Draco immediately picked up on Hermione's subtext.
"What do you mean? Are you saying tonight's show isn't limited to just one performance?" Draco raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by his own speculation. "Tell me more."
Hermione simply smiled faintly, her lips parting slightly.
"Want to know? Alright, I'll tell you..."
"Actually..."
"The thing is..."
"Professor Snape won't just be dueling Lockhart tonight. After defeating Lockhart, he has another opponent waiting for him..."
"Oh? It seems like you know who that opponent is." Although the young girl was being deliberately mysterious, Draco patiently followed her lead, continuing the conversation.
"…No, I don't. Bye! I'm off to find my friends." Hermione dragged out her teasing for as long as possible. When Draco's face finally betrayed a hint of impatience, she burst into genuine laughter and disappeared into the crowd.
(╬ಠ益ಠ)
Fists clenched. Rage rising!
That brat was deliberately messing with him!
…
"…Tsk." Draco clicked his tongue in annoyance. There was nothing he could do about Hermione.
"It was just a little teasing. Why the big reaction?" He ruffled his hair in frustration, his mood thoroughly soured.
Still, Hermione had piqued his curiosity. Even though the truth would soon be revealed, there was something irresistibly tempting about knowing it before anyone else, wasn't there?
---
The crowd followed Lockhart and Snape to the dueling stage set up in the Great Hall. Hermione squeezed her way through, finally managing to reach the front of the stage. Her dormmates were already there, their eyes sparkling with admiration as they gazed at Lockhart, who was stepping onto the stage.
Parvati felt a tug on her hand. Momentarily snapping out of her starry-eyed daze, she turned to see Hermione emerging from the crowd.
"Oh? You're here! Where's Glenn? Why isn't he with you?" Parvati asked, her expression equally puzzled.
"Seriously, why does everyone keep asking that?" Hermione sighed. "Do you all really think Glenn and I are glued together every second of the day?"
Parvati gave Hermione a look that seemed to say, You really don't know, do you?
"What's with that look? Are you here to flaunt your relationship? Is this how you treat your dear dormmates?" Lavender chimed in, turning her head with a pitiful expression and staring at Hermione with mock resentment. Her gaze made the young girl feel incredibly guilty.
"You're so clingy with Glenn, and you don't even realize it."
"Well, it's not that bad…" Hermione stammered, her face tinged with a faint blush as she tried to downplay it.
Parvati and Lavender exchanged a knowing look and rolled their eyes in unison.
"Forget it. Let's focus on Professor Lockhart instead. Don't bother with this friend-abandoning lovebird," Lavender suggested to Parvati, who nodded in agreement.
At the mention of Lockhart, Hermione's expression immediately fell. She quickly squeezed between the two girls, sighing. "Don't you think you two are the ones abandoning your friends for a crush?"
The two young witches exchanged a glance, giggled, and each hooked an arm around Hermione's.
"Oh, don't sweat the details, sweetie. Tonight, you're ours." Lavender teased, leaning close to Hermione's ear. The warm breath tickled Hermione's ear, making it itch. "…Don't even think about running off to find your little boyfriend."
"I promise I won't look for him until tonight's event is over," Hermione replied with a sly smile, even raising her hand as if swearing an oath. "I swear on Merlin's lace-trimmed knickers."
?
"That was quick. Not like you at all," Parvati said, pouting in confusion.
Hermione waved her hand dismissively and said no more. Just then, Professor Snape began ascending the dueling stage, shifting the two girls' attention.
Lockhart and Snape walked toward each other. One radiated unshakable confidence, while the other exuded palpable impatience.
They raised their wands in front of their chests and bowed to each other. Lockhart, ever the showman, twirled his ornate wand deftly between his fingers, his movements smooth and practiced, like a master of wand-spinning.
His expression turned solemn, and for once, the trademark smile was absent from his face. Objectively speaking, Lockhart was undeniably handsome—one of the main reasons he had captured the hearts of witches young and old across the wizarding world.
Seeing this side of Lockhart, the young witches in the audience erupted into shrieks. Hermione, having anticipated this, covered her ears just in time. As expected, the two Lockhart fangirls on either side of her screamed and waved frantically at their idol, hoping for just one glance in their direction.
Of course, Lockhart paid them no mind. He was a master at manipulating his fans' emotions.
"Professor Lockhart is so handsome!"
"I'm absolutely in love with you!"
"Lockhart is a complete idiot!"
"Lord Lockhart, I know you'll defeat Snape!"
Sure enough, when Lockhart ignored them, the girls only screamed louder and more fervently, their voices echoing through the hall.
…
…
?
Hermione's mouth twitched.
Wait a minute—did something strange slip in there?
Her sharp ears quickly pinpointed the source of the odd comment. Squinting, she spotted a certain blond-haired boy using his wand to amplify his voice. In a high-pitched, mockingly feminine tone, he hurled sharp insults at Lockhart, his face alight with glee.
This wasn't just for his own amusement—it was for his godfather, too.
"Well, I'm not surprised. Draco would totally do something like that," Hermione muttered, shrugging as she turned her attention to Lockhart's reaction.
Sure enough, Lockhart had caught the discordant note amid the sea of praise. His composure almost cracked.
Fortunately, Lockhart's mental fortitude held firm, and he maintained his serious expression.
Naturally, the young wizards in the audience weren't about to be outdone. They eagerly joined Draco in heckling Lockhart.
Leaning against the dueling stage, Hermione propped her chin on her hand, enduring the cacophony around her.
The sorrow of others was not hers to share; she only found them noisy.
"How childish," she muttered.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Glenn standing in the shadows, watching her.
As if by instinct, Hermione felt certain that Glenn's gaze was fixed on her through the crowd.
The young girl beamed with delight, waving enthusiastically in his direction.
"I'm here~"
Perhaps a little childishness wasn't so bad after all, was it?
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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