The Room of Requirement.
Brilliant bursts of magic lit up the space. Transfigured statues stood in neat rows. Voices rose and fell together as spells were cast in unison. It was still spell practice, yet compared to the chaotic exchange session before, this scene was far more orderly and far more impressive.
This was not the student council's exchange session.
This was a private training session led by Draco, driven by a clear and deliberate goal.
Hermione was practicing with complete focus. Pansy was working on strengthening her connection with her Patronus. Meanwhile, Draco occasionally offered guidance to Goyle and Crabbe, and from time to time deliberately distracted Pansy and the others. Of everyone present, he was probably the most at ease.
"That's not like you. Have you been taking it too easy lately?"
Astoria adjusted the temperature of the potion while glancing sideways at Draco, who had taken a seat across from her. Around this time of day, he usually showed up.
And truthfully, she was likely the only one who would speak to him in that tone.
For a moment, Draco felt a strange sense of familiarity. Narcissa used to speak to Lucius the same way at Malfoy Manor.
He could hear the concern beneath her words, so he simply shrugged.
"There are just a few things I can't quite figure out."
"Something you can't figure out? You mean what happened during the career counseling session?"
"You already know the answer."
Astoria looked up at him. The faint trace of weariness on his face was rare. Seeing this side of Draco made her pause.
It seemed he had truly run into a problem.
She pressed her lips together, lowered the flame beneath the cauldron, and glanced discreetly toward Pansy and Hermione in the distance before turning back to meet Draco's eyes.
"What we can confirm now is that although Snape's words had some effect, most wizards still lack a clear understanding of themselves. That's why what happened afterward was almost inevitable."
"You're right," Draco said. "When interests are involved, an already loosely structured exchange session is bound to produce informants. And even if that incident hadn't happened, the outcome would only have been delayed, not avoided."
Just as they had expected.
Not long after the career counseling session, the exchange meeting that had only been held once was reported directly to Umbridge.
The location, the participants, the purpose.
With all of that laid out before her, the exchange session was shut down before it had any chance to grow.
If the number of participants had not been so large, and if Draco's name had not been on that list, Umbridge might well have imposed the largest collective detention in Hogwarts history.
No one knew who had betrayed them, but it was obvious that whoever did it hoped to gain favor with Umbridge and secure a smooth path into the Ministry of Magic.
"After all, it's tempting," Draco said quietly. "Especially for wizards without much of a background."
"..."
"So," Astoria continued, "what exactly can't you figure out? The Three-Special Decree issued by the Ministry?"
The Three-Special Decree.
What Astoria referred to was a special regulation enacted alongside the Special Auror Recruitment Order.
Under this decree, Professor McGonagall's repeated emphasis on age requirements no longer mattered. Nor did the grade restrictions Snape had used to mock Harry Potter.
Because it emphasized three things: special urgency, special handling, and special circumstances.
In short, the Three-Special Decree.
Its full name was the Ministry of Magic's Emergency Three-Special Decree.
This was an extraordinary order that required no internal Ministry discussion. It could be enacted solely at the Minister's word and would take immediate effect across the entire wizarding world.
Ordinarily, such a decree would only be invoked in times of true crisis.
...
It was not hard to understand the Minister of Magic's intentions in issuing this Emergency Three-Special Decree.
Even though the decree carried significant side effects, it swiftly removed many existing restrictions and allowed Umbridge to act with increasing freedom throughout Hogwarts.
Moreover, if the eventual results proved favorable and justified, the backlash from pushing it through unilaterally could be reduced to a minimum. It might even help Cornelius Fudge secure his position more firmly.
Perhaps this was his gamble.
What gave Draco pause was the sense that there was something else hidden beneath it all.
Across from him, Astoria rested her chin in her hands and found herself staring at Draco as he sank into thought.
Unlike Pansy and Hermione, she had far fewer chances to spend time with him. It was not only because they were in different years, but also because part of her time had to be devoted to dealing with the Blood Curse.
The persistent drowsiness alone ensured she would always miss the mornings.
Aside from lunch, dinner, and the training sessions she never skipped, her opportunities to see Draco were rare.
Which was exactly why she intended to make the most of this one.
After an unknown stretch of time, Astoria came back to herself. She lightly patted her slightly warm cheeks and let out a soft laugh, deliberately interrupting Draco's thoughts.
Her smile was more genuine than usual.
"This is the first time I've seen you so undecided. So you do hesitate sometimes."
Draco did not quite understand why her mood had suddenly improved, but he spread his hands in response.
"I'm not a Seer. At most, I just know a little more than most people."
"That's quite confident of you. So what exactly is it that you can't figure out?"
"I'm thinking about Umbridge specifically inviting Potter to join them."
"Potter?"
Astoria had not expected that name to come from Draco.
To be honest, she did not think highly of the so-called Chosen One. Especially when compared to Draco, the difference only made Harry Potter seem more unimpressive in her eyes.
No remarkable strength. No powerful background. None of the qualities she believed a strong wizard ought to possess.
It might have been a one-sided judgment, but that was how she saw Harry Potter.
Which was why she was so surprised to hear Draco bring him up.
And she certainly did not believe Umbridge genuinely wanted Harry Potter in the Ministry of Magic.
Wasn't he simply a convenient tool to provoke Dumbledore?