The information Hermione shared did make Draco a bit uneasy.
But it wasn't curiosity about what treasure the Three-Headed Dog was guarding—it was suspicion about the reason for guarding it in the first place.
After all, under normal circumstances, with a Greatest Wizard overseeing Hogwarts, there shouldn't be any need for such theatrics.
If someone could break into Hogwarts, how could they possibly be stopped by a creature that even someone like Weasley could escape from?
It was all too strange...
"Unless there's some kind of backup plan?"
"What backup plan?"
Draco's muttering was just loud enough for Pansy, walking beside him, to overhear.
In fact, she'd noticed since yesterday that Draco seemed preoccupied.
He'd been spending his time in the common room alone, lost in thought, murmuring things no one could quite make out.
Despite her questioning, Draco had no intention of telling Pansy what was bothering him.
Not because he didn't trust her—just that the fewer people who knew, the better...
"No… If I had to say, it's really nothing important."
"Liar. But fine. If something really is going on, you have to tell me."
Pansy wasn't dumb. It was obvious Draco was holding something back, which only made her more curious.
Seeing how understanding she was, Draco reached out and ruffled her hair.
Then he gave a light laugh and said, "Yeah, of course."
However—
Though Draco's affectionate gesture made Pansy's cheeks flush, and for a brief second she even enjoyed it—shamefully so—
She seemed to realize something, and quickly smacked his hand away in a flustered huff.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to treat me like your little sister!"
"Yes, yes, I know~"
"Ugh! I can't believe how cocky you are, Draco!"
Draco's dismissive tone made the flustered Pansy give him a small kick to the shin...
...
If Draco was suspicious of the Greatest Wizard's motives,
Then the little witch standing before him was purely curious about whatever the Three-Headed Dog was guarding.
If anything, it was that classic Gryffindor sense of adventure.
"You really are a Gryffindor, huh?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Hermione immediately voiced her displeasure at Draco's tone.
It was as if he was calling all Gryffindors reckless fools...
"Isn't that what they are?"
"Sure, the school rules don't explicitly say students can't sit at other houses' tables…"
"But… you've got to be the first Gryffindor to eat with Slytherins."
With all the odd stares around them,
Even someone as composed as Draco had to pause mid-meal and glance helplessly at Hermione beside him.
Had she not noticed the little princess from the Parkinson family next to him was about to bend her silver fork in half with her bare hands?
"I… I wasn't thinking about that. And don't you want to know what that big dog is guarding?"
Realizing she might've been a little careless,
Hermione blushed briefly, but quickly leaned in and began excitedly explaining her thoughts.
Because she leaned in so close, Pansy's expression turned downright hostile. If Draco hadn't shot her a look to stop her,
Pansy might've said something to "remind" Hermione about her behavior—
And it definitely wouldn't have been a normal reminder...
"When I went back last time, I looked into it. That area's now listed as restricted—apparently, it's a new regulation that only came into effect this year."
"Besides, I really can't think of anywhere safer than Hogwarts. Especially with Headmaster Dumbledore here, this place is as secure as it gets."
"So I figured, someone must've asked one of the professors to safeguard something. Maybe... it was Headmaster Dumbledore himself who was entrusted with it."
Her brown eyes shone with intelligence.
That slightly flushed face, tinged with excitement, seemed to radiate the little witch's true charm.
Draco wasn't sure if her theory had any merit—or if it was all just her imagination running wild.
There wasn't even much actual information in what she'd said.
But still, Draco found himself intrigued...
To be exact,
He found himself intrigued by Hermione.
"You really did surprise me."
"So stop treating me like I'm some kind of fool."
"No... I just think you don't belong in Gryffindor."
"Isn't that the same thing!!"
Seeing Hermione once again getting worked up over his comment,
Draco, almost like an apology, slid his pumpkin juice toward her.
Hermione took a sip without hesitation.
But the way she glared at him while drinking, her cheeks puffed slightly with the juice, made Draco's gaze darken slightly.
A treasure of a girl...
...
It was obvious.
Ever since that incident, Hermione's standing within Gryffindor had taken a turn for the worse.
Even though she hadn't spent much time with Draco, and no one knew what they had talked about, to everyone else, Hermione's actions felt like betrayal.
Especially among young witches and wizards whose minds were still developing—they were easily swayed by the opinions of their peers.
There had always been a rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
And Ron Weasley, in particular, was unhappy about how close Hermione had gotten to Malfoy. He even suspected that she might've told Draco about the forbidden area incident.
In short,
Even though most of the Gryffindor students hadn't said anything outright,
In their hearts, Hermione had already been branded a "traitor"...
Truthfully,
Given Gryffindor's usual "straightforward" nature, if Hermione had actually explained herself, things might not have turned out this way.
But Hermione was proud.
With her pride, there was no way she'd lower herself to explain everything to people who had already misunderstood her.
Besides, in her eyes, Draco wasn't anything like what they thought he was.
In the end, the only person who still spoke to Hermione was Neville—who had been helped by Draco a few times and understood that he wasn't a bad person.
But timid as he was, even though Neville wanted to speak up for Hermione and Draco,
No one took his words seriously, not with the reputation he had among them...