All in all.
There was no doubt that this place was indeed Bloody Baron's room.
Only that could explain the room's oddities, the mark on the Marauder's Map, and the various rotten foods on the table.
Noticing that the Slytherin ghost still had no intention of showing himself, Draco, who had no intention of giving up just yet, shrugged, put away the Marauder's Map in his hand, and looked toward a marble pillar in the room.
There was clearly nothing there, but the searching look in Draco's eyes made it seem as if he were studying a person.
In fact, there was indeed something there.
To be precise, Bloody Baron was there, deliberately keeping himself invisible.
After a pause.
Draco silently speculated, "It seems different from the Disillusionment Charm, which can also make someone invisible... I can't sense any magical fluctuations at all. Is it a natural talent, like a House-elf's?"
Just like passing through walls at will.
For Bloody Baron, turning invisible seemed as easy as eating and drinking.
As Draco walked in that direction, his mind drifted to something else.
Was this only to be expected from Draco, with his intense hunger for knowledge?
Perhaps only he would still have the presence of mind to think about other things at a time like this.
In any case.
After checking the Marauder's Map again and confirming the correct direction, Draco straightened his robes, performed a very old-fashioned wizarding salute, and then removed his wizard's hat toward that empty space.
He bowed slightly.
Holding the wizard's hat to his chest, he greeted the wall. "Good evening, Bloody Baron."
"....."
"....."
It had to be said.
Draco's gesture, combined with the gloomy surroundings, really did look rather unsettling at first glance.
Especially when no one responded. The sense of horror shot straight to its peak.
If Hermione were here, she would probably have been frightened to tears by this eerie scene.
And just as Draco raised his brows slightly, thinking he would not receive any response at all, a hoarse voice, like a grinding millstone, suddenly sounded in the room.
Even Draco, who had been mentally prepared, could not help stiffening for a second.
A voice came to his ear. "A Slytherin... wizard... what are you doing... here?"
The halting pauses between each word made it sound as though he had not spoken in a very long time and could not yet express himself smoothly.
At the same time, Draco could feel the other party's gaze falling on his student robes.
Clearly, that was how he had determined which house Draco belonged to.
"This... is not a place... you should come."
Aside from that inhumanly hoarse voice, the slow cadence was also very much his own.
At the same time.
As those words fell, a translucent human figure slowly appeared before Draco's eyes.
It was as if a bucket of water had been poured over him, making him materialize from head to toe.
Finally, after quite some time, Draco at last saw Bloody Baron's true form.
...
Strictly speaking.
This was the first time Draco had seen Bloody Baron's full appearance from such a close distance.
Long, curly hair.
A ruffled robe.
Wizarding breeches that would only have been worn in the previous century, along with white stockings that reached all the way up to the tops of his thighs.
This outfit alone made it perfectly clear that Bloody Baron was indeed a wizard from a hundred years ago.
It could be said that the moment Bloody Baron appeared, a strong sense of age swept straight toward Draco.
Apart from that.
It was only after seeing Bloody Baron's full appearance that Draco finally understood why everyone called him "Bloody," and why so many ghosts held him in awe.
After all, his hollow eyes, gaunt face, and the low, rasping voice that emerged from his throat gave him an austere, unapproachable air.
Especially with that robe, nearly half of it stained with silver blood, combined with the added effect of his ghostly identity.
An existence like this, if seen without warning, really could give a young wizard nightmares for days.
But faced with such a Bloody Baron, Draco showed no fear or timidity.
Because Draco knew very well that the other party would not hurt him.
Based on Draco's understanding.
Although Bloody Baron certainly looked fierce, and his terrifying appearance was marked by blood that belonged to who knew whom, in truth, Bloody Baron was not only proud of his own house, but also deeply concerned with the overall interests of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The arrogant Bloody Baron was ambitious like any Slytherin, but he was also proud to be a member of Hogwarts, and had always remained loyal to Hogwarts.
Therefore, as a Hogwarts student, and a Slytherin student at that, Draco was not at all afraid that Bloody Baron would truly harm him.
Not to mention Draco's own magical strength.
It gave him the confidence to face all kinds of unexpected situations, even if the one attacking him was a ghost.
...
In any case.
Faced with Bloody Baron's order to leave, Draco did not immediately obey and depart from the room.
Instead, he once again performed an ancient wizarding salute that had long since fallen out of use. "Draco Malfoy of the Malfoy family. It is a pleasure to meet you, esteemed Baron Barlow."
His family.
His true wizarding name.
And the ancient etiquette Draco had specifically dug out from the Malfoy family's collection before coming here.
In fact, this approach did work.
This different form of introduction made Bloody Baron, who had been about to turn invisible again, stop moving. A faint trace of light even appeared in his formerly hollow eyes.
A second later, Draco understood why Bloody Baron had reacted that way.
The semi-transparent Bloody Baron, floating in midair, seemed to recall something after hearing those words. "Malfoy... the noble family favored by dragons...?"
"....."
Hearing the other party mutter to himself, Draco raised his brows in surprise.
Favored by dragons?
What did that mean?
Those words reminded Draco of that study deep within the manor, the one filled with secrets.
"....."
"....."
And with that single sentence.
The living person and the ghost each sank into their own thoughts and silence.
Such a strange scene.
Even Draco himself certainly could not have expected it.