Chapter 665: Fleur Delacour’s Growth Draco was not surprised by Dobby’s appearance in the slightest.Before he had even left for Hogwarts, Draco had already known that Dob |
Although he did not believe Albus Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy could sit down and have a proper talk, much less reach the kind of temporary cooperation Ginny had suggested, Draco had no intention of continuing to hide behind a girl.
Besides, Draco had already realized that the Mr. Potter in front of him had clearly set his sights on him. In fact, the wand in Harry Potter’s hand was indeed angled faintly in his direction.
Ginny had simply been unlucky enough to become Harry Potter’s outlet for anger.
For all Draco knew, Harry Potter might have been targeting him from the very beginning...
Still, there was one thing Draco could not quite understand.
Who exactly had given Harry Potter the courage to raise his wand and act like this?
Even if Harry Potter was not entirely rational right now, he should not have done something this reckless. The sense of déjà vu reminded Draco of Ron Weasley back then.
He did not know whether it was only his imagination, but the two of them seemed to share a certain resemblance.
And once Draco realized that, his vigilance rose as well instead of continuing to dismiss Harry Potter...
Was he really going to choose a moment like this to attack him?
Unless Harry Potter no longer cared whether he could graduate from Hogwarts safely.
And not only that, Draco could even see that strange smile on Harry Potter’s face, as if this were exactly the scene he had been waiting for all along.
...
Whether Harry Potter was acting on impulse or not, Draco’s strength was beyond question. That was not the sort of fact Harry Potter could simply deny away.
In truth, even Harry Potter himself knew perfectly well that he could not beat the Draco standing in front of him.
Especially after seeing with his own eyes how Draco had dealt with those Death Eaters, Harry Potter had long since felt hopeless about ever catching up to him.
But... that was the Harry Potter of the past.
He quietly flexed his somewhat stiff body, and now, beneath that furious expression, there was even a trace of excitement and eagerness on Harry Potter’s face...
On the surface, Harry Potter looked as though he had lost his mind in humiliation and rage, but only he himself knew just how calm he really was now.
Silently recalling everything written in that book, Harry Potter kept encouraging himself in his heart.
You can do this!!
Haven’t you succeeded so many times already?!
I’ve earned praise from plenty of professors because of it. Even Granger lost to me.
Even this guy in front of me, I can defeat him with the powerful spells I learned!
That kind of self-encouragement seemed to work very well.
And it also proved that Harry Potter’s actions right now were not entirely the mindless recklessness of someone blinded by anger.
He had his own plan.
You could see confidence gradually filling Harry Potter’s eyes again, the confidence he had once lost, and the wand pointed at Draco became noticeably steadier.
It was as if, in his mind, victory in this clash was already certain.
He was no longer the person he used to be.
This was a brand-new Harry Potter.
And the source of that confidence seemed to be the old book he had gotten in Potions class. It had even given him the courage to stand against Draco...
...
In the air, the surge of magic suddenly blew the surrounding snowflakes upward.
That display alone was enough to show why Dumbledore valued Harry Potter so highly.
Perhaps if a monster of a wizard like Draco had never appeared, Harry Potter might have drawn even more attention and basked fully in the glorious halo of the savior.
Feeling the pain from the scar on his forehead, Harry Potter still did not forget, before making his move, to tell Ginny and the others to get away from Draco.
“I’ll say it again. Get away from him!”
That lofty, overbearing tone made Ginny let out a disappointed sigh.
She could not understand why Harry Potter had become so unfamiliar, just like Ron...
Sure enough, Ginny refused Harry Potter yet again.
“No! I’m going to tell everyone about this! Especially Dumbledore. He would never want to see you like this.”
“Dumbledore would definitely agree with me, because this is justice!!”
The hand gripping his wand was clenched so hard the knuckles had gone pale, showing that Harry Potter was already on the verge of exploding.
The hesitation that had still lingered in his heart was steadily hardening under Ginny’s repeated defiance.
He would make Ginny understand that Draco was absolutely not the person she thought he was.
