"Doesn't the fact that I'm sitting here prove anything?"
Draco's voice remained calm and even, as if he were simply stating a very simple truth.
fact.
This is the simplest, most solid, and most irrefutable fact.
Hermione froze, opened her mouth, and was momentarily speechless.
A distinct look of surprise flashed across his usually sharp eyes.
Hermione clearly hadn't expected Draco to use such a radical approach, directly throwing the core of the problem back to the most obvious result.
"Tch—" Someone in the crowd couldn't help but roll their eyes and chuckle softly, "Those cunning Slytherin, all they do is play these word games!"
Many of the listeners around also curled their lip, their faces full of disapproval.
Clearly, nobody was willing to listen to Draco.
Most Gryffindor were extremely annoyed by his tactic of "silencing his critics with results," yet they couldn't find any grounds to refute it.
But the Weasley Twins clearly don't think that way.
Almost simultaneously, admiration shone in Fred's and George's eyes, as if they had discovered an extremely interesting treasure.
"Amazing!" George exclaimed softly, and couldn't help but clap his hands lightly.
Needless to say, Lavender and Parvati are also included.
At this moment, they had become Draco's most loyal supporters, as if every word Draco said was an irrefutable truth.
"He did it! He's really here!" Lavender's voice trembled with excitement as he gripped Parvati's arm tightly, his eyes shining with adoration. "He must have sacrificed so much to... to come back!"
Parvati went even further, pulling out a handkerchief and gently wiping away non-existent tears, immersing himself in the epic drama he had woven.
"No matter how many difficulties and obstacles he faced, nothing could stop his return! This vow! This power! It's simply magnificent!"
Speechless at this sophistry, Hermione felt her head buzzing and it took her a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.
"This... this only proves the result! It doesn't explain the process!"
Draco slightly raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting Hermione's, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Is this a new question?"
These words were like a cold fog bomb of logic, instantly freezing all of Hermione's turbulent thoughts.
Most of the people in the Great Hall were confused, only feeling that the atmosphere between the two was becoming increasingly strange and tense, as if the air itself was about to freeze.
Anyone who has even slightly understood the "five questions" agreement between the two can see that Hermione has been firmly controlled by Draco using the rules she herself set.
This situation left them both confused and annoyed, yet they had to admit that Draco's move was indeed brilliant.
"Beautiful!" George gave another low exclamation, clapping his hands even louder.
"Got it! A perfect strike! This kid... he's a master of playing the rules, even better at exploiting loopholes than the two of us brothers."
Fred grinned, revealing a bright smile, and looked at Draco with admiration.
Lavender clutched her chest, nearly fainting. "He's provoking her! Using the rules she set herself! That's so cool!"
Parvati nearly fainted. "My God... the tension of this confrontation... the clash of eyes... I'm dead... this is more exciting than Legend tale in the History of Magic!"
Hermione's cheeks flushed red again at a visible speed, clearly provoked by Draco's words.
But she quickly forced herself to calm down:
"No. That was a loose follow-up question within the scope of the previous question. It doesn't constitute a new, independent question, and naturally it won't consume the question quota in the agreement."
Draco couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her struggle to maintain her logical composure.
"Okay. Actually, I've been left to my own devices by my family."
He spoke casually, without a trace of self-pity or deliberate attempt to evoke sorrow; his words even carried a hint of nonchalant honesty.
But these words, once spoken, were like a pebble thrown into boiling oil, instantly creating ripples.
Hermione froze again; her usually high-speed brain momentarily shut down, and she just stared blankly at Draco.
The Great Hall erupted in uproar, filled with gasps and gasps of surprise.
"Leave it alone?"
" The Malfoy family don't want him anymore?"
"Really? How is that possible!"
Incredible whispers spread like a tide between the long tables.
The previous disgust and contempt for Draco were now replaced by surprise and curiosity.
In that instant, Draco's image subtly transformed from an "arrogant former Slytherin, possibly harboring ulterior motives" into a " Gryffindor freshman in a precarious situation, possibly abandoned by his family."
Although the seeds of doubt still lingered in everyone's hearts, the atmosphere in the Great Hall was completely different.
Lavender's eyes were truly red, and her gaze towards Draco was filled with heartache. "Abandoned by the family...? My God! This is too cruel!"
Parvati said with a heavy heart, "So all his previous confidence was just a facade? His calm was all a pretense? He fought so hard to come back, was it to... prove himself? Or to find a new home? Oh Merlin! This is so tragic! So heartbreaking!"
Hermione looked at Draco's calm and expressionless face. The previous coldness and aggressiveness had completely faded away, replaced by a subtle and complex emotion.
Her voice softened slightly as she asked softly, "... Let it go? You mean, Mr. Lucius Malfoy... will no longer insist on taking you back? Or... is there some deeper meaning?"
"It's because my family isn't giving me any support anymore," Draco said calmly, his tone still composed, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
"Cut off support..." George repeated the words in a low voice, his brows furrowing slightly.
"So, he's now... a naked viper without any backing?" Fred's smile faded, and he clicked his tongue, his tone incredulous.
Not only were the Geminis stunned, but the murmurs of the crowd in the entire Great Hall instantly rose several notches.
Various speculations and exclamations intertwined, creating a cacophony of noise.
"Really? Has the Malfoy family completely given up on him?"
"They haven't gone bankrupt, have they? Otherwise, why would they be so cruel to their own son?"
"It's not bankruptcy, it's that they really don't want him anymore! Just because he got into Gryffindor?"
"That's too cruel... No matter what, he's still his own son..."
A complex emotion quietly spread through the Great Hall.
Surprise, curiosity, a touch of schadenfreude, but more than anything, a subtle sense of sympathy.
After all, he was completely abandoned by his family and left alone at Hogwarts.
Anyone who hears of such a plight would feel compassion.
Other spectators felt a degree of sympathy, not to mention Lavender and Parvati, who were already overthinking things.
Their compassion surged instantly.
Lavender's tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "He has nothing left... completely abandoned by his family... what will he do now...?"
"So he was just putting on a brave face all along! Those feigned composure... those nonchalant smiles... it was all an act!" Parvati's eyes also reddened.
"Alone! Fighting against an entire family! Fighting against the whole world! Oh, this is so tragic, and so... heartbreaking!"
Hermione looked at Draco, her voice softening further, and asked with a gentleness she herself didn't realize:
"'No support'... Does this include financial resources, the family's intelligence network, and... social protection within the Wizarding World?"
Draco casually remarked, "I'm not trying to gain sympathy!"