The once-quiet Forbidden Forest had grown increasingly turbulent over the past few years.
First there was the one who killed the Unicorns, then Norberta settling in, and now, after Norberta's departure, it seemed a new resident had arrived.
Judging by the disturbance just now, along with the unnatural state of Hagrid's arm the last time Draco saw him, this newcomer clearly didn't have a gentle temperament.
Watching the birds circling above the forest, crying out in distress, a strange expression flickered across Draco's face. From that Centaur professor, who for some reason seemed to take a special interest in him, he had already learned the identity of this new arrival.
Thinking of that, Draco couldn't help but mutter,
"As expected of you, Hagrid."
"Hagrid? That explosion was caused by Hagrid?"
"Well… if you put it that way, you could say he's half responsible."
"Huh? What does that even mean?"
Ginny frowned, clearly annoyed by the vague answer. This kind of roundabout way of speaking was new to her, and it made her want to roll her eyes.
If Hermione and the others were here, though, they would have thought this was perfectly normal. After all, they had suffered through it the most.
As for Hagrid, Draco didn't dislike the man. But because of their different positions, and his increasingly open conflict with Harry Potter, they had naturally had far less contact.
That was why, when Draco mentioned Hagrid, Ginny momentarily forgot the attitude she was supposed to keep and asked him out of genuine curiosity.
Unfortunately, Draco's cryptic response quickly shattered the bit of goodwill she had just begun to form.
She really shouldn't have bothered talking to him.
Glancing at Ginny Weasley, whose emotions were written plainly across her face, Draco found himself growing curious.
Why had this slightly airheaded Weasley come to him?
More precisely, why did she think he would help at all?
Pulling his gaze away from the Forbidden Forest, Draco looked down at the frustrated expression on Ginny's face.
"I'm a Slytherin."
"I know that."
"You're a Gryffindor."
"…Do you think I'm an idiot?!"
There weren't many people who could talk to Draco like that. Even he paused for a brief moment at her reply.
That didn't sound like pure hostility.
As Draco studied her, Ginny, unaware of his gaze, continued,
"I know what you're getting at. But the fact that you're still here already shows you care about this. And besides…"
She didn't say the rest.
Hermione said you'd definitely have a way.
Ginny kept those words to herself. Even now, she still couldn't understand the look in Hermione's eyes when she said it, a brightness so intense it had almost hurt to look at.
Maybe that was why she had come to Draco so impulsively.
Thinking that, she snuck a glance at the pale blond figure who had turned away again.
Ginny pursed her lips.
...
In truth, although Draco didn't think much of most Gryffindors, that didn't mean he looked down on them or disliked them without reason.
He never let prejudice cloud his judgment.
He had always been like this. Otherwise, Hermione would never have had the chance to get close to him, nor would he have listened to Ginny Weasley to the end. The atmosphere wouldn't have been nearly as calm as it was.
That was also why Ginny's impression of him had improved, at least a little.
"So, Draco… are you going to help?"
Setting aside whether helping Luna brought any real benefit, the thought that it might ease Hermione's dissatisfaction was already enough for Draco to feel it wasn't a bad idea.
If anything, he felt like he'd been eating too much lately.
In any case, not long after parting ways with Ginny and stepping back into the castle, Draco just so happened to "run into" Hermione as she walked past him.
At least, that was how Hermione put it.
"What do you think?"
"I… I'm asking you."
"Right. Though the book in your hands has already given me the answer."
"..."
As he spoke, Draco glanced at the book she was clutching to her chest.
Noticing his gaze, Hermione quickly hid it behind her back, then, realizing that looked even more awkward, brought it back up again to block his view.
That slightly flustered, almost clumsy version of Hermione, so unlike her usual sharp self, made Draco let out a quiet laugh.
Her cheeks puffed out in response.
Just as she was about to snap, Draco smoothly changed the subject.
"So, you're planning to use regulations to push back against the Ministry of Magic."
Between her earlier fumbling, Draco had already clearly seen the title of the book. It was filled with legal statutes and regulations.
Realizing she'd made a fool of herself, Hermione hesitated before asking,
"Don't… you think I'm meddling?"
Draco blinked.
Was that really the important part?
In truth, he didn't think so at all. He knew exactly how kind Hermione was.
Even when it came to House-elves, she treated them with genuine compassion and tried to improve their situation. Let alone her fellow students, especially when this was something Ginny had asked of her.
If there was anything that puzzled him, it was her relationship with Ginny.
The two of them seemed surprisingly close.
"No, I wouldn't call it meddling. I'm actually a bit interested in that publishing house."
"You mean… The Quibbler?"
"Yes. Don't you think this is a good opportunity?"
Draco didn't consider himself a good person, and his relationship with Luna was nowhere near friendship. At most, they were acquaintances who might share a cup of tea.
So at first, he hadn't been particularly interested. If Ginny hadn't gone to Hermione first, he probably wouldn't have even listened to her request.
But seeing how serious Hermione was about this, Draco found himself reconsidering.
As for the reason…
Building ties with The Quibbler, or even bringing it under his control, sounded like a very worthwhile move.