As for how angry Hermione was—well, Draco, who still didn’t quite understand girls, had no clue.
Even though his emotional intelligence was higher than most his age, when it ca to figuring out what girls were thinking, Draco was still completely lost.
“Draco, looks like soone’s not too happy with you~”
"..."
Truth be told, if Pansy hadn’t said anything, Draco wouldn’t have realized how much that offhand remark had upset Hermione.
Upset enough to act in a way that was both adorably silly and totally out of character.
There was only one path to the classroom.
But when Hermione spotted him there, she let out a dramatic huff, tossed her hair, and turned away.
It was a perfect show of displeasure directed right at Draco.
Still...
“If you don’t go in soon, you’ll be late.”
Leaning casually against the wall by the classroom door, Draco watched the little witch pace back and forth—who knew how many tis already—and offered a good-natured reminder.
...
This guy was doing it on purpose.
Faced with that infuriating smirk, Hermione’s cheeks turned red as she hurried past Draco and slipped into the classroom.
It seed the little wildcat’s protest ended before it ever truly began...
...
When it cos to Hogwarts, you can’t help but ntion its current headmaster—
The one known as the greatest wizard of the era:
Albus Dumbledore!
But beneath all the brilliance surrounding him, most people overlook sothing else—
One of the most precious treasures in the British wizarding world:
The Hogwarts Library.
Located on the second floor of the castle, the library is vast.
Thousands of shelves fill the space, organized into specialized sections, housing tens of thousands of magical texts.
You could say it holds the most comprehensive collection of magical knowledge in the British wizarding world...
And the most remarkable part?
Regardless of gender or status, as long as you’re a student at Hogwarts, the library is open to everyone, no matter which house you're in.
Even so dangerous magic.
With a professor’s approval, you can gain access to the Restricted Section and browse those books as well.
Simply put—
If you were to truly master all the knowledge contained within these shelves...
You might not beco a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore or the Dark Lord, but you'd undoubtedly carve out a place for yourself in the wizarding world.
Which is exactly why so many wizarding aristocrats are willing to send their children to study at Hogwarts...
…
High ceilings.
Towering bookshelves.
In the center, long tables where students could read, copy notes, or work on their assignnts.
Today, the library had, for the first ti, welcod this year’s batch of new students.
Statistically, most first-years wouldn’t start visiting the library—or using it properly—until the second half of the term.
Typically, it was always the Ravenclaw eagles who showed up first.
But this year was a little different, and the pairing was even more unexpected.
It was Draco from Slytherin, and Hermione from Gryffindor...
Whether he was the first among the new students or not, Draco didn’t know—nor did he care.
What he did know was that most of the upper-year students who frequented this place were from diligent Hufflepuff and knowledge-hungry Ravenclaw.
Then ca the quieter Slytherins, and finally, the notoriously loud and restless Gryffindors.
You really could see the traits of each House just by observing the library...
Draco withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and absentmindedly ran his fingers along the spine of the book he’d just picked up.
Hogwarts: A History.
That was his choice.
Probably because a certain little witch was always going on about it—it piqued his curiosity.
Unlike Draco, who looked perfectly at ease, Hermione seed visibly uneasy.
Draco glanced up and asked lightly, “You ca all this way to find , only to pretend you don’t know . Am I missing sothing here?”
“...”
Hermione's eye twitched at Draco’s barely concealed smirk.
“Who said I ca looking for you?!”
“Don’t flatter yourself!”
Her words were a bit of a stretch, honestly.
Even though she was a Gryffindor, Hermione had heard the rumors—how the boy in front of her was known as the “Prince of Slytherin.”
It sounded ridiculous, sure.
But she couldn’t deny it—his elegance when flipping through a book, that noble air under candlelight...
Even as soone from another House, Hermione had to admit he had a charm that other boys just didn’t.
Of course, she would never say any of that aloud, especially not to Draco.
Smack!
“You didn’t forget what you promised , did you?”
With both hands pressed to the table, Hermione tilted her face upward.
She was clearly trying to be assertive, but her petite fra and awkward expression only made Draco want to reach out and ruffle her hair like a cat.
Still, considering they were in a library...
If he pushed her too far, they’d probably both get kicked out by the librarian.
That wouldn’t be good...
“But you haven’t managed to stop Weasley, have you? If you want to stop Goyle and the others, it’s only fair that you—who made the request in the first place—do your part.”
Draco had agreed last ti to speak with Goyle.
But on one condition: Hermione had to convince Ron Weasley first.
Otherwise, Draco wasn’t going to interfere with Goyle and the rest.
The reason Hermione had co here now was because... she hadn’t been able to do that.
“But you already promised !”
“How about this—I'll go with you, and if it cos down to it, I’ll step in too.”
“Huh? What kind of awful plan is that?”
Hermione was clearly unimpressed. She frowned deeply and shot Draco a glare.
Because they had to keep their voices low, she leaned in slightly toward him.
That faint, sweet scent of hers made Draco narrow his eyes for a mont...
“Don’t forget, the duel’s scheduled for midnight. Do you have any idea what that ans?!”
“Hmm... That we won’t be able to wake up in the morning?”
“...”
Hermione’s slender brows visibly twitched.
Then she reached out and snatched the book from Draco’s hands with force.
“School rules! Rules!!”
Hermione was getting visibly flustered.
If the nearby librarian hadn’t been glancing over with suspicion, she might’ve smacked Draco in the face with the book.
“You’re absolutely not allowed to roam around the castle at night!”
“Think about it—if they get caught, how many points would our Houses lose?”
“And let’s be honest, they’re definitely going to get caught.”
“This kind of duel is just selfish!”
As he watched Hermione sitting across from him, speaking so earnestly and righteously, Draco felt like he was starting to understand her a bit.
Serious.
Righteous.
Kind.
Even when sothing had nothing to do with her, she’d still get worked up over it.
A little awkward, easy to offend...
But Draco didn’t dislike that side of Hermione at all.
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