Absolutely!!
...
Across from him, Draco, who had not stopped Ginny from staying, focused his attention on the surrounding situation.
Despite all the commotion here, and despite the magical power bursting out of Harry Potter being as obvious as sunrise itself, Draco still had not seen a single other student appear, much less any local wizard stepping in to stop them.
It was as if everything had been arranged in advance.
Thinking of something, Draco quickly shot a glance toward Honeydukes, which had suddenly gone silent.
“So that’s it... a wide-area Disillusionment Charm, plus Muffliato?”
Only a layered combination of large-scale spells that could affect a wizard’s senses could hide everything happening here so quietly.
But what was the purpose of doing this?
Feeling as though he had fallen into someone else’s scheme, Draco frowned hard.
And just as Draco noticed that something was wrong, Harry Potter on the other side had already stopped caring about the consequences.
The restless magic abruptly calmed, and Harry Potter’s wand traced an arc that made Draco freeze for a moment...
Though it was a Nonverbal Spell, Draco still recognized it instantly.
Right before their eyes, the snow-covered ground suddenly split apart, sliced open by something invisible.
Faced with the churning wind and snow, Ginny and Luna both showed shocked expressions.
The familiar disturbance made even Ginny, who was not especially afraid, cry out.
“Isn’t that your...”
Before she could finish, the invisible blade was already upon Draco and the others.
In response, Draco stepped forward and drew the wand hidden inside his snake-headed cane.
It was also a Nonverbal Spell.
The difference was that Draco’s spell spread out into a translucent barrier that enveloped all three of them...
...
Not every form of dark magic is branded as forbidden or untouchable.
But it is still not something an ordinary wizard should have access to. And after Voldemort started the First Wizarding War, attitudes toward anything in that area became especially sensitive.
It had even vaguely become something of a byword for Death Eaters.
So no one would have expected Harry Potter, a Gryffindor who saw himself as one of the righteous, to have mastered such a powerful piece of dark magic.
And not just that. It was dark magic personally created by a certain black bat...
Sectumsempra!
...
Although Harry Potter had used it nonverbally, the disturbance caused by the spell still made Draco and the other two, Ginny and Luna included, recognize it instantly for what it was.
Quite apart from Draco, who already knew Sectumsempra himself, everything that had happened in the sky back then was still vivid in Ginny and Luna’s memories. Even now, scenes from that time still surfaced in their dreams from time to time, along with Draco’s back, which had made them feel so protected.
It was precisely that sense of safety and trust that kept Ginny and Luna from retreating or feeling afraid even now.
And just as Ginny and the others had expected, as they watched the translucent barrier block Sectumsempra outside, magical light flared where spell struck spell, and Ginny’s eyes reflected that beautiful glow.
Ginny looked at the figure in front of her with mixed emotions.
“I... we got saved by this guy again?”
What Ginny saw before her was Draco, who had also cast a Nonverbal Spell and easily blocked Harry Potter’s attack.
But while Ginny was confused, Draco’s thoughts were much heavier.
“That cutting power and force... it really is Sectumsempra. But...”
Ginny and Luna had indeed recognized Sectumsempra as the spell Draco excelled at, but they did not really understand what that implied.
Because this involved magical inheritance.
For every wizard, the inheritance of magic was something of the utmost importance. For families like Draco’s, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, that was even more true.
And Draco, having gained Snape’s approval, was naturally his one and only inheritor.
In other words, Harry Potter should not have been able to learn Sectumsempra at all.
So... where had he stolen it from?
Draco flicked his wand, dispersing the translucent barrier in front of him.
“Where did you learn that spell, Potter?”
Seeing how easily his attack had been blocked, and feeling the vast abyss-like magic coming from Draco, Harry Potter swallowed hard, his expression turning ugly.
His eyes widened.
“I don’t think I’m under any obligation to answer that question!!”
The very next second, Harry Potter ground his teeth and answered Draco’s question in the most suicidal way possible. He fired off a second Sectumsempra.
