After Hermione accidentally let it slip, the atmosphere that had been fairly serious a moment ago suddenly shifted.
Because the focus quietly moved to something else entirely…
"So our organization even has a president, huh~"
"...…"
"That doesn't really follow the rules, Granger."
"I… I'm mainly putting my energy into this place. That was just… right! Honorary President, that's it, Honorary President. At most, I'm just the founder. It won't affect anything."
"...…."
That bit of sophistry made Pansy roll her eyes in silence. But when it came to arguing, she really was no match for the know-it-all across from her, so she didn't bother pressing the issue.
More importantly, Hermione's words reminded her of something else.
Their organization still didn't even have an official name…
"Before we talk about anything else, shouldn't we give our organization a name?"
Pansy's suggestion immediately caught everyone's attention.
Compared to improving the treatment of House-elves, Goyle and Crabbe were clearly far more interested in this topic…
Crabbe, who had been standing in the corner determined to remain invisible, raised his hand faster than anyone else.
"How about the Pureblood Faction?"
"Terrible."
"No aesthetic sense at all."
"Shallow and offensive!"
Without a second's hesitation, the three girls shot it down with sharp, decisive refusals.
Crabbe had even managed to annoy Hermione, who stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring daggers at him.
Pureblood?
Was that meant to mock her, or was he trying to push her out by suggesting a name like that for the organization…
Ignoring Crabbe's ridiculous idea, Pansy, who was unusually enthusiastic about naming things, jumped up from her seat.
"Draco! It suits Draco perfectly, doesn't it?"
It was obvious she'd thought this through already. Whether in meaning or in terms of the girls' romantic sensibilities, it really was a pretty good name.
Draco came from Latin.
The constellation Draco shared the same pronunciation as Draco's name, and dragons also happened to be Draco's favorite creatures.
Not only that, the dragon's head of Draco was formed by its four brightest stars, which just so happened to match the number of people present.
Well… if you ignored Goyle and Crabbe.
After Pansy finished explaining it all in detail, Astoria and Hermione, who had initially had their own thoughts, silently accepted the name as well.
Whether it was because of what those four stars symbolized that convinced them was anyone's guess.
Seeing how satisfied the girls were, even if Draco had any objections, he clearly wouldn't get the chance to change it.
And just like that, the name of the organization led by Draco, along with Pansy, Hermione, and Astoria, was decided on the spot.
Its name was Draco.
...
It was hard to tell whether it was just an illusion.
But after the organization finally had a name, Pansy and the others seemed to develop a much stronger sense of belonging to this place. It was no longer just somewhere to gather, hold meetings, and exchange secrets.
Draco sat on the sofa, watching Pansy and the others suddenly break into celebration for no apparent reason, his expression turning faintly strange.
So girls really do get happy over things like this?
And no one seemed to notice Goyle and Crabbe, squatting in the corner with looks of utter neglect…
It wasn't until Pansy and the others started talking about cooking something to eat, even planning to throw a small feast, that Draco quickly stopped them, still having something to say.
"Ahem. Hold on. I still have something to say."
"Hm? Is there something even more important?"
Pansy's puzzled question made Draco's forehead practically fill with black lines.
Honestly, aside from the discussion about House-elves at the start, they hadn't talked about anything else at all.
But noticing Draco's hand twitching as if ready to chop someone, Pansy jolted, immediately sat back down, and put on her best well-behaved expression.
That embarrassing display earned her a look of disdain from Hermione… who then obediently sat down as well.
Astoria, seemingly sensing danger, smoothly raised her own question at the right moment.
"Is it something important?"
"Yes… it's about an important secret of mine."
"A secret? Draco, do you really still have secrets I don't know about?"
Draco didn't answer the oddly loaded question. Instead, he glanced toward Hermione, leaving her blinking in confusion as she raised an eyebrow.
Could this secret have something to do with her?
...
Just as Hermione suspected, she did know something Pansy didn't.
And that secret could very well be Draco's most important one.
Could it be…?
Hermione suddenly lifted her head, her gaze wavering as she looked at Draco, who was smiling at her.
"You mean… but Draco!"
"Don't worry. If I'm not mistaken, the Dark Lord probably already knows. Besides, I trust everyone here."
Hermione, who had been about to say something, found herself unable to speak after hearing that.
Because this was no longer just about the secret itself, but about trust.
Whether personally or professionally, Hermione didn't want too many people to know. But Draco had clearly already made up his mind.
Pansy and Astoria, who hadn't interrupted, remained quietly in their seats. As Draco and Hermione spoke, their curiosity about this secret only grew.
"Actually… I possess a talent that no other wizard could have."
"A talent?"
"Yes. Just like the Parseltongue of Slytherin and the Dark Lord, I also have the ability to communicate with creatures."
"So, Draco, you can talk to snakes too?"
As a Slytherin, Pansy didn't see that as a bad thing at all. If anything, she felt proud of Draco.
Because that would mean inheriting Slytherin's will.
But clearly, Draco didn't care much for that so-called Slytherin legacy. Facing Pansy's excitement, he shook his head without hesitation.
"No. As far as I know, the only Parselmouth in the wizarding world right now is the Dark Lord."
"Then what is it?"
Hermione spoke up first.
"Draco's talent should be the only one of its kind recorded in the history of the wizarding world so far."
"That's right," Draco said, nodding. "Just as Hermione said. And I've named it… Dragontongue."
"...…"
"...…"
No matter how slow you were, the meaning behind those words was obvious.
The ability to communicate with dragons.
Dragontongue.