Gabrielle's actions caused every wizard watching the scene to freeze in shock, all movement coming to a halt.
Some failed to hold onto their cutlery, others stuffed food into the wrong nostril, and a few even spilled soup all over themselves without realizing it.
If there were a single phrase to describe the moment, it would be complete stupefaction.
After all, that was Draco Malfoy.
And this was before anyone had even fully registered the bizarre form of address Gabrielle had used, the very one that had already darkened Fleur's expression.
Compared to everyone else, the followers gathered around Draco kept their eyes lowered, staring expressionlessly at the tabletop.
"Gabrielle, come here!"
"Draco, can you tell me how you saved my sister? She won't tell me anything."
"..."
Caught off guard, Draco glanced toward Fleur, his eyes clearly asking what was going on.
By now, Fleur had completely lost the proud composure she'd worn when she entered. Especially when Draco looked at her, a flicker of panic she didn't even realize herself surfaced in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she avoided his gaze, stepping over to Gabrielle's side and lowering her voice in warning.
"If you keep this up, I'm taking you straight home tomorrow."
Gabrielle blinked innocently at her sister, then let go of Draco's arm and took a few steps back. Under everyone's gaze, the adorable girl with Veela blood lightly tugged at her robe.
"Gabrielle Delacour. Pleased to meet you, Draco. My sister has caused you quite a bit of trouble."
Setting aside the words themselves, her etiquette was impeccable. The subtle details made it clear it was an old French wizarding formality.
The contrast was so abrupt it caught everyone completely off guard.
Pansy and the others, who had been silently observing from the side, couldn't help but exchange looks at Gabrielle's shifting behavior before turning their puzzled gazes toward Fleur, who now wore a helpless expression.
'Gabrielle… Delacour.'
As Draco studied the petite girl in front of him, he finally noticed the magic stemming from her Veela bloodline, as well as the implication of a distinguished family background.
That made sense. Without sufficient backing, it would be impossible to earn the favor of a magical school's headmaster, let alone survive in the wizarding world as a mixed-blood Veela.
The saying that beauty brings disaster was not without reason…
…
Although they were somewhat wary of Fleur's reason for coming here, whether it was the natural charm brought by her Veela bloodline or simply the fact that she was still young and posed no real threat, Gabrielle was quickly accepted by the three girls nearby.
Her impish personality, in particular, hit it off almost instantly with Pansy, who already carried a "little devil" reputation in Goyle and Crabbe's eyes. The two of them became close in no time at all. That easy sense of familiarity gave Gabrielle the perfect excuse to stay right where she was, and it directly left Fleur at the side so irritated her chest ached…
"Miss Delacour, please have a seat."
"And you are…?"
"Astoria Greengrass. I assume you haven't had dinner yet."
Unlike Draco, who completely ignored her, or Pansy and Hermione, who deliberately acted as though she wasn't there, Astoria, wearing a gentle smile, immediately noticed Fleur's awkward position and offered her a way out.
That small gesture allowed Fleur, who had been stuck in an uncomfortable spot, to finally breathe easier. She lifted her chin slightly and sat down.
"Gabrielle, you'd better give me an explanation later."
Clenching her teeth, Fleur shot an angry look at her sister, who was currently whispering away with Pansy, feeling utterly betrayed.
Noticing her sister's glare, Gabrielle responded with an innocent smile and picked up her knife and fork. The refined, well-mannered posture she adopted now looked nothing like the girl who had just grabbed Draco's arm without warning…
Clink, clink, clink.
Silently watching the interaction, Draco fell into thought.
'Delacour… the situation in the French wizarding world… If I remember correctly, the families over there…'
Though separated by a stretch of sea, that distance meant little to wizards.
Correspondingly, the Malfoy family had its own channels of information regarding that region. Fleur's appearance had stirred those memories.
The surname Delacour…
Tilting his head slightly, Draco glanced at Fleur, whose attitude had shifted noticeably from before, and murmured under his breath,
"Is it because of… that match?"
He shook his head, feeling that he had been a little too sensitive lately.
Even if that hadn't been his intention at the time, she seemed to have taken everything that happened that day to heart, which ruled out another possibility entirely.
More importantly, Gabrielle Delacour's way of deliberately annoying her sister felt completely natural…
Dinner soon came to an end.
Under Gabrielle's reluctant gaze, and after making an agreement with Draco that she would share all the details about her sister the next time they met, Draco left the dining hall with Pansy and the other two girls.
What remained behind were gazes filled with complicated envy and jealousy.
After all, even counting casually, if Gabrielle was excluded, the number of beautiful girls appearing around Draco was already a bit excessive…
"Being called 'brother,' huh? Feeling happy, Draco?"
"..."
Draco shot Pansy a sideways glance. Whether it was just his imagination or not, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was some kind of trap hidden in her words.
As a result, he chose to remain silent.
"Maybe he's not happy about the little sister part at all."
"..."
Hermione, never one to shy away from adding fuel to the fire, casually chimed in as well.
Watching Draco get besieged from both sides, Astoria, who had originally seemed content to stay out of it, hesitated. But when she thought of Fleur's hard-to-ignore allure, she spoke up as if it were an afterthought.
"Speaking of that, since you were all in the Room of Requirement this afternoon, you might not know yet."
Astoria's words drew curious looks from both Pansy and Hermione.
For no clear reason at all, a bad feeling suddenly welled up in Draco's chest…
Casting Draco a knowing glance that hovered between a smile and a smirk, Astoria pressed her lips together.
"Professor McGonagall said that at the dance, every wizard is free to choose their own partner."
Pansy: !
Hermione: !
Draco: ???