Secret Keeper.
The familiar term immediately made Pansy and Astoria—both members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight—understand exactly what Draco meant. And although she didn't come from an old, prestigious family, Hermione, well-read as she was, also recalled something she had once seen in a book.
It was the special magic that required a Secret Keeper to cast: the Fidelius Charm. Despite its name sounding nothing like a typical spell, its use was enormous. It was no exaggeration to say that its invention had directly upheld order in the wizarding world.
Everyone knew that wizards, with their command over magic, were dangerous. Without any restraint to regulate them, the world would likely plunge into chaos. Even with the Ministry of Magic created to suppress magical crimes, it still couldn't fully stop certain Dark Wizards from causing trouble. And when they intentionally hid their tracks, controlling the situation became even harder.
That was why stories of muggles mysteriously missing or harmed appeared from time to time. And such incidents didn't only involve muggles—reports of Dark Wizards lurking about and causing havoc surfaced occasionally as well.
Wizard crimes were simply too elusive. Often, by the time Aurors arrived, the culprit had already vanished. Even if the criminal was eventually caught, the damage to the victim was already done. In other words, no one ever knew when a Dark Wizard might strike, making safety nearly impossible to guarantee.
This problem had plagued magical communities for many years. Only after the invention of the Fidelius Charm were such situations finally brought under effective control.
...
"The Fidelius Charm… is that the one? The spell where only the Secret Keeper can know the secret?"
After a brief moment of surprise, Hermione suddenly lit up, turning to Draco with bright, eager eyes. She looked exactly like a top student raising her hand in class.
Draco, generous with praise, stroked his chin. "Perfect explanation."
"The Fidelius Charm?! When are we casting it? Isn't it supposed to be incredibly complicated? Draco, don't tell me you've already mastered it? I read that it's a spell capable of hiding a secret permanently inside a living person's soul—is that true?"
Once Hermione slipped into learning mode, she completely forgot about her surroundings, even ignoring Pansy and Astoria's faintly twitching expressions beside her. Though she'd long grown used to this, Pansy still rolled her eyes irritably.
Because Hermione kept leaning closer and closer, the distance between her and Draco had now crossed into Pansy's warning zone. Pansy couldn't help wondering if Hermione was using her questions as an excuse to inch toward Draco. At this rate, if no one stopped her, Hermione might actually end up throwing herself into his arms.
An exaggeration—but it showed just how excited Hermione was about becoming a Secret Keeper.
Pansy and Astoria, however, felt nothing new about the Fidelius Charm. This was entirely due to their status.
Among the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, maintaining security was essential. To prevent Dark Wizards or ill-intentioned people from locating their homes, they routinely used the Fidelius Charm to protect their families' safety. After all, no one wanted strangers with wands popping into their home and pointing them at their foreheads. Especially not the wealthy Sacred Twenty-Eight, who tended to have plenty of enemies.
Secrets came in many forms. One of the most common uses of the spell was to hide a wizard's residence. As long as the Secret Keeper didn't reveal it, no wizard could find where you lived.
Not even the Dark Lord.
That was the true power of the Fidelius Charm.
...
As one might imagine, the most crucial element of the Fidelius Charm is the Secret Keeper—the person who enables the spell to function properly. Only the Secret Keeper can reveal the secret to others who are not Secret Keepers...
"May I ask why? Why choose me... to be your Secret Keeper?"
"..."
"..."
Astoria's sudden question drew Pansy's gaze away from Hermione and toward the equally silent Draco. Pansy didn't find anything wrong with Draco's request itself; what puzzled her was why Astoria could also serve as a Secret Keeper.
Truthfully, if it weren't for her complete trust in Draco, the one likely to voice this question wouldn't be Astoria at all—it would have been Pansy, who couldn't stand the idea of trouble appearing anywhere near Draco.
Feeling the sudden shift in atmosphere, Hermione—equally confused—quietly straightened her back and watched Draco's expression carefully.
Just as Astoria was about to say something more, Draco cut in. "So, you refuse?"
Astoria held his gaze for several seconds before tilting her small head and blinking. Answering a question with a question—was that supposed to count as an answer?
Realizing Draco wasn't going to give her an explanation, Astoria gently bit her lip. "I see... I understand. I'll be your Secret Keeper."
"Me too! And me! I can be your Secret Keeper too, Draco!" Pansy immediately wrapped herself around him after Astoria finished speaking.
Hermione, who still hadn't figured out what Draco was hinting at, didn't press further. She fidgeted with the strands of hair resting against her chest and muttered, "Even if it sounds troublesome... I suppose I can be a Secret Keeper too..."
"If you find it troublesome, then don't be one."
"Pansy Parkinson!"
"Did I say anything untrue, Hermione Granger?"
Hermione, stung by the comment, glared at Pansy—who had somehow slipped her arm around Draco's. Judging by Hermione's bristling posture, she clearly wasn't as unwilling as she claimed.
Astoria, though silent beside them, seemed lost in thought, her beautiful eyes unfocused as though drifting elsewhere.
Draco noticed her strange expression, glanced at her, then returned to the book in his hands.
If Pansy and Hermione had grown close to him through time spent together and shared experiences, then what about Astoria Greengrass? What reason did she have for drawing near to him?
And it wasn't just that—he sensed no hostility from her at all. On the contrary, she had helped him more than once.
In fact, the Malfoy and Greengrass families had already become allies in the fight against Voldemort—a secret revealed in yesterday's letter.
And judging from Astoria's reaction just now, Draco felt even more certain about a few things.
Because of this...
Draco paused, fingertips lightly pressing against the page. He couldn't shake the feeling that his family had done something behind his back—something he still knew nothing about...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream