You could see it the instant Draco spoke those words.
Hagrid's massive frame gave a noticeable shudder, as if something unpleasant and long buried had suddenly resurfaced. It was clear the memory was a bad one—and that Draco wasn't joking.
Hermione's hand, mid-stroke on Fang's head, froze in the air at the sight of Hagrid's stiffened expression.
"The Chamber of Secrets was opened before?"
"That's right. I stumbled across the information by chance. After all, everyone's saying I'm the heir who opened it."
"…"
Seeing Hermione frozen in disbelief, Draco set his teacup down with a faint smile.
Come to think of it, if the rumors about the Chamber hadn't implicated him, even his father wouldn't have gotten involved. Word had it that even the Ministry of Magic had started making moves.
Once he learned the full story, Draco finally understood why his father and the others were so on edge. He, too, had grown curious—though not just about the Chamber itself, but about the secrets it hid. Because it hadn't just been opened once... someone had died because of it.
And more importantly, the wizard who had opened it was someone Draco knew—the now visibly unsettled Rubeus Hagrid, sitting right in front of him.
"Why... Well, if it's you, I suppose it's not much of a secret."
Looking uneasy, Hagrid downed his cup of red tea in one gulp and slumped heavily into a chair, which creaked so loudly it seemed one wrong move would snap it in two.
"What do you mean? Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets?"
Hermione stared at him, stunned, as Hagrid clutched his head in silence, which only seemed to confirm the suspicion.
Suddenly, Hagrid burst out—
"No! I never opened anything! It was just... Oh, sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to yell, I'm just... just... a little nervous."
"I know, Hagrid. I just wanted to understand clearly, that's all."
Seeing his pale face, Hermione didn't press further. Her kind nature told her Hagrid didn't deserve to be pushed any harder—and that maybe she should do something to help.
She glanced at him with concern, then shifted her gaze to Draco, who was still calmly sipping tea like none of it involved him. The next second, she marched over, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the hut.
"Come with me!"
"Eh?!"
Caught completely off guard by Hermione Granger's sudden burst of action, Draco barely had time to set down his teacup before he was pulled out of the cozy little hut. He looked at her hand gripping his sleeve, then at her determined back.
Since when were we on such familiar terms...?
...
In some ways, Draco and Hermione were clearly on opposing sides—but setting aside their house affiliations, their relationship wasn't actually that bad.
Otherwise, Hermione wouldn't have so casually dragged Draco outside, and he wouldn't have gone along with such a blunt move without resistance.
It was only after she realized what she'd done that Hermione felt so embarrassed she wanted to cover her face...
"..."
"..."
Draco leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching Hermione, who had pulled him out into the chilly air only to say nothing. He raised a brow, wondering how long this fool planned to stay silent. If it had been Pansy, he'd have flicked her forehead by now.
Maybe it was the half-smirk tugging at Draco's lips that got to her, because the tsundere little witch quickly gathered herself.
"You…"
"It's true. Whether there was a misunderstanding or something fishy about the verdict, I can at least guarantee my source is solid."
"But..."
"Because of the previous Chamber of Secrets incident, Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts. It's even possible he was sent to Azkaban for a while."
"So what?"
"So now, he's a likely suspect."
"That can't be."
Hermione didn't want to believe it, but her wavering voice and conflicted expression said otherwise. She wasn't doubting Draco's intel—or its credibility.
After all, the person in question was right inside, and Hagrid had definitely shown visible discomfort when the topic came up...
After a pause, something Professor Binns once mentioned suddenly came to Hermione's mind.
"So, there really was some terrifying creature or monster in the Chamber of Secrets?"
She couldn't help but consider it. Hermione knew how much Hagrid adored magical beasts—especially the big ones. Just last year, he'd raised a three-headed dog and a fire-breathing dragon.
Thinking about it that way, if Hagrid had been a young student and heard rumors of a monster hidden somewhere in the castle, Hermione was certain he would've gone out of his way just to catch a glimpse of it.
He might've even thought it was wrong to keep the poor thing locked up and decided it deserved a little walk around the castle.
Hermione glanced toward the still-closed hunting lodge. For some reason, she shrank her head slightly at the thought...
"It's true. A young witch was killed by the creature that got out."
"That's impossible. Sure, maybe back then Hagrid wanted to slap a collar on the thing and walk it through the halls, but he'd never hurt anyone."
Hermione clutched Draco's robe in a panic, her small face full of worry as she looked up at him—as if expecting him to have some kind of answer.
"Even if you say that, I... fine, fine, it hasn't come to that yet. I only got bits and pieces of information. As long as there aren't any more attacks, the Ministry will likely hold off for now—"
Bang!
Creak—
A loud crash, followed by the sharp squeal of hinges. Hagrid had slammed the door open and stumbled out of the hut, pale as a ghost.
Draco noticed he was clutching a letter in one hand—one that looked freshly delivered.
"Hagrid?"
"It's a letter from Dumbledore. Something's happened..."
Hagrid's forced smile, on the verge of breaking into tears, made Draco narrow his eyes slightly...