Bringing in wizards from other Houses.
Hermione did not hide her true thoughts from Draco, and she did not believe he could fail to see the benefits either.
In fact, if not for the historical baggage involved, she might have raised the issue long ago.
It was only now, when she had begun to sense that things were changing, that Hermione finally brought it up...
Her instincts had not been wrong.
Just like everyone else, each side was using its own methods to strengthen itself.
Even someone like Lucius, an extreme pure-blood supremacist, had been forced to change his old way of thinking and accept the very people he had once scorned, whether they were pure-blood wizards or even beings like Veela.
Whether it was an exchange of interests or merely temporary use, it all showed that pure-blood wizards had begun to compromise on their old beliefs...
If they refused to change, all that awaited them was death.
Sure enough.
War was the fastest way to shatter the rules of the world.
That had already been proven, both directly and indirectly, during the First Wizarding War.
The clearest example was how half-blood wizards, who once had no access to important positions in the wizarding world, had gradually taken the places of the pure-blood wizards who lost everything after siding with Voldemort.
Both the victors and the defeated understood that all too well.
And this time, Lucius and the others could not afford to lose a second time...
Perhaps that was why, even though Lucius had made a decision that ran counter to his past principles, not a single pure-blood wizard voiced any objection.
Because no one understood better than they did the logic of survival of the fittest.
If you could not adapt to change and change yourself, if you only clung stubbornly to old rigid ideas and refused to move forward, then your downfall would not be far away.
Clearly, Draco was not that kind of leader...
Looking into Hermione's bright, expectant eyes, Draco lightly tapped the spine of the book in his hand.
"So you have already thought this through. Then where do you plan to start?"
"You mean..."
"You do not seriously think that if I just wave my hand, the other Houses will come running to join us, do you?"
"......"
"Even if people like that did exist, I would not dare let them in."
Draco's teasing made Hermione smack him lightly on the arm with her fist.
"If I am bringing this up, then of course I have already picked my targets."
"Oh?"
When Draco's smile faded, Hermione straightened up and turned serious as well.
"First, because there is always a risk of leaks, we need to observe each person for a certain period of time."
"Mhm. Though I do not think students who are still busy worrying about their grades are likely to have that kind of background, it is still a good precaution against spies planted by hostile forces."
Watching Draco make that deadpan jab, Hermione twitched at the corner of her mouth and clenched her fist.
"And second, whoever we choose has to have a certain level of ability, especially in terms of character. I do not want to spend time with people I cannot stand."
"Hm... I see. In that case, Gryffindor can almost be ruled out entirely. At least when it comes to ability..."
Crack.
It was as if the sound of someone's last thread of reason snapping had echoed through the air.
"I'm going to bite you to death, you bastard!!"
The next second, everyone else, who had been in the middle of training, turned to look in confusion.
Their newly appointed commander was throwing herself at their spiritual leader with the clear intent to bite him, and the sharp little tiger teeth flashing in the light made everyone shiver instinctively...
...
Joking around was one thing, but Draco naturally had no intention of opposing what came next.
And just after he had finally soothed the ruffled Hermione, a small figure with a large head suddenly appeared behind them.
The first to notice him was Hermione Granger, whose robes had become a little disheveled...
Startled, Hermione turned to look, her face full of surprise.
"Do... Dobby? When did you start standing there?"
"Good evening. Dobby has been standing here from the very beginning."
"......"
Apparently unaware that his answer had only made Hermione look even more uncomfortable, Dobby gave a bow that looked rather comical.
By comparison, Draco, who had just been bullying Hermione, was much calmer.
After all, he was the one who had called Dobby here...
Pretending not to notice Hermione's angry glare, Draco turned to Dobby.
"I almost forgot. How are things going on your side, Dobby?"
"Yes, Young Master. Dobby... Dobby hopes Young Master can give Dobby a little more time. Dobby definitely will not disappoint Young Master and his friends."
From the hesitant, anxious look on Dobby's face, Draco immediately understood that things were clearly not going smoothly on his end.
Naturally, he was not stupid enough to say that out loud in front of Dobby.
He knew very well just how fragile Dobby was...
Off to the side.
Hermione, who had been quietly listening to the exchange between Draco and Dobby, could not hold back her curiosity any longer and edged closer again.
That curiosity was so strong that for the moment, she even forgot to ask why Dobby was here at Hogwarts.
"Draco, what task did you give Dobby? You are not trying to..."
"Whatever it is you are thinking, it is definitely not that."
"Ow!"
After Draco flicked her on the forehead, Hermione covered it with one hand and glared at him in annoyance.
Whether it was because of what had happened between them last time, or because she had grown up and finally understood her own feelings, Hermione now acted far livelier around Draco than she ever had before.
At the very least, the old Hermione would never have gone so far as to fool around with Draco like this in front of other people...
In any case.
Just before Hermione opened her mouth again and looked ready to bite somewhere, Draco quickly explained what Dobby was doing at the moment.
"Did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
"That I was going to build an intelligence network for our organization."
"...But Pansy and the others all said that was impossible."
Only then did Hermione belatedly remember, and her eyes widened.
Although she had never given up on improving the treatment of House-elves, compared with the naive ideas she had held at the beginning, Hermione now understood just how difficult that goal really was.
Especially after learning more about them, she had no choice but to admit that overturning long-held beliefs and breaking established conventions was never something that could be accomplished overnight.
Not to mention... what Draco was trying to do...