In front of someone you like, you always become extra conscious of how you look.
Even Hermione had never imagined she would appear in front of Draco like this.
Messy hair, a yawn she had just let slip, rubbing her eyes without a shred of ladylike grace. It felt as though Draco had seen every bit of it.
At that thought, Hermione's first reaction was that she still hadn't fully woken up…
Unfortunately, Draco showed her no mercy at all by casually confirming reality.
Thump thump thump!!
Frantic footsteps mixed with a shrill scream as a small, flustered figure disappeared around the bend of the staircase in an instant.
Bang bang bang!
"..."
"...…."
Even without seeing what was happening upstairs, it was easy enough to imagine.
Because of that,
Draco and Mr. Granger exchanged a look, and in the very next second, burst out laughing in perfect sync.
Hermione's muddled reaction seemed to have instantly shortened the distance between the two men, one older and one younger.
Especially Mr. Granger. From Hermione's response alone, he caught a glimpse of something deeper, which made him feel noticeably more at ease with the boy in front of him…
...
While Hermione appeared to be waging a silent battle with the air upstairs,
Mrs. Granger, having heard the scream, hurried out of the kitchen. She had been about to ask what had happened, only to unexpectedly see the two of them chatting away quite happily…
"I'm a dentist. You know what a dentist is, right? Well… it's a job that takes care of people's teeth."
"A dentist? That sounds like maintaining wands."
"Uh… I'm not entirely sure what wand maintenance involves, but I suppose it's something like that."
Their lives and experiences were clearly worlds apart, yet their conversation somehow flowed smoothly. Mrs. Granger, holding two bottles of warm milk, couldn't help feeling a little surprised.
Before long, a bright smile spread across her face.
Come to think of it, how long had it been since her husband laughed and talked this freely?
She never would have expected it to be with a boy the same age as her daughter.
In that moment, both Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger seemed to forget entirely that Draco was a wizard…
"What are you two chatting about? You don't have to eat if you don't want to, but you can't stop Draco from having a proper breakfast!"
"Haha, sorry about that. Here, this milk was delivered fresh this morning. Draco, you really should try it."
"Alright then. I won't refuse."
The voices and laughter drifting up from downstairs made Hermione, who was clutching the foot she had just kicked against the wooden door, finally stop rolling around.
She hesitated, then sat up from the floor, pressing her ear to the door as she muttered under her breath.
"Why is that guy even at my house?!"
"And… what are they talking about? How can they be having so much fun?"
"Ugh, he saw everything just now, didn't he?! Why didn't anyone warn me?! Damn it, damn it!!"
Sprawled on all fours in a rather ungraceful posture, Hermione crept around like a thief, desperate to figure out what was happening downstairs, complaints slipping out every now and then.
Yet anyone could tell that despite her awkward pose, joy had already surfaced clearly on her face. Evidently, Draco's visit had brought not only shock, but a fair share of unexpected delight as well…
...
As time passed, Mrs. Granger began to notice that Hermione, who should have been up by now, still hadn't appeared. The breakfast prepared for her sat untouched on the table.
Before long, they would have to leave for the hospital. They couldn't very well leave Draco here on his own.
With that in mind, Mrs. Granger decided to go upstairs and check on Hermione…
Just as she was about to stand, hesitant footsteps came from above.
"You're finally—Hermione?"
Mid-sentence, Mrs. Granger's smile turned a little strange.
Under her mother's gaze, Hermione awkwardly lifted a hand to adjust the hair she had clearly spent quite some time fixing.
Draco, who had been talking with Mr. Granger, paused and turned his head toward Hermione Granger, who now looked nothing like the girl from moments earlier.
The pajama top with the oversized cat print had been replaced by a carefully chosen dress. Her previously chaotic hair now fell smoothly, long brown strands framing her eyes perfectly.
Even her movements had changed. The frantic energy from before was gone, replaced by light, measured steps that made her look almost demure.
Faced with this transformation, the Grangers exchanged a brief, knowing look before turning their amused, suddenly enlightened gazes toward Hermione, whose expression had grown distinctly stiff.
So that's how it is.
From her parents' reactions, and from Draco repeatedly blinking at her, Hermione realized she had probably exposed something. Her already flushed ears instantly burned even hotter.
In the end, giving up entirely, Hermione stopped pretending. After shooting Draco a fierce yet oddly adorable glare, she quickly dropped into the seat beside him.
But perhaps unable to endure the weight of her parents' stares any longer, she forced herself to sound composed.
"Is there a problem?"
The sight made Mrs. Granger laugh softly as she shook her head, while Mr. Granger let out an exaggerated sigh.
"..."
"..."
No one said a word, yet the silence alone made Hermione's face turn bright red. Under the table, she stomped hard on Draco's foot, venting her frustration at being completely seen through by her parents onto him instead.
Draco, having no idea what he'd done wrong, could only twitch the corner of his mouth.
Even though she acted as if she couldn't stand him, it didn't take long before Hermione found herself wanting to talk to Draco again…
"Why are you here?"
"Mm… didn't you receive the letter I had Wolf deliver?"
"I did get the letter, but what I'm asking is why you showed up at my house so early in the morning!"
And why you were chatting so happily with my parents.
Hermione didn't say that part out loud. Just thinking about it made her cheeks start to heat up again.
"As for that, Hermione, I think this is something we should talk about later."
"Draco, what kind of scheme are you plotting now?"
"A scheme? I can't just pretend I didn't hear that."
"Hmph!"
Completely forgetting that her parents were still watching from the table, Hermione bickered with Draco just as she did back at Hogwarts.
What she didn't notice was that the Grangers, quietly observing from the side, were starting to exchange increasingly uneasy looks. The way they watched the two of them grew more complicated, a mix of scrutiny and concern.
After raising their daughter for so many years, she had finally met a boy she liked.
But could their absent-minded daughter really hold on to him?
Even though they'd known him for less than a day, the Grangers could already tell that Draco Malfoy was no ordinary boy…
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
Also, join as a free member to read free advanced chapters.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream