A/N Some comments would be nice
Chapter 30: Conversation on the Express Train
The Hogwarts Express was moving slowly across the endless fields. The lazy afternoon sun shone through the glass windows, making Harry and Ron drowsy.
Across from them, Hermione was wide awake, absorbed in her reading of a book called Wandering with Werewolves, and was at a crucial moment.
Suddenly, the sound of the cubicle door being opened broke the afternoon tranquility. A boy with platinum blond hair was peering into the cubicle through the crack in the door.
Hermione looked up at the voice and met those grey eyes that were as bright as gems.
"Draco," she whispered, surprised, trying to smile at him through her frozen face, "what brings you here?"
"There's something I have to do," he said, standing beside her seat and looking at her with an uneasy expression.
Hermione was confused. She involuntarily moved closer to the window, making room for him. "Want to sit?"
"Thank you." He sat down, his expression a little softer than before, although his light red lips were still tightly pursed.
Hermione probably knew where his uneasiness came from - across from them, Ron was frowning at the uninvited visitor.
That day in Diagon Alley, when she later took her parents to Flourish and Blotts to meet the Weasley family, she heard Ron's sister Ginny Weasley muttering privately, "Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Weasley just had an argument, and the man's attitude was very bad."
Then came the day she returned to school. She spent the entire morning in the compartment of the express train receiving Ron's scientific education and baptism. She learned about the "evil pure-blood philosophy" upheld by the Malfoy family, and was shocked.
"Absolutely not! Draco doesn't seem like that kind of person! He has always been very friendly to me. How could his father discriminate against Muggle-born wizards—" She retorted to Ron anxiously, "Is there some misunderstanding here?"
"What a misunderstanding! Hermione, just ask any of your classmates, especially those who are from a wizarding background, and they will tell you the same answer." Ron said, "Lucius Malfoy used to be a subordinate of You-Know-Who! He is a confirmed Death Eater!"
"What are Death Eaters?" asked Harry.
"They are You-Know-Who's most loyal followers. Dad said they are all proficient in the dark arts, cruel and bloodthirsty, and are completely devoted to You-Know-Who." Ron swallowed and shuddered. "They have the most extreme pure-blood ideas and love to torture Muggles and Muggle-born wizards."
"Draco's father was one of them?" Harry asked doubtfully. "But aren't there any punishments for crimes committed in the wizarding world?"
"Most Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban, the wizarding prison," said Ron. "But Draco's father claimed he was under the Imperius Curse and escaped punishment. My dad said that was a complete lie. His family has always been fond of practicing the Dark Arts and has always looked down on Muggle-born wizards, even pure-blood wizards who are close to Muggles. The other day, Draco's father even called my dad a 'blood traitor'..."
Oh my god! Draco's father was a Death Eater, the kind of Death Eater who "tortured Muggles and Muggle-born wizards"? Hermione felt a pang in her stomach at the thought.
Somehow, she felt a little angry, although she didn't know who to be angry at.
She had never thought that Draco would have such a terrible father. After all, Draco didn't look like the kind of person who would discriminate against Muggle-born wizards, which made it hard for her to imagine that he was raised by pure-blood wizards with such extreme prejudice.
Admittedly, he had a somewhat aloof temperament, and was indifferently arrogant towards most students, which was consistent with Ron's description of the Malfoy family's character.
However, that day in Diagon Alley, he had been so kind, gentle, and courteous to her parents, and the atmosphere had been harmonious. Even after returning home, Mom and Dad were full of praise for him!
He knew they were Muggles!
How does his attitude look like discrimination against Muggles, or even Muggle-born wizards?
How could it be like having a father who was extreme and discriminatory against Muggle-born wizards?
Hermione spent the entire morning hesitating in her cubicle.
Several times, she wanted to rush out of the cubicle, find him, and ask him what was going on in person.
If he flatly denied these rumors, if he could come up with some reason that led to the misunderstanding between the two families, then she would believe him without hesitation, and even see if she could help him resolve the misunderstanding with Ron.
But she was unusually timid. She didn't dare to go to him. She wasn't mentally prepared, and she hadn't figured out how to start.
If what Ron said was true, there was no misunderstanding between the two families, and all the rumors about the Malfoy family were true, what should she do?
How should she face the boy whose smile makes everything pale in comparison?
