Franklin stepped in first, followed closely by the other two.
Once all three had entered, the vines behind them slowly closed up, blocking the way back as if the passage had never existed.
Embedded in the walls on both sides of the passage are ancient magic lamps. There are no flames or electric lights, but a soft, silvery-white ball of light floats in each lamp. Before the three of them pass by, the ball of light will automatically light up, illuminating the path ahead; after they pass by, the light will slowly dim.
"When the library closes, the vine barrier will automatically reset and close. If you are unable to leave the Restricted Section by then, you will be trapped inside and will have to wait until tomorrow when it reopens," the professor reminded the two.
The two indicated they understood.
At the end of the passage, a hidden world unfolds.
The Restricted Section was much more spacious than I had imagined.
A dome hangs high, painted with a flowing star map that casts a cool, soft light. Rows of dark oak bookshelves stand neatly, their spines shimmering with a faint magical glow.
Some books were chained to the bookshelves with heavy iron chains, while others were sealed in transparent magic crystal boxes.
Professor Franklin led the two to the appropriate section and selected a series of relevant books for them.
As he walked, Draco subtly activated the system scan. An invisible blue light quietly swept across all the books in the Restricted Section, recording them all into the system database.
By the time Professor Franklin had helped Hermione select the historical materials she needed to read, Draco had just finished scanning and recording everything.
He was secretly delighted: It's done! All that's left is for the system to slowly load and parse the data in the background. All the banned books are now under my control.
After choosing their books, Professor Franklin accompanied the two to the table, where Hermione quickly became engrossed in reading.
Professor Franklin looked at her and nodded. It seemed that these two young people really had come for research.
Draco pretended to pick up a book, but after flipping through a couple of pages, he lost interest. He simply put the book aside, lay down on the table, and stared intently at Hermione across from him.
That nose, that little mouth, those eyebrows, those eyes, that face, that earnestness—this young wife is truly endearing.
"It seems Mr. Malfoy's true intentions lie elsewhere!"
Draco and Hermione were both taken aback by the professor's words.
When Hermione looked up from her book, Draco had already shifted his gaze, so she didn't know what the professor meant and just looked at the two of them blankly.
Draco, however, was quite nonchalant, smiling as he said, "I don't like reading; I'm just here to keep Miss Granger."
Professor Franklin ignored Draco's words and instead said to Hermione, "It's nothing, Miss Granger, it's just that Mr. Malfoy has been staring at you ever since he read two pages."
Hermione was actually quite used to this, but hearing it from Professor Franklin still made her blush. She glared at Draco, intending to make him behave.
Draco said matter-of-factly, "We have to keep our agreement, right? We can't just look anywhere; we can only look at the people we're supposed to look at."
Professor Franklin's usually serious face broke into a rare smile upon hearing this, "You've done a very good job in this respect, unlike some students who come in looking around aimlessly, touching and fiddling with everything, as if they want to take the whole bookshelf home."
Draco grinned, giving Hermione a peace sign. Hermione ignored him, continuing to read, though a subtle smile played at the corners of her lips.
Professor Franklin eventually found it a bit boring to keep staring at the two of them, so he picked up a book that Hermione had been reading and started reading it, while Draco was already lying down, waiting for the progress bar to finish.
Soon, an afternoon passed quietly. Just as Hermione was about to turn the page, Professor Franklin closed his book and softly reminded her, "Alright, it's almost closing time. Miss Granger can apply again next time if needed."
Draco stretched and loosened his neck.
Hermione was taken aback, not expecting time to pass so quickly.
She glanced at Draco, Draco winked at her. Hermione understood and thanked Professor Franklin, "Thank you for your help, Professor, for spending so much time with us."
Professor Franklin waved his hand and said, "Since I'm just killing time anyway, it's good to learn something new. I haven't read any books on this topic yet, so I've successfully gotten into this kind of reading hobby."
As he spoke, he helped the two put the books back in their places and led them towards the exit of the Restricted Section. After they came out, Hermione said to Professor Franklin, "You can go ahead with your work; there's no need to see us off."
Professor Franklin nodded and said, "Then I won't see you off." He then turned and went to prepare for closing time.
Draco and Hermione left the library, the castle, and the gatekeeper, and made their way down to the foot of the mountain.
Hermione looked at Draco with a questioning gaze.
Draco smiled confidently, "I've got my wife sorted out." He then opened his palm, and a book appeared in it. Hermione glanced at it and saw that it was a book called "Chronicles of the Secret Magical Academy of North America."
As Hermione picked up the book and started flipping through it, Draco explained to her, "I just pretended to be asleep and took a closer look."
Hermione asked as she flipped through the pages, "Is there any difference between this and what's recorded in the books in the regular section?"
"It mainly explained what the entrance exam would cover, the subject divisions, and the school's history of disasters, etc."
"Is there still no way to get into the school?"
"It's not mentioned in the book. But I have a way."
Draco gave a mysterious smile.
Hermione looked up at him and asked, "Do you have a way?"
"While I was sleeping just now, I proactively submitted an application to Brakebills School for a two-month advanced study program."
Hermione thought he was joking and paused for a moment before asking, "You... sent an application to Brakebills School?"
Draco loved that expression on his wife's face—her eyes widened slightly, a look of disbelief and curiosity that made her look especially adorable. He chuckled, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Hermione found it absurd. "How is that possible? They sought him out, it's not like you can just go whenever you want."
Draco leaned closer and said affectionately, "Wife, have you lost your memory? Have you forgotten how omnipotent I am?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "But this is just too outrageous..."
Draco said confidently, "Believe it or not, it won't be long before they send you an invitation to enroll."
Hermione shook her head, unconvinced. "How could that be? Just because you submit an application doesn't mean they'll accept it."
"That's true." Draco agreed. "But think about it, they're always the ones who invite others, but this time they're receiving applications from outside. Won't they be curious? Won't they want to see who it is that would come knocking on their door without revealing the school's address?"
Hermione thought it made sense; a school that never recruits students from outside suddenly received an application from the outside world, and the applicant had even pinpointed their existence.
This is enough to prompt the other party to contact you first.
"Are you still questioning it now?" Draco said smugly.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but a smile played on her lips, "Look at you, always trying to show off how great you are."