third party."
"Fourth, the definition of a 'quiet environment' is: during the question-and-answer session, you must remain silent unless it is your turn to answer a question. You must not interrupt or change the subject."
Upon hearing this, Draco sighed dramatically, "These clauses of yours are just too unfair."
Hermione looked him straight in the eye, her arms unconsciously tightening around herself, but she said firmly, "This is a necessary modification based on logic and risk control. If you accept, we can begin. If not, then please leave."
After this conversation, Lavender and Parvati, who were standing nearby, were so excited they were almost fainting.
The two huddled together and whispered excitedly.
"My God! He's negotiating with her! Just like Ministry of Magic official negotiating." Lavender covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Parvati nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of admiration. " Hermione is amazing! She completely controlled the situation! Malfoy couldn't gain the slightest advantage!"
Ron, on the other hand, was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped.
He stared at Hermione, then abruptly turned to stare at Draco, his expression one of utter disbelief at what was happening before him.
How did this confrontation, which should have been tense and confrontational, turn into a serious "negotiation"?
He grabbed Hermione's sleeve abruptly, growling urgently, " Hermione! Are you crazy?! He's playing you! This is clearly a trap!"
Hermione simply shook her head slightly at Ron's tugging, her gaze remaining firmly fixed on Draco, her expression calm as she awaited his reply.
At this moment, she had entered a state of focused concentration on "solving the problem," seemingly shutting out the disturbances of the outside world.
Draco took it all in, his smile widening. He turned to Ron was jumping up and down in a panic, and teased him:
" Ron, aren't you tired of standing? I'm sitting next to Miss Granger, not next to you. If you don't want to sit here, then please leave, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Lavender and Parvati simultaneously covered their mouths again, their eyes widening even more in disbelief.
"He actually let Ron go! Who does he think he is?!" Lavender's voice was full of shock.
Parvati, her eyes wide with amazement, lowered her voice and said, "But what he said makes so much sense! He's using Hermione's rules to get back at Ron! How cunning!"
Ron seemed to have been struck by a silent Petrificus Totalus, his entire body instantly stiffening, and he even forgot to let go of Hermione's sleeve.
His mouth gaped open, his face a mixture of disbelief, utter absurdity, and furious rage at being thoroughly provoked.
He had probably never heard such absurd logic in his life: at the Gryffindor long table, a Malfoy dared to tell him to leave?!
"I—you—!" Ron stammered again, this time from extreme anger, his voice sharp and distorted, "This is our table! You're the one who should get out!"
Hermione's brows furrowed deeply, and her expression darkened.
Draco's words did indeed hit the nail on the head logically.
This agreement was reached between her and Draco.
Ron's continued interference, in theory, was indeed undermining the premise of the agreement she had just established, which required a "relatively calm environment."
" Ron!" Hermione finally pulled her sleeve back forcefully, her tone revealing an undisguised impatience and seriousness.
Her gaze remained fixed on Draco, avoiding Draco 'Ron eyes. She said in a low voice, "Sit down! Don't let him interfere! Remember the terms of the agreement; I need to focus!"
Ron abruptly turned to look at Hermione, his eyes wide with disbelief and astonishment. " Hermione?!"
He blurted out Hermione's name.
The voice was filled with hurt and confusion, "You actually spoke up for him?!"
Ron simply couldn't understand why, when faced with Malfoy's blatant provocation, Hermione didn't stand with him in solidarity, but instead seemed to "stand on his side."
He stopped trying to pull Hermione away, and instead turned around abruptly, slamming back onto the bench with a loud thud. The force of his movement caused the entire bench to shake violently.
He crossed his arms tightly to his chest, leaned back stiffly in his chair, deliberately keeping a distance from Draco and even Hermione, creating an isolated and angry fortress.
Ron didn't look at Hermione again, but stared at Draco with a look that seemed to want to tear Draco apart and rip him to pieces.