The scene shifted to the entrance of Knockturn Alley.
While Draco was facing Voldemort for the first time beneath Hogwarts, Pansy, Goyle, and Crabbe were waiting at the alley's entrance.
From the looks of it, they had been standing there for quite a while...
"Boss lady, what's so special about this thing?"
"Why would Draco spend so much money on it?"
Their questions pulled Pansy out of her daze. Just moments before, she had handed the item Draco ordered from the dark magic shop to Dobby, who had appeared and vanished without lingering for even a second.
Since then, Pansy had been lost in thought, staring blankly, until Goyle and Crabbe finally gave voice to the doubts gnawing at them.
And who could blame them? Spending piles of Galleons on what looked like an ordinary Muggle suitcase was bound to raise questions.
If it hadn't been Draco making the purchase, Goyle and Crabbe would have assumed they'd been conned into buying something worthless.
Instead of answering directly, Pansy withdrew her gaze from where Dobby had vanished and turned toward the shadowy entrance of Knockturn Alley.
"On December 6, 1926—sixty-five years ago—a wizard from Britain arrived in New York City."
Her reply only puzzled them further. Instead of explaining Draco's purchase, she had launched into an old story, one that made little sense to the others.
It was almost certainly a story Draco had once told her.
But since it was Pansy speaking, Goyle and Crabbe held their tongues, unwilling to interrupt her low murmur—as if she were recalling sitting across from Draco, listening to him tell it himself...
"That wizard's name was Newt Scamander."
"Scamander? Isn't that—"
"Yes. The great wizard who fought alongside Dumbledore against Grindelwald."
"We know that much. His grandson is even studying at Hogwarts now."
"True. But have you ever wondered what Scamander relied on to stand beside Dumbledore against such a powerful Dark wizard?"
At those words, Goyle and Crabbe straightened instinctively. For a moment, it almost felt as though Draco himself was standing before them, challenging them with the question.
"Wouldn't it be because of his powerful magic?"
"Or maybe potions?"
Goyle and Crabbe's guesses made Pansy shake her head. Clearly, neither was right.
"Ha. Scamander didn't even graduate from Hogwarts. He didn't come from a pure-blood family, nor did he have the resources to study and grow. Do you really think, in those circumstances, he could have mastered any kind of powerful magic?"
"..."
"Even if he was a genius, remember who he was up against—Grindelwald, one of the greatest Dark wizards in history."
"Then..."
"What most people don't know is that Scamander's strength came largely from his magical creatures—and the magic suitcase he carried."
At the mention of the suitcase, Goyle's eyes widened in realization, while the slower Crabbe only scratched his head in confusion.
"That's right. The suitcase we bought is one of those enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. We don't know how it compares to Scamander's, which could hold countless magical creatures, but judging by the price, it can't be far off."
Her words finally made sense of their trip to Knockturn Alley. After all, the Undetectable Extension Charm was a high-level enchantment strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic, banned from personal use.
No wonder the shopkeeper had spoken the way he did—and no wonder the price was enough to set an ordinary wizarding family for life.
Still, even Pansy couldn't help but wonder the same thing Goyle and Crabbe were thinking.
What exactly did Draco intend to store in that suitcase...?
...
At that moment, Hermione, following Draco's instructions, was just about to reach Professor Snape's office in the dungeons when a sudden tremor and crashing noise made her press anxiously against the wall.
Boom!
Roar!!
The upheaval underground was impossible to hide from the rest of Hogwarts.
But unlike the other students and professors, Hermione knew more clearly what must have caused it. To be precise—only one person could.
And what unsettled her more was that, faintly, she thought she recognized that roar...
"Granger. Why are you here alone?"
"Professor!"
It was Snape. From the way he pushed open his office door, it was clear he had also sensed the disturbance, but he hadn't expected to find Hermione there.
"Where is Draco? Haven't you been following him around constantly these days?"
Hermione bristled at the remark, suspecting Snape's deliberate tone, but she didn't have the mind to argue back. Not when her thoughts were all on Draco.
"Professor, Draco went into the Chamber of Secrets. He needs your help now!"
"What did you say? The Chamber of Secrets?!"
"We suspect the monster inside may be a Basilisk... Professor?"
Snape's face darkened as he moved at once, not wasting a second. Hermione, who hadn't even finished speaking, immediately noticed something strange.
He hadn't questioned her story at all. He believed it outright.
All the explanations and excuses she had prepared on her way there had been useless.
What was even more suspicious—she hadn't told him where the Chamber was. Yet he was already heading straight in the right direction without hesitation.
"Damn it, how could you... This wasn't part of the plan, Dum—What are you standing around for? Move, follow me!"
"Uh... yes!"
Worried for Draco, Hermione shook off her doubts and hurried after him.
But Snape's uncharacteristic agitation—born of worry—was something Hermione tucked away in her memory.
...
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