Descending the griffin-carved spiral staircase, one could see Severus Snape, who had just stepped out of the Headmaster's Office, followed by Minerva McGonagall.
It was impossible to know exactly what they had discussed or what decisions they had reached.
But from their grave expressions, it was clear that the situation was indeed serious.
Or rather, the outcome was one they had never wanted to see.
Snape, in particular, looked as if he could hardly wait to cast a Jinx on someone, making it painfully obvious just how foul his mood was.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Minerva McGonagall turned to glance at Snape. "In any case, I'll notify the others first. If there's a chance, I'll try to contact the Order of the Phoenix as well. As for Potter... I'll find a way to locate him."
"Do as you like. I'll use my own methods."
"Is that so?"
"And if you find Potter..."
Snape had not even finished speaking when a wizard suddenly appeared around the bend of the spiral staircase.
Snape nearly drew his wand and attacked on the spot.
He had assumed it was the Carrow brothers or one of the Death Eaters watching them, but the wizard who appeared was Filius Flitwick.
Filius Flitwick.
Head of Ravenclaw and the professor dedicated to Charms.
Like Minerva McGonagall, he was one of the professors who had chosen to remain after Dumbledore's death.
Do not be fooled by his sensitive nature or his small stature.
In truth, among the four Heads of House, this Head of Ravenclaw could be said to possess the greatest magical strength.
Perhaps that was only natural for a wizard who had won the Wizarding Duelling Championship in his youth.
Yet even such a powerful wizard now wore visible anxiety on his face, along with a trace of panic.
Who knew what had happened to unsettle him so badly?
"Flitwick?"
"Thank goodness, you're both here. I've been looking for you for ages."
"What is it? Has something happened?"
"We have to hurry! I'll explain as we go."
"Understood!"
After exchanging a glance, Snape and Minerva McGonagall followed at once, asking no further questions out of their trust in Flitwick. At the same time, an uneasy feeling rose in both of their hearts.
They still did not know what had happened, but the severity on Flitwick's face and the wand already gripped in his hand were enough to say plenty.
Could Voldemort have already led his followers inside?
If that was the case...
...
At that moment, at the Draco Constellation Base.
Draco was standing by the window on the top floor of the headquarters building, gazing into the distance with his deep eyes.
This room was the office of Draco, the Big Boss of Draco Constellation.
And the room carried many traces of Draco's daily life.
Bookshelves filled with rare and precious volumes, a desk piled with Christmas gifts personally given by girls, and the Slytherin Quidditch captain's uniform hanging from a coat rack.
Each of these things held real meaning, and each one made it unmistakably clear that this was Draco's room.
Behind Draco, Pansy sat at the desk, seemingly busy with something as she wrote and sketched on a sheet of parchment, occasionally lifting her head to glance at Draco.
It looked like a dull scene.
But to Pansy, it was not dull at all.
After all, ever since that meeting ended, the chances for them to be alone together had dropped sharply.
Not only was Draco extremely busy, but she, the head housekeeper in charge of logistics, had also been so busy she barely had time to breathe. She had not even had a chance to replenish her Draco energy.
If not for the training she had received in this area, she might have been completely overwhelmed by now, let alone found an opportunity to appear here.
Even with all that busyness, Pansy was doing this willingly.
Compared with Hermione, who came from an ordinary Muggle family, Pansy had an enormous advantage when it came to the help she could provide in this area.
Naturally, Pansy would not let a rare chance to surpass Hermione slip by.
Just as Pansy's thoughts began to drift, Draco's voice suddenly sounded. "Are the base's supplies still sufficient? If our supply lines were cut off, how long could the base keep operating with what we currently have?"
"Huh... well, that shouldn't be a problem for now. As for our current stockpile... if we don't control consumption, it should last about a month at least. If we ration carefully, we should be able to hold out for three months."
"A month? I don't think it will take that long."
Pansy, who had still been gazing at him dreamily only a moment ago, turned serious in the next instant and answered quickly.
It had to be said that Pansy had indeed grown, and she had no choice but to grow.
After all, she did not want to be nothing more than a pretty vase behind Draco, and she certainly did not want to fall behind that Hermione Granger.
As the topic of supplies came to an end, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
Speak of Hermione, and Hermione appeared.
When Hermione entered, she was dressed in a fitted battle robe, with traces of magical energy still lingering around her. It was clear she had just completed some sort of mission.
"Hermione?"
"Sorry I'm late. There was a small problem with the magical barrier, and I spent some time dealing with it."
In truth, the magical barrier Hermione mentioned was a spell Draco had perfected and personally set up.
The range of this magical barrier was enormous, because it could envelop the entire Draco Constellation Base.
And the effect it produced was very simple.
This magical barrier concealed The Trace created when they used magic. In other words, it suppressed magical fluctuations so they would not be detected by the outside world.
It was said that this useful and powerful magical barrier had mainly been created by Draco based on runes.
And because maintaining such a magical barrier required an immense and complicated amount of work, Hermione had to personally inspect and maintain it.
Hearing Hermione's words, Draco, who also knew how important this magical barrier was, immediately asked with concern, "Was it serious? Do I need to go take a look?"
"No, there's no need. It was just a little troublesome."
"That's good..."
After this small interlude about the magical barrier ended, Hermione finally brought up the reason she had come here today.
After glancing at Pansy, who for some reason was also there, she adjusted her half-frame glasses. "I've heard about your theory regarding the influence of Horcruxes."
Yes.
Hermione had come here precisely to confirm this matter.
After all, as Draco's secretary, it was naturally impossible to hide any decision from Hermione.
Not to mention that Draco had never intended to hide it from her.
"So, aside from investigating why Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts, we also need to confirm whether he can be trusted?"
"That's right."
In fact, this matter had not progressed as smoothly as expected.
That was because Draco and the others had to rely on House-elves as their main source of intelligence.
But there was one problem.
These House-elves were beings with very firm "principles."
First, they could not harm any wizard. That was the most basic condition.
Second, they could not do anything that might damage Hogwarts.
And finally, they were forbidden from taking any targeted action against anyone within Hogwarts.
The first two rules were not a problem. The real trouble was the third restriction.
Targeted actions included both direct and indirect harm, and that naturally included a wizard's privacy.
In other words, it was fundamentally impossible for the House-elves of Hogwarts to actively or passively investigate any information, let alone the whereabouts of a specific wizard or the secrets he carried.
And do not forget, Harry Potter was also a member of Hogwarts.