From the fact that he could not grasp the key point in Draco’s question, it was obvious Harry Potter did not know Sectumsempra’s true origin.
For all Draco knew, Harry Potter might not even realize that this powerful spell, capable of summoning an invisible blade, was itself a dark art...
...
“Here it comes again, Draco!!”
Compared to Draco, who could casually throw out a Sectumsempra, Harry Potter’s grasp of the spell was clearly far weaker.
The raising of his hand was too obvious. The long stiffness after casting made it impossible for him to chain it smoothly. Its power and speed were far inferior as well. Even Ginny could easily read his intent to attack.
For all anyone knew, Harry Potter might not even have mastered the counter-curse for it.
All of that proved Harry Potter had not truly learned the spell, nor had he ever received Snape’s detailed personal guidance...
Watching that flaw-ridden Sectumsempra, Draco gave a casual wave of his wand.
“As expected. It’s just a counterfeit.”
Boom!
Under Draco’s deliberate control, the Sectumsempra cast by both sides collided head-on in the middle.
Snow and wind exploded outward.
Flurries of snow obscured their vision.
“How beautiful.”
Even though they knew things were turning bad, the instant they saw the magical light scatter through the wind and snow, Ginny and Luna still could not help lighting up at the beautiful sight before them.
It reminded the girls of that great adventure in the past...
By contrast, cold sweat broke out across Harry Potter’s body. The excitement he had felt just moments ago turned ice-cold in a matter of seconds.
Because right by his feet, there was now a vicious gash, one that had very nearly sliced straight through his body.
That was the mark left behind by Draco’s Sectumsempra.
No matter how lacking Harry Potter might be, from the result of that clash, and from the spell that had nearly brushed past his feet, even he could tell.
The gap between himself and Draco.
Cold sweat.
Helplessness.
That familiar feeling surged into Harry Potter’s heart once again.
Again, it was this result.
Again, it was this person standing in front of him.
Just as Harry Potter was trying to calm himself down, Draco’s magnetic voice drifted into his ears.
“So this is the justice you were talking about?”
“You...” Hearing the thick mockery in those words, Harry Potter’s eyes instantly reddened.
Draco ignored his impotent fury and continued in a low voice.
“In my eyes, justice... is nothing more than a noble illusion.”
Crunch.
That was the sound of a foot stepping into the snow.
With his noble robes stirring in the wind and snow, Draco Malfoy crossed through the storm and came to stand in front of Harry Potter.
That overwhelming pressure made Harry Potter instinctively take a step back. The panic on his face was utterly different from the arrogant, defiant look he had worn just moments earlier.
That humiliating display only deepened Ginny’s disappointment. The filter of admiration she had been struggling to maintain shattered completely in that instant...
...
Whether Draco’s words had provoked him, or Ginny’s expression had filled him with unbearable shame, Harry Potter suddenly shrieked,
“You have no right to speak of justice, you evil Death Eater!!”
Steadying himself again, Harry Potter seemed to drive out every last bit of magic he had left, without caring about anything anymore.
At that moment, he looked like a mad dog driven into a dead end...
Faced with a Harry Potter like this, Draco merely raised his wand slightly and spoke words that stunned everyone.
“You are not the side of justice.”
“Because in this wizarding world, only the victor gets to represent justice!!”
...
If you were the sort of person with especially sharp instincts, you could probably sense the faint killing intent coming off Draco.
Which made sense.
Anyone who had gone back and forth across a battlefield would end up like Draco.
What was more, under normal circumstances, it might not be all that noticeable, but the moment he became serious, Draco’s danger level instantly shot to the highest point.
Harry Potter, who was facing all of this head-on, could feel that murderous aura coming from Draco with perfect clarity...
A wizard who had killed was different.
If Harry Potter had never really understood that before, then now he could say he had learned the true meaning of those words all too well.
At this moment, with his mind gone blank, Harry Potter had no energy left to argue about justice.
Because right now, he had only one thought.
He had to get away from this suffocating pressure as fast as possible.
