After Hagrid backed down, Harry quickly caught on to what was really going on.
"Ron, put your wand down."
"What?! Do you even know what you're saying?!"
"Don't forget, we're at Hogwarts. Are you really planning to cast a spell on Hermione?"
Though Draco's sudden appearance had startled him at first, now that he'd calmed down, Harry understood clearly—there was no way Draco would do anything truly harmful to Hermione. Not here, not at Hogwarts.
And as for this so-called "hostage" situation, it probably happened because they'd pointed their wands at him first.
Was it self-defense?
Sure enough, the moment Harry lowered his wand, Draco subtly signaled that he had no intention of hurting anyone. At the very least, Harry noticed that Draco's wand was no longer aimed at him.
"Looks like we've calmed down. But what about you, foolish Weasley?"
Even now, Draco's usual arrogance didn't falter. His sharp words made Harry tense up—he knew all too well how much Ron hated Draco.
He was even starting to suspect that Goyle and the others had learned their troublemaking habits from Draco himself.
Sure enough, Ron, who hadn't planned on lowering his wand in the first place, tightened his grip even more after Draco's provocation.
Whatever was brewing inside him had clearly overridden what little logic or composure he had left...
"What did you say?! You despicable Death Eater!"
"Still stuck on that tired insult? Whatever..."
Draco shook his head and glanced at Ron, who was gripping his wand so tightly yet still hesitating to cast anything, as if to say, "Just as expected." Then he cast an odd glance at Hermione, who—for some reason—wasn't reacting at all.
"In that case..."
Draco gently pressed the wand that was still in Hermione's hand, unaware that the move made her already flushed eyes burn with both shame and irritation.
'You bastard—can't you use your own wand?!'
Draco, oblivious to the storm of resentment building in Hermione's mind, just noticed her body leaning a little more heavily into him. Frowning, he instinctively tightened his hold to keep her from collapsing onto the floor.
"Our brilliant little Miss Know-It-All should know what charm I'm best at, shouldn't she?"
With his whisper so close to her ear and her hand still guided by his, Hermione blinked, flustered, then looked at her wand now brimming with magic.
If anyone knew which spells Draco was best at, it was Hermione.
After all, he'd only ever cast two types of spells in front of her.
One of them was the deadly Sectumsempra—sharp enough to decapitate a troll.
And the other... the Levitation Charm.
...
One flick, one twist.
Compared to the Levitation Charm demonstrated by Professor Flitwick, Draco's version was far more powerful.
More accurately, under the influence of Draco's magic, the charm surpassed the level of any standard classroom demonstration.
"What kind of terrifying magical power is this...?"
The burning sensation at her fingertips, the wand in her hand feeling as if it were scalding.
Hermione suddenly understood why such a simple charm could take on an offensive nature in Draco's hands.
And she realized just how pointless Ron's rage and bravado really were—it was nothing but humiliation in the face of overwhelming strength...
In the very next second, as Hermione stood there dazed, she vaguely heard the words to the Levitation Charm being spoken.
Thud!
A deep, dull sound, followed by the release of her hand. Hermione, momentarily unable to process what had just happened, turned around in confusion, blinking as if trying to understand Draco's intention.
Her adorably dumbfounded expression nearly made Draco lose his self-control and pinch her cheek.
Ignoring the still-stunned Hermione, Draco looked up at Harry and Ron, who were both frozen, staring blankly at the ceiling, and Hagrid, who looked like he wasn't sure what to say.
Seeing their reactions, Draco folded his arms and curled his lips into a faint smirk.
"Now can we finally talk like civilized people?"
"..."
"..."
At that point, Ron seemed to have gone quiet—or rather, without his wand, he had lost the courage to keep confronting Draco. Harry, meanwhile, stared up with a complicated expression.
Ron's wand, now stuck upside-down in the ceiling, was still visibly trembling. The force it took to drive it in like that... Harry couldn't help but wonder if Ron's already worn-out wand might be completely done for now.
Gulp.
Ron scratched his now-empty right hand, his fury from earlier completely extinguished—as if someone had poured cold water over his head. In truth, it was Draco's overwhelming power that left him shaken.
Eventually, it was Hagrid, the hut's owner, who broke the silence.
"Well then, Mr. Malfoy, what is it you wanted to say?"
To be honest, Hagrid had an impressively good temperament when it came to handling students. Even though Draco had basically barged into his home—which, strictly speaking, was quite disrespectful—there wasn't a trace of anger on his face.
Looking at Hagrid, who clearly wanted him gone, Draco simply spread his hands with a helpless shrug.
"I told you from the beginning, that dragon egg is about to hatch."
"What?! It's hatching? Hurry, I need to see it with my own eyes! I can't miss the little one's first look at their mum!"
It was like the confrontation just minutes ago had never happened. The heavy tension in the air instantly dissolved into a near-comedic scene under Hagrid's panicked excitement.
Thanks to Hagrid's shift in mood, Hermione finally managed to calm down and accept the fact that Draco was here.
"You were say—"
"Hold up. We've got something more important to deal with right now."
"Eh?"
Before she could finish her question, Draco tossed out that line and darted over to Hagrid's side, both of them now staring at the dragon egg together.
Watching him from behind, Hermione couldn't explain why she felt both amused and a little annoyed.
It was the first time she'd seen Draco so openly excited—like a kid marveling at a brand-new toy.
"So... this guy's into dragons?"
She followed him without thinking, quietly stepping up beside Draco to gaze at the soon-to-hatch baby dragon.
Watching the three of them together, Harry could only sigh and smack his forehead.
So Draco came here... revealed himself... all because of a dragon egg?
And really—could they not act like nothing just happened?