Hermione looked much better early on Tuesday morning.
Her cheeks were fair and rosy, radiating vitality, and she had stopped sneezing. With a bright smile, she raised her glass of orange juice towards the two sleepy boys sitting a short distance away along the table, as a greeting.
Draco forced a smile, gave her a slight nod, and smiled faintly.
This morning was another lesson in Care of Magical Creatures.
"Spare me!" Draco said to Crabbe and Goyle in frustration.
But the latter two seemed quite interested in Hagrid's course.
"That big oaf is not as demanding as Professor McGonagall," Crabbe chuckled. "All you need to do is know how to bow."
"No homework has been set yet," Goyle said casually.
Since the hippogriff lesson had been "a great success," the newly appointed Care of Magical Creatures teacher had been more enthusiastic than ever.
In this lesson, they were to learn about the Bowtruckle, a tree-guarding creature primarily found in the forests of western England, southern Germany, and parts of Scandinavia.
The task for this lesson was to describe the characteristics of the Bowtruckle as best they could. Hagrid gave each group of students a small potted tree, and the Bowtruckle hid within it. The hand-sized creature was a novelty, and the lesson's atmosphere was lively.
"Actually, he originally wanted to teach Blast-Ended Skrewts first.... Hermione advised him to put that off for later," Ron whispered to Draco.
Draco gave the girl an approving look.... who was apparently having a lively discussion with Susan Bones.
Hermione Granger's clever little brain has saved the world from so much darkness! She could probably tell at a glance that those things were of no practical use.
Draco never wants to encounter those nightmarish, exploding creatures again in his life.
"I think Hagrid lacks the judgement a teacher should have regarding the dangers of animals. You should make him realise that. If he does not want to lose his position after only a few days in it, he needs to understand one thing: not everyone is as thick-skinned as him."
Draco's interest was low, and his expression was somewhat indifferent. "You know, the Board of Governors has always been very concerned about student safety."
Ron pursed his lips, not refuting him, but instead nodded. "Percy said that when he was our age, he had just learnt about Flobberworms.... that is quite a difference.... Mum would probably be horrified if she knew we were learning about hippogriffs on our first day."
"It is fortunate that nothing went wrong." Draco observed the hawthorn tree in front of him, identifying the bark of the humped tree and the bright green twigs, and said lazily, "Just imagine what would have happened if some students had been attacked by those great creatures."
Ron shuddered and refused to consider the possibility.
"Can anyone describe the Bowtruckle's personality?" Hagrid asked with a smile. "Hermione?"
"The Bowtruckle is a peaceable and intensely shy creature that feeds on insects.... " Hermione answered fluently from the front row, ".... but if the tree it inhabits is threatened, it has been known to leap upon any woodcutter or tree surgeon attempting to harm its home and gouge at their eyes with its long, sharp fingers."
Crabbe and Goyle, who were at the tree next door, had been about to try breaking off a branch for some reason, but after hearing Hermione's explanation, they quietly withdrew their hands.
Draco could not help but chuckle. His gloomy mood improved a little, and he gently stroked the Bowtruckle in front of him. The tiny creature curiously tilted its head at him, its small brown eyes peeking out from behind the hawthorn branches.
The teaching content for this lesson was well chosen.
"Very good, five points for Gryffindor," Hagrid said with a smile, and a smug look flashed across Hermione's face.
"Is her cold completely cleared up?" Draco asked Ron, who was standing next to him.
"She could not be better." Ron shrugged, annoyed. "I reckon she was either catching a cold or just throwing a tantrum. After all, she could not stand what Professor Trelawney said to her.... "
"What?" Draco suddenly turned to look at Ron, his lazy demeanour vanishing completely.
"Professor Trelawney told her in Divination class that she 'did not have the right fortune,' and she was very unhappy about it. I told her she has always been stubborn and does not want to admit she cannot do something.... "
Ron muttered discontentedly. "I was just stating the obvious! And she did not talk to me all day. Can you believe how petty she is?"
"Wait a moment.... did she take Divination?" Draco asked in shock.
"Of course she did. We all went first thing yesterday morning, and we even said goodbye to you before we left, did we not?" Ron said, puzzled.
"Well, that is very interesting," Draco said, staring at her as she helped Neville Longbottom identify Bowtruckles on Hagrid's behalf.
"What are you interested in?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"Nothing. I just suddenly remembered something." Draco did not continue the conversation, instead following Hermione's every move with an inquisitive gaze.
In Ron's later retelling to Harry, Draco was like a great cat awakened from its slumber, suddenly focused and determined to find the end of its favourite ball of yarn.
Draco Malfoy was keeping a very close eye on Hermione Granger's every move.
After lunch, he saw Harry and his friends hurrying towards the North Tower. The path through the castle to the North Tower was long. It was impossible for her to travel back and forth in the blink of an eye.
However, at the very same time that Harry and his friends were having their Divination class, Hermione suddenly appeared in classroom 7A on the eighth floor and sat down steadily in the seat to his right.
Her face did not look too well, and Draco could vaguely make out the book Unfogging the Future through the gap in her backpack.
