If this had happened earlier, perhaps Draco would have accepted Snape's arrangement.
If it meant getting out of this dangerous and complicated situation, there really seemed to be no reason to refuse.
But now, after gathering so much strength, asking Draco to abandon the wizards willing to follow him, along with everything he had worked so hard to build, was not something he could accept so easily.
Not to mention Hermione. In some ways, she might have invested even more effort into the Draco Constellation than Draco himself.
After all, once Draco had set the general direction, he had spent his days riding dragons and leaving everything else alone...
Hermione, reacting rather strongly, was the first to object. "Leave Hogwarts? If we do that, what happens to everyone else?"
"Everyone else? As expected of our 'righteous' Miss Granger. You still have the spare concern to worry about others."
Snape, who had no idea what Draco and the others had been doing in private, let out a cold laugh the moment he heard that.
That deeply mocking expression nearly made Hermione raise her wand again and fire a spell straight into that hateful face.
It seemed Snape thought Hermione was worried about the safety of the other wizards.
What he did not know was that Hermione was actually thinking about their Draco Constellation branch hidden deep inside Hogwarts, as well as the wizards who had joined them.
After all, it was the result of all their hard work. Giving it up so easily would naturally leave her feeling unwilling and resentful...
Still, despite his extremely impatient tone, she could understand Snape's goodwill, and she knew exactly how great a risk he was taking for this.
Draco shook his head and reached out to pat Hermione gently on the head.
That single gesture instantly quieted Hermione, who had been bristling only moments ago.
It was worth mentioning that Draco's intimate gesture made the corner of Snape's eye twitch as he watched everything from across the room.
For some reason, he felt as if he had just been mocked...
...
In any case.
Snape's words had indeed surprised Draco.
But compared with Hermione's reluctance to abandon everything, Draco understood one thing very clearly.
If you preserve the land but lose the people, both the people and the land will be lost. If you preserve the people but lose the land, both the people and the land will be preserved.
Simply put.
Draco would not lose the judgment he ought to have over a small gain or loss.
Of course, Hermione certainly understood that as well. She simply could not accept it right away...
Seeing Draco fall silent, Snape gave a soft, cold snort from across the table.
"Then I will make the arrangements over the next few days. When the time comes, all you need to do is be ready."
From the very beginning, Snape had never believed that a rational and intelligent Draco would fail to understand the benefits involved.
More accurately, there were no real downsides to this arrangement.
Except.
Just as Snape rose from the stone chair and was about to hide himself in the darkness again, Draco's words stopped him in his tracks.
Draco tapped his fingers against the stone table in front of him. After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly. "This is indeed the best and safest choice right now, but..."
"But?"
"But it does not fit the Malfoy family's way of doing things."
Draco's words made Snape, who had just turned around, darken at once.
In the eyes and impressions of outsiders, the Malfoy family was a selfish, cold-blooded pure-blood aristocratic family that cared only about profit.
That description could not exactly be called wrong.
Because that was indeed the impression they gave the outside world.
But when it came to their loved ones and their family, they were the exact opposite, a family overflowing with love.
It was as if they had poured all of their love into their family...
Therefore.
Letting Snape fall into danger for the sake of their own safety, a choice that was almost like trading one life for another.
How could Draco, proud and carrying Malfoy blood, accept and agree to that so easily?
It sounded utterly irrational, and not Slytherin at all.
But... that was truly what Draco thought.
More importantly, it was not as if they had no other options...