Hermione's body stiffened for a moment, as if an invisible Petrificus Totalus had swept over her.
She then abruptly turned her head and glared at Ron.
Those brown eyes, which had always shone with clear and intelligent light, were now filled with disbelief and astonishment, along with a cold anger at being severely misunderstood.
She looked at Ron, but the familiarity and warmth in her eyes had vanished, as if she were standing before a stranger who was only capable of making unreasonable demands.
"Speak up for him?" Hermione's voice suddenly rose. " Weasley, your logic is simply astonishing!"
"I'm not 'helping' anyone!" she said, her voice growing increasingly rapid. "I'm dealing with an information input problem! In the most efficient and direct way!"
She didn't even give Ron a moment to breathe, her sharp gaze sweeping across his face, which was contorted with anger and resentment.
"What constructive purpose do your yelling and baseless accusations serve, other than making noise and distracting me?"
"If you have a more efficient way to get information about him--"
She glanced quickly in Draco's direction and spoke in her still-cold tone.
"If you have verifiable information about his whereabouts this morning and any abnormalities at the branch, please provide it now! If not, please remain silent and do not interfere with my execution of this logically superior plan!"
Hermione took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, as if trying to suppress all the frustration before her last bit of patience ran out.
But the words she spoke became increasingly resolute:
"This has nothing to do with personal likes or dislikes, Weasley! It's about method and efficiency! If you can't even tell that apart, I suggest you review the chapter in * Hogwarts: Hogwarts, A History * about how disputes between houses should be mediated by Prefect and professors, instead of engaging in pointless emotional venting here!"
After she finished speaking, she didn't look at Ron again, turning her body and all her attention back to Draco.
It was as if Ron was just an annoying background noise that had already been dealt with.
Beside her, Ron's world seemed to shatter silently at that moment.
Hermione's cold words were like an invisible slap across his face.
The slap drained all the color from his face, leaving only a deathly pale complexion.
Those eyes, always brimming with straightforward emotions, were wide open, churning with disbelief, astonishment, and hurt.
He seemed unable to believe that these words would come from Hermione was on the same side.
These words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing his pride and causing him more humiliation and shame than any of Draco's previous provocations.
Ron's ears and neck were quickly flushed crimson with shame and anger, almost dripping blood.
He turned his head sharply, his crimson eyes fixed on Draco.
But Draco seemed quite innocent.
In fact, Draco did nothing at all.
Ron's eyes blazed with overwhelming hatred, as if all this trouble was caused by this Slytherin boy before him.
But he didn't say another word; his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single sound.
Then, he moved.
Ron jumped to his feet, the bench beneath him scraping violently against the floor with a screeching sound that abruptly broke the deathly silence that had followed Hermione's words.
He didn't glance at Hermione again, nor at Harry beside him, whose eyes held a complex mix of emotions and hesitation. He simply uttered a few curt words. "Fine, you two talk."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ron pushed aside the bench and, under the gazes of countless people—some astonished, some sympathetic, and some excited—walked without looking back toward the two heavy doors of the Great Hall.
Behind him, the Gryffindor table fell into a deeper, more unsettling silence, as if the air itself had frozen.
Seamus and Dean exchanged an awkward glance, silently moved to the other end of the bench, lowered their heads and rummaged through the food on their plates, wishing they could bury their faces in their food.
Lavender and Parvati gripped each other's wrists tightly, their eyes Winky with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, yet they dared not utter a sound.
Neville hunched his shoulders, almost hiding under the tablecloth, trying his best to minimize his presence.
The usual playful expressions on Fred and George's faces had vanished without a trace.
They gazed in the direction their younger brother had gone, their eyes filled with an unusual seriousness and worry.
Their worries vanished completely when their gaze slowly returned to Draco.
His eyes held only a cold, scrutinizing assessment, as if he were weighing whether Malfoy's sudden intrusion into Gryffindor was a blessing or a curse.
Harry hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and quickly chased after her, his figure soon disappearing behind the heavy door.
Many people watched this scene and lowered their heads, their whispers as faint as the buzzing of mosquitoes.
"That Muggle-born witch is so fierce... she doesn't even respect people from her own house."
"Isn't she being a bit too arrogant? Even if she's right, she shouldn't be so hurtful."
"But what she said does make some sense... it's just too ruthless."
"Stay away from her, lest you get choked by her sharp teeth and mouth."
[bite--]
[Added original storyline, Fortune Points increased by 20!]
Draco listened to the system notification and pondered to himself.
Ron, Ron, you were the one who started by pressing me relentlessly, and you never said anything excessive yourself.
It's good that you broke up with Hermione; it saves you from staying by her side and potentially gossiping about me behind my back.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him.
Looking up, he saw Hermione giving him a quick glance, her eyes filled with undisguised sternness.
Her eyes revealed a silent dissatisfaction with his "sowing discord" tactic.
She didn't dwell on it and immediately steered the conversation back on track. " Mr. Malfoy, the reactions of unrelated individuals are not within the scope of our agreement."
"Now, you can state your wishes. Do you accept the proposed amendments?"
Draco shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said with a hint of helplessness and amusement, "Fine, what can you do? You're Hermione."
Upon hearing this, Lavender, who was standing next to him, gasped in shock.
Lavender then let out a short scream, quickly covering her mouth. "He called her ' Hermione '! He surrendered! But this way! Merlin!"
Parvati excitedly added, "This is even more ambiguous than a direct acceptance! His tone is practically saying, 'I can't do anything with you!'"
Their gossip radars were off the charts, and they wished they could pull out quill pens right then and there and record the scene.
Hermione, upon hearing the phrase "Who told you to be Hermione?", seemed to fall into a three-second, overload-like silence.
The next moment, her face flushed bright red, visibly spreading from her ears all the way to the base of her neck.
This was not the shy blush of a young girl in love, but a flush of anger and embarrassment.