Talent, territory, and diplomacy. To be honest, matters like these, the kind that shape long-term strategy, were things underage wizards rarely had any access to, or even the slightest connection with.
Even the wizards of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families seemed to be no exception.
That was partly for their protection, and partly because they were still far from fully grown.
Generally speaking, the legacy of those families, along with all the weight and pressure that came with it, only had to be taken on after one inherited authority from the head of the household.
But that did not seem to apply to Draco...
Several years ago, Draco had already begun building up a core team. Among them were wizards like Pansy, who came from a powerful family, and Hermione, who was intelligent and full of potential.
Not to mention his followers. Even if they could not be called geniuses, they were still more than decent.
By last year, Draco had even established an organization of his own, along with a base of operations.
And this year, it was already obvious that Lucius seemed intent on exposing Draco to more confidential matters, while also giving him considerable support...
...
The Room of Requirement.
After repeated refinement and trial runs, what had once been a loose and aimless organization was finally beginning to show the kind of discipline normally seen only in Aurors.
And the biggest change was that everyone now had their own role and task...
With Goyle and Crabbe, those two hulking brutes, as the backbone, together with most of the followers, they formed the close combat unit.
Next came the support and disruption team, led by Pansy, who had considerable talent in Transfiguration.
Hermione, with her cool head and quick thinking, was responsible for command and for maintaining an overview of the battlefield, almost like the brain of the entire group.
Finally, logistics and intelligence gathering fell to Astoria, who was skilled at brewing potions and trusted by others.
As for Draco, aside from being the banner of the entire team, someone whose presence alone gave everyone confidence and boosted morale, he was also the strongest combat force in the organization. When a battle reached a stalemate, he was the ultimate spearhead, the one most capable of breaking the deadlock and shifting the entire battlefield.
At this point, while their combat strength and results still might not satisfy Draco, they had at least formed a workable structure and achieved some real results.
Especially now that Lucius had begun supporting Draco, there were clearly far more people in the Room of Requirement this year than there had been last year.
Part of the reason for that also had a great deal to do with Draco's rapidly growing fame...
...
Just like those arrangements made earlier.
The one who looked the most relaxed at the moment was probably Hermione, who was not even holding a wand.
Come to think of it, ever since she and Pansy had worked together to defeat the Giant, Hermione no longer seemed obsessed with improving her own strength alone.
Strength was certainly important, but Hermione had realized that command, coordination, and identifying the enemy's weaknesses were also crucial factors in determining the course of a battle.
Put simply, what they lacked now was not another powerful wizard like Draco, but a commander capable of controlling the battlefield.
And once Hermione realized she had a talent for that, she naturally took up the responsibility without hesitation.
Of course, that realization did not mean Hermione had completely given up on improving her own strength. She had simply shifted part of her attention toward figuring out how to bring out the maximum potential of each of her companions.
So after changing her perspective and her role, there was something Hermione had wanted to say to Draco for quite a while now...
While watching everyone train and coordinate, Hermione stole a moment to glance at Draco, who was studying the book in his hands.
"There are even more people following you now. Even some of the first-years who just started this year have joined us."
"Ah... that is probably because Father pulled some strings. After all, Hogwarts really is very important."
Hermione blinked. "I do not really understand what kind of important you mean, but have you not noticed?"
"Noticed what? Are you worried those first-years should not be getting involved in dangerous things like this so early?"
"No... I do not think there is anyone left in the wizarding world who can stay out of it now. What I mean is, our organization could develop even better, and our companions do not have to be limited to people from just one House."
Just as Hermione had said.
At a glance, aside from Hermione, the lone witch from Gryffindor House, everyone in the Room of Requirement was dressed in Slytherin's green and silver robes.
And the reason Hermione brought this up was not because she felt lonely as the only exception here, nor because she had been treated unfairly because of her identity.
The only thing she cared about was that the Draco Constellation, founded under Draco's leadership, could continue to grow stronger and stronger, and perhaps one day hold real influence in the wizarding world.
To reach that point, it absolutely could not remain narrow-minded and accept only pure-bloods and those of noble birth.
Besides, Hermione did not believe Draco was the kind of person with so little breadth of mind...
Although Hermione left many things unsaid, Draco could still see something very Slytherin-like in her bright, almost dazzling eyes. Ambition.
What the girl longed for was not power, nor a position above everyone else, but to see Draco, the person she admired and knew was capable, sit in that position someday in the future.
Calling it ambition might not be quite right. It was more like a kind of nurturing.
...
Noticing Hermione's gaze, Draco smiled in amusement and closed the old book in his hands.
A closer look showed that much of the text inside had already become almost illegible, and many sections had been deliberately damaged.
From the ruined portions, all that could barely be made out was that they seemed to concern Horcruxes and their existence...
In any case.
Faced with Hermione's question and expectation, Draco shifted slightly toward her.
That movement immediately put Hermione on guard, and she turned to look at him with the expression of someone staring at a big bad wolf. Draco found it funny, though it also helped suppress the restlessness stirring inside him.
"You want wizards from other Houses to join our organization?"
"Yes. If it is you, I do not think you would care about something as meaningless as bloodline."
Hermione's eyes widened, as if the moment Draco said that he did care, she would get angry on the spot.
And in truth, Draco really did not care about that sort of thing.
More importantly, with the situation as it was now, this was hardly the time to be worrying about such trivial matters...
There was a reason for that.
In fact, during this period when the four major factions were quietly building up their strength, all of them had been using every means possible to win over, or even absorb, other forces.
Giants, Centaurs, Goblins, and even dark creatures like Werewolves and Dementors were all major targets for both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore.
And because of the movements of those factions, even Lucius had changed quite a bit.
Otherwise, Draco would never have run into Fleur, that beautiful half-blood Veela, at his father's base...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
Also, join as a free member to read free advanced chapters.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream