"Make a request"
Draco's casual remark fell, the Great Hall, which had just relaxed slightly due to the "postponement of the agreement," instantly fell into an eerie silence once again.
That silent tension was more intense than any previous confrontation, as if even the air had been sucked away, leaving only a stagnant atmosphere of breathing throughout the arena.
My nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again because of this seemingly ordinary sentence.
Countless gazes, like drawn arrows, shot towards the two people in the arena, filled with inquiry, curiosity, and a hint of disbelief and astonishment.
The Weasley Twins reacted the fastest. George raised an eyebrow and said, "As expected, they had a backup plan. This kid is really cunning."
"Please begin your performance. I want to see what kind of trickery is hidden behind his 'small request.'"
Fred crossed his arms, his tone full of playful anticipation.
George speculated, "'Small request'... I bet that 'small' is worth more than the deepest vault in Gringotts; the schemes hidden inside could probably circle Hogwarts three times."
The students in the room all perked up their ears once again.
The disappointment caused by the "delay" vanished instantly, replaced by an even stronger curiosity, growing wildly like weeds in spring.
"A small request? What small request? What is Malfoy trying to do?"
"Does he want Hermione to cover something up for him? Or is he trying to get some kind of deal in return?"
"Will Granger agree? She's so shrewd, she won't fall for it so easily, will she?"
Lavender and Parvati, who had just been feeling down because of their "delayed date," suddenly seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline, instantly becoming fully energized, their eyes shining even brighter than before.
Lavender was filled with excited daydreams:
"He... he actually made a request of her! In front of everyone! What could it be? A solemn promise? Or a token of love? Oh Merlin! My heart is pounding!"
Parvati also romantically speculated:
"The 'small request' that follows 'cooperation'... This sounds... This sounds almost like the prelude to some tacit agreement, or... a romantic prelude! It must be!"
Hermione stood there, feeling a chill run from her feet to the top of her head; the feeling of being tricked grew stronger.
Her eyes were fixed on Draco, trying to discern even the slightest hint of scheming or malice from his calm, expressionless face.
Draco's expression remained calm, his tone gentle and almost harmless, carrying a hint of negotiation.
This only intensified her unease, as if she were in a forest shrouded in thick fog, unable to discern directions.
She asked warily and resistantly, "... What are your requirements?"
"Don't be too nervous, Miss Hermione," Draco's voice remained calm.
"Actually, it's nothing serious. I was planning to familiarize myself with the school this morning, but my father suddenly showed up and forcibly took me back. It's been a whole morning, and now I don't even know where my classroom is."
"Wait a minute, could you take me there?"
These words struck everyone's hearts like a thunderbolt.
Extreme shock and cognitive dissonance instantly overwhelmed Hermione's mind, causing a brief mental blank.
She had imagined countless possibilities.
Perhaps they want her to help conceal a family secret, perhaps they want her to say a few good words for them in front of the professor, or perhaps they even want her to hand over something.
But to my utter surprise, it was such a trivial and almost childish request.
This is like being in a duel arena, where both sides are poised for battle, their incantations already condensed on their tongues.
Suddenly, the other person pulls out a book called "Beginner's Guide to Potions " and asks you earnestly what the recipe on this page means.
Absurd, absurd, yet it carries a kind of powerlessness that makes one both laugh and cry.
Her expression froze completely, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Even the corners of her mouth twitched slightly; for a moment, she didn't know how to react.
Not only Hermione, but all the students in the room nearly fell off their benches when they heard this request.
Their faces were filled with astonishment and blankness, as if they had heard the most outrageous joke of the century.
They felt that their intelligence and comprehension had been challenged and humiliated like never before.
After all that fuss, the seemingly insurmountable "small request" was actually just finding the way?
The amused smiles on Fred and George's faces froze instantly, as if they had been Petrificus Totalus.
George opened his mouth, and after a long pause, he murmured a few words: "Lead... lead the way to the classroom?"
"This... this actually works?!" Fred also swore.
Lavender and Parvati's romantic inner drama seemed to have been abruptly paused, and the signal became disordered, turning into a white, static screen.
The two of them stood with their mouths agape, unable to utter a sound for a long time, and the light in their eyes quickly dimmed.
Instead, there was a deep sense of disappointment and bewilderment.
"Take me to the classroom"? That's a million times more bland than the most awful opening of a romance novel!
This was a brutal blow to their romantic fantasies!
Draco looked at the various expressions on everyone's faces and thought to himself: I really don't understand why these people react so strongly to just one sentence I say.
If this were to awaken some kind of emotional harvesting system, wouldn't that be incredibly awesome? Just by exploiting these people's shock, disappointment, and astonishment, it could probably max out its experience points.
Hermione's face gradually turned red and then white.
She felt like a clown.
All the alertness, all the wisdom, all the toughness just now became a huge joke in the face of Draco's "lost freshman" request.
Her chest heaved violently. Suppressing the absurdity in her heart, Hermione gritted her teeth and asked again, her voice thick with disbelief, "... What... did... you... say?"
"I said, I can't find my way to the classroom." Draco shrugged, looking completely nonchalant, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Hermione, as if she had heard the funniest joke, couldn't help but raise her voice to mock her:
"But we have Herbology this afternoon! And the classroom is the greenhouse outside the castle! That greenhouse is so conspicuous, with its towering glass dome, you can see it from half a street away! How could anyone in this world not find it?"