To provide every student with help that is justified and genuinely necessary, while also exercising a portion of a professor's authority and responsibility in discipline.
That single sentence more or less summed up the guiding principle behind the actions of the Head Boy, the Head Girl, and the Prefects beneath them.
They weren't simply serving students for the sake of it. Rather, they offered assistance and clarification within a defined scope.
Now, faced with Umbridge's string of appalling actions, the student leadership could no longer pretend not to see what was happening. Even if Dumbledore and the other professors seemed inclined to indulge Umbridge's behavior, the Head Boy, Head Girl, and the Prefects could not afford to stand by and do nothing.
After all, the ones closest to the students, and students themselves, were precisely the Head Boy, the Head Girl, and the Prefects.
Helping others was also a form of helping themselves.
...
As time went on, Draco and the others finally arrived at the first weekend of the term.
Compared to previous years, this weekend was anticipated by an unusually large number of people. Never before had the young wizards wished so fervently for a day to arrive sooner.
Only then could they escape Umbridge's torment, even if just briefly.
No one could have imagined that the very first week of the term wouldn't even be over yet, and Hogwarts' daily life would already be thrown into chaos by a single person.
And Draco's precious time was being wasted on things like this…
...
Early morning.
Even though there were no classes scheduled for the day, Draco still got up while everyone else was fast asleep.
As for the reason, that had everything to do with the particularly energetic girl behind him.
"Draco, hurry up! We're almost at the agreed time already! You don't want to be late, do you?"
"Well… when you put it that way, being a little late doesn't seem so bad. After all—"
"What are you talking about? Your status is different now! You're a Prefect, okay!"
"Alright, alright… but we don't need to be up this early. Look, Pansy hasn't even opened her eyes yet."
Being pushed along by Hermione, Draco went along half-heartedly. He glanced back at her with resignation, all while dragging the still half-asleep Pansy into it as well.
When she heard her name, Pansy's small ears twitched cutely beneath her hair. With her eyes half-open, she instinctively rubbed her cheek against the arm she was hugging.
"Mmm? Draco, did you just call me?"
"…No. I'll wake you when we get there."
"Mmm~"
Draco tugged at the corner of his mouth. Unable to bring himself to wake her, he resignedly sacrificed the use of his right hand.
Normally, this would still be the time Pansy was sound asleep, enjoying her beauty rest. Unsurprisingly, she hadn't fully woken up yet. Her drowsy, muddled state made Draco shake his head with an amused smile.
Hermione, on the other hand, seemed brimming with enthusiasm for the meeting with the Head Boy and Head Girl that morning.
She looked excited and full of anticipation, so much so that anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were heading out to have fun somewhere.
That, in turn, reminded Draco of something.
Aside from the fact that Hermione genuinely wanted to deal with the Umbridge situation, there was another reason he could think of for her eagerness.
Ever since her last encounter with Penelope, Hermione had developed quite a good impression of the Head Girl. She seemed to see Penelope's calmness and maturity as qualities worth learning from.
From Draco's point of view, Penelope really did share quite a few similarities with Hermione.
…
After Hermione shifted from pushing to pulling, Draco and the others finally arrived at their destination without incident.
As an organization with considerable privileges and responsibilities, the Student Council was naturally assigned a dedicated meeting room by Hogwarts. It was located at the very end of the third-floor corridor.
The moment he stepped inside, Draco noticed the large crests mounted on all four walls.
Lion, badger, eagle, and serpent. Each represented one of the four houses, along with their primary colors and elements. Any Hogwarts student would recognize those house emblems at a glance.
Once his gaze moved away from the crests, he saw a long table set at the center of the room, large enough to seat all the Prefects from every year.
Unlike Hermione, who showed a mix of curiosity and hesitation, Draco walked in with an easy, unforced air. Pansy, on the other hand, rubbed her eyes and stared around in a daze, as if she still hadn't quite processed why she was here at all.
Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Neatly arranged pastries and red tea sat atop the table, and two statues of goddesses stood beside the fireplace. The room's design and atmosphere conveyed a sense of solemnity and gravity the instant Draco entered.
It was obvious this wasn't a place meant for joking around.
After giving the room a quick look, Hermione lowered her voice and said, "Looks like we're not the last ones to arrive."
"Obviously! Who told you to come barging into our room so early in the first place?"
Hearing that, Pansy let out a cute yawn before shooting Hermione an irritated glare. Though she seemed more awake now, she still had no intention of letting go of Draco's arm.
As for why Pansy reacted that way, it was hardly surprising.
As a Prefect, Hermione had certain privileges. In emergencies, she was allowed special permission to enter other houses' areas, provided she had a valid reason.
Naturally, her appearance outside Pansy's Prefect room had been entirely reasonable.
"Our seats… are they here?" Hermione asked.
"Looks like it. Our names are written here," she added after a closer look. "Draco, your seat is here, right next to mine."
"Hm… Parkinson, let's switch seats."
"Don't even think about it. Do you really think I'm still half-asleep!?"
Draco didn't interrupt the rather affectionate back-and-forth between Pansy and Hermione.
Instead, as he looked at the names engraved into the tabletop with Charms, he began to notice a few subtle details.
"Does sitting closer to the main seat mean a higher year?"
Put simply, the seats nearest the Head Boy and Head Girl were reserved for the seventh-year Prefects, with the remaining seats arranged in descending order by year.
In other words, Draco and the others were seated the farthest from the Head Boy and Head Girl.
Even so, from this distance, they should still be able to hear everyone clearly and see the expressions on their faces.