"Is the Divination session not going too well?" he asked casually.
"Oh, it is so boring," Hermione said without thinking.
"I am curious.... how do you manage to attend two classes at the same time?" Draco said casually.
"Oh, of course I do not." Hermione glanced at him awkwardly, then cautiously tucked something hanging around her neck into the front of her robes.... a flash of gold disappearing in an instant.
Draco gave her a meaningful look. She was hiding something again.
They did not have a chance to continue their conversation because Professor Vector had swept into the classroom and asked them to open their books, Numerology and Grammatica.
"In the last lesson, we learnt that numerology is based on two very ancient ideas. Can anyone summarise the basic content of these two ideas for us?" Professor Vector asked the few students in the room with great interest.
Hermione raised her hand, eager to try.
"Miss Granger?" Professor Vector smiled at her.
"The first idea is that people's names contain important clues that reveal their personality and destiny," Hermione said clearly, her face beaming with confidence.
"The second idea was first proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras more than two thousand five hundred years ago. He believed that each number from one to nine has its own unique meaning that can help us understand the essence of all things."
"Absolutely right! Five points for Gryffindor," Professor Vector said kindly.
She cleared her throat and continued her explanation to the students, "Those who are proficient in numerology combine these two concepts and, through centuries of practice, have developed many complex systems, converting names into numbers and then analysing the results.
Today, we will practise one of the most widely used systems, where we will extract three main numbers from a person's name: the personality number, the soul number, and the social number."
Professor Vector was a middle-aged female professor with a rational temperament, whose style was very different from that of Professor Trelawney.
She had dark hair and always wore a maroon wizard's robe and a pointed hat of the same colour. She looked very serious and was often stern with lazy and inattentive students, but was very kind to those who had a talent for mathematics.
Draco was very satisfied with the course and the classroom.
The classroom was clean and tidy. A few simple equations were written on the blackboard at the front, and a large multiplication chart was pasted on another blackboard.
There were no patterned armchairs or bulging cushions, no oppressive red light, and no dirty candle stubs, playing cards, crystal balls, or tea leaves.
Oh Please.... he really does not like messy environments.
Next, Professor Vector distributed a numerical chart to each table. She asked them to pair up and work together to interpret each other's names using the theories and methods of numerology.
The classroom was filled with the scratching of quills and the rustling of pages turning. Draco and Hermione were writing each other's names on parchment.
"Draco, what is your middle name?" she asked as she wrote.
"Lucius, the same as my father," Draco said casually. "Is yours Jean?"
"Oh no, it is Jane, like my mother." Hermione smiled at him.
"Is that so?" Draco lazily raised an eyebrow, remained silent, and amended a few strokes on the parchment.
Next, they did calculations based on the charts and numbers in the book. Every student in the classroom was muttering to themselves, working very hard at the calculations.
"How are you getting on?" Hermione asked him after a quarter of an hour. She was writing a series of numbers quickly on the last line of her parchment, clearly close to finishing.
"Done. Hermione Jane Granger, number seven. You are cognitively gifted, intelligent, and perceptive. You enjoy hard work and challenges.... and are interested in all things mysterious.
Originality and imagination are far more attractive to you than money and wealth. At the same time, you may also have pessimistic, ironic, and insecure traits.... " Draco read slowly and methodically, examining the number chart.
"I do not think I have a pessimistic personality," she could not help but say. "And not at all.... not even a penchant for sarcasm or a lack of security.... "
Draco glanced at her, unable to help but recall the cutting remarks she had made to him in his past life.... she had not shown him any mercy back then. "Oh, in terms of 'liking sarcasm,' I suggest you do not underestimate your potential."
Hermione snorted. "Anything else? Soul number?"
"Your soul number is one," he said approvingly. "You are very independent, focused, honest, and determined. You are the kind of person who goes it alone. You set a goal for yourself and then go for it. You do not like working with others and you do not like giving orders. You may be self-centred, somewhat wilful, and domineering.... "
"Self-centred? Wilful? Draco, are you sure you are not mistaken? And have I ever acted like a bully? That does not seem right at all. Are you having me on?" Hermione was even more indignant. She leaned closer, peering over his shoulder to make out the chart covered in tiny writing.
"I am absolutely certain I did not miscalculate." Draco shrugged, raising the parchment and chart in his hand to show her. "See? It is written right here. I did not make it up. Also, your social number is six. The characteristics you project to the outside world are harmony, friendship, and family values; loyalty, responsibility, and love; and a strong ability to adapt to different environments.... "
"That is more like it." Hermione's chin rested on his shoulder, her eyes fixed on the table, and she said softly, "At least there is something nice to say."
Draco wanted to turn around and tease her, but when he did turn, he realised how close she was to him.
The face of that single-minded young girl was so close, emanating a sweet fragrance. He could see the tip of her delicate nose, her bright eyes fixed intently on the parchment and charts in his hands. Her chin rested gently on his shoulder, and she murmured something softly, her chin vibrating against his shoulder as her lips moved.
In an instant, the sarcastic remarks in his mind vanished; even the mental fatigue and lethargy seemed to lessen.
He could not help but gaze at her and smile.