"What if it isn't?" Hermione glared at him, then looked at the window, and touched it. "What if it's one of those old relics that triggers the building's security alarm with just a touch of a spell? What if you make a hole in it..."
"Does money grow on trees?"
Draco was amused by her expression, but still maintained a nonchalant attitude, laughing, "It's alright, if you really broke it by accident, just consider it a good thing, like renovating the school and giving Brakebills Beals something new."
Hermione was speechless and could only restrict him like this. "From now on, all the money will be under my control. That way, you won't take advantage of our wealth and throw money around like it's nothing, paying for everything that breaks. Whether it's installing glass, doors, or ceilings, you might as well just buy the whole building and treat it like a toy!"
"Alright, I'll do as Miss Granger says."
Draco really has a hard time keeping a smile on his face.
Hermione watched him warily. He was too compliant; he had never been so obedient in the face of a serious threat before, and his smile...
Sure enough, Draco slowly added the next sentence:
"But have you thought this through? If you become Minister for Magic, you'll be very busy, and you'll also need to manage the money."
"Can we manage it all?"
Hermione imagined the scene and gritted her teeth, saying, "It's manageable, better than watching you smash windows with money."
We'll deal with it when we can't manage it anymore.
"Alright, but Miss Granger has already taken on the role of a housekeeper so early. It seems someone has decided to entrust the rest of their life to me." Draco said, then moved closer.
His arm slipped subtly around her waist, his fingers brushing against the fabric of her other waist hollow, and Hermione noticed.
So they turned around, their eyes met, and the distance between them was so close that they could barely breathe. Hermione was about to say something when Draco didn't give her a chance to speak, and suddenly pulled his arm back.
Hermione was pulled into his arms, her chest bumping against his.
Hermione froze.
Forget about ledgers, money, and even glass – they were all thrown to the back of their minds.
My cheeks started to heat up, and my legs were even more uncooperative. My toes unconsciously came together, my calves tensed for a moment, and then slowly relaxed.
"You..." Hermione managed to find a voice.
"Let go... the room isn't tidied up yet."
Hermione could only come up with this excuse.
But Draco didn't let go. He pressed his fingers together and asked, "Which hand should I put it on? This one, or this one?"
"Both... both of them..."
Hermione felt his hands starting to wander.
"That won't do, you'll fall."
" Draco..." Hermione's voice was broken, "This is the dormitory... the door isn't even locked from the outside..."
"Yes, so Miss Granger, please keep your voice down."
Draco's hand was already on the verge of danger.
Hermione collapsed onto Draco, crying, "No..."
"The atmosphere is just right, it's a pity about this broken bed, otherwise..." Before he could finish speaking, there was a noise coming from the hallway outside.
It seems that some of the new students who passed the interview have arrived at the dormitory.
Hermione seemed to have been doused with ice water, instantly snapping out of her limp state. She quickly broke free, took a half-step back, and braced herself against the window frame.
At this moment, her cheeks were burning red.
Draco's mind clicked, and the outer door to the living room closed from the inside. "No one will disturb us."
He turned back to look at her as he spoke.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You... you shouldn't always be like this... what if... what if things accidentally go wrong?!"
"It's normal for a young man to have high hormone levels," Draco shrugged, then assured him, "Don't worry, I can control myself. At our age, we really shouldn't be tempted to do the forbidden fruit."
Hermione glared at him, her chest heaving, her teeth itching with anger. "You're actually holding back? Who's the one who gets aroused every time? Who's the one who says those kinds of things and touches those kinds of places every time?"
Draco ignored Hermione's reprimand, his attention elsewhere, his gaze lowered.
Then he laughed.
His smile sent chills down Hermione's spine.
"Our Miss Granger isn't without that thought either, though she's all talk and no action, look at yourself..." Hermione followed his gaze and lowered her head.
That one glance was like being struck by lightning; my mind went blank, and all the blood rushed to my face. "Ah--!"
Hermione screamed as she ripped off her coat, wrapping it tightly around her waist, frantically trying to press it down and cover herself.
"It's all your fault... it's all your fault, you bastard!"
Draco laughed at her expression, which made her wish she could disappear into the ground, and said, "There are no outsiders here, what's there to be afraid of?"
"No outsiders?! You—acting like this in front of yourself... is a hundred times more embarrassing than having a dozen outsiders watching!"
Hermione wrapped her coat tightly around her waist and commanded:
"Get me a change of clothes right now!"
Draco immediately retrieved a change of clothes from his System Space and handed them to Hermione. Hermione grabbed the clothes, but after receiving them, she realized an even more critical problem...
There is no bathroom in the bedroom.
So he hurriedly pushed open Draco and left the bedroom.
Draco followed her out and reminded her, "It seems there aren't any restrooms here, only public showers."
Hermione, in her desperation, stopped in her tracks and was about to go outside again when Draco's voice drifted from behind her. "There seems to be a risk of exposure outside."
Hermione pulled back her foot, which was about to step out. The new students who passed the interview would come to the dorms, and if she went out like this...
Hermione pulled her foot back and quickly closed the door.
He turned and glared at Draco, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Then why don't you hurry up and think of a solution for me?!"
Draco laughed even harder, as if he had been waiting for her to ask this question. He drawled, "The solution..."
Draco's gaze swept over her clothes before settling back on her tense face. "How about we change here?"
"Anyway, there's no one else around," Draco said in an infuriatingly innocent tone. "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen it before."
"Change your head, my foot!" Hermione's voice lashed out, instinctively wanting to throw the clothes in her hand at him, but then she stopped.
"If I were to switch in front of you, you'd turn into a lustful demon and pounce on me, and then I'd want to switch again..."
Draco, who had been seen through, actually nodded.
He said frankly, " Miss Granger understands me best. So what do you plan to do? Just... let it air dry?"
Hermione nearly exploded. He even dared to suggest drying it naturally—drying it still left marks, didn't it? But in the midst of her fury, which was so intense she wanted to silence him on the spot, a string that had been taut in Hermione's mind suddenly snapped back to its normal state...
etc.
What was I panicking about just now?
This run-down place has two bedrooms.
There's a door, and a lock.
I rushed out just now to find the restroom...
But all she had to do was go back to the bedroom, lock him out, and change it herself, wouldn't that have been enough?! His words had gotten to her point that she almost started arguing with him in the living room about the incredibly stupid option of "changing it in front of him."
Hermione closed her eyes briefly and clenched her back teeth tightly.
calm.
When Hermione opened her eyes again, her gaze instantly shifted from that of a bristling cat to one with sharpened claws, and she grinned smugly. "You want me... in front of you? Dream on."
Then Hermione, carrying the clothes, strode towards the bedroom, her chin held high, like a smug and elegant cat.