Watching Umbridge, who seemed to have the situation firmly in hand, Hermione frowned, sensing that something was wrong. She glanced at Draco, who was resting his chin against the back of his hand, quietly lost in thought.
If one ignored the noisy students around them and the increasingly strange atmosphere, it might have looked as though Draco was simply daydreaming.
Not to mention that, only moments ago, Hermione had just learned a rather shocking truth from him.
To put it simply, this was recruitment.
"Draco, aren't we going to stop this?"
"Stop it?"
"Well… this can't be a good thing, can it?"
Hermione's hesitation was not without reason.
For the wizarding world, once the Ministry took the lead in breaking this unspoken rule, other forces would not sit back and do nothing.
Talent was always in short supply, no matter where you looked.
In other words, this might not cause problems in the short term, but given enough time, it would inevitably lead to trouble. It was a decision that could bring disaster upon the Ministry, even the entire British wizarding world.
Perhaps they had been pushed too far by Dumbledore and the Dark Lord.
Hermione could not yet see that far ahead, but her instincts told her that something about this was deeply wrong.
It felt like the smoke of war.
Unlike the still uncertain Hermione, Draco, who understood the underlying currents far more clearly, merely shrugged without offering much explanation.
"We're not the ones who should be worried. Besides, don't forget, for now, the people over there are our allies."
"Allies… I don't want someone like that on our side."
Hermione knew those so-called allies referred to the interest group behind Lucius Malfoy and the Ministry officials led by Cornelius Fudge.
Accordingly, Draco and the others could not openly clash with the Ministry. It was obvious from the way Umbridge turned a blind eye to many of Draco's actions.
Even so, Hermione simply could not bring herself to like Umbridge.
Putting the alliance aside, once you understood everything Umbridge had done for the sake of status, any wizard with a reasonably sound sense of right and wrong would find it impossible to accept.
Even Pansy, who had grown up in a Sacred Family steeped in schemes and survival of the fittest, despised Umbridge's methods.
She had abandoned her own kin.
She had cast aside morality.
Calling it ambition was too generous. She was more like a ghoul driven by desire.
Just as Pansy was about to agree with Hermione, Draco suddenly pointed toward Harry Potter.
"As the saying goes, kings face kings, generals face generals. Don't be fooled by Dumbledore doing nothing and looking like he's just watching the show. This isn't the moment for him to step in. Or rather, Umbridge isn't worthy of his move."
Pansy and the others froze, then followed the direction of Draco's finger.
"You mean Potter? Draco, aren't you overestimating him?"
"Look at him. He's completely at a loss. That doesn't look anything like what you described."
To Pansy, whose eyes followed Draco alone, no one could possibly be more outstanding than him. Hermione also shook her head in confusion.
After all, the flushed and flustered Harry Potter, barely managing himself at the moment, hardly seemed qualified to be Dumbledore's 'general.'
She might dislike that white-bearded old man, but even Pansy could not deny or belittle his strength and achievements.
Compared to Pansy's irritation and Hermione's confusion, Astoria, who had been quietly studying the depth in Draco's eyes, seemed to have realized something.
"I think the wizard Draco was referring to isn't Potter."
"Not Potter? Don't tell me it's that Weasley sitting next to him?" Pansy blurted out.
The moment the words left her mouth, Hermione rolled her eyes, and even Draco could not help twitching at the corner of his lips.
Although Ron Weasley had been somewhat steadier lately, the strongest impression he left was still that of being unreliable and the Chosen One's sidekick. No matter how one looked at it, he could not possibly be the key to breaking Umbridge's scheme.
Just as Pansy was about to press further, a low, somber voice suddenly sounded beside them, answering the question for Draco.
The billowing black robes, the cold, unfathomable eyes, and the hooked nose that gave him a faintly sullen air drew every gaze the instant he spoke.
Everyone knew this professor was unpopular, yet no one could ever ignore Snape's presence.
As he rose to his feet, that unreadable gaze settled abruptly on Harry Potter.
"That's a pity, Potter. Your Potions grade is enough to make a Troll weep."
"..."
"..."
The flush on Harry Potter's face faded before their eyes, shifting from red to an alarming green. He swayed slightly, as though he might faint from sheer fury at any moment.
No one knew what Snape was trying to accomplish, but the mockery in his words was unmistakable.
And the effect?
Anyone humiliated like that in front of a crowd would struggle to keep their composure.
Especially with Dumbledore present, the man Harry admired and respected most. The insecurities he kept buried beneath his fame were nearly ripped wide open by Snape's words. He looked as if he might explode on the spot.
Just as everyone was still trying to make sense of Snape's intentions, he shifted his attention to the other wizards seated below.
"An Auror? I'm afraid I must disappoint you. If you cannot earn a grade in my class that satisfies me, then you may as well forget such a laughable dream."
"..."
"..."
It wasn't loud, but the low, chilling sneer that followed was enough to wipe the excitement from the young wizards' faces. One by one, they lowered their eyes, silently asking themselves if they truly had what it took to become Aurors.
Even the Chosen One had just been dismissed so coldly.
Consumed by humiliation, Harry Potter failed to notice that not far away, the smile on Umbridge's pink-clad face had begun to stiffen.
It was obvious that Snape had come to ruin her plans.
Meanwhile, Pansy and the others, who had been watching the exchange, wore strange expressions.
If not for Draco's reminder, no one would have guessed that Snape was, in fact, standing on Harry Potter's side.