Although Hermione was highly efficient, she still had her own reservations as a girl.
More importantly, she wasn't sure what kind of relationship she had with Draco.
Were they comrades who fought dragons together, or just rivals competing for top marks in their year?
Even after she'd cleared up the misunderstanding on her end, Draco's role left her uncertain.
Or maybe—though she hadn't consciously realized it—it was simply that she didn't want to show her vulnerable side in front of Draco?
The more she cared, the harder it became to take a step forward...
...
After that conversation, although Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed unchanged on the surface and still spent time together as usual, the atmosphere had clearly shifted.
Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Hermione, Harry and the others didn't come with you?"
"Ah... something came up with the Quidditch team."
"It's all my fault..."
Hermione could see the guilt on Hagrid's face. She had, after all, forgotten again, and this excuse involving the team had already been used for several days in a row.
She understood why Hagrid felt that way. In his kind heart, he probably thought that his insistence had strained the friendship between her and the others.
If he hadn't insisted on keeping Norberta, maybe none of this would've happened.
That was what Hagrid was thinking...
Seeing him like this, Hermione was just about to say something comforting when she caught sight of Draco happily stroking the dragon nearby. That sight only made her already sour mood worse, and she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
She was definitely not jealous of how close he was with Norberta!
"Hagrid, this isn't your fault at all. What's important now is figuring out what to do with Norberta."
Hermione glanced over at Norberta, who was acting especially docile under Draco's hand, her eyes filled with concern.
Norberta had grown alarmingly fast. With just a casual flick of her tail, she could make the entire hut shake. It felt like with a bit more force, she could bring down the whole wall.
Things were fine when Draco was around, but once he left, Hagrid had to constantly work to calm her down just to keep her from getting too agitated...
"Hermione, do you have any ideas?"
Perhaps he had finally come to terms with it—Hagrid wasn't as resistant to the idea of Norberta leaving his care anymore, as long as he could still visit her regularly.
"No, I don't... but someone else probably already does."
Following Hermione's gaze, Hagrid blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly at Draco, who was acting as though he hadn't just been mentioned.
Come to think of it, their relationship had improved significantly because of Norberta.
Although Hagrid didn't think much of the Malfoy family's patriarch, the gentle-hearted giant never extended that dislike to Draco himself. To him, Draco had always just been a Hogwarts student—nothing more.
And with Draco's unwavering support—not to mention the fact that, unlike other purebloods, Draco never looked down on him for being a half-giant—it became harder and harder for Hagrid not to like him. Draco was simply too sincere and charismatic to hold any grudges against.
...
In a way, they could be considered fellow dragon lovers. That's also why Hagrid could turn to Draco for help without feeling the slightest pressure.
Faced with Hagrid's pleading gaze and Hermione's smug expression that clearly said, "Don't think you can stay out of this," Draco paused his hand as it stroked Norberta's back, then gave Hermione a strange look.
Hermione quickly turned her head away, a little flustered under his gaze.
"How unexpected."
Truth be told, Draco hadn't expected Hermione to actually ask for his input.
He had a decent sense of how stubborn she could be.
"Gah!"
Perhaps feeling ignored—or maybe even a little jealous—Norberta rubbed her tiny head against Draco's hovering hand.
Her clear plea for attention made Draco chuckle and gently pat her head...
"There it is again, that soft, doting smile."
Watching this, Hermione suddenly had the absurd thought: Wizards really don't measure up to dragons.
Unconsciously, her cheeks puffed up a bit.
"Don't change the subject. You already have an idea, don't you?"
"Who knows? Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
He always acted like a refined noble in front of other wizards and could be so gentle with Norberta, so why did he insist on acting like a total brat in front of her?
Looking at Draco, whose expression feigned worry but whose eyes and lips were laced with mischief, Hermione felt a flash of annoyance. She almost grabbed the rock-hard biscuit on the table and hurled it at his smug face.
Perhaps sensing her rising aggression, Draco gave a slight cough before finally revealing the plan he'd had all along...
"Actually, solving this isn't hard at all. I have at least two solutions."
"Simple?"
"Two?"
Hermione and the others hadn't expected that the issue which had troubled them for so long would seem like no trouble at all to Draco.
"If you had an idea, why didn't you speak up earlier?"
Seeing the confident look on Draco's face, Hermione glared at him, clearly frustrated.
Hagrid, on the other hand, simply tugged at his beard, visibly relieved.
"The first option is to send Norberta to a dragon reserve. With my connections, that's not a problem."
Given Draco's position as the heir to the Malfoy family, this claim wasn't baseless.
"That... What about the second option?"
But Hagrid clearly didn't want Norberta to end up in a place like that.
Calling it a reserve was generous—more accurately, it was a facility where dragons were kept in captivity, drained of blood, and skinned for profit.
Hermione, unsure why Hagrid was so opposed to what sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan, tilted her head and looked at Draco in confusion.
Draco didn't explain, but instead moved on to the next option.
"Honestly, I don't want to go with the first one either. Which leaves us with one final choice."
His smile faded, and his tone turned serious.
"The Forbidden Forest."
"The Forbidden Forest?"
"The Forbidden Forest?"
Hagrid and Hermione echoed in unison, both confused and hesitant.
Only after thinking it over did they understand why Draco had suddenly turned so serious—this wouldn't be easy.
At that moment...
"Who's there?!"
Draco suddenly stood, startling both Hagrid and Hermione mid-thought.
Without acknowledging them, he strode to the window and looked out.
But there was no one in sight.
Was I just being paranoid? Or...
Draco stared at the footprints on the ground, his grey eyes turning sharp and focused...