But his body no longer seemed to obey him.
Watching that wand slowly rise toward him, Harry Potter could only stare with widened eyes, while a single thought filled his head...
I’m going to die!
I’m going to die!
I’m really going to die!
The scar on his forehead hurt so badly that Harry Potter wished he could black out on the spot, but not only did that not happen, it instead made him even more keenly aware of the terrifying pressure weighing down on him.
Through the haze, he could almost make out the calm expression on Draco’s face.
That sense of discomfort and contradiction made Harry Potter feel sick...
...
Compared with Harry Potter’s desperate struggle, Draco himself felt nothing at all.
Honestly, after gaining experience fighting Death Eaters, making a move here hardly even seemed worth mentioning. The gap between them was so wide that Draco could not summon any real enthusiasm.
Looking at Harry Potter in front of him, Draco felt a rare trace of regret.
Really... I got serious without meaning to.
I actually let those childish words get to me?
He frowned.
Only then did Draco realize that Harry Potter’s talk of justice had clearly irritated him just now, enough for him to become serious without thinking and even say more than he should have.
When Harry Potter had ambushed him with Sectumsempra earlier, he had not even been this angry...
And after calming down, Draco understood very clearly that the savior standing in front of him, whose emotions were obviously off, could get hurt if necessary, but he absolutely could not die by Draco’s hand.
Not only would that be difficult to deal with afterward, it could also cause the entire situation to shift.
That was why Draco did not continue attacking...
In any case, it had seemed like a long stretch of time, but in reality only a few seconds had passed.
And during that span, Draco’s wand had just happened to come to rest pointing at Harry Potter’s head.
In that instant, the smell of death swept over him.
Even Ginny and Luna behind Draco had their eyes wide open, unable for a moment to decide whether they should speak up and stop whatever Draco was about to do next.
He’s probably only trying to scare Harry.
Probably... right?
What anyone else was thinking, Harry Potter had no idea.
All he knew was that if he still did nothing now, he would definitely regret it.
Just as the pain in his scar shifted from agony into a strange burning heat, those eyes of his, once fairly handsome and well liked by Snape, gradually began to take on a sickening green tint without anyone noticing.
And it was at that exact moment that someone finally stepped in to stop all of this.
And not just one person, either...
...
Even though Ginny and the others were only standing off to the side as spectators, they truly had no idea where these wizards had come from.
Among them were even a few familiar faces to Ginny...
“Draco!” As if she had seen something, Ginny let out a startled cry.
“Don’t move. Move again and don’t blame me for acting. Believe me, I have absolutely no qualms about attacking an underage wizard. And you, Weasley girl, why are you together with Malfoy?”
Pressing his cold lips together, Draco glanced sideways at the wizard gradually appearing at his side.
It was Alastor Moody, his magical eye spinning constantly, his wand vaguely but unmistakably aimed in Draco’s direction.
“Oh? Looks like our appearance didn’t surprise you all that much.”
Just as Alastor Moody said, Draco’s expression barely changed, as though he had already expected this scene.
Or rather, as though he had known they were there all along.
Turning his head, Draco let out a light laugh toward Alastor Moody and the figures slowly emerging from the wind and snow.
“More importantly, dear Professor Moody, believe me. The instant you cast a spell, Mr. Potter dies here.”
Those familiar-sounding words made Alastor Moody narrow his eyes sharply.
“...”
“...”
That threat, sharp with the scent of blood, made Alastor Moody’s magical eye stop spinning. Even the smile he had been wearing just now vanished at once.
He had to admit it. The young Malfoy in front of him really was capable of doing exactly that.
At the very least, he had no confidence he could save Harry Potter...
Just as the atmosphere turned heavy, a voice with a childish lilt rang out at just the right moment.
“I told you not to do that, Moody. We’re not here to cause trouble.”
“Hmph. I don’t trust Malfoy’s son.”
The one speaking to Alastor Moody was a beautiful witch stepping out of the wind and snow while brushing off her robes.