How should she face her favorite study partner, her loyal Slytherin friend, the special boy she could not help but steal a glance at and talk to a few more words with?
Hermione had mixed feelings.
Burying herself in one of Lockhart's books, she no longer wanted to hear what Harry and Ron were saying.
She tried to escape reality.
However, reality will not disappear just because people try to avoid it; sometimes, it will even come to you on its own.
Just as she was gradually attracted by the contents of Lockhart's book and her mood was relieved, Draco came by himself.
With a somewhat uneasy expression that made people feel nervous, he sat upright beside her, his delicate and three-dimensional profile close at hand.
His nose was quite nice, she couldn't help but think as she stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
Oh, come on, Hermione, now is not the time to think about this! She was very angry with herself and pretended to turn a page of the book, wondering whether she should just take this opportunity to ask him whether these rumors were true or not.
The next second, without her asking, Draco spoke.
He said to Ron bluntly, "Listen, Ron, I know you may have some opinions about my father. I have to apologize to you for what he said and did to your father. Judging from your sister's face at that time, although I don't know what he said, I guess it was not pleasant."
Ron Weasley gaped in his seat – for a moment he'd thought Draco was picking a fight; he'd never expected to receive an apology from a smug Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy, the cold and proud Slytherin boy, actually went against his usual behavior and ran to their compartment to apologize to him with eager eyes. This was as incredible as "Professor Snape gave Hermione five points for answering correctly".
Unlike Harry's inclusive attitude, Ron's attitude towards Draco has always been somewhat complicated.
On the one hand, Ron believed that they were from two completely different worlds - from the school to the family background, from head to toe - because of the different philosophies of their parents, he was always secretly a little wary of this Malfoy;
But on the other hand, although Draco was cold by nature and lacked enthusiasm towards others, he was much friendlier to them than many Slytherins. He never showed any malice and even extended a helping hand to them many times.
If Draco had been a little more rude to them, like his father, this would have been much easier to handle, but Draco was clearly quite friendly to them, and his behavior was impeccable.
"It seems unfair to vent your anger on Draco because of his terrible father. He can't decide who his father is, right?" Harry had just advised him this.
Ron was silent, thinking back to the endless stream of soothing words Harry had instilled in him, his eyes fixed on the boy's face in front of him, which was slightly nervous.
It was the owner of this face who guided them to the Transfiguration classroom when they were lost, rescued them from the troll when they were frightened, and helped them find Quirrell, the culprit who cursed Harry.
Harry was right, he had been helping them.
He hasn't done anything bad.
Perhaps he was different from his father. Perhaps there weren't only bad wizards in Slytherin.
Ron hesitated.
Besides, Harry and Hermione—who had always been fond of him—were always speaking up for him, Ron thought helplessly.
They were unwilling to believe that Draco had even the same relationship with the word "evil" as a copper nun.
Alas! Ron glanced at Harry, who was smiling kindly at Draco, and then looked at Hermione, who looked worried, afraid that they would fight if they disagreed, and couldn't help sighing.
"Don't worry about it. This is a matter between adults. They have different ideas and positions, and it's not a one-day or two-day thing. There's nothing to be surprised about." In the end, Ron tried his best to adopt an indifferent attitude, his face slightly red. "Harry has already persuaded me. None of us can choose who our parents are, right?"
"I'm glad you think so," Draco said, a small smile on his face.
He didn't expect that forgiveness would come so easily.
He had no confidence in gaining their forgiveness. From the very beginning, his motives for being friendly to Harry and the others had not been completely pure - and they still could not be called pure now - so how could he be qualified to gain their sincere forgiveness?
However, in his interactions with them, Draco gradually began to not want them to misunderstand him, and he did not want his willful father to ruin this already fragile relationship.
After thinking it over, he walked into the compartment, just wanting to give it a try, but he didn't expect to get such a big surprise.
"Thanks, Harry." He turned his pale eyes to Harry, who was standing next to Ron, and smiled at him. Harry blinked his gentle green eyes at him and gave him a kind smile in return.
Harry must have spent a lot of time trying to persuade Ron, Draco thought.
Suddenly, Draco could understand one thing a little bit - why Harry was liked by so many people in his previous life.
When encountering the same bad thing, Harry is willing to treat others sincerely first.
