Hermione's brow furrowed the moment Draco finished speaking.
The chain of logic is confirmed at this moment.
This perfectly matched the vague rumors that the Weasley Twins had spread earlier in the Great Hall.
But as the truth was confirmed, even greater questions surged up like a tidal wave, lingering in her mind.
Her brain, like a magic gear spinning at top speed, rapidly sorted through the cause-and-effect relationships.
After a moment, with an extreme calmness that allowed her to analyze the facts, she slowly began to summarize.
"Therefore, the core conflict is your House Points, which fundamentally clashes with your father's expectations, leading him to break into Hogwarts on the first day of school and attempt to forcibly remove you."
Before Draco could answer, she abruptly changed the subject, addressing the deepest question in everyone's mind and posing the second question.
"So, what role did Headmaster Dumbledore play in all of this?"
"Did this meeting approve of your father's actions, attempt to mediate the conflict between the two sides, or make some kind of decisive ruling that ultimately keeps you sitting here?"
Dumbledore naturally disagreed.
Draco Malfoy's voice remained calm and even carried a hint of inscrutable indifference, as if he were stating an ordinary fact that had nothing to do with him.
But his next words stunned everyone. "But I promised to go back with my father."
These words, once spoken, had an effect comparable to a silent thunderbolt.
But instead of a deafening roar, a near-suffocating silence descended upon the vast Great Hall.
The previous discussions and whispers about family conflicts and patriarchal oppression came to an abrupt halt, as if suddenly choked by an invisible hand.
Lavender and Parvati covered their mouths almost simultaneously, their wide-open eyes filled with shock and extreme excitement at the sudden turn of events.
The tragic protagonist image of "rebelling against patriarchy and upholding self" that they had just constructed in their minds was instantly shrouded in a heavy shadow of suspense, becoming elusive and mysterious.
"Why?" Lavender's voice was filled with the agitation of being betrayed by the plot. "Why did he agree?! Headmaster Dumbledore clearly disagreed!"
Parvati's imagination ran wild as she guessed, "There must be a reason! A huge, unspeakable secret! Perhaps... it's to protect someone? Or maybe he's under some kind of vicious curse that can only be lifted by leaving Hogwarts?"
Their imaginations, like wild horses, galloped once again into an abyss of even more melodrama and twists.
The playful smiles that Fred and George usually wore vanished without a trace.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw an unprecedented level of genuine surprise, followed by a surge of intense interest.
This is no longer a simple family farce; it clearly conceals deeper calculations and hidden secrets.
"Did Troll step on his brain?" Seamus scratched his head, muttering to himself with a puzzled look on his face.
Dean and the other Gryffindor around him also showed obvious confusion, even a slight hint of disdain.
In the Gryffindor value system that reveres courage, rebellion, and self-reliance, such behavior of "obeying the father's will" or even "walking into a trap" is hard to understand and can even be called cowardice.
All eyes in the Great Hall once again focused on Draco.
The meaning in those gazes had completely transformed from initial curiosity, sympathy, and scrutiny into a unified, profound sense of bewilderment and inquiry.
Their gazes seemed to try to see through his calm exterior and into the true thoughts deep within his heart.
Hermione's expression froze completely at that moment.
Her brain, which was always working at high speed and trying to analyze all the logic in the world, seemed to have encountered the most troublesome gibberish, and a rare, brief blank appeared.
Her lips parted slightly, but she couldn't immediately utter the next question; her brown eyes were filled with disbelief and astonishment.
Dumbledore disagreed.
But Draco agreed to go back.
These two seemingly simple short sentences collided and echoed wildly in her mind, forming a complete paradox that overturned all her cognitive models.
A "victim" who has been treated unfairly and is about to be forcibly taken away from the wizarding world and Hogwarts.
When the strongest protector extends a helping hand, one should grasp this lifeline firmly, argue rationally, and defend one's right to remain.
"Agreeing to go back"—this choice completely violates rational judgment, the courage that Gryffindor values, and the most basic logic of self-interest.
For the first time, a clear look of confusion appeared in Hermione's brown eyes, which always shone with wisdom and certainty.
This does not conform to any known behavioral model, and there must be a deeper reason that she failed to understand.
"You... agreed to go back despite Headmaster Dumbledore's explicit objections?"
She subconsciously repeated the question, her tone as if confirming this utterly absurd fact, afraid that she had misheard.
Is this even a question?
Draco tilted his head slightly, a very faint smile curving his lips.
His gaze, tinged with amusement that wasn't quite a smile, met Hermione's eyes, which were filled with utter confusion.
"No." Hermione denied almost immediately, afraid that he would take advantage of her.
"That was merely a loose confirmation based on unbelievable facts; it doesn't count against the quota of five formal questions I raised as stipulated in our agreement."
She quickly suppressed the shock in her heart, transformed all her confusion into more precise questions, and then posed her third question.
What was the primary factor that drove you to agree to leave Hogwarts despite Headmaster Dumbledore's explicit opposition?
"Is it some kind of irresistible pressure exerted by your father, your personal belief that leaving Hogwarts is more in line with some underlying interest or hidden goal, or are there other unspoken reasons that compel you to make this choice?"
Draco couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this series of meticulously crafted questions.
He then shook his head, saying with a hint of mockery, " Miss Granger is pushing her luck, asking more and more questions. But since it's Miss Granger, I can answer."