Slytherin's reputation?
In the wizarding world, thanks to the deliberate guidance and indulgence of certain wizards, along with the fact that Voldemort, the Dark Lord who emerged from Slytherin House, had recruited his first batch of followers there, the name "Slytherin" had gradually become synonymous with villainy.
To some, Slytherin was nothing more than a cradle for Death Eaters.
Dark wizards. Treacherous. Underhanded. Without limits.
All sorts of negative labels had been pinned onto Slytherin House.
That was why the Weasleys were always so quick to call Draco a Death Eater.
Of course, it was not entirely unreasonable for others to think that way. Aside from those factors, the Slytherin snakes and their predecessors, influenced by pure-blood supremacist ideals and aristocratic backgrounds, genuinely looked down on other wizards.
Their supposedly superior lineage, combined with the beliefs instilled by family and environment, allowed them to offend students from the other three houses in no time at all.
Over time, that only made them more disliked and reinforced the sense of opposition within Hogwarts.
Which was exactly why Hermione's expression turned so strange when she looked at Draco.
...
Noticing Hermione's somewhat impolite stare, Draco shot her a glance.
His gaze was sharp, almost as if it could see straight through her, like a dragon locking onto its prey.
That single look made Hermione flustered. Instinctively, she covered her waist. The faintly aggressive edge in his eyes brought back memories of a snowy night.
Still, true to her catlike temperament, she only retreated for a heartbeat before lifting her chin and stepping forward again.
"So you're saying the rest of Slytherin are deliberately avoiding you. But why?"
It sounded like a challenge, yet the soft rise at the end of her sentence betrayed her real mood.
Her question also drew Astoria's attention. Astoria, who had been teasing a small bird capable of changing the color of its feathers, turned to look at her with suspicion.
Given her understanding of Granger, she should not have failed to see the reason behind this.
It was obvious enough.
Strange.
Lost in her thoughts, Astoria did not notice the tips of Hermione's ears turning red beneath her hair, nor could she guess what about Hermione's waist had caught Draco's attention.
At most, she sensed there was something in Draco's gaze she could not quite interpret.
Even if she did not understand the sudden hint of pink tension in the air, it did not stop Pansy from cutting in.
"Are you stupid? Obviously it's because of the Dark Lord."
"Who are you calling stupid? My grades are better than yours!"
"…"
The bickering pulled Draco's attention away from Hermione, whose expression had shifted from embarrassment to irritation.
He cleared his throat.
"They've probably received some kind of message. Their parents told them not to get too close to us. It's not hard to guess what they're thinking."
Do not pledge loyalty lightly. Do not put yourself in danger lightly.
Avoid misfortune and move toward advantage, or simply stand on the side of the eventual victor. That seemed to be a principle etched deep into Slytherin blood.
Naturally, once it became known that Lucius Malfoy had defied Voldemort and was even positioning himself against the Dark Lord, this outcome had been inevitable.
Some had likely received instructions from wizards under the Dark Lord. Others simply did not want to take sides so early and chose to distance themselves on their own.
In truth, students from other houses might have reacted the same way.
The only thing Draco had not anticipated was that it would all happen this soon.
...
In the middle of the beautiful garden stood a small fountain that activated at specific times.
But what flowed from it was not clear water. Instead, it was brilliantly colored magical potions.
Each time, a different potion appeared. If you were lucky, you might even encounter the costly Felix Felicis, personally brewed by a Potions Master, and take away a small vial for yourself.
Though that was nothing more than a school legend.
In any case.
As what appeared to be a potion for treating colds arced through the sunlight, sparkling faintly, Draco tapped his cane lightly against the ground, drawing the three girls' attention back to him.
The motion made Hermione think of the proud middle-aged wizard she had met once before. Back then, Draco had not yet been carrying this cane. According to Pansy, it was an important magical item of the Malfoy family.
Unaware that Hermione's thoughts had drifted elsewhere, Draco finally addressed the real reason he had brought them here.
"Something has changed. In ways we're not aware of yet."
"Then… what could it be?"
"What about Lockhart? Has he said anything?"
Ever since their last trip to Hogsmeade Village, Pansy and the others had realized that the seemingly unreliable "Peacock" actually had access to quite a bit of confidential information.
That was why they brought him up now.
But Draco shook his head.
"That guy seems to have run into some kind of trouble. I haven't been able to contact him for quite a while."
"…"
"…"
Hearing this for the first time, Pansy and the others parted their lips slightly, unsure how to respond.
Comfort him?
They truly did not like that overly self-absorbed Lockhart.
Worry?
Aside from Draco and perhaps a handful of other wizards, they did not care much about someone they had only met a few times. Especially since, when Lockhart had been a professor, Astoria had not even enrolled yet.
"So what do we do?"
"Right… Wait. What about Snape?" Astoria suddenly seemed to recall something and turned sharply toward Draco.
Thinking about it, ever since that previous incident, Draco appeared to have reached some sort of agreement with Snape. He had never explained the details clearly, though.
However, Draco's answer did not differ much.
"Don't count on my godfather. Unless… it involves someone, he won't say anything."
At that moment, Hermione noticed a subtle change in Draco's expression. It was the look of someone holding back a complaint but unsure how to voice it.
And her intuition told her that the "someone" Draco referred to was a wizard they all knew very well.