He is not afraid to think about things from a positive and kind perspective.
Harry was willing to trust him, even willing to persuade his resentful friend. Not only him, but Hermione was willing to make room for him, even though he had seen a stiff, unusually complex expression on her face from the beginning. And Ron—regardless of whose sake—was willing to abandon his prejudices and accept people with different views.
This was a possibility Draco had not anticipated, at least it shouldn't be this simple.
He had originally thought that today's conversation would be difficult, or even end badly - Slytherins were accustomed to thinking about things from a negative perspective.
And these Gryffindors are different from the Slytherins.
They seemed to be exceptionally broad-minded, willing to try to understand others even when they had doubts in their hearts... Draco thought silently, and felt more and more that his misunderstandings and hostility towards them in his previous life seemed so ridiculous and meaningless.
The friendship between teenage boys is simple. As long as they can talk it out, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome.
In the cubicle, the tense atmosphere disappeared without a trace and the conversation started again.
"The Chadli Cannons will always be number one in my heart!" Ron said excitedly, "They've won the League Cup 21 times. No one can deny their glory yesterday..."
Sadly, many believed that the glory days of this team were over – the performance of the Chudley Cannons for over a century had been nothing short of "lifeless," Draco thought to himself.
Because of the friendly treatment he had just received, he wisely said nothing about it.
"Draco, which team do you like?" Harry asked curiously.
"I admire a specific talented player more than the team," Draco said lightly. "Eunice Murray of the Montrose Magpies is an outstanding player. Glennie Gleeson of the Holyhead Harpies is also quite good."
"They're both Seekers, Harry. This isn't a good sign." Ron gasped, then poked his friend with a grin, "Be careful, you might be rivals on the court one day..."
Draco smiled but said nothing, his eyes glancing at the woods rushing past outside the window, and in passing, he glanced at the girl's face beside him.
She looked a little listless and was turning a page of a book with little interest.
That's right. The girl was always hesitant about flying, and even less interested in Quidditch, Draco thought. She had every reason to be uninterested in their conversation.
She probably couldn't get anything in to say, so she was listless, Draco thought.
So he glanced at the book in her hand and changed the subject, "Let's talk about the new year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. What kind of person do you think of him?"
"I met him once in a bookstore," Harry said with a complicated expression, "I have to admit, I can't say I like him..."
Hermione was not silent because the topic was boring as Draco thought.
She was still reeling from his "direct apology to Ron."
He actually admitted his mistake without any argument! She thought in amazement.
This meant that Ron was right, and Draco did have a father who was keen on blood prejudice.
After realizing this, an inexplicable feeling of loss came over Hermione.
Draco's father was so mean to a pure-blood wizard like Mr. Weasley. If he met her, a real Muggle-born wizard, and if he met her Muggle parents, he would probably be even more rude.
She had originally regretted not meeting Draco's father, but now she felt somewhat relieved.
Her mind wandered, her thoughts wandering. She turned page after page of the book, but her mind was not on it at all.
With some complicated feelings, Hermione stole a glance at him again. Draco's platinum-blonde hair, as dazzling as the sun, made her completely unable to be angry with him, even though she knew he had the most evil father in the world.
Then she heard Ron's words of understanding, and for a moment they made sense to her.
Does it matter whose son he is? It's not for him to decide! Hermione couldn't help but think.
He was still that elegant boy. His eyelashes were still like an innocent butterfly, fluttering its wings slowly in her pupils. The voice flowing from his pale red lips was still as refreshing as mint candy.
Draco Malfoy, a boy who was in a dilemma. Hermione pretended to be immersed in a book, but in fact she was listening to the mint candy.
She liked listening to him talk. She could sometimes hear the subtle inflections in his voice.
Even if she didn't look up, she could guess that he was probably in a good mood.
Hermione was right.
Draco was in a cheerful mood, and as the lady with the trolley passed by, he waved and bought Ron a bunch of Chocolate Frogs, Pippi Every Flavour Beans, Puffball Super Bubble Gum, Pumpkin Pie, Pot Cakes, and a Liquorice Wand as an apology.
His idea is simple: there is no child who doesn't like snacks.
This was the only thing Draco could do to make himself feel better.
As for Ron, although he likes snacks very much, he still has his pride after all.
