"Put it on," Draco said simply, placing the shimmering, light fabric in her hands.
"The Invisibility Cloak is truly amazing." Hermione exclaimed, touching it. "It always feels smooth, like it is woven from water..."
"The raw materials are not as simple as water; they are made from the hair of the Demiguise. The entire body of the Demiguise is covered in these long, fine, silky, shimmering silver hairs," Draco said. Seeing Hermione's curious look, he casually pulled a book from the shelf to show her. "Look, these are what they look like."
Hermione took the book and saw the illustrated description of the Demiguise.
It is a gentle, quiet herbivore that looks somewhat like an ape, with a pair of large, black eyes often hidden in its hair.
"Their eyes have a kind of elegance, and a kind of sadness," she commented. "I bet they would rather hide themselves than be captured by people."
"This explains why the Invisibility Cloak is so rare and expensive..." Draco said noncommittally, "Rarity makes it precious."
"I am starting to hate myself," Hermione suddenly said.
"What makes you say that?" he asked in surprise.
"I have discovered my own hypocrisy. On one hand, I feel that the process of making the Invisibility Cloak is sinful, but on the other hand, I need to use it to escape my predicament." Hermione sighed softly.
"I am afraid I should advise you to prioritise pragmatism," Draco said, glancing at the clock that was about to strike eight. "We were having such a good time that we were a little late. You heard the noise outside, did you not? After all this trouble hiding for so long, it is not worth getting caught in the end."
Hermione pursed her lips and nodded, knowing that he was right.
So she frowned and tried to put on the Invisibility Cloak to hide herself.
However, everything is difficult at the beginning. It was her first time wearing this on her own, and she was clearly not very skilled at it. She did not know how to tie the straps, and either her hair or her feet were showing.
"May I?" the boy stepped forwards and asked casually.
"Okay," she said awkwardly, glancing at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, as he reached out to adjust the Invisibility Cloak knot at her collar.
Draco's gaze remained fixed on her throat. Only now could he be absolutely certain that there were no marks on her neck.
He did not stop, gently tying a slipknot at her neckline, and whispered, "I am sorry."
"Why?" She looked at him, puzzled.
"Did it hurt when I strangled you yesterday?" he asked softly, a hint of regret in his voice. "I am sorry. I did not know it was you—"
"It is okay," she said casually, glancing at his tightly pursed lips. "Thinking back now, I realise I was wrong too. Impersonating someone else... it is not exactly something to be proud of. In your eyes, I must have seemed very suspicious back then."
"A little," he said. At that time, he even had a case of paranoia.
"You really startled me. Are you always this rude to others?" Hermione frowned and looked deeply into his eyes. "I have never seen you like this before."
"No. I am not usually this bad," he said, lowering his eyes and avoiding her gaze.
He is not usually this extreme. But he is always ready to go this extreme, or even worse.
He cannot control himself. He always feels insecure.
If Hermione had the chance to ask Blaise, she would know that Draco Malfoy always kept his wand under his pillow.
If anyone were to approach him in their sleep, he would mercilessly cast a curse and send them flying. Therefore, no one in Slytherin dared to trespass into his dormitory.
Even privileged individuals like Blaise and Theodore, who occasionally had access to his dormitory, dared not disturb him during his sleep hours.
But how did he end up kneeling in front of her? Draco wondered in surprise.
He was completely unaware and had no sense of crisis whatsoever with her. why?
He loosened the invisible knot he had tied with both hands, raised his eyes, and secretly sized her up, observing this girl with an innocent face.
"Okay, thank you," she said happily, pulling her hat down to hide her innocent and lively face in the air. "Let us go!"
Draco put aside his doubts for the time being, knowing he could not waste any more time.
He calmly walked out of his dormitory and down the stairs to the common room—the early-rising Slytherin students immediately made him realise the necessity of the Invisibility Cloak.
He gestured with his chin towards Pansy Parkinson, who was flipping through the latest issue of Wizarding Weekly in the corner, then whistled at Slytherin Chaser Derian Pursey, who was slumped in an armchair, and patted the shoulder of the swaying, hungover Slytherin Beater Peregrin Derrick...
Thanks to Hermione Granger, what was usually a trivial daily greeting turned into an exceptionally dangerous experience. Draco, trying to remain calm, walked out of their sight without looking to the side.
With his heart pounding, he quickly opened the door to the common room, gently helped the invisible girl across the door, and together they slipped out of the Slytherin common room without incident.
Hermione's face turned deathly pale.
As she walked out of the Slytherin common room, she suddenly realised that her "Polyjuice Potion plan" was full of flaws.
If Draco had not found her yesterday, she would have had countless opportunities to be caught by any of the Slytherin students.
Not only because of the star-studded Pansy Parkinson who was about to return to the common room; but also because she did not know how to open the door to the Slytherin common room to get out—its structure was different from the Gryffindor common room, and its principles were quite different from those of the Fat Lady's portrait.
She got in purely by luck. She followed Marcus Flint in, knowing he was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team—she often saw him when she peeked at Draco's training; but she was not always so lucky as to follow someone in time and find the right exit to get out.
She could already imagine the embarrassing scene that would unfold when the potion wore off, leaving her blocked by that door, helplessly reverting to a Gryffindor student, and being caught red-handed by a malicious Slytherin student.
It is likely to be a huge scandal.
Draco was right about what he said to scare her yesterday. Professor Snape might use this as an excuse to deduct fifty or even five hundred points from Gryffindor.
While silently thanking Merlin for letting the platinum-haired boy find her in time and save her from danger, she took off her Invisibility Cloak and returned it to him behind a hidden wizard statue.
Draco quickly folded the object into a small piece and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his robe, continuing to follow her at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
In fact, it was not a short distance—he followed her to the portrait of the Fat Lady of Gryffindor until he lazily stopped.
"I can come back by myself," Hermione said awkwardly.
After removing the Invisibility Cloak, they did not make eye contact or touch each other.
But every time Hermione went up the stairs, she could see his platinum blonde hair flashing past on the lower stairs—he was following her at a leisurely pace.
"I have to make sure you get back to the Gryffindor common room in your best form. If anyone finds out you sneaked into my room and then disappeared, Professor McGonagall might think I am some kind of kidnapper," Draco said slowly, giving her a mischievous look in his grey eyes.
"Okay." Her face flushed red at the mention of "kidnapping" in his words, and she could only clear her throat. "Then, I shall go back."
"Tell Harry all our deductions, okay? He has been looking rather listless ever since Justin Finch-Fletchley's accident," Draco instructed her.
"Of course! Do not worry, he will be happy to hear about our progress," Hermione said smugly.
Draco was somewhat pleased by this lively expression. Even the thought of staying up all night did not seem so annoying anymore.
"Are you going in or not?" the Fat Lady in the portrait asked Hermione impatiently, putting the pile of Christmas presents in front of her. "Do not keep me from opening my presents!"
"Okay, I am going back now." Hermione waved shyly to Draco again and said goodbye in a low voice.