Draco and the others did not particularly care what Ginny thought about the scene before them.
As for Hermione's concern over Draco suddenly becoming famous, Draco did not give her an answer or explanation right away.
It was not that he could not tell her, or that he did not want to explain. This was simply not the right place to talk about such things, and they also had to consider the fact that a certain someone was here as well...
At the end of the day, although Ginny herself did not have much of a direct conflict of interest with them, the problem was that she was also connected to the Order of the Phoenix.
Strictly speaking, Ginny was not their ally. They were, in fact, on opposing sides.
So naturally, for the sake of secrecy, neither Draco nor Pansy had any intention of giving Hermione an explanation here.
Hermione, once she came to her senses, realized this a few seconds later and immediately fell silent.
As for Ginny, who seemed carefree on the surface but still had the delicate sensitivity of a girl, she also noticed it after everyone went quiet.
She did not feel angry or hurt by it.
Because she had seen more than most ordinary wizards, she understood. At the same time, she felt a little annoyed at herself for following them in the first place.
What she did not realize was that, deep down, she actually wanted to get closer to Draco and the others.
Maybe it was curiosity. Or maybe it was the adventurous streak rooted in every Gryffindor...
...
All in all.
A great many things had indeed happened on their first night back at Hogwarts, along with several surprises no one could have anticipated.
The new Potions professor.
The injury to Dumbledore's hand.
All these unusual changes made it clear that Hogwarts was different this year.
But that was all for now, because at present, they still could not truly feel the tension and danger pressing in from the outside world.
If anything, what troubled these young wizards more was their Ordinary Wizarding Level Exam results...
That very morning, the Great Hall once again welcomed a frenzy of arriving owls.
The windows of the hall suddenly flew open.
One, two, three. As time passed, a dark "cloud" of owls began circling above the hall.
As they swooped lower, every student could see that each owl was carrying a large square envelope in its claws.
Only after locating its target would an owl deliver the envelope to its intended owner.
An owl that got along well with its owner would land neatly on the table and obediently lift one little foot.
An owl with a poor relationship with its owner, however, would simply drop the letter and leave at once, with no intention of lingering at all...
So letters fell one after another into students' hands, onto plates piled with food, and even onto people's heads.
The scene looked chaotic, but if you paid attention, you would notice that most of the students receiving letters were sixth-years.
"Oh, no!"
Hermione, a Gryffindor sitting at the Slytherin table, let out a sharp cry.
Of course, it was not because her owl had dropped the letter into her soup. There was another reason.
Her cry did not attract much attention, because everyone's mind was on the letters.
More precisely, on what was written inside them...
"I'm serious, Granger, there's no need to act like that. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were mocking us."
"Aren't you nervous? I really don't know whether I can get Outstanding grades."
"Hm... In which subject?"
"All of them."
"......"
Pansy rolled her eyes speechlessly.
She should never have asked.
Instead of worrying about Hermione, it was other people she should be worried about, especially Goyle and Crabbe, who were sitting nearby with miserable looks on their faces.
With Draco's thick thigh to cling to, Goyle and Crabbe did not really need to worry about their future or whether they would be able to find work after graduation.
Not to mention that with the Dark Lord's return, whether they would even be able to graduate smoothly next year suddenly did not seem all that important.
But there was no denying that good or bad results still affected how others looked at you, as well as your own opinion of yourself.
That was especially true for those young wizards who did not have any powerful background behind them...
...
All in all.
With every sigh and cry of delight, the whole range of human reactions could be seen in miniature that morning.
Some had done badly and were crying their eyes out.
Others had done well and were flushed with excitement.
As for Hermione, who had never once managed to surpass Draco year after year, she was the first to tear open the results letter in her hand...
Hermione Granger, Ordinary Wizarding Level Exam Results:
Astronomy: O
Care of Magical Creatures: O
Charms: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts: E
Divination: O
Herbology: O
History of Magic: O
Potions: O
Transfiguration: O
O stood for Outstanding, while E stood for Exceeds Expectations.
Nine Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations.
It was fair to say Hermione's results were terrifyingly good.
Under the normal graduation process, Hermione would undoubtedly have the greatest number of seventh-year course options, and the best selection out of anyone.
What made Pansy keep rolling her eyes, however, was that Hermione did not seem happy in the slightest. Instead, she muttered under her breath with a disappointed look on her face...
"Only nine Outstandings."
"Only? If anyone else heard you say that, they'd probably want to hit you with a Petrification Curse."
"Hmph. Never mind me. What about your grades? Let me see how you did."
"...I'm not showing you. I passed, that's enough."
"Oh~"
"What's with that smug look? If you really want to compare, go ask Draco!"
"...."
While Pansy and Hermione were bickering, Astoria, who looked a little pale from low blood pressure, leaned over and whispered to Draco, "I heard from the new students that Mr. Ollivander seems to have disappeared."
Draco, who was buttering a piece of bread, froze for a moment when he heard that. At first, he did not quite register who Astoria meant by Ollivander.
"Ollivander... the wandmaker?"
"That's right. People looked into it. His shop was completely empty, and there were no signs of a struggle. No one knows whether he left on his own or was kidnapped."
Draco narrowed his eyes.
He immediately understood how serious the matter was.
To every wizard, a wand was both a partner and an indispensable weapon.
By the same logic, a wandmaker like Ollivander was the equivalent of a master weaponsmith. With his help, you could obtain a steady supply of excellent, high-quality weapons.
In other words, to any faction, someone like Ollivander was an extremely valuable and important asset...
However.
The mention of wands made Draco think of his deal with Lovegood.
When it came to powerful and famous wands in the wizarding world, one absolutely had to mention the Elder Wand among the Deathly Hallows!