He certainly didn't want an apology that would make him feel inferior or remind him that he was poor - although Draco had no such thoughts - but just as he was about to refuse with a flushed face, the Weasley twins jumped into the compartment.
"Look who we see?"
"Malfoy's brat!"
"I heard that your father and our father had a lot of unpleasantness. We have to teach you a lesson!" Fred grinned and pulled Draco, who was slow to react, up from his seat.
"What are you going to do?" Draco asked in astonishment.
"Wait, don't do this! What does this have to do with him? It's not him--" Hermione reacted quickly and grabbed Draco's sleeve, refusing to let him go.
"Sorry, Hermione, we have to borrow him from you for a while," George said to the surprised girl with a smile, lowering his voice, "We won't bully him, we were just joking."
"Oh—" A blush appeared on her face. She loosened her hand and muttered softly, "Why did you say 'borrow'?"
They each carried Draco on one side and quickly ran away with the boy's surprised face.
Everything happened so quickly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still staring at each other long after the three men disappeared behind the compartment door.
As soon as Draco landed, he began to tidy up his messy hair and clothes. "Why do you two always like to mess up my hair?"
They were in an empty compartment. The twin brothers glanced at the corridor through the glass window on the door and pulled the curtain tightly.
"Call it a little revenge," said Fred maliciously.
"Who made your father laugh at our father?" George continued.
"I'm very sorry about this. I've already apologized to your brother." Draco's eyes were dull and there was a hint of resentment in his tone.
If you offend someone, all you have to do is open your mouth; your son will run around to apologize.
There are so many Weasley children, and each of them has to say "sorry" six or seven times.
"It's rare to see a Malfoy looking so frustrated. Try this and we'll forgive you." Fred chuckled and handed him a colorfully wrapped candy with a playful grin; George on the side also couldn't help laughing.
Draco felt relieved to see them relax.
It seems that these optimistic brothers don't care about Lucius's affairs at all.
The more Draco got to know the brothers, the more he began to appreciate the open-mindedness and tolerance hidden beneath their casual attitude. It was rare to see them truly angry with anyone; even the most troubled people would feel at ease around them.
"Is it coma candy or fever candy?" Draco held up the candy to the sunlight, with no intention of trying it himself.
"Fever candy," George said regretfully, looking a little disappointed that Draco hadn't tried it. "It'll definitely give you a fever."
"Will the aftereffect be too strong?" Draco asked doubtfully.
"It does have a bit of a lasting effect, and it can cause boils. You'd never want to know where they're coming from...it's very sour and refreshing." Fred smiled obscurely and scratched his butt. "Indeed, it needs some further refinement."
"If the side effects are too severe, we'll have to wait. The fast-acting skipping candy series is to solve problems for customers, not to create problems for them," said Draco.
"We know." George smiled. "But it would be fun to play a harmless little joke with this candy. We just 'accidentally' mixed a piece of candy with Lee Jordan's snacks. I wonder what he's like now..."
"Where do you usually store the finished products?" Draco suddenly asked while playing with the candy.
"Hide it here and there," Fred said nonchalantly, rubbing his nose. "Under the beds in the dormitories, in the empty classrooms at Hogwarts...they're all good hiding places. We don't want Filch to find it and confiscate it."
"That makes sense. In that case, I have a small proposal." Draco's tone was flat, as if he was casually mentioning something trivial, the size of a sesame seed. "How much do you know about Hogsmeade? You must have been there quite a bit last year, right?"
"Of course I've been there quite a bit." The twin brothers looked at each other and smiled mysteriously. "This is a great place."
"Have you considered renting a shop in Hogsmeade? We'll have a place to store our products." Draco raised his eyelids and observed the brothers' expressions. "We could even apply for a business license from the Ministry of Magic and sell the products ourselves."
"Are you serious?" George quickly raised his head and looked at the calm boy in front of him - when he said this, his expression was too calm, so calm that George felt it was unreal.
"Instead of consigning your intellectual achievements to an obscure corner of someone else's store, where no one will buy them, why not open your own store and display your most popular products in the most prominent places?" Draco said. "Is it difficult to understand?"
"Of course we know this is the best," said George, "but opening a store is no joke. We just started the owl mail business, and the consignment business has only been going on for a short time..."
