The soft whisper in her ear was that magnetic voice that made Hermione’s entire body tingle.
Before she knew it, a pink blush crept from her neck up to her face.
The musky scent lingering in the air made Hermione stiffen, her mind going completely blank.
That familiar and unique scent immediately made her recognize who the wizard was, the one whispering behind her...
“......”
If it had been the old Hermione, she would have blushed, sure, but she wouldn’t have stood there like a statue, frozen in place. She would have likely turned around and given Draco a playful punch or a sharp look.
But now, Hermione’s face was twisted in confusion, her body stiff with indecision. Should she turn around? Should she run? She just stood there, dumbfounded...
“What’s this? The Miss Granger I remember wasn’t some helpless little thing who could be pushed around, was she?”
“......”
Draco observed the little wildcat, still not turning to face him. The feeling of being ignored made him narrow his gray eyes.
Was it that she didn’t know how to face him, or was it that she didn’t want to see him?
‘Am I that frightening because of the dark magic I use?’
The air was thick with the sweet scent of the young witch. Draco could take one more step and embrace her, but instead of feeling pleased, he felt an unexpected irritation stir in his chest. This strange emotion caused the smile on his lips to fade away.
Draco had thought he’d be able to face Miss Granger more rationally...
“Are you avoiding me on purpose because I’m a Death Eater in your Gryffindor eyes?”
“......”
“Yes, after all, to you Gryffindors, dark magic is the symbol of evil wizards.”
“......”
Neither Draco nor Hermione seemed willing to speak first, their pride growing the misunderstanding between them. From their initial silence to the thickening tension now, the air between them had completely changed.
The atmosphere was no longer light, and Draco’s tone had grown colder.
Though his words seemed like self-mockery, they came off more as mocking Hermione’s ignorance.
The words made Hermione visibly shudder. Was she angry with Draco? Or was it something else?
Time passed, and still, Hermione didn’t speak. Just as Draco was about to turn and leave, Hermione took a few steps forward, paused for a moment, then sprinted toward the end of the corridor without looking back...
She must have used every bit of her strength, for in no time, her petite figure disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway.
Draco didn’t chase after her. He just stood there in silence, watching her go, the sound of her muffled sobs still echoing in his mind.
He didn’t know how long he stood there. Slowly, Draco placed his right hand over his face and muttered self-deprecatingly to himself.
“How embarrassing…”
…
While everything was happening with Draco, it didn’t dampen the young wizards’ excitement for the Quidditch match one bit.
As they waited for the players to take the field, no one in the stands showed any intention of calming down. Instead, they waved their cheering items toward the opposing house, as if doing so might tip the match in their favor.
Even the usually cool and composed Slytherins were swept up in the fevered energy of the crowd.
But from the sheer noise and spectacle, it was obvious—Slytherin was badly outnumbered.
Aside from Gryffindor, their opponent for the day, even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students had thrown their support behind Gryffindor. Their united front made it seem as if Slytherin had personally wronged them all.
It was likely this overwhelming bias that left Snape—who had taken his place in the stands—with such a dark, brooding expression.
After all, as Head of Slytherin, the last thing he wanted to see was a certain Chosen One basking in glory...
Unaware of what she’d missed, Pansy returned to the stands after parting ways with Draco.
She hadn’t even had the chance to sit down and catch her breath before something in Goyle and Crabbe’s hands caught her eye.
“Where did you get those?”
Pansy stared, confused, at the banner Goyle and Crabbe were enthusiastically waving. Her eyes widened in surprise—when had those two prepared a banner like that without her knowing?
Banners like this weren’t unusual at Quidditch matches. Even the Gryffindors had one with a roaring lion painted on it and the words “Victory to Harry!” scrawled beneath it in shimmering, color-changing letters—likely charmed by none other than Miss Know-It-All.
But there was a reason Pansy was taken aback by the one Goyle and Crabbe had brought.
It featured a green-and-black shield with crossed spears, flanked by two dragons of unknown breed, and in the center, a large platinum “M.”
Any pure-blood wizard would recognize it instantly—this was the crest of a noble house.
A shield, dragons, and that platinum M.
It was the emblem of the Malfoy family.