Fleur Delacour herself did not know when exactly that figure had started occupying her mind and slipping into her life.
As for the reason...
Was it because Draco was different from everyone else, because he never treated her differently just because of her charm?
Or was it that moment on the tournament grounds, when the solid figure standing in front of her to save her had suddenly and unexpectedly broken into her heart?
Or perhaps, after the Triwizard Tournament ended, her mischievous little sister Gabrielle kept bringing up "Brother Draco" every chance she got, and over time Fleur had unconsciously begun to see him as someone special?
Whichever it was, and whether she had truly fallen for him or not, one thing was undeniable.
This beautiful and captivating Fleur Delacour really was paying close attention to Draco's every move now.
Otherwise, she would not have kept "coincidentally" running into him again and again during this time.
"You know, even if it is not obvious yet, the Muggle world has probably already noticed that something is happening in the wizarding world."
"...."
"Then again, that is only natural. Just look at this. [Trees uprooted, rooftops torn off, massive casualties...] The Muggle side may be explaining it all away as hurricanes, but these disasters have happened too many times. It is hard not to get suspicious."
"..."
"And that is not all. The wizards on your side are all shouting that the Ministry of Magic is useless. If this keeps up, our ally may not be able to stay in the Minister's seat for much longer. He might not even last until the war is over."
"..."
With her beauty and Veela blood making her all the more alluring, Fleur Delacour was already charming to an extraordinary degree. Her voice was like a songbird's, never irritating in the slightest. If anything, it only made people want to keep listening.
Unfortunately, the only person there to witness all of that, Draco, seemed not to care at all.
If it had been any other wizard, he would probably have been flattered and eager to pick up the conversation, instead of staying as unmoved as Draco was.
But in truth, Draco was not uninterested in the information, nor was he incapable of appreciating Fleur's charm.
He turned his head and looked at her expressive little face.
That alone made Fleur purse her lips awkwardly.
"Y-you... why are you looking at me like that? I did not come here specifically to tell you all this. I was just talking to myself."
Draco was not stupid, and his social instincts were perfectly normal.
In other words, he could naturally pick up on certain hints from the way she behaved.
Did she like him?
He paused.
But just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt he might be overthinking it, to the point of sheer narcissism.
After all, who would fall for someone like him, someone already surrounded by several girls?
Not to mention his lukewarm attitude. She should have been angry with him long ago, so how could she possibly like him?
Draco frowned.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this had to be the case. After glancing at Fleur, who had turned her head aside, Draco decided that unless she was blind, that could not possibly be it. In the end, he swallowed the words that had almost slipped out.
Maybe she was only doing this because she wanted to build a good relationship with him.
Shaking his head, Draco gave a brief explanation for what he had just done.
"It is nothing. I was only wondering why you were telling me all this."
Fleur had no idea what had gone through Draco's mind in those few short moments.
But for some reason, a strange surge of anger rose in her chest.
"I told you, I was just talking to myself!!"
And after shouting that, she stomped off, her footsteps pounding loudly against the floor as she left.
Even though she was older than Draco, that little display of Fleur's was full of girlishness, with a touch of youthful energy to it as well.
Compared with Pansy's sweet clinginess and softness, Hermione's prickly bickering, and Astoria's tolerance and poise, Fleur seemed far more awkward.
She was so beautiful she hardly seemed human, yet when it came to feelings, she seemed hopelessly clumsy.
Perhaps little Gabrielle, precocious as she was, was actually more straightforward than her older sister.
Faced with Fleur's sudden change in mood, even Draco, who was usually so composed, showed a trace of bewilderment on his face.
Had he said something wrong?
...
After Fleur ran off, Draco stood there in a daze for a moment before pulling out his wand with a puzzled look.
The suddenly serious expression on his face broke apart the strange atmosphere that had lingered a moment earlier.
The reason was simple. Draco had just sensed an odd fluctuation in the magic in the air.
Crack!
He snapped his head toward the source of the sound, and in that instant his pupils tightened slightly.
"It has been a long time, sir. Kreacher is glad to see that you are safe."
"...Kreacher."
That familiar crouched posture, along with that gravelly voice, immediately told Draco who the house-elf in front of him was.
He had not seen him since the last time.
Draco had assumed Kreacher was avoiding him, but now it seemed that was not the reason.
"Mistress and the others have returned. Kreacher was told to bring sir over."
Draco stared at Kreacher, who still had not raised his head to look at him. He did not step forward right away.
"I need an explanation, Kreacher."
"...."
"...."
Neither of them showed the slightest movement of magic, yet the atmosphere between them was strangely heavy.
Even more surprising was the fact that although Draco was not the master Kreacher served, the house-elf was showing a will of his own at that moment.
It reminded Draco of Dobby.
From where he stood, Draco could not see Kreacher's expression, but the silence itself already said enough.
Just when Draco thought Kreacher would remain silent forever, a murmur so faint it was almost impossible to catch reached his ears the next second.
"Kreacher... only wanted to make sure sir..."
"What did you say?"
"..."
It was almost as if what Draco had heard just now had only been his imagination.
But from the silent movement of Kreacher's mouth, opening and closing soundlessly, it was obvious that the problem was simply that no one else could hear him.
Again.
This strange house-elf was always saying things no one else could understand.
Draco withdrew his gaze from him.
The real reason he did not continue pressing the matter was mainly because he genuinely did not sense any malice from Kreacher. Of course, part of it was also because what was happening on his father's side was clearly more important.