Hermione was not silent because the topic was boring, as Draco had thought.
She was still caught up in the fact that he had apologised directly to Ron.
He did not argue at all, and just bowed his head and admitted his mistake! She thought in surprise.
This means that Ron was right; Draco did indeed have a father who was obsessed with bloodline prejudice.
Realising this, a strange sense of loss welled up in Hermione's heart.
Draco's father was already so harsh on a pure-blood wizard like Mr Weasley; if he were to meet her, a true Muggle-born wizard, and her Muggle parents, he would probably be even more rude.
She had initially regretted not having met Draco's father, but now she felt somewhat fortunate.
She was lost in thought, turning page after page of the book, but her mind was not on it at all.
With mixed feelings, Hermione stole another glance at him. Draco's sun-kissed platinum blonde hair made it impossible for her to be angry with him, even though she knew he had the most evil father in the world.
Then she heard Ron's words of understanding, and for a moment she felt that they made a lot of sense.
Does it matter whose son he is? It is not something he can decide! Hermione could not help but think.
He was still that elegant boy. His eyelashes were still like an innocent butterfly, slowly fluttering their wings in her pupils. The voice flowing from his pale lips was still as refreshing as a mint sweet.
Draco Malfoy, a boy who is always in a dilemma. Hermione pretends to be engrossed in the book, but actually listens intently to what Peppermint is saying.
She enjoyed listening to him talk. Sometimes she could hear the subtle nuances in his voice.
Even without looking up, she could tell that he was probably in a rather good mood.
Hermione was right.
Draco was in a good mood. As the lady pushing the trolley passed by the compartment, he waved and bought Ron a bunch of Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, and Liquorice Wands as an apology.
His idea was simple: no child dislikes sweets.
This is the only thing Draco can do right now to make himself feel a little better.
Although Ron loved sweets, he still had his pride.
He certainly did not want an apology that made him feel inferior or that would remind him of his poverty—though Draco had no such intention—but just as he was about to refuse, the Weasley twins jumped into the compartment.
"Look who we have seen!"
"The Malfoy brat!"
"I heard your father and our father had a big falling out, so we shall have to teach you a lesson!" Fred grinned wickedly, pulling the unresponsive Draco up from his seat.
"What are you going to do?" Draco asked, dumbfounded.
"Wait, do not do this! What does this have to do with him? It is not like he—" Hermione reacted quickly, grabbing Draco's sleeve and refusing to let him go.
"Sorry, Hermione, we shall have to borrow him from you for a while," George said with a smile to the surprised girl, lowering his voice. "We will not bully him; it was just a joke."
"Oh—" A blush rose to her face. She loosened her grip and muttered softly, "Why did you say 'borrow'?"
They each grabbed Draco on one side and swiftly ran away with the astonished boy.
Everything happened so fast. Long after the three disappeared behind the compartment door, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still looking at each other in disbelief.
As soon as Draco landed, he began to tidy his messy hair and robes. "Why are you two always so keen on messing up my hair?"
They were in an empty compartment. The twin brothers glanced into the aisle through the glass window in the door and then quickly pulled the curtain shut.
"Let us call it a little revenge," Fred said maliciously.
"Who told your father to laugh at our father?" George interjected.
"I regret this, and I have already apologised to your brother." Draco's eyes were blank, and there was a hint of resentment in his tone.
It only takes one mouth to offend someone, and the son has to run himself ragged trying to apologise.
With so many Weasley children, each one would have to say "sorry" six or seven times.
"It is rare to see Malfoy get his comeuppance. Try this, and we shall forgive you." Fred chuckled, grinning as he handed him a brightly wrapped sweet; George, standing nearby, could not help but laugh too.
Draco looked at them and felt a sense of relief.
It seems that these two optimistic brothers did not take Lucius's matter to heart at all.
The more Draco got to know the brothers, the more he appreciated the magnanimity and tolerance hidden beneath their carefree attitude. You rarely saw them truly angry with anyone; even the most burdened person would feel relaxed in their company.
"Is it Fainting Fancy or Fever Fudge?" Draco held the sweet up to the sunlight, showing no intention of trying it himself.
"Fever Fudge," George said regretfully, sounding somewhat disappointed that Draco "did not try it," "It would definitely make you burn like mad."
"Will the aftereffects not be too strong?" Draco asked sceptically.
"It does have a bit of a lingering effect; it can cause boils. You would never guess where they will grow... It is incredibly painful." Fred chuckled knowingly, scratching his backside. "Indeed, it needs some further refinement."
"If the side effects are too severe, we shall have to wait. The Skiving Snackbox series is meant to solve problems for customers, not create them," Draco said.
"We know," George chuckled. "But it should be fun to make a harmless little joke about this sweet. We just 'accidentally' mixed one up with Lee Jordan's snack pile; I wonder what is going on with him now..."
"Where do you usually store the finished products?" Draco suddenly asked, fiddling with the sweet.
"We can hide them here and there," Fred said nonchalantly, rubbing his nose. "Under the beds in the dormitories, in the empty classrooms at Hogwarts... these are all hidden places. We do not want Filch to find them and confiscate them."
"That makes sense. In that case, I have a small proposal." Draco's tone was flat, as if he were casually mentioning something trivial. "How much do you know about Hogsmeade village? You must have been there quite a bit last year, correct?"
"Of course we have been there quite a few times." The twins exchanged a glance and smiled mysteriously. "It is a great place."
"Have you considered renting a shop in Hogsmeade village? A place to store our products." Draco raised his eyelids, observing the brothers' expressions. "We could even apply for a business licence from the Ministry of Magic and sell our products ourselves."
"Are you serious?" George quickly looked up at the calm boy in front of him—his expression was so calm that it seemed unreal to George.
"Instead of consigning your intellectual achievements to some obscure corner of someone else's shop, where no one will buy them, why not open your own shop and display your most popular items in the most prominent place?" Draco said. "Is that hard to understand?"
"Of course we know that is for the best," George said. "But opening a shop is no joke. We have just started our Owl Post service, and our consignment business is still in its infancy..."
"I am not saying we are giving up the postal service or the consignment business, or that we are opening the shop tomorrow. Do you think choosing a location is an easy thing to do? What I mean is, next time you go to Hogsmeade, maybe you can keep an eye out for those empty shops..." Draco explained to them.