Draco walked very fast, and Hermione had to jog to keep up.
"How are we going to get there?" Once she had made up her mind, Hermione seemed even more eager than Draco.
"Just follow me."
Hermione followed Draco, winding east and west, entering and exiting classrooms. Soon, they arrived at the middle of a corridor on the fourth floor.
"This is the one." Draco walked straight towards a witch statue, a hunchbacked figure with only one eye.
"Dissendium!" Draco tapped the stone witch lightly with his wand.
The statue's hump immediately opened, large enough for a slightly thin person to enter.
"How did you know there was a mechanism here?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Secret." Draco kept her in suspense.
"Fine, don't tell me." Hermione was a little annoyed, but at the same time, she seemed to have forgotten her previous unhappiness.
"Follow me, don't get lost, although it seems you can't get lost even if you enter from here."
With that, the two entered the hole opened by the witch.
The two slid down for quite a long distance, like a stone slide. After an unknown amount of time, they felt themselves standing on solid ground again.
"It's really cold here." Draco couldn't help but shiver.
"Lumos!" This spell was naturally used in a dark place.
"This place is really like a rabbit warren." Hermione sized it up for a while and came to this conclusion.
"Don't get distracted, watch your step." Draco reminded her.
The ground here was uneven, and one would fall if they weren't careful. Before long, Hermione had almost fallen several times, but Draco had managed to steady her each time.
The journey was a bit boring, but since there were two people, it wasn't lonely. They chatted idly.
An hour passed quickly.
"I'm now suspecting whether you are trying to murder a Muggle-born witch." As the chat progressed, the two became more familiar. Hermione even made this joke. "Look how secretive this is, and I can't beat you."
"That's not a funny joke. I also have a headache about my parents' ideas." Draco shrugged.
"Oh, we're almost there." Draco felt the passage begin to rise steeply.
Ten minutes later, the two arrived at an old stone staircase, which extended to a place they couldn't see.
So the two began to climb the stairs again.
"Knock knock." They seemed to have reached the top. Draco knocked twice on the trapdoor and then pushed it open.
"Be careful, we're in the cellar," Draco whispered to Hermione.
"Come on up." Draco climbed up first and then extended his hand to Hermione, pulling her up as well.
The cellar was filled with chairs and tables, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust, making the trapdoor almost blend in with the floor. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine there was a door here.
"So how do we get out now?" Hermione asked. "I think we'll be treated like thieves now."
"You don't have to worry about that." With that, Draco walked directly to the stairs, preparing to walk out openly.
"I think you're really crazy." Hermione rubbed her forehead. She had already imagined Slytherin and Gryffindor being docked twenty or even fifty points at the same time. "I'm just an accomplice; this guy should be docked more." Just as Hermione was lost in thought, a cry suddenly came from above.
"Oh, little Draco, what are you doing here?" A woman's voice called out.
"No wonder he's so familiar with this place," Hermione thought.
"Just came out for some relaxation on Halloween, Aunt Ambrosius."
"So it's young Draco. Thanks to your idea last time, we made a lot of money."
A middle-aged man's voice came over.
"But just stay in this shop. I remember you're only a first-year now, right? You'll get points deducted if you're caught, won't you?" Ambrosius said. This man was the owner of Honeydukes. "The people in other shops aren't as easy to talk to as we are."
"Of course, I sneaked out this time, and I even have a burden with me," Draco said.
"Let me see. Oh, bringing a little girlfriend to play on Halloween, how romantic. We won't let you down here. We just got a new batch of goods today. Would you like to try them?" Ambrosius let out a hearty laugh, obviously noticing Hermione behind Draco.
"I'm not his girlfriend!" Hermione emphasised word by word, her tone light but firm.
"I understand, I understand. You young people nowadays are all about using nicknames. That term is too old-fashioned; we can't keep up with the trend." Obviously, the shopkeeper didn't listen to her explanation at all. Running away from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade on Halloween Eve—who were they trying to fool?
"Alright, stop chatting and just take us around to see things." Draco interrupted the conversation decisively, noticing Hermione's increasingly cold expression.
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