Speaking of Professor Lockhart.
Apart from occasionally hearing Draco mention him, Pansy and Hermione truly had not seen him even once, let alone exchanged a few words with him.
It had to be said, their memories of him, and even of what he looked like, had begun to grow rather hazy.
Only when Lockhart appeared once again in the magical mirror, wearing a purple top hat, did Pansy and the others remember that such a person existed at all...
"It has been a long time, my dear students. It seems you have all been doing quite well."
"Especially Miss Granger. I am very pleased to see you."
That unreliable tone, along with that particularly exaggerated performance, made Pansy and the others completely certain that the person in the magical mirror was none other than the exceptionally narcissistic Professor Lockhart.
Draco, however, had dealt with him before, so he simply ignored Lockhart's strange, affected manner.
"Lockhart..."
"Oh, oh, don't look at me with such murderous eyes. I didn't warn you in advance, but I do hope you understand. I'm risking exposure on my end here."
"I don't think you're that kind-hearted, Lockhart."
Knowing exactly what kind of person Lockhart was, Draco was not about to trust him so easily. He was also deeply suspicious of Lockhart's purpose this time.
Even if the information he brought was indeed important and timely, it was definitely only because he found this interesting...
However, just when Draco thought Lockhart would continue with his rambling, the next second, Lockhart unexpectedly got straight to the point.
A rare serious expression appeared on his face. "You should all have received the news by now, haven't you?"
"You mean the news of Dumbledore's death?"
"Exactly. And I suggest you leave Hogwarts as soon as possible, or have Malfoy come and get you out."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I've already said this much. I imagine something so simple won't escape our clever Mr. Malfoy."
Pansy and Hermione, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, exchanged a glance.
Wasn't this exactly what Draco had just been talking about not long ago?
They had not expected to hear the same thing from Lockhart as well.
It was not only Draco. Even Lockhart was saying this.
So Hogwarts really was no longer safe?!
...
Risking exposure just to say a few words would be making far too much of it.
In other words, Lockhart still had not revealed his true reason for contacting Draco...
Draco frowned. "I think I understand what you mean. You're saying someone is going to make a move against Hogwarts?"
"Smart. And that person has already begun to act. I think you'll be seeing changes very soon."
"That person..."
"To that person, everyone in Hogwarts is an important hostage."
"Hostages..."
"Oh, right. I believe you should soon receive news that the Ministry of Magic has been completely taken over by Death Eaters."
"..."
That piece of information made Pansy and Hermione, standing behind Draco, widen their eyes, as if they were doubting what they had just heard.
The Ministry of Magic had been taken over?!
When did that happen?
They had received the latest issue of The Daily Prophet just this morning, and there had not been a single mention of that in it.
Could the enormous Ministry of Magic really have fallen in the span of one short morning?
That had to be fake, right?
That was far too useless!
Seeing Draco and the others fall silent, Lockhart, who seemed to understand their reaction perfectly, let out an amused laugh.
The expression on his face made it seem as though he was extremely satisfied with their response...
"Well then, I do hope you don't die before we meet again, dear Mr. Malfoy."
After tipping his hat, Lockhart vanished directly from the magical mirror.
The way he had contacted them on his own, then left just as he pleased, made Draco narrow his eyes slightly. But considering the information Lockhart had brought, Draco did not say anything.
Pansy, who had stayed quiet the entire time, finally voiced the doubt in her heart.
"Can we believe... what Lockhart said?"
"Mm. Although I'm not sure what his position is, I don't think he was lying. There's no need to tell a lie that can be exposed so easily."
Although Hermione and the others remained doubtful, Draco did not think so.
Or rather, there was simply no need...
Just as Pansy was questioning Lockhart's true purpose, Hermione interrupted their conversation from the side.
"Compared with that, shouldn't what we care about most right now be Hogwarts' safety?"
Indeed.
Compared with the question of Lockhart's position, the most urgent thing to consider now was the danger Hogwarts was about to face.
And the Ministry of Magic was the first unlucky one.
Putting away the magical mirror, Draco murmured softly, "The balance has finally been broken..."
Wizarding War.
There was no avoiding it now...