"I'm not saying that we should give up the mailing business or the consignment business and open a store tomorrow. Do you think choosing a location is easy? What I mean is that next time you go to Hogsmeade, maybe you can pay attention to those empty shops..." Draco explained to them.
Draco had long wanted to plan out Hogsmeade village, as he had always loved this place in his previous life.
Hogsmeade is the only wizarding village in the UK without Muggles. It is home to a large number of wizards all year round, and its prosperity is second only to Diagon Alley in London.
This is a paradise for Hogwarts students. Every time Hogsmeade village is open day, the Hogwarts castle becomes empty early in the morning.
Sipping mead, or the stronger firewhisky, in the warmth of the Three Broomsticks on a cold winter's day was a memory that made Draco smile.
Draco knew almost every kind of candy stacked to the ceiling at Honeydukes. He had tasted them all in his past life with Crabbe and Goyle.
The Shrieking Shack is considered by some Slytherin boys to be the best place to test their courage. Whoever can get closer to it will gain more respect from others to a certain extent.
Each landmark building here is unique and connected to some of Draco's memories that can be called "happy".
Not to mention, Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop is always packed with people. One can imagine how crowded it would be if the Weasley twins opened a shop in Hogsmeade.
I have to open a shop in Hogsmeade, Draco thought as he watched his twin brothers' faces gradually light up.
This decision was made not only out of emotional affinity, but also because of many practical benefits.
The two brothers are very enthusiastic about developing new products. The quantity of raw materials and new products is increasing day by day, and they need a safe place to store them.
Placing it in a crowded boys' dormitory would inevitably disturb others; moreover, the process of developing new products is full of risks. If they are not careful, the two brothers may turn "pulling fireworks" into "pulling Gryffindor Tower".
Those dangerous pyrotechnic raw materials shouldn't be in that area - a little girl also lives in Gryffindor Tower, Draco thought worriedly.
If they opened a shop in Hogsmeade, they could have a stable and safe place to store their goods, provide the twin brothers with a well-equipped place to develop their products, and also attract more customers.
This way, their market isn't limited to Hogwarts - any wizard who comes to Hogsmeade to shop can be a potential customer.
Draco also has a little selfish motive here.
It was very important to have a place to stay in Hogsmeade. If Hogwarts was once again attacked by Death Eaters, there would need to be a place nearby to take a breath.
"In my opinion, all the shops in good locations are already occupied." George rolled his eyes and said with interest, "The remaining vacant shops are either in remote locations or the rent is too high."
"It doesn't matter. Hogsmeade village is limited in size, so you don't have to choose the busiest street. If you go to a place that is too busy, I'm worried that it will be too conspicuous and attract the attention of professors. Professor McGonagall probably doesn't want to see you doing business in your spare time, right?" said Draco.
The two brothers stuck out their tongues at him, agreeing with his guess.
"As long as we can increase our popularity in the early stages, it will be easier to do things later on - good wine needs no bush." Draco mused.
"Regarding the issue of awareness - when we open, we can do targeted advertising and flyers at the main roads, and even spread the word among wizards. Over time, customers who are interested in our products will naturally come here when they smell the flavor," George said confidently.
George Weasley actually had a good business sense. Draco was a little surprised and nodded at him approvingly.
Fred took over. "If you're not so concerned about the main street location, I have an idea. A while ago, we found a vacant store near the Shrieking Shack."
Draco raised an eyebrow, "Go on."
"Although it's a bit far from the main road, there are clothing stores and teahouses nearby, so there is customer flow and it can't be considered desolate. The specific location is on the road behind the Three Broomsticks Bar..." George cheered up and began to analyze the feasibility behind this matter.
On the road behind the Three Broomsticks... Draco searched his brain for a vague memory.
That's true.
In the previous life, there was indeed a dilapidated house standing there, which had been empty and unopened for many years.
Opening a shop here wasn't out of the question. Draco remained silent, his eyes fixed on the swamp passing by outside the window. He listened to George's endless analysis, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the countertop for a long time.
"It should be feasible." After a long pause, Draco finally said, "Next time you go, you might want to confirm the location, advantages and disadvantages, and rent issues."
"Of course." George rubbed his hands happily.
"Ah, I never expected it," Fred said happily. "The dream came true so quickly that it caught me off guard..."
