Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Chief Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, and—
"Igor… Karkaroff. That's unexpected."
"It's me, Lucius."
Following Lucius's gaze, the identities of everyone accompanying Cornelius became clear. Among them, the most surprising presence was Igor Karkaroff, the man who had vanished during the Triwizard Tournament.
The former Headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff…
"I thought you'd gone into hiding, frightened by news of that man. I never imagined I'd see you here."
"Lucius, even if I'm not favored by him the way you are, I know very well this isn't something you can simply hide from. I'm not that naive."
As he spoke, Igor Karkaroff unconsciously tightened his grip on his arm. That small gesture made Lucius recall something, and his expression darkened.
With the passage of time, the Dark Mark—once a symbol of pride, now a living nightmare—had grown ever clearer.
It meant that the Dark Lord's power was returning, and it served as a warning to those Death Eaters who had betrayed him.
The Dark Lord was watching from the shadows…
"So you chose to side with… Cornelius?" Lucius sneered. "A foolish decision, just like the rest of your life."
"Lucius, you—!"
A former Death Eater like Igor Karkaroff was never known for his patience. Under Lucius's relentless mockery, he was clearly on the verge of striking.
If Draco had been here, he would probably have concluded that Goyle and Crabbe's sharp tongues were inherited straight from their father…
Before Igor Karkaroff could act, the visibly tense Cornelius Fudge hurriedly spoke up to interrupt them.
"Enough. Calm down. We're not here to fight. And Lucius, won't you introduce the two people beside you?"
Just as Lucius had said, the timid Cornelius Fudge had no intention of starting a conflict at this moment.
That question also successfully diverted Igor Karkaroff's attention.
After all, before making a move, one had to be clear on the other side's lineup…
...
Boom!
A flash of lightning illuminated the two figures standing beside Lucius.
"You're right. Before discussing cooperation, it's only proper to establish which side will take the lead."
As Lucius finished speaking, the two wizards flanking him simultaneously removed their hoods.
The instant they did, Cornelius's breathing visibly stalled. His already narrow eyes shrank into thin slits, as if he were staring at something utterly unbelievable.
"Karnov… and Edward."
"I should have known!"
On their own, those two names wouldn't have been shocking. After all, there were surely dozens, if not hundreds, of people in the world with those names.
But when Karnov carried the surname Parkinson, and Edward bore the name Greengrass, their significance changed entirely.
Standing before him were the current heads of three of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families.
To someone like Cornelius, who understood all too well what that status represented, the shock was akin to having all three Unforgivable Curses cast at him at once.
"I should have known! I should have known! Otherwise, how could you, Lucius, dare defy that man's orders!"
Perhaps the thunder had grown softer, or perhaps it was simply his agitation, but Cornelius Fudge's voice rang out far louder than before.
His twisted, excited expression made the still-confused Igor Karkaroff frown slightly.
Without bothering to explain himself, Cornelius stepped forward.
"You understand, don't you, Lucius? Cooperation is the most advantageous option."
"Oh?"
"I already know that you refused his summons. And he does not forgive traitors!"
Lucius lifted his gaze and looked directly at Cornelius Fudge.
"Nice words," he said calmly. "But not enough."
"...…"
Every cooperation required an exchange of benefits.
Realizing that this meeting would not be resolved so easily, Cornelius's earlier agitation gradually faded.
At last, he began to resemble the Minister of Magic he was supposed to be…
...
The scene shifts back to Draco in Romania.
Compared to the unpleasant meeting and the unseen verbal sparring between Lucius and Cornelius, things on Draco's side were far more relaxed and cheerful.
At this moment, Draco and the others had no idea that beneath this peaceful routine, someone else was quietly shielding them from the storm.
Perhaps this was what people called responsibility, and a father's protection.
In any case…
Watching Pansy and Astoria chasing each other around, Draco didn't bother stopping them. He simply sat down on the sofa, looking thoroughly amused.
It seemed that after that day, Astoria really had changed.
Pansy, whose attention was fixed entirely on Draco, might not have noticed, but Hermione, who hadn't seen Astoria for quite some time, could sense that something was different.
At the very least, the Astoria from before had never been this lively.
However, Hermione's intense curiosity about the Fidelius Charm quickly pulled her focus elsewhere.
Her attention was drawn straight to the view outside the window…
Unlike the scene before they entered, the town had returned to how it originally looked.
The pitch-black darkness from earlier felt like nothing more than an illusion.
But…
"It's like two completely different spaces."
Pressing her palm against the glass, Hermione stared in amazement at the streets, now glowing with restored light.
The earlier darkness seemed never to have existed at all. The drunks who had vanished from the streets were back again, and she also noticed that even when she deliberately made a bit of noise, no one seemed to notice anything from her side.
Or perhaps they simply couldn't perceive her at all.
The sight made Hermione marvel once again at the sheer wonder of the Fidelius Charm…
Hearing her words, Draco, leaning back against the sofa, added his own explanation.
"Your description is accurate. In fact, the Fidelius Charm involves knowledge related to the soul, time, and space. It's a very special and extremely rare kind of magic."
It might seem versatile or commonplace, but in reality, aside from families like the Sacred Twenty-Eight and truly powerful wizards, even some wizarding nobility wouldn't necessarily have mastered it…
"Is that so…? I want to learn it!"
"When you can perfectly master the wand I gave you, then I'll consider whether to teach you."
"No! You can't just consider it. You have to teach me!"
Just like her desire to read every book in existence, Hermione was always the most enthusiastic when it came to learning magic, not losing out to Draco in the slightest.
Though, if one ignored the way she was shaking Draco's arm and pleading like a child, her determination to learn the spell would probably come across as far more convincing…