What stood out was that her hair had clearly been purple a moment ago, but by the time Draco looked over, it had instantly turned pink, as if its color shifted with her mood.
That alone said plenty about what she was really like.
Rebellious and full of life.
Noticing Draco looking at her, the witch waved cheerfully like a child, looking so delighted that it was almost as if she could not see the tension in front of her at all.
“It’s been a long time. Must be several years, right? Last time I didn’t get the chance to say hello properly.”
Recognizing her, Draco frowned.
“Nymphadora Tonks...”
“You should call me Cousin, dear cousin.”
Nymphadora Tonks gave Draco a playful wink.
“...”
It had to be said, once this Nymphadora Tonks appeared, with her rather jumpy way of doing things and complete inability, at least on the surface, to read the mood, the tense, murderous atmosphere from a moment ago was utterly ruined.
Realizing that, Draco silently studied the relaxed look on her face for a few moments.
He was beginning to suspect she was doing it on purpose...
,,,
The moment Ginny saw Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks arrive, and realized that a clash with Draco was about to break out the very next second, she grew so anxious she wanted to step forward and explain.
In her eyes, this was obviously not Draco’s fault.
But before Ginny could do anything, a wizard who had suddenly appeared in front of her stopped her in her tracks.
When she looked closely, Ginny’s eyes widened, and she halted on the spot.
Because it was her mother, Molly Weasley.
Ginny froze, her face full of complete unprepared surprise at seeing her mother here.
“Why...?”
“Why am I here? If Mundungus hadn’t told us about this, we really wouldn’t have known what was happening here, and we certainly wouldn’t have found you here either.”
“...This isn’t the time for that. Draco’s over there...”
The moment she heard that name, Molly Weasley’s expression turned a little strange.
“I didn’t believe that thief at first, but I never expected it to be true.”
“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me Mundungus said something to you.”
“And aren’t you going to explain why you’re together with that Malfoy again?”
“...”
Ginny had not even thought in that direction. She only felt that her mother’s tone and expression were not looking good.
Especially that word “again.” It made Ginny roll her eyes hard.
As if she liked being around that guy so much...
But very quickly, she remembered something and hurriedly tugged on her mother’s hand.
“Hurry and stop Moody and the others. What if they really start fighting?”
“That’s exactly why I showed up. To stop you.”
While holding on to Ginny, Molly Weasley did not forget to glance at Luna Lovegood, who seemed to be standing there by herself, staring blankly off into the distance.
She was a little curious what this girl, who seemed to have a touch of spirituality about her, was thinking at a moment like this.
As for Harry Potter’s side, Molly Weasley did not think there was anything to worry about.
After all, that was Alastor Moody, a veteran old Auror...
...
In truth, things were nowhere near as easy for Alastor Moody as Molly Weasley imagined.
He had thought Draco must have used some underhanded method to defeat those Death Eaters before, but now it seemed things were not as he had assumed.
If anything, the truth was even beyond what he had imagined...
His single magical eye began spinning again.
That eye, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, swept relentlessly over Draco.
“Even though I was already prepared for this, that amount of magic, the kind only elite wizards possess, mastery of dark magic, and more importantly... that strength of mind.”
Alastor Moody, standing there in a standoff with Draco, did not listen to Nymphadora Tonks and lower his wand. On the contrary, he tightened his grip on it.
A cautious man like him had no intention of entrusting his life to a stranger.
Even with Harry Potter effectively being used as a hostage, Alastor Moody still had no intention of lowering his wand.
As for whether doing so would provoke Draco, Alastor Moody had no room left in his mind to care.
What he did not seem to realize was that the people who had once made him this serious were, almost without exception, powerful, brutal, ruthless dark wizards.
In other words, Alastor Moody was already treating Draco as a genuinely powerful wizard...
Faced with her companion ignoring her, Nymphadora Tonks let out a helpless sigh, clearly getting a headache from this.
Honestly, if the Order of the Phoenix had not really been short on manpower right now, and if the only members currently at headquarters had not happened to be just the few of them, Nymphadora would not have wanted to act together with the temperamental Alastor in the first place.
