Although Hermione and Ginny's sudden arrival seemed like they might have interrupted Draco's date with Astoria (?), Draco showed neither annoyance nor welcome. He simply accepted it with calm composure.
Hermione, tense at first, glanced between the two of them repeatedly before sighing in relief, as if she had confirmed something. For some reason, that left Astoria feeling vaguely offended.
Ironically, the one who truly shouldn't have come—Ginny Weasley—looked increasingly disgusted by Draco's attitude. She even gave a pitying glance to Astoria, who appeared completely unaware of what was going on.
Astoria, for her part, smiled and nodded politely at Hermione and Ginny's arrival. Yet whether it was an illusion or not, her usually flawless smile seemed slightly stiff...
After the break, Hermione clearly had a lot she wanted to say to Draco. Leaving behind a flustered and impatient Ginny, she walked straight up to him...
Glancing at the half-eaten food in Draco's hand, Hermione twirled a strand of hair around her finger and whispered, "Draco, did... did you come here to buy food?"
"Well... in a sense, that's about right."
"...What kind of strange answer is that? Anyway, are you heading back now or still walking around? Which way is your camp? Can I take a look at your tent? Oh, and are you also interested in the Quidditch World Cup?"
The rapid stream of questions made Astoria, who wasn't very familiar with Hermione, blink in confusion.
So this chattering witch was the one who could threaten Draco's top position in their year?
She didn't seem very bright...
Come to think of it, this was the second time Hermione and Astoria had crossed paths because of Draco.
Their first meeting had been in Hogsmeade, though that encounter had given them no chance to introduce themselves. After that incident, there hadn't been another opportunity either.
That was partly because they belonged to different houses, but more importantly, their social status made any real interaction unlikely—especially since the Greengrass family had always kept to themselves.
Still, Astoria knew who Hermione Granger was.
After all, Hermione—known as the "Know-It-All"—was famous throughout Hogwarts. It would have been difficult for Astoria not to know her.
"I know you, Miss Granger. This... no, this should be our second meeting."
"Eh, you..."
"Astoria Greengrass. Good evening."
"Hermione Granger. Good evening."
Though she knew Astoria was a noble, Hermione found her far more pleasant than Pansy.
Whether it was because Astoria's smile felt genuinely warm or because she lacked that usual pureblood arrogance, Hermione's first impression of her was surprisingly good.
Ginny's attitude, however, earned a discreet nudge from Hermione's elbow.
"What is it? Did Harry and the others say something bad about Miss Greengrass too?"
"I know her family."
"You do?"
"Hmm... My father mentioned them once. The Greengrass family are typical pureblood supremacists. You know what that means, Hermione."
"Pureblood supremacists... Couldn't there be some misunderstanding?"
"Maybe she just doesn't realize it yet."
Hermione stole a glance at Astoria's flawless smile, finding it hard to believe Ginny's words.
Compared to Ginny—who was merely a so-called 'blood traitor'—Hermione, a Muggle-born, knew very well how true pureblood supremacists treated people like her.
Disgust. Discrimination. Cruel words.
If not for her association with Draco, her life at Hogwarts would likely have been far worse.
Because of that, Hermione couldn't believe the witch in front of her was that kind of person. At least, she hadn't seen any sign of it...
In truth, both girls were partly right.
Astoria herself didn't share those pureblood supremacist beliefs, though her family did, just as Ginny had said.
To be precise, due to certain reasons, Astoria was different from the other wizards in her family. In some ways, she was a bit like Draco—both independent-minded, unaffected by family or peers, and, in their own way, somewhat... peculiar.
Having been dragged along in the first place, Draco planned to return to his tent once Astoria was satisfied.
Hermione, who had finally managed to find him, naturally followed—along with a worried and very reluctant Ginny Weasley...
"So this is your tent, Draco? It doesn't look much different from ours~"
"Not sure what you were expecting, but this tent was provided by the staff here, so it's nothing special. Anyway, it's about time you two headed back."
"Eh? Aren't you going to invite me in for a bit?"
"....."
Faced with Hermione's slightly expectant expression and Astoria's half-narrowed eyes beside her, Draco felt a strange twitch in his fingers, sensing that something wasn't quite right.
Come to think of it, ever since that incident in Hogsmeade, Hermione's attitude toward him had changed a great deal.
Putting aside her usual pride, she was now actually asking to come into his tent.
This idiot… did she accidentally eat something weird?
Draco's odd look made Hermione, who had just realized what she'd said, glare at him.
"Stop giving me that weird look! I have something important to talk to you about!"
Only when Draco noticed the faint redness on the tips of her ears and the growing embarrassment in her eyes did he realize she hadn't meant anything else.
It seemed she really did have something important to say...