Perhaps because of safety concerns, the Hogwarts Express had been canceled outright.
In its place, the fireplace that had been activated and connected to the Floo Network at the end of last term was now being used again, and one young wizard after another was stepping out of it.
Sure enough, when Draco turned his gaze toward the fireplace, he saw Professor McGonagall standing there with a stern face, directing this year's new first years.
Among them were plenty of little wizards who had used Floo Powder for the first time. The moment they landed, their faces turned green and they staggered to the wall, dry heaving.
Interestingly enough, Madam Pomfrey, standing nearby, was already stuffing chocolate into their mouths, clearly having anticipated this exact scene.
In a way, for little wizards who had only just come into contact with magic, that sort of arrival experience was undeniably awful...
Draco withdrew his gaze and instinctively touched the Prefect badge on his chest.
Come to think of it, as a Prefect, he should have been helping the student body maintain order and assisting the professors this year, just like last year.
Setting aside reporting to the student body, he should at least have taken on part of the work. Yet Draco had only appeared at school at the very last moment.
And with that carefree expression on his face, anyone who did not know better might have thought the Prefect badge on his chest was fake.
Compared with Pansy and the others, who had arrived ahead of him, Draco's behavior could only be called neglect of duty...
"The Sorting Ceremony should be starting soon."
"Indeed, it should. You really are quite 'punctual,' junior."
"..."
Draco froze for a moment.
He did not even need to turn around to know who it was, because the only person who would address him that way was the Head Girl.
Penelope Clearwater.
She was looking at Draco with a smile that was not quite a smile, and if one looked closely, there was also a faint trace of scrutiny in her eyes.
Those pretty blue eyes moved slowly up and down over him.
Bright, lively, and carrying a touch of cuteness.
She looked almost like a curious little cat.
As for the reason, that could be understood from the gasps rising around them...
"Is that... the one from the Daily Prophet!?"
"A wizard from the Malfoy family."
"That is right. He is the genius wizard who defeated Death Eaters all by himself!"
"So beautiful. He is like a gemstone come to life!"
Perhaps because most of the wizards in the hall were first years, and still did not understand what restraint was, they blurted out their thoughts without the slightest attempt to hide them.
They were even openly talking about him right in front of him...
...
Under Penelope's amused gaze, Draco, with no interest in indulging them, simply turned and walked out of the hall.
Otherwise, he was starting to suspect those little wizards might actually rush him for autographs. As for Penelope, she made no move to stop him.
Still, that curious look in her eyes seemed to say everything...
In any case, as Draco approached the site of the Sorting Ceremony, he could vaguely hear Professor McGonagall's angry shouting coming from behind him.
It seemed those little wizards still did not know what kind of professor she was...
"Interesting."
Although it was not as though he had never received this sort of treatment in Slytherin before, it still felt rather fresh.
After all, Slytherin wizards were never very good at expressing their emotions, and something as inelegant as idol worship was even more out of character for them.
And now, it seemed he was receiving the same treatment Harry Potter once had...
"But that also means Father's plan really is going very smoothly."
"What plan?"
"Hermione?"
"I already know everything. I truly did not expect that during such a short holiday, you would manage to do so many 'good' things."
The moment he reached the entrance to the Great Hall, a figure came down from the staircase around the corner, and somehow she seemed even prettier than before.
It was Hermione, whom he had not seen in quite some time.
Now sixteen, she looked a little more mature, and her tall, graceful figure drew the eye immediately.
And given the timing of her appearance, one could not help suspecting that she had been lying in wait on this path from the start, just to catch Draco here...
But there was a half smiling, half sarcastic expression on that delicate face, and for some reason it made Draco feel faintly guilty, much the same way he had when facing Pansy earlier.
What she had just said sounded like praise on the surface, but the way Hermione was grinding her teeth made it obvious that she was actually rather unhappy.
After all, Hermione knew very well how dangerous Death Eaters were...
"After just one holiday, our Mr. Malfoy has turned into a famous celebrity."
"..."
"You even made it into the Daily Prophet. So when are you going to give me an autograph, genius wizard? Or should I say, new star of the wizarding world?"
"..."
Pretending not to understand, Hermione tilted her head slightly.
Watching her walk toward him with a cold little smile and catlike steps, Draco twitched helplessly at the corner of his mouth.
That is how you ask for an autograph?
With the way you are gritting your teeth, anyone who did not know better would think you wanted to bite me to death...
If it were Pansy, Draco was completely confident he could calm her down in no time.
But Hermione was not that easy to fool... or rather, not that easy to handle, and with her, he did not have nearly as much confidence.
At the very least, explaining himself would take a fair amount of time...
As though she had seen through his thoughts, Hermione lightly kicked his calf with her foot. "I have plenty of time, so do not try to change the subject, and do not answer my question with another question."
As she spoke, Hermione was intently studying Draco's leg, completely unaware of the look in his eyes.
In the end, they both knew perfectly well that Hermione did not really want an answer or an explanation.
She cared about him.
She worried about him.
That was what the girl had really wanted to convey to Draco.
One could even say...she had missed him.
Perhaps it really had been too long since they had last seen each other.
In a rare burst of impulse, Draco reached out and wrapped an arm around the girl's waist.
"Ah, what are you doing?"
"Did you not want an explanation?"
"Then explain, but why is your hand on... mm!?"
A sudden step forward.
A sudden kiss.
That abrupt, forceful intimacy instantly washed away the grievance and unease in Hermione's heart.
He lowered his head.
She rose onto her toes.
And that scene slowly widened the eyes of someone hiding around the corner of the stairs. The blush creeping up her neck was nearly as red as her hair.
Is this really something I get to watch for free...?