Lucius' arrival forced Draco and the other young wizards to leave the headmaster's office... Perhaps there were matters they weren't meant to know, or things they were simply too young to be told.
Judging from the cold tone between Lucius and Dumbledore, it was clear their discussion was anything but pleasant. Neither wore the expression of someone greeting an old friend.
In fact, Lucius Malfoy's sudden appearance had surprised everyone—Draco included.
Still, it was precisely his father's timely entrance that broke Dumbledore's piercing stare and allowed Draco's turbulent magic to settle. Even the golden slit pupils, which Draco himself had been unaware of, faded from his eyes...
Come to think of it, if not for Lucius, Dumbledore might have been the first to notice.
"Your eyes?"
"Hm? What about my eyes?"
"Just now... No, perhaps I imagined it."
Hermione peered closely, but all she saw were Draco's familiar gray eyes. Whatever she thought she had seen before now seemed like an illusion, and she bit her lip in uncertainty.
Draco rubbed the corner of his eye absently, then gave Hermione a puzzled look before turning his gaze toward Harry and the others nearby.
"Aren't you going with them? I still need to wait for someone."
"No... I have questions for you."
Because Ron Weasley's condition was worrying, Harry had completely forgotten Hermione was even there.
Mrs. Weasley hadn't forgotten her, of course, but the encouraging glance she cast between Draco and Hermione made Hermione's cheeks burn red, and she had no desire to follow.
Besides, Hermione had too many questions she wanted answered...
"You never told me that the one in the Chamber was that person—the one whose name can't be spoken!"
"I was just as surprised. But let me correct you: the one I met wasn't the real Dark Lord."
"But you said it was him!"
"To be precise, it was a Horcrux of the Dark Lord, most likely created when he was sixteen. As for its purpose... honestly, I don't know. A true Horcrux should be hidden so well that no one could ever find it."
"Horcrux?"
Hermione frowned at the unfamiliar word. Back in the headmaster's office, she had already wanted to ask about it. For someone who prided herself on knowing everything, it was shocking that she had never even heard of it, let alone read about it.
As her curiosity drove her closer to Draco, a small figure emerged from the office, clutching the destroyed diary.
It was the House-elf who had come with Lucius Malfoy—Dobby.
...
Dobby's appearance immediately drew Hermione's attention.
For someone still so new to the wizarding world, everything about it was fascinating.
So, the girl who had been pestering Draco with questions only moments before was now instantly distracted by the House-elf.
"This is... then it really must be the item my father lost."
"Yes, sir."
"So, the person you told me you once visited was... Alright, enough. I won't ask."
When Draco saw Dobby bracing against the wall, clearly about to smash his head against it, and noticed Hermione's shocked stare, he quickly grabbed the diary from the elf's arms to avoid any misunderstanding.
Opening it, Draco ignored the burning look at his side—but Hermione had no intention of letting him off.
"Is this a Goblin? But it looks more like..."
"Dobby is not one of those greedy, vile Goblins! Dobby is Dobby!"
Any other House-elf would probably have introduced himself as "the most loyal servant of the Malfoy family."
But Hermione, unaware of how unusual this one was, simply looked apologetic.
And it was that look that made things spiral further.
"Dobby, Dobby... just like you, Mr. Malfoy treats Dobby as an equal. To be spoken to like this, it makes Dobby..."
"...Draco? Did I say something wrong?"
"Waaah! No... it's Dobby's fault, Dobby..."
"..."
Hermione tugged at Draco helplessly, while Dobby wailed in front of the headmaster's office as though no one else existed.
The bizarre, headache-inducing scene made Draco wonder if perhaps he should just walk back inside and face Dumbledore instead...
...
In short.
After the earlier commotion, Dobby finally stopped crying under Draco's orders, and Hermione didn't dare say anything more, afraid she might accidentally set him off again.
Though Dobby was strong for a House-elf and generally efficient, Draco had to admit he could also be a real headache—and there wasn't much he could do about it.
Rubbing his temples, Draco turned his attention back to the diary in his hands...
"The most evil of dark magic objects... a Horcrux?"
"So what exactly is this Horcrux you're talking about?"
"Well... it's a wizard's taboo, so I can't explain it too clearly. Just know it's something that lets a wizard come back... a curse, yes, I'd call such a dangerous thing a curse."
"Come back? As in resurrection?"
"More precisely, it prevents true death. As long as a Horcrux exists somewhere in this world, its creator cannot die—even without a body or magic. That's what gives the Dark Lord the chance to return."
"..."
Hermione stared blankly at Draco's grave expression.
Had she really heard that? Could the Dark Lord truly rise again?
But then, something struck her, and her face brightened.
"In that case, he has no chance of returning—because you stopped him, Draco."
"If only that were true..."
Seeing Draco's deep frown, Hermione, concerned, was about to speak when the door of the headmaster's office swung open.
"Draco, your mother and I expect an explanation—from every angle."
Lucius stepped out and immediately saw his son and a young witch bent over the same diary, their heads so close they nearly touched. His composure nearly slipped.
The current head of the Malfoy family couldn't help but strongly suspect that this little Gryffindor witch was most certainly not of pure blood...