Harry and the others were being controlled by Voldemort?
It sounded completely baseless, almost like slander.
It was hard to imagine such words coming from Draco's mouth. After all, in Ginny's heart, Draco was not the sort of petty person who would speak ill of others behind their backs...
So if the person standing in front of her had not been the genuine Draco Malfoy, Ginny would definitely have been angry at once, then turned around and left.
After all, what kind of wild imagination would lead someone to make a guess that sounded so obviously absurd?
Even if Voldemort was indeed recognized as a powerful figure in the wizarding world, that did not mean he could control people whenever he wished.
After all, in the eyes of powerful wizards, a wizard under the Imperius Curse could be detected very easily, let alone hidden from the professors at Hogwarts.
More importantly, although it sounded rather harsh, just how much value did Ron have for Voldemort to go out of his way and spend so much effort on him?
He simply was not worth that much...
But if Draco knew all this, then why would he still say something so thoughtless, something that sounded as if it had come out without passing through his brain at all?
Could the recent pressure have been too much, making his head unclear?
Perhaps Ginny was simply far too easy to read. Draco did not even need to ask to tell what she was thinking from the expression on her face.
He tapped the girl's forehead with his finger, sounding rather annoyed. "There's nothing wrong with my head, and I haven't accidentally planted a Jinx on myself either."
"...Ugh!"
"Actually, saying they're being controlled isn't quite accurate. To be precise, they're being influenced."
"Influenced... what does that mean?"
Draco's words only made Ginny more confused. She could not figure out what he was trying to say.
Was there really any difference between the two?
…
Draco smoothed a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind and narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Ginny in front of him.
Strictly speaking, Ginny Weasley was not the best person to confide in about this matter.
But considering that Ginny was indeed somewhat involved, Draco decided to speak his suspicions and thoughts aloud.
And this secret hidden in Draco's heart made Ginny the first person to know...
"During the previous meeting, you should already know that Voldemort created a Horcrux, right?"
"Mm... I really was surprised when I found out. After all, paying with a life and all that, it's just..."
At this point, Ginny's expression became a little uncomfortable, as if something disgusting had entered her mouth.
From Ginny's perspective, it was only natural for her to think that way about the so-called Horcrux.
After all, murder and the like...
For young wizards who had not even graduated from Wizarding School, this was indeed beyond their level.
Not to mention that the Weasley family was relatively peaceful among pure-blood wizard families.
In the end, the Weasley children had simply been protected too well by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley...
However, Draco was not trying to discuss the dangers of Horcruxes with Ginny, nor the fact that Voldemort did not care about those lives at all.
Rather...
"Apart from the wizard who created this dark magic and the madman Voldemort, no one can know whether the Horcrux itself has other uses."
"Huh? You mean it's not only for resurrection?"
"That's certainly one of its functions, but no one can guarantee that this understanding is completely correct."
"......."
"After all, this is evil magic that toys with the soul."
"....."
Ginny instinctively moved closer to Draco.
The more she listened, the more she felt the air around them grow colder, chilling her entire body.
It was as if Voldemort's Horcrux was right beside them...
She swallowed.
Ginny hesitantly rubbed her slightly cold arms. "Then what does this have to do with... Harry and the others?"
"I don't know."
"Huh?!"
"Because I've never made a Horcrux before."
"Is that really the issue here?!"
Ginny retorted irritably.
But because of Draco's reaction, the nervous unease that had made her thoughts run wild eased slightly.
At least, she did not feel quite so afraid anymore.
And when Ginny suddenly realized this, she looked at Draco in front of her with a complicated expression.
So this guy really was a scumbag who understood girls far too well... ... In any case, after seeing that Ginny had calmed down a little, Draco finally revealed something Dumbledore had deliberately kept hidden for a long time.
"As for why I have this suspicion, it's mainly because... your brother once came into close contact with one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
"What are you... That's impossible. I've never heard anything about this!"
"In fact, your parents and Potter knew about it as soon as the matter ended."
"......"
"Ron Weasley was in prolonged contact with one of Voldemort's Horcruxes!"
Thud!
Ginny stood up so abruptly that she knocked over the chair beneath her.
Her agitated reaction showed just how shocked she was by what she had just heard.
She was clearly a member of the Weasley family, yet she had learned about this from someone else...
Ginny spoke in a daze. "When was it?"
"...Second year. It happened during your first year."
"The Basilisk?!"
"Very clever, but that wasn't Voldemort's Horcrux. It was an unremarkable diary."
"A diary..."
"And the person who obtained that diary and, under the Horcrux's temptation, opened the Chamber of Secrets was your brother, Ron Weasley."
"...I understand. So you suspect that from that time onward, Voldemort did something to Ron's mind... no, to his soul?"
"Mm."
"How could this happen... It shouldn't be like this."
Hearing this, Ginny's face turned somewhat pale. She swayed slightly, then sank weakly back into the chair.
Because she trusted Draco, Ginny did not think he had invented this out of thin air.
If anything, Draco had no reason at all to make up a story on the spot just to deceive her.
So what he had just said was very likely something that had truly happened.
In other words, Draco's unbelievable guess was not impossible either...
The more Ginny understood this, the more helpless and lost her expression became.
It was the young witch's first time facing something like this, and all she could do was cast a pleading look toward someone she could trust.
And that person could only be Draco, sitting in front of her...