Before they had shown themselves, she had already said she could handle everything herself...
After glancing at Harry Potter, who was pale and hanging his head, Nymphadora finally put on a smile and reached out to grab Alastor Moody’s wand.
“...Nymphadora!”
“Calm down, Alastor. It’s not that serious.”
“You’re the one who should calm down. Malfoys can’t be trusted at all.”
Alastor Moody’s words made Harry Potter, who had been lowering his head, jerk it up abruptly, and the look he gave Alastor burned with extraordinary intensity.
It was worth mentioning that the instant Alastor Moody and the others appeared, the green glow in Harry Potter’s eyes vanished as though it had only ever been an illusion.
As for Draco, who was being judged like that, he merely looked at Alastor Moody in front of him without the slightest reaction.
The blue light from Moody’s magical eye made Draco narrow his own eyes slightly. The faint motion of his wand suggested he was considering whether, if a fight really broke out, he ought to make Moody’s magical eye his first target.
As for that cousin of his, Draco said nothing at all.
After all, the two of them could hardly be called close...
...
The wind and snow seemed to be growing worse.
It was worth noting that the large-scale spell interfering with everyone’s senses appeared to have been cast by Mundungus, the very man everyone had assumed had already fled the scene.
A wizard who could use that kind of spell so skillfully was probably none other than Mundungus himself.
After all, a man who constantly dealt with swindlers and petty thieves in the wizarding world, and who had done the kind of thing that enraged Harry Potter so badly, really did need spells like that to help with activities that could not stand the light of day.
In a way, that counted as one of his special talents...
And just as Ginny was worrying about what was happening over by Draco, the situation seemed to take another turn.
To be exact, another group had appeared on the scene.
All at once, a strange fluctuation of magic spread through the air. In the next instant, something seemed to flash before everyone’s eyes, and the scene around them cracked apart for a moment in a baffling way.
Then, after a brief second of disorientation, the students who had vanished earlier, along with the lively chatter of the young wizards, all reappeared, and everything returned to normal within that short span of time.
At the same time, several figures became visible standing across from Alastor Moody.
The most conspicuous among them was the house-elf who had just lowered his finger. The strange distortion that had appeared around them just now was most likely his doing.
And that house-elf was Dobby, the one sent to protect Draco.
And...
The silver-haired witch leading several wizards to this place.
Fleur Delacour!
...
Draco was not surprised by Dobby’s appearance in the slightest.
Before he had even left for Hogwarts, Draco had already known that Dobby had been sent by the family to protect him.
And naturally, there was a reason Dobby had been chosen...
A house-elf’s magical ability, combined with the fact that house-elves were not restricted by wizarding spells in the same way, made Dobby, who could rush in to support him anytime and anywhere, the best possible choice to protect Draco.
Just like now.
Without anyone informing him at all, Dobby and the wizards behind him from Lucius’s faction arrived only a step later than Alastor Moody and the others.
They had even undone the area-wide spell Mundungus had cast in the process...
The only thing Draco had not expected was this.
That silver-haired witch wearing a smile that could enchant the whole world had appeared here as well.
To be precise, had his father, who despised mixed blood to an extreme degree, really agreed to this and allowed her to become one of the people assigned to protect him?
After all, anyone who could take on this task had to be either deeply trusted by Lucius or possess a certain level of strength in their own right.
At that thought, Draco looked toward Fleur Delacour.
Faced with that beautiful figure swaying in the wind and snow, Draco, whose self-control had been getting worse lately, could not help spacing out for a rare moment.
If Nymphadora had not still been holding Alastor Moody’s wand, Draco might well have been taken down by a sneak attack because of that brief distraction.
It had to be said.
In certain ways, Fleur Delacour at this age really was not someone a few still-green girls like Pansy and the others could compare to...
Especially when she came walking out of the wind and snow with a serious expression, robes moving with the cold wind, combined with the Veela blood she had been born with.
