You never appreciate what you have until it's gone.
After just a few short weeks and several matches, the Slytherins had come to understand that truth all too well.
No… it would be more accurate to say that any wizard with a deep love for Quidditch had realized this was no empty phrase.
It was like getting used to fine cuisine. Once you had, anything merely passable became hard to swallow.
And among the current players, Draco was far beyond the norm. He was the kind of ace who could carry an entire team to victory on his own.
Because they understood that, Slytherin had recently found itself under pressure from all sides. Not only did they have to endure the strange looks from the other houses, they also had to wrestle with their own frustration over losing Draco.
Under that pressure, their attitude toward him began to shift.
Some had even started to resent the adults who made that decision.
If they had once treated Draco with indifference, even a hint of distance, then now, these young Slytherins, not yet hardened into purely self-interested adults, looked at him with far more complicated expressions. There was even a trace of suppressed emotion flickering in their eyes.
...
The Hogwarts Great Hall.
Astoria poked at the fish and chips on her plate with clear distaste. Just as she was about to push it over to Draco, she noticed that his plate was already piled high with food.
She pressed her lips together.
There was no need to guess. Draco hadn't suddenly become a glutton. This was clearly the joint handiwork of Pansy and Hermione.
As for Draco himself, he sat there expressionless, methodically eating like a machine as he dealt with the mountain of food in front of him.
Draco wasn't lacking in awareness. Of course he wouldn't do something as foolish as resist. If anything, he was perfectly willing to go along with it.
Compared to what he had gained, this kind of "punishment" was nothing. Anyone with a bit of sense would know which mattered more, and Draco understood that clearly.
His calm acceptance, even that hint of "gentleness," left Pansy and Hermione both annoyed and amused. That was exactly why this situation had dragged on for so long.
To outsiders, it might have looked like the three of them were at odds. Only Astoria, standing nearby, had a vague sense that something else was going on.
"Scumbag."
"Did you say something, Astoria?"
"No. You heard wrong."
"..."
Draco fell silent as he watched Astoria's hand reach toward his plate, adding even more to the already towering pile. He glanced at her, momentarily stunned by her sudden betrayal.
After a brief, strange silence, the girls' soft laughter filled the air.
Compared to the heavy, stifling mood elsewhere, things around Draco felt unexpectedly light.
Though, of course, that lightheartedness came at the expense of their Slytherin Prince.
...
Although what happened during the Quidditch match had stirred quite a commotion among the students, most of the discussion remained within Slytherin, along with curiosity about the Ravenclaw who had first spoken up on the field.
But the one who had truly shot to the top of everyone's attention was one of the traitors who had leaked information about the exchange meeting to Umbridge.
Among them, the most significant was the one Goyle had mentioned earlier.
Hufflepuff's pride… Cedric Diggory!
Most wizards, including those from Hufflepuff, couldn't understand why Diggory would do such a thing. If it had been Marietta, people would have found it easier to accept.
Speaking of Cho Chang's close friend, this fifth-year Ravenclaw was also on the list of traitors. Her mother was Mrs. Edgecombe from the Floo Network Authority under the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Transportation.
As for the other students who sided with Umbridge, their families, in one way or another, all held important positions within the Ministry.
Naturally, their loyalties leaned toward the Ministry of Magic.
This, in the end, was Penelope's oversight, and perhaps an unavoidable mistake.
However, unlike those other wizards, Cedric Diggory shouldn't have had any such motive or weakness.
Which only meant one thing. The Ministry of Magic was gradually bringing more of these forces under its control.
"Something's off."
"Mm… everyone's already noticed. Dumbledore is gradually losing control of Hogwarts."
"Dumbledore wouldn't… no, that's not what I came to talk about!"
They were standing by the great lake near the Forbidden Forest. The ones speaking were Draco and Ginny Weasley, who normally had almost no interaction with each other.
Thinking about it, this really was just a chance encounter. Draco hadn't seen the red-haired Weasleys for quite some time.
That was because their father had been hospitalized. Ginny and her brothers had all been given special permission to return home and visit him.
Which was also why Ron Weasley hadn't been seen around Harry Potter lately.
As for why Draco was here alone, it was because he had heard something from a certain Centaur professor that caught his interest.
As for what Ginny had just said…
"I've already spoken to Hermione."
"Oh?"
"But she said…"
"She needs my approval."
"…Yes."
Draco glanced at the red-haired girl, who looked like she was biting back her frustration. He could more or less understand her reaction.
Even though he had changed her view somewhat during the matter involving The Quibbler, that alone wasn't enough to overturn his "villain" image in Gryffindor's eyes. Especially not for wizards raised in that environment.
Still, what could have driven her to come to him for help like this?
"Luna."
"Luna?"
"That idiot never tells anyone anything. If this keeps up, her father's publishing house will shut down. He might even end up in Azkaban because of it. So… I want you to help her. Aren't you a Malfoy?"
After rushing through that long explanation, Ginny Weasley was breathing hard. Whether from agitation or embarrassment at having to ask Draco for help, her still youthful face flushed as red as her hair.
Setting aside where her confidence came from, Draco finally understood why she had come to him so abruptly.
Just as he was about to ask for more details, a series of dull booms suddenly echoed from deep within the Forbidden Forest. At the same time, a flock of birds burst upward into the sky above the trees.
The sudden disturbance startled Ginny.
"What was that? An explosion?"
"Not sure. But it sounds lively… doesn't it?"
Turning toward the Forbidden Forest, Draco narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could see straight through the dense woods, a glint of meaning flickering within them.