"..."
"..."
Draco's foolish remark made Pansy and the others exchange helpless looks. They understood why he'd said it and knew his reasoning, but they still worried that if it spread, it would cause him trouble. After all, the man in question was still the Minister of Magic...
"Ahem... but how long can that even hold?"
"More importantly, can it really be kept secret?"
Hermione's question hit the mark.
Within Slytherin alone, almost everyone already knew what had happened, not to mention Draco openly stating the truth last night. Obviously, it wouldn't be long before the whole thing spread everywhere.
And more importantly, Voldemort hadn't returned after years of planning just to enjoy retirement. The moment he resurfaced and made a move, any attempt at concealment would fall apart...
"That's exactly why I said he was foolish. He chose the worst possible way to handle it."
Draco pushed aside the Daily Prophet on the table and gave his verdict.
Quiet Astoria nodded. "Exactly. I can already picture how this Minister of Magic ends up."
Leaving aside what it meant to go against a wizard like Dumbledore, just hiding Voldemort's return—intentional or not—was enough to destroy him...
...
And that was why Draco made such an assessment of the Minister of Magic.
Every Triwizard Tournament came with detailed coverage in the next day's Daily Prophet. But this year, the first task had gone off the rails, and instead of reporting the match itself, the Prophet was questioning whether Dumbledore had failed his duties.
The chains restraining the Thunderbird had been broken, the entire arena demolished—all of it printed in today's issue...
"No mention of Harry Potter or the others? Not a single word about that person? So they're being scrubbed out entirely?"
Draco, who had finished the whole article in moments, noticed the dissonance immediately. They didn't just hide the truth; they didn't even bother with an explanation. The entire report pinned everything on Dumbledore, as though every problem with the Triwizard Tournament existed simply because the Hogwarts Headmaster hadn't done his job.
To Draco and anyone who knew the truth, these so-called "facts" were nothing but evasion—no, self-deception.
"So it really is just like you said, Draco... the Minister actually did this?"
"I don't get it. What good does this do him?"
"Maybe there's something we don't know."
"What could possibly be so important that he'd ignore the threat that person poses to the wizarding world?"
"Uh... I don't understand it either."
Astoria and the other two didn't interrupt Draco's thoughts, instead discussing the matter among themselves, naturally focusing on the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. It had to be said: under Draco's influence, their opinion of the powerful Minister was plummeting at a startling pace...
Even while thinking, Draco still heard their conversation. But what he was about to say had nothing to do with Cornelius Fudge.
"For this holiday, I'm planning to—"
Before Draco could finish, Pansy jumped in eagerly.
"You've decided to come to my place!? When? I'll make sure everything's prepared."
"No, my parents said they're inviting Draco!"
"Hmm... I think—"
As Pansy and Hermione stared each other down, a soft voice drifted in beside them.
It was Astoria, who had been silent the entire time. And judging from her tone, she seemed to have her own plans, immediately putting Pansy and Hermione on alert.
A girl's intuition let them pick up something in Astoria's eyes—something familiar... and dangerous.
Astoria, being stared at, gave Hermione and Pansy a calm, confident smile. That almost triumphant expression sent their internal alarms ringing at full volume.
Pansy and Hermione exchanged a sharp, knowing glance.
For some reason, they couldn't shake the feeling that someone had just invaded their home...
...
Setting aside the three girls' edgeless exchange for now, Draco—whose words had been cut off—tapped the table impatiently with his fingertips, drawing their attention back to him.
"In fact, we need to make use of this time beyond just the holiday."
"Huh?"
"Beyond the holiday?"
"Make use of it?"
Things weren't quite as they had imagined. Draco clearly had something planned, which was why he had brought this up.
As the three girls puzzled over his words, Draco continued.
"Even though that person has been resurrected, I estimate it will take some time for them to recover their strength and appear before Dumbledore again. That is our window. At the very least, we need to accomplish something in this period."
"So what is your plan, Draco?"
"Goyle, pass the word along. We're changing our training location."
"...Yes!"
Though unsure what "changing the location" meant, Goyle didn't question it and immediately went to carry out Draco's order, with Crabbe right behind him.
As for where that location would be, the moment Astoria noticed Draco glancing her way, the clever girl instantly understood.
'The Room of Requirement...'
While Astoria stared in shock, Hermione beside her also began to grasp Draco's intentions.
"Is it because of the secrecy?"
"So... the things you said we'd be doing during the break?" Pansy didn't care about the details. What mattered to her was whether she could spend that holiday time with Draco.
"Yes. About that, before the term ends, I'll find a secure place within the Malfoy family. When the time comes, that place will be the meeting point for our organization."
"Oh!"
"Our... organization?"
"It seems you've already made your decision."
Draco's words drew a collective gasp from Pansy and the others.
Although surprised, none of them objected. In fact, their faces held unmistakable anticipation.
Especially Hermione—her winky eyes sparkled in a way that caught Draco slightly off guard.
Was it the Gryffindor in her?
"Then..."
"You three will be the Secret Keepers."
Secret Keeper?
What was that again?
Draco's words left all three girls momentarily stunned.
They felt they had heard the term "Secret Keeper" somewhere before, yet couldn't quite recall where...