That beautiful yet dashing figure left even Ginny and the others nearby staring blankly.
Pulling himself back together, Draco instinctively shifted his gaze away from Fleur’s graceful, captivating figure and looked toward Dobby instead.
“Dobby...”
“Young Master, please leave this to Dobby. Dobby will not disappoint Young Master.”
Dobby puffed out his chest, his face full of passion, as though he were ready at any moment to step forward and take a blow for Draco.
But in truth, bound by the rule that prevented him from harming wizards, he could not attack one even if he wanted to. At most, he could only take Draco away from here.
In other words, the only people Draco could truly rely on at this moment were the group led by Fleur Delacour, who had joined Lucius’s allied faction.
That was also why Fleur Delacour and the others had appeared here...
...
The moment she noticed that fleeting flash of hesitation on Draco’s face, Fleur Delacour’s lovely face brightened even more.
There was really no need to explain why she was here.
As a girl with part French blood, Fleur possessed that same boldness and courage to pursue love and romance.
And because she was the kind of person who loved fiercely and hated just as fiercely, she had taken the initiative to accept this mission, one that would let her stay close to Draco.
Not long ago, while Draco was remaining at Hogwarts, Fleur had already led a group of wizards to station themselves in Hogsmeade and establish a base there.
The moment anything happened on Draco’s side, they would be able to move out at once and, to a certain extent, act in coordination with Draco’s instructions.
That was exactly why Fleur and the others had been able to arrive so quickly...
Wand in hand, Fleur did not greet Draco at once. Instead, she cast a cold look toward the familiar yet fundamentally different Professor Moody in front of her.
Because the Professor Moody standing here now was the real one.
“What an impressive Disillusionment Charm. If Dobby hadn’t warned us, we really would not have noticed what was happening here.”
Though she was praising the other side’s skill, the glance she quietly sent toward Draco was clearly meant as an explanation for why they had failed to notice the disturbance here immediately.
At the same time, the look Fleur gave Alastor Moody was distinctly fierce in its own way.
Failing to notice Alastor Moody and the others not only risked making people question their competence, it had also interrupted her precious reunion with Draco.
And Harry Potter in particular, standing there staring at her stupidly, earned several disgusted glares from Fleur, a faint trace of killing intent even showing in her eyes...
In any case, once Draco’s side arrived, what should have been a one-sided situation immediately became balanced.
The raised wands on both sides made Molly Weasley, standing some distance away, feel her scalp go numb. It also made her even more unwilling to let her youngest daughter Ginny do anything reckless.
Seeing this, Nymphadora, who had never wanted a conflict in the first place, quickly raised both hands and stepped forward.
“First of all, we have no intention of doing anything to Cousin... to Draco.”
“Then what exactly are your intentions?”
Compared with the time she had faced the Thunderbird and could only hide behind Draco, Fleur Delacour now seemed much more confident.
Whether in terms of magical strength or command and coordination, Fleur appeared to have grown quite a bit.
Otherwise, the wizards standing behind her would not have placed Fleur Delacour at their head...
And because of that, Draco handed the situation over to her entirely.
Faced with Fleur’s question, Alastor Moody’s magical eye spun once.
“I know who you are. The beautiful young lady who’s been making quite a splash under Malfoy lately. But let me tell you this. Don’t point your wand at an enemy more experienced than you are!”
Nymphadora rolled her eyes.
“Oh, shut up, Alastor. Dumbledore would not want to see you causing him even more trouble here.”
“...Hmph!”
“And you too, Harry. I’m going to tell Dumbledore everything that happened here, and I expect an explanation from you when the time comes.”
“...”
Nymphadora, once an elite Auror, had not seen the entire sequence of events.
But judging from the commotion at the scene, the turbulence of magic still hanging in the air, and the way Ginny in the distance had been desperately trying to explain things for Draco, Nymphadora had already pieced together the rough outline of what had happened.
Especially the hatred in Harry Potter’s eyes. That made Nymphadora frown hard.
More importantly, she did not believe a word that liar and thief Mundungus had said...