The Three Broomsticks was already in sight. When they went inside, there were already many more customers, and they could only find a small, reasonably clean table in a corner.
"What would you like to drink?" After ordering the main course, he handed her the drinks menu on the table.
Hermione held the drinks menu in her hand, fiddling with it absentmindedly, her gaze lingering on "Butterbeer."
She had heard it was something special and really wanted to try it. But she had not fully recovered from her heart palpitations and did not think drinking Butterbeer alone with the boy was a good idea.
"Maybe... a sparkling water would be nice." She glanced longingly at the illustration of Butterbeer on the drinks menu, secretly deciding that she would definitely buy one to try next time she came with Harry and the others.
Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Hermione Granger did not choose Butterbeer, but this bland stuff? Was it not her favourite in her past life?
Every time he encountered her at the Three Broomsticks, it was when she was happily drinking Butterbeer with foam on her lip.
"Are you sure?" Draco asked again, which elicited a distracted "Mmm" from her.
He looked up at her and found her gaze still lingering on the picture of Butterbeer. Her expression, wanting to drink but hesitant, was somewhat endearing. Her thoughts were as clear as an open book.
He suppressed a laugh and slowly got up to go to the counter to order. A moment later, Madam Rosmerta came over with a tray, bringing their lunch, along with a glass of sparkling water and a foaming mug of Butterbeer.
She casually set aside the clear glass of sparkling water, clearly more interested in his Butterbeer. Draco noticed that she was pretending to study a map of Hogsmeade, but her eyes were secretly glancing at the mug.
"Why do you not try mine?" he kindly suggested. "You can give it a try."
"Is that all right?" Hermione asked softly, attracted by the Butterbeer's golden, translucent colour and its dense, creamy foam, feeling somewhat tempted.
"Of course," Draco said calmly, pushing the mug towards Hermione.
"Then I will have a sip," she said solemnly, picking up his mug and taking a delicate sip.
Then, her eyes widened. "It tastes rather good."
Hermione was surprised to find that it tasted completely different from regular beer.
The bitterness of the beer is completely neutralised by the rich aroma of the butter, yet the beer's delicate fragrance still manages to suppress the butter's greasiness. No wonder everyone says that when you come to Hogsmeade, you must try the Butterbeer.
"You can have some more. It is all right, I am not thirsty right now," Draco said lazily, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Hermione glanced at him and, seeing he seemed unconcerned, focused only on the chips, took another small sip. The foam was just the right amount of sweetness; she liked it.
As she savoured the sweetness, she heard Draco ask her, "Which shops are you interested in? I can give you some suggestions in advance. We cannot possibly visit every shop in Hogsmeade in just one day, so we need to be selective."
"So, what is Scrivenshaft's for?" she asked, sliding her finger across the map.
"Oh, that is a quill shop. They are famous for their pheasant quill pens, and turkey quill pens..." he told her, speaking with the air of someone who had been there many times before.
"I have also heard the legend of the Shrieking Shack. Is it really that eerie?" She took another sip of her sweet drink and looked at him with curious eyes.
"I cannot guarantee there is nothing there. Some people have reported hearing wolves howling..." he said cautiously.
By the time Draco finished giving a brief introduction to the relatively well-known shops, his mouth was already quite dry.
However, his Butterbeer mug was already empty... Hermione had finished it off in just a few small sips.
"You really do like Butterbeer?" he asked, a look of "I knew it" on his face.
"Oh dear! I am so sorry..." Hermione finally realised what she had done and said shamefully, "I did not mean to..."
She did not know if she liked Butterbeer, just as she did not know if Draco's things were particularly good.
She knew she could never face him again. This guide, who had so diligently shown her around Hogsmeade, not only had to endure the noisy atmosphere he disliked, but she had also exploited him so thoroughly that she had even finished off his drink!
For Hermione, drinking someone else's food without any self-control was something that had never happened before.
"Oh goodness, this is so embarrassing. I am so terrible!" she said, covering her slightly flushed face. "I will go and buy you another one..."
"No need for that. If you do not mind, give me your sparkling water." Draco chuckled, making up a reason casually. "I... I quite like sparkling water."
She is not terrible at all; on the contrary, she is quite genuine and endearing.
"Of course," she said hurriedly, pushing the glass towards him.
Draco smiled and took a sip to moisten his throat.
"Have you decided where to go next?" He calmly changed the subject, not wanting to embarrass her any further.
"Well then, Zonko's... it will be good to tell Harry and the others when we get back," she said after thinking it over for a while.
"All right," he said casually. "I have no objection."
So they finished the rest of their fish and chips... Draco drank his sparkling water... and headed for Zonko's Joke Shop.
Just as they reached the shop's entrance, a Dementor suddenly emerged from the other end of the alley and approached them.
"Draco! Dementor!" Hermione was startled and forgot her composure, grabbing his hand again.
"It is all right, it is all right," he said, holding her hand and quickly pulling her into the joke shop, his face also a little pale. "Those are Dementors that patrol Hogsmeade. They are controlled by the Ministry of Magic and generally do not target wizards."
"But they are everywhere! And they are so dangerous. How could the Ministry of Magic allow this?" Hermione whispered, her mind wandering as she watched the overly excited boys buying Stink Pellets, Hiccup Sweets, and Dungbombs at the counter, unaware that she was intertwining her fingers with one of the boys.
"My father does not approve of this either, but he cannot do anything about it," Draco said sombrely, handing her a bar of chocolate so she could break off a piece. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, and his staff insist on doing it. They will stop at nothing to get Peter Pettigrew back."
"Yes, Peter Pettigrew." Hermione ate the chocolate absently, glanced at him with concern, and suddenly felt a heavy weight in her heart.
"So? Anything you are interested in buying?" Draco asked her, trying to let go of her hand... respecting her comfortable distance... but feeling that her hand had its own ideas.
Hermione shook her head, still holding his hand tightly. At that moment, worry overwhelmed all other emotions.
She was worried that the boy in front of her might be targeted by that rat.
Peter Pettigrew was, after all, an adult wizard who had even managed to evade capture for so long; he was no ordinary man.
She knew Draco had once encountered him. But upon closer examination, there was also an element of luck involved... they had just happened to catch Peter Pettigrew off guard.
Now that Peter Pettigrew was on guard, Draco might not be able to stop him again. That rat remained extremely dangerous and could very well retaliate.
Draco, however, had no idea what she was thinking. He felt a strange joy stirred within him by her tightly clasped hand, a joy that also stirred a desire to share.
So he asked her mysteriously, "Want to see something different?"
"What is different?" His unusually vivid expression piqued her curiosity.
"A place you would not expect." He chuckled softly, took her hand, and led her away from the Dementors, winding his way forward.