Draco hadn't made any obvious moves. He wasn't even holding his wand.
Yet as his gaze slowly swept across the room, every wizard felt as though they were being stared down by something terrifying. Because of that, Harry Potter and his group, who had looked so imposing just moments ago, all lowered their heads at once, as if they'd already suffered a defeat.
Their wandering eyes and refusal to meet Draco's gaze made the situation painfully clear.
Watching coldly from the side, Pansy lifted the corner of her lips in satisfaction.
That wasn't admiration. It was pure disdain, mixed with a sense of vindication…
Harry Potter, who had acted on impulse and backed himself into this awkward corner, finally managed to calm down under Draco's gaze. But the moment he noticed the change in Pansy's expression, the fire and resentment in his heart flared up again, spreading through his already sensitive nerves.
He clenched his fists tightly.
He was no longer the Harry Potter who had been trapped in a tiny cupboard, never knowing when his next meal would come!
"…A reason? I don't think… I need to give you one!"
"......"
Dumbledore's favor, along with the appearance of a certain godfather, had indeed given Harry Potter confidence and backing. Coupled with everything he'd endured at the hands of Voldemort's faction, he had grown far more than before.
Harry Potter's sudden show of defiance caused the wizards behind him to jerk their heads up.
Surprise flashed across their faces, followed by pride as they straightened their backs. The confidence that had vanished moments ago seemed to flow right back into them.
So what if you have Draco Malfoy?
We have Harry Potter, the one who defeated the Dark Lord!
That was more or less what the wizards standing opposite Draco were thinking…
...
If Harry Potter's appearance on the Slytherin side was because of a certain little princess, then Ron Weasley, who had followed along like a lackey, had his own thoughts as well.
This situation had nothing to do with him to begin with, but the moment he got closer to Draco's side, his gaze locked onto a certain person and refused to move.
As the saying goes, a woman dresses for the one she loves. And that didn't just apply to appearances. In one's temperament and aura, there were subtle, almost imperceptible changes as well.
It felt like magic, yet not quite magic.
After what happened last night, and after receiving Draco's response, Hermione, whom Ron hadn't seen for just one night, seemed to have undergone a striking yet indescribable change.
If Ron had to put it into words, then in his eyes, Hermione had become even more beautiful, even more captivating…
Right after Harry Potter flatly rejected Draco, Ron Weasley, perhaps wanting to draw a certain witch's attention to himself, couldn't help but jump out as well, unwilling to be left behind.
"You can barely protect yourself, and you still have the nerve to meddle in our business, Malfoy!"
Those words, which sounded like he knew something, immediately drew curious looks from the surrounding wizards toward Draco.
As for the fact that Ron didn't mention Death Eaters at all, hardly anyone noticed.
"Barely protect himself?"
"What does that mean? Does Weasley know something?"
Yet no matter how hard they looked, the wizards around them couldn't find a single crack in Draco's calm expression.
Instead, Pansy, sitting nearby, widened her eyes. Her bright, lovely face was now filled with unmistakable anger.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Weasley!"
Ron clearly enjoyed being the center of attention.
"Do you really think that man would forgive people who betrayed him? Maybe right now, your family…"
As he spoke, Ron's eyes kept drifting toward Hermione's face.
That small gesture didn't escape Draco's notice.
And just as Ron was reveling in all those eyes on him, his little speech was abruptly cut off.
"Ron!"
"Ron!"
The loud shouts from George and Fred snapped the excited Ron back to his senses.
Only then did he realize that, aside from the confusion on the faces of the younger students, the rest of the wizards around them were wearing expressions of shock and fear.
It was something they had half expected, yet desperately refused to believe…
That person.
Voldemort.
By now, although the Ministry of Magic was desperately trying to suppress news of the Dark Lord's return, the truth was that this was nothing more than a flimsy cover for everyone to deceive themselves.
After all, how many wizards were truly foolish?
Yet Ron, in his recklessness, had torn that cover away in one brutal motion, forcing everyone present to confront the issue head-on and wonder just how much Ron Weasley and the others really knew…
...
In contrast to the sudden chaos around them, Pansy and the others were the first to turn, worry written plainly on their faces as they looked toward Draco.
Receiving those concerned gazes, Draco showed no sign of urgency at all. He rose slowly from his seat.
"Relax. Nothing's going to happen."
With a single step forward, he placed himself in front of Pansy and Hermione, shielding them behind him.
This wasn't empty reassurance.
After all, the night before, Draco had already spoken with Lockhart about the situation outside. There was no need to worry about his father, nor any reason to take Ron Weasley's earlier words to heart.
It was just that…
"Though I'm not sure there's any need to stay at Hogwarts anymore, a certain idiot definitely wouldn't want to see me break school rules, so… let's duel!!"
Unlike everyone else, the girl Draco referred to as "a certain idiot" rolled her eyes irritably.
The sheer pressure of Draco's magic forced every wizard standing opposite him to bend at the waist.
Even though it was the middle of a cold winter, the figure standing there, as if ready to challenge all of them alone, made sweat bead on the faces of every wizard present, Harry Potter included.
And at a moment like this, no one was willing to step forward and accept such a duel…
Who would dare?
No one did.
"....."
"Is that so… then disappear from my sight at once, Savior who defeated the Dark Lord."
Catching sight of Pansy looking at Draco with undisguised admiration, and noticing Draco's casual glance along with the deliberate imitation of Snape's tone on those last three words, Harry Potter suddenly found his courage again. He clenched his teeth hard.
"I… I came to invite Pansy… to be my partner at the Yule Ball!!"
"....."
"....."
The silence that followed felt like the calm before a violent storm…
First Hermione, and now Pansy?
The magic radiating from Draco seemed to twist the air around him.
Dragons, aside from their overwhelming strength, were known for one other trait above all.
That was—
A possessiveness that meant death to anyone who dared touch it.
...
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