George also showed an expression ready to do something big. "Actually, we've had this idea for a long time, but we were afraid to move too fast. Having our own store and researching these interesting things every day, what could be better than this—"
"You have to be clear about one thing. We have enough funds to hire store staff, but you still have to go to school before you graduate," Draco reminded them.
"Going to school is not as fun as opening a shop! This is exactly what we want." The twin brothers said in unison.
"I know your ambition isn't to earn a Hogwarts diploma or a single OWL. However, your creative ideas require a solid foundation of magical knowledge." Draco watched the rows of trees passing by outside the car window, vaguely catching sight of a corner of the Black Lake in the distance. "Many of your current inventions still have room for improvement, which means your application of magical knowledge isn't perfect, is it? Why not take advantage of your studies to absorb the wisdom and ingenuity of the Hogwarts professors? Such free, high-quality resources are a waste."
Once you leave Hogwarts, you can't just talk to the professors, and they can't just teach you knowledge.
Can you imagine a Potions Master like Severus Snape casually agreeing to mentor less talented children?
If it weren't for the pressure of this teaching position, he probably wouldn't even look at some clumsy students.
Neville Longbottom, I'm talking about you. You stupid student who always wants to trouble Hermione! Draco thought bitterly.
"That's true." Fred made a face at him and said with a grin, "That's why we're still studying hard."
"Okay, I know you're the top student in your college, and you're still trying to get our top student to go to the library every day... Don't worry, we haven't fallen behind in our studies either." George smiled. "Of course, we have to admit that some courses are more to our liking..."
How did George know this? Their academic work together in the library had always been a secret—perhaps George was cheating.
Ignoring one of his words, Draco said to himself with a stern face, "If you only focus on running the shop and don't get the OWLs certificate, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley might think you are not doing your job properly..."
"That's right. I can already imagine the look of despair on Mum's face if she knew we were determined to do business instead of having grand ambitions like Percy... maybe she would even ground us." Fred spread his hands innocently and said.
"Without the understanding and support of my family, it would not be good for the long-term development of the store," said Draco.
"Okay, we'll learn. We won't be as serious and lecturing as that old man," George said lazily. "We'll also go check out that store first and do some research."
"Great. If only I could go to Hogsmeade." Draco sighed. "I really want to see that shop in person."
Draco was not allowed to set foot in Hogsmeade. Only students in their third year and above could go there on special Hogsmeade open days with their guardian's signed permission.
Draco, who was now in his second year, had no way of doing anything about it. But for the Weasley twins, it was no obstacle at all – they were already going into their fourth year.
"We know a way." The Weasley brothers looked at each other and said in unison.
"What?" Draco was bewildered.
"Behind the mirror on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, there is a secret passage leading directly to Hogsmeade village..." Fred said mysteriously.
"It's got a lot of space inside. You could even have a party in there," George winked at him. "We've got a lot of products hidden in there."
At this time, the train was slowly approaching Hogsmeade Village Station, the terminus of the Hogwarts Express. Students would get off the train and walk along the path along the lakeshore into Hogwarts.
"Secret passage? Why have I never heard of it?" Draco was extremely surprised.
If there were a secret passage from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade—it must be used!
How many students' lives can be saved at the critical moment?
However, the twins smiled at him maliciously, deliberately teasing him. When the train arrived at the station, they patted Draco and left the compartment arm in arm.
After a pause of two seconds, Draco opened the compartment door and chased after him, finally losing the calm image he had always maintained. "Wait... Fred, George, say a few more words, give me some clues... Which mirror?"
Ron was startled when he opened the compartment door and was about to walk out.
He saw with his own eyes a figure with platinum hair passing in front of him as fast as a gust of wind.
He followed the boy for a few steps, looked out the train door at the platform, and saw something even more shocking.
"Merlin's beard! Harry, Hermione, look, is that Draco?" He pointed at the boy on the platform who was jumping up and down chasing the Weasley twins and asked, "Can he be so unstable sometimes? I have to admire Fred and George... They have accomplished what I wanted to do but couldn't."
Harry jumped off the train, shrugged at Ron, and smiled silently. He turned his head and said to Hermione, who was standing beside him with wide eyes, "I told you a long time ago that you don't have to worry about him at all. Look, they're having a good time..."