During this period, the power and deep foundations of the Malfoy family drove one fact home to every wizard with brutal clarity.
This was the kind of influence the Sacred Twenty-Eight possessed, and this was the confidence Lucius had that allowed him to lead others in resisting Voldemort.
At the very least, in terms of influence and connections, it proved that he really could spread the name Draco across the entire wizarding world in the shortest possible time.
That alone was not something just any faction could accomplish.
Of course, not everyone was pleased to see yet another genius wizard appear in the wizarding world.
Especially not Dumbledore. For him, raising a banner of hope and salvation had always been what he was trying to do, and no one would willingly watch years of effort go to waste.
Even Dumbledore could not possibly stand by and watch the path he had insisted on for so many years, and worked so hard to build, be cut off just like that.
This had nothing to do with generosity.
Dumbledore only cared whether his plans could continue smoothly.
But before anyone could clearly tell what Dumbledore's attitude toward the matter was, the so called savior, Harry Potter, was the first to feel the shift.
And he found it very hard to accept…
…
The Order of the Phoenix.
Harry Potter was snoring loudly.
He had been sitting in a chair by the bedroom window for nearly four hours. Before falling asleep, he seemed to have been staring out at the street as the light slowly faded.
His cheek was pressed against the cold glass, and his glasses had slipped crookedly to one side of his face. His mouth hung open, and the patch of warm breath fogging the window glittered faintly in the orange glow of the streetlamp outside.
Under that unnatural light, his face looked drained of all color, and his messy black hair stood out even more clearly.
At a glance, Harry Potter looked a little like a ghost.
And once one's eyes moved away from Harry Potter, it became obvious that the room looked as though it had not been cleaned in days.
Things were scattered everywhere, and the floor was strewn with rubbish and broken fragments that had yet to be cleared away.
Owl feathers lay scattered across the floor, along with half eaten apple cores and opened candy wrappers. Even the bed, which should have been for resting, had been taken over by a few messy magic books and a crumpled robe.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought this place was a battlefield.
Under the lamp on the room's only desk sat a pile of newspapers.
One of the headlines was especially eye catching...
[Harry Potter, the Star of Salvation?]
That enormous question mark was painfully glaring.
It seemed the wizards under Lucius were particularly skilled at stepping on one person while praising another.
While they were exalting Draco, the one chosen as a stepping stone was naturally Harry Potter, the wizarding world's former savior.
And with the Ministry of Magic, Lucius's ally, strongly backing the Daily Prophet's efforts, more and more wizards were beginning to doubt Harry Potter.
It had to be said that the tactic was both clever and effective.
In fact, it was also a way for the Ministry to divert the fire directed at itself, since its current position was not exactly a good one either.
With the benefits outweighing the drawbacks, it was no surprise that the Daily Prophet was putting so much effort into this. It had even managed to shatter Harry Potter's composure...
"Um... Harry?"
Just as Harry Potter was resting with a frown on his face, a small head suddenly peeked in through the doorway.
That fiery red hair and lively little face made it obvious who it was. But the hesitant tone and faintly guilty look were nothing like her usual brisk, straightforward self.
Yes.
The girl who could appear at the Order of the Phoenix, and who also had that bright red hair, was naturally Ginny Weasley, passionate as fire, and one of the female leads in this incident.
But the moment Ginny saw the chaos in the room, and Harry Potter's almost self defeating state, she suddenly felt that he no longer shone quite so brightly.
Once the glow of idol worship dimmed, Ginny was finally able to see something she normally could not...
Carefree though she was, Ginny was also sensitive, and she naturally understood very well what had caused Harry Potter to end up like this. So she drew back and gently closed the door again.
Faintly, from behind the door, came a disappointed sigh, along with emotions so complicated that even she herself had not noticed them.
Rustle.
At the very moment she shut the door, a newspaper slipped off the table and floated to the floor.
And the headline on it read...
The True Star of Hope?
The sixteen year old genius wizard, Draco Malfoy!
...
Moonlight. Stars.
The castle. The lake.
Compared with the outside world, full of anxiety and danger, where even walking down the street meant staying alert in case someone nearby suddenly pulled out a wand and blasted the whole road apart in the next second, Hogwarts in its calm felt like a hidden paradise within the wizarding world...
If there was anything here that might make people uneasy, it was probably the long list of safety rules posted on the wall in the entrance hall.
Do not leave home alone.
Be especially cautious at night. If you go out, return before dark whenever possible.
Check the protective measures around your home and make sure every member of the family knows emergency measures such as using the Shield Charm and the Disillusionment Charm. Underage children in the home should especially learn a Loud Spell that can be used to call for help.
Agree on safety codes with friends and family to expose Death Eaters impersonating others with Polyjuice Potion. See the case of Barty Crouch Jr.
If you notice abnormal behavior in a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor, contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately, as they may already have been placed under the Imperius Curse.
If the Dark Mark appears over any residence or building, do not enter under any circumstances. Contact the Ministry of Magic Auror Office immediately.
There are unconfirmed reports that Death Eaters may now be using Inferi. If you see or encounter Inferi, report it to the Ministry of Magic immediately.
Standing in the hall, Draco looked over the expressions on the surrounding wizards' faces and tugged faintly at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like, because of me, the Ministry has finally given up on trying to keep it hidden."
Now that it could no longer be concealed, the Ministry was at least still capable of doing something useful.
Although the warnings did not mention dark creatures such as Dementors, giants, or werewolves, they were enough to deal with most dangers.
And those blood red warnings directly filled the first years, still confused about magic, and the wizards who had never had access to much information, with deep unease.
At the same time, they understood with painful clarity once again.
Voldemort had truly returned.