Hermione finally saw the legendary cast-iron gates of Hogsmeade.
Above the entrance hung the Hogsmeade sign, a hollowed-out wolf-shaped plaque; behind the gates was a winding cobblestone path, with rows of grey-walled, white-roofed Gothic houses huddled together on both sides, their shop windows flashing with colourful lights to entice overly excited young customers to come in and take a look.
The students carried all sorts of oddly shaped sweets and prank items. They moved in groups of three or five through the streets, coming out of one shop and rushing into the next.
"Wow, the architectural style here is quite different from Diagon Alley." Hermione looked at the pointed roofs, slender chimneys, and stepped gables with interest.
"That is right. In terms of the general structure of the business centre, it is similar to Diagon Alley, but the architectural style is quite different. I see you noticed those iconic features of Scotland, which are distinct from the architectural style of England." He added casually,
"Actually, the buildings here are quite different from the buildings where I live."
"Where do you live?" she asked curiously. "I remember you have a place to stay in London."
"Oh, that is just a place to stay," Draco said smugly. "My ancestral home is in Wiltshire. It is a manor; if you went and saw it, it..."
He glanced at her delicate, rose-petal-like face and suddenly stopped talking.
In his past life, she had visited Malfoy Manor once. In his house, she was ravaged by blades, tormented by curses, and treated with the cruelty of Bellatrix.
A vibrant English Rose nearly withered, shattered, and turned to dust at Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her clear eyes shining with an innocent light.
"It is nothing," Draco said, a cloud of disappointment passing over his eyes. "It is nothing...Just a place to stay."
Can this beautiful and peaceful place escape its fate and remain untainted?
At this moment, she is still innocent and naïve. Can she remain as she always has, without being broken and desperate?
"No matter what, it is still your home." Hermione, seeing his sudden dejected look, comforted him with her characteristic thoughtfulness.
"Some people complain that old houses are not modern enough and that maintenance is too much work, unlike new houses which are less troublesome. But the words 'ancestral home' sound very historical, and I bet that house is very beautiful."
Since it is ancestral property, Draco's family home must be quite old and require frequent repairs. My parents have a Muggle friend who is often troubled by the issue of renovating his ancestral home.
Draco's family must be like that too, surely? Hermione glanced at him discreetly, thinking: Look at him, he becomes listless whenever the ancestral home is mentioned... he must have put in a great deal of effort.
"Perhaps." Draco gave her a forced smile, abruptly ending the previous topic. "Hermione, I need to go and see Harry's godfather first. Is there anywhere you particularly want to go? I can take you there first."
"Oh, I want to go and have a look at Honeydukes first," Hermione said hastily.
She had to buy some sweets for Harry and the others to take back and soothe their hearts, which had been so badly hurt by Professor Snape.
Draco quickly led her into Honeydukes, placed her in front of the shelf with the great barrel of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and then hurriedly left.
"Take a look around first," he told her before leaving. "There are so many sweets to choose from, take your time. I will be right back."
Hermione nodded in agreement. She only knew he was going to pass on a few words to Harry's godfather; she had no idea he would be gone for so long.
She memorised all the flavours of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, passed a whole shelf of Chocolate Frogs, and stared blankly at the sugar quills for a while. She wandered aimlessly amongst the colourful shelves, no longer caring what she saw.
She began to worry about him.
She was thinking about him, wondering why he had not come back yet. The longer time passed, the more she thought about it, to the point that she had no motivation to choose any sweets.
Lost in her own expectations, she wandered into the gaps between the shelves.
Then his voice finally appeared, freeing her soul from its inexplicable imprisonment.
"Oh, I would not bother with those. They are for vampires," he said in a drawn-out tone... those who did not know him well would probably only hear a hint of arrogance... but Hermione sensed that he was in a good mood, at least better than when he had left the shop.
She did not know why she made this judgement, but she was just very certain about it.
She turned her head and saw a faint smile creeping onto his face... just as she had guessed.
So she said with satisfaction, "Draco! Thank goodness you are finally here. I am really a little dizzy."
"It is all right, let me show you what is in the shop first, then you can make a decision," Draco suggested.
They walked towards the central shelf of the sweet shop to look at the best-selling items.
At this time, Honeydukes was getting more and more customers. Hogwarts students made up only a portion of them, but there were also many ordinary wizards who had come to shop.
Customers thronged the shelves, marvelling at the variety of goods. They jostled and pushed, turning the once bustling sweet shop into a sardine tin.
However, Hermione seemed oblivious to the crowd... the boy had her half-encircled in his arms, protecting her tightly.
Even in such a confined space, he maintained a certain gentlemanly demeanour that might have been left over from the Middle Ages. He wrapped his arms around her, but his arms did not touch her; there was a subtle distance between them, which gave her a strange yet reassuring feeling.
At that moment, the clamour of voices drowned out the pounding of her heart. She was bewildered, enveloped in his protection, her nervousness overshadowed by the dazzling array of sweets before her eyes, even experiencing a strange, sweet joy.
He was like a seasoned guide, leading her past rows of shelves and through the bustling crowd to admire the delicious, colourful sweets.
He kept whispering in her ear, explaining the special qualities of each one, his gentle voice melting her heart:
Hundreds of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and various chocolate products, sugar quills, Peppermint Toads, Exploding Bonbons, Fizzing Whizzbees, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Licorice Wands, Jelly Slugs, Toothflossing Stringmints, Pepper Imps, Fudge Flies, Acid Pops, coconut ice, Honeydukes fudge...
"How was it?" Draco asked her loudly amidst the background noise after they had walked around.
"Too many! I cannot choose! All the sweets you mentioned are interesting, but I have not quite figured them all out yet! The only thing I am sure of is that I probably will never want to try Acid Pops again..." Hermione was caught in the anxiety of having too much choice.
She turned to him eagerly and, in the noisy crowd, had to lean close to his ear and even raise her voice. "Draco, tell me, what kinds of sweets do boys like?"
"Are you going to buy them for Harry and the others?" Draco suddenly realised, leaned closer to her, and asked loudly.
At that moment, even more people poured into the sweet shop, and a new wave of crowding ensued. Suddenly, several excited students rushed forward like bulls, crushing Draco's loosely clenched arms. Like dominoes, the girl in his arms also pressed against him.
Hermione gasped and, under the relentless force of the crowd, ended up giving him a tight, full hug.
In an instant, her heart twisted into a knot, like a shrivelled fig.
Oh, goodness! Her worst fears had come true!