Because of Ginny's warning, Draco began paying closer attention to Hermione.
And that casual act of observation led him to notice something strange about her.
He realized that whenever class ended, Hermione would grab her books and rush out of the room as if she were racing against time. That was unlike her usual self, who would linger to ask the professor a few questions.
What was even odder was that though she never appeared on the way to class, she somehow managed to show up in the classroom at the exact second before lessons began. That was what puzzled Draco most.
It was almost as if Hermione had figured out how to Apparate inside Hogwarts.
As for why she carried so many books and looked so drained—those were minor details by comparison....
"Draco?"
"You two go on ahead. There's something I need to figure out."
"You're not planning to ditch me again and go off doing something dangerous, are you? Hmph, there's no second Basilisk here."
Watching Draco walk in the opposite direction, Pansy muttered suspiciously. When he ignored her and kept going, she hesitated, then stamped her foot in frustration and decided not to follow.
She still had her own training to attend to, after all.
But as she turned away, Pansy didn't notice that Draco was heading straight for the corner where Hermione had just disappeared. If she had, she would never have let him leave alone...
Hogwarts had likely been designed with the possibility of enemy invasions in mind, which was why the castle's interior resembled a giant maze.
Rotating staircases that shifted with time and mood, mysterious rooms and hidden passages—it was impossible for even the older students to claim they knew the entire castle. A single careless moment could easily get someone lost within its walls.
And just as Draco finally managed to catch sight of Hermione, he found himself in that exact situation...
"Huh? She's gone."
What confused him most was that beyond the corner lay a long corridor. Other than windows and walls, there was nowhere for anyone to hide. "Did I see wrong? ...No, when did this room appear here?"
Thinking he might have missed something, Draco turned back but saw nothing out of place—until the corner of his eye caught a half-open door. That odd detail made him stop. He was certain this room hadn't been here before.
As he approached, faint sounds drifted from inside—a cheerful humming, soft and light.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
Draco instinctively quieted his steps and slowly pushed open the door. What he saw inside made his expression turn peculiar.
The room itself wasn't unusual. The shelves were crammed with novels, and the large table in the center was buried under heaps of candy and sweets.
In the middle of it all, sprawled across a sofa big enough to seat several adult wizards, was a young witch.
Her posture, however, was less than ladylike—at least by noble standards.
Lying on her back, she held a book above her face with one hand. From Draco's angle, he could see her small feet swaying in the air, following the rhythm of the story's ups and downs.
She looked completely absorbed—so much so that she didn't notice someone else had entered the room.
And that someone was someone she knew.
'Didn't find the person I was looking for, but I did stumble on something interesting.'
Golden hair cascaded over the side of the sofa like a waterfall. Her wide eyes looked even more mischievous than usual, and between soft hums of her tune, she lazily took bites of a strawberry lollipop. Draco raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Did you see anyone come in? Hmm... Miss Astoria, reading a book."
"...."
"...."
Astoria's pretty face froze instantly. The hand that had been turning pages and the little foot that had been swaying both went rigid. To anyone else, she could've passed for a life-sized statue.
She seemed to be pretending not to hear him, hoping to bluff her way through—but Draco, clearly entertained, had no intention of letting her off so easily.
"Shelves full of knight-themed novels, and strawberry-flavored—"
"Wait! Don't say another word! Why are you here? I found this place first!"
Astoria's face flushed scarlet as she rolled over, rubbing her head in embarrassment before glaring at Draco, who was watching her with a teasing half-smile.
So much for him being the gentleman my sister claimed he was!
Ignoring the flustered Astoria, Draco, intrigued by her earlier words, glanced around the room. "You found it first? Then, if my memory serves me right, this corridor shouldn't have any room like this. Is there some kind of secret here?"
At his question, Astoria tilted her head with a bright, practiced smile, clearly trying to brush off his earlier impression. "You didn't know? Then how did you even get in here—"
"Your door wasn't closed."
"....."
The smile she had barely managed to hold together cracked instantly. Her exasperated look revealed a surprisingly scatterbrained side Draco hadn't seen before.
In the end, Astoria gave up trying to maintain her graceful facade.
"This is the Room of Requirement! Don't tell me you've never heard of it."
With her irritated explanation, realization finally dawned on Draco.
So, by complete accident, he had wandered into the legendary room....