"Seal off the scene and keep everyone else out. Then contact the Daily Prophet right away—tell them to announce that this was nothing more than a childish prank."
For once, the Minister of Magic moved with unusual decisiveness. After restoring order, he immediately began issuing orders one after another.
He looked like a man cornered.
As for Draco and those inept Aurors who only made things worse, the Minister clearly had no time to deal with them.
He had more pressing concerns. If he handled this wrong, his position as Minister would be in jeopardy...
Draco quickly realized that of everyone present, the one most desperate to keep news of Voldemort from spreading was the red-faced Cornelius Fudge standing before him. Simply put, Fudge didn't want anyone to even consider the possibility of Voldemort's return—and he outright rejected the idea.
Oblivious to Draco's subtle look, Fudge muttered under his breath, his emotions written all over his face.
"In that case, the deal I made with Dumbledore..."
He ground his teeth, glancing back at Harry Potter.
Harry didn't notice his gaze. His bright eyes were fixed excitedly on Draco, as though he'd finally caught him red-handed. From his point of view, Draco was clearly the prime suspect...
In truth, Fudge's anxiety was well-founded.
Aside from his duty as Minister to lead the wizarding world against Voldemort, this revelation threatened his political standing. Even putting aside whether he could survive Voldemort's Killing Curse, the mere chaos this information could cause in Britain's wizarding community was enough to make his head throb.
Worse still, he would once again have to rely on a certain wizard to stand against Voldemort. For someone who was supposed to be the leader of the magical world, having to depend on someone else was something Fudge could hardly tolerate.
Power-hungry but incapable.
Cowardly yet determined to outshine Dumbledore.
That was the current Minister of Magic—Cornelius Fudge.
With Lucius Malfoy now on the scene, and given how easily a skilled wizard could determine whether Draco was truly responsible, the grim-faced senior Auror finally stepped aside.
'That bastard chose the worst possible moment to open his mouth!'
Not only had he failed to accomplish his goal, but he'd been outplayed by the young Death Eater in front of him. Judging by the looks on the Ministry officials' faces, things would not go well for him when he returned....
The world is never short on clever people—especially not among the upper ranks of the Ministry. None of them were fools.
Calling it a "prank" was just a public cover story. They all knew the truth.
The higher-ups were well aware of the Death Eaters' recent movements and the whispers about Voldemort. They had simply chosen to contain the matter within a limited circle. Until they had solid proof, they had no intention of letting the entire magical world know.
After all, most of them still half-doubted the idea of Voldemort's return...
None of them, however, expected the Death Eaters to act so recklessly—to strike in such a crowded place. And least of all did they expect a problem to arise involving a wizard barely past infancy.
If Lucius Malfoy hadn't been standing there with that cold, unreadable face, they would have already ordered the Aurors to detain Draco. That was precisely why their anger toward Kane burned so fiercely.
Thinking of this, Cornelius Fudge cast a bitter, regretful glance toward Draco.
If only he'd kept quiet, none of this would have happened...
...
"Darling, are you hurt? Did they do anything to you? And what on earth is this..."
"Narcissa! We'll talk about it when we get back!"
Narcissa, frantic with worry and desperate to check if Draco was injured, was cut off by Lucius's stern voice. Now was not the time for such things. Besides, Lucius didn't believe Draco had come off worse—the grim expressions on those Aurors' faces proved it.
As the Aurors began dispersing the crowd, Draco's gaze fixed on Barty Crouch, standing not far away.
'Indeed... the resemblance is striking.'
Apart from being slightly older and lacking those terrifying facial scars, this was unmistakably the dark wizard Draco had seen not long ago. Moreover, despite his movements being quite obvious, Barty Crouch—who appeared dazed and lost in thought, as if trapped in his own world—showed no sign of noticing him.
This made Draco wonder if the man knew something. Or rather, if he knew who had cast the Morsmordre Charm...
At the same time, because Draco's gaze was locked on Barty Crouch, he failed to notice the equally strange look Lucius was giving the man. Otherwise, Draco would have realized immediately that his father was hiding something from him. He might even have sensed some deeper scheme at play, something he didn't yet understand...
...
As Draco pondered, the Aurors finally noticed the unfamiliar wizard lying on the floor.
"That's... the Killing Curse!?"
The shout drew every wizard's attention at once. Wands that had been lowered moments before were raised again, and their wary eyes all turned toward Draco standing in the center.
Harry Potter, who hadn't been driven off, stared wide-eyed with excitement. The look he shot Hermione seemed to say, See? I told you the Malfoys are all scum!
Harry's suspicion and warning, coupled with his certain gaze that this Killing Curse was Draco's doing, made Hermione's face flush crimson with anger.
Unlike before, Hermione—who had gradually come to understand Draco—no longer suspected him so easily. Besides, while others might not know, she was certain Draco's arm bore no Dark Mark. As for him following that Dark Lord? Utter nonsense.
Hermione simply couldn't imagine that domineering boy ever groveling as someone's lackey.
Most importantly, she didn't believe Draco would be foolish enough to stand there waiting for the Aurors to arrest him.
True, the world wasn't short of clever people.
But...