Unlike the gloom hanging over the rest of the school since Umbridge's return, Draco and his group seemed wrapped in an air of harmony and ease. The contrast between the two sides felt as though they existed in entirely different times and spaces...
It wasn't that no one noticed them. Some wizards did cast glances in their direction. Luna, however, paid no attention at all to the looks from students of other houses. Perhaps that was precisely why she was bullied by the girls?
After all, Draco was the object of nearly every girl's admiration...
Unburdened by such thoughts, Luna simply cradled her teacup and sipped from it quietly, one mouthful at a time. Her focused expression was as endearing as a little squirrel struggling with an acorn. The small face half-hidden behind the rising tea steam only made her ethereal presence stand out all the more.
If you looked closely into Luna's eyes, you would notice that beneath their clear, luminous surface lay a trace of nervousness, along with a quiet hope to be acknowledged...
...
Draco, unaware of what the girl across from him was thinking, and equally unaware that he himself was the true reason Luna was being bullied, was fully absorbed in the latest issue of The Quibbler in his hands...
'So the magazine behind this publication really does have its own intelligence channels.'
The pages were filled with investigations and analyses concerning the possible resurrection of "that person." The insights were sharp, the speculation grounded in fragments of truth. Some of the information was even unfamiliar to Draco himself, yet it all held up under scrutiny.
He couldn't help but feel impressed.
"Is this what a top-selling magazine is capable of?"
Draco murmured. The thought only strengthened his resolve to build an intelligence network of his own. If given the chance and enough resources, his organization would also need a voice that could speak to the outside world.
For example, another The Quibbler.
Seeing Draco suddenly lost in thought, Luna tilted her head slightly when she noticed his teacup was empty. Only then did she glance at the teapot by his side, realization dawning on her.
Wanting another cup, she reached out, but her arm didn't quite reach. Using magic worried her; she didn't want to interrupt the senior's train of thought.
She hesitated for a moment, her calm, unreadable gaze seeming to weigh something quietly.
Even though Luna didn't yet know whether they counted as friends, for now, she didn't want to go against what she truly felt.
After thinking it over...
She slowly stood up from her seat and softly moved to sit across from him.
After confirming that the senior beside her hadn't been disturbed by her actions, Luna nodded to herself in satisfaction, picked up the teapot, and poured another cup for herself.
What she didn't realize was that her entire series of bold actions had been witnessed by the surrounding Slytherins. Among them, Goyle and Crabbe looked the most ridiculous.
They stared tensely toward the entrance of the dining hall, their faces twisted with barely concealed dread and resentment.
An uninformed wizard might have thought they had just seen Voldemort Apparate right into the Hogwarts dining hall...
...
Although Draco didn't notice Luna's actions, or perhaps he saw them and chose not to stop her, it hardly mattered.
In any case, the scene and this sudden, breakthrough development left one witch completely unable to accept it, filled with anxiety and frustration...
That witch was Luna's only friend at Hogwarts, Ginny Weasley.
The red-haired girl, who seemed to have inherited the Weasley family's passion and sense of justice, possessed a courage and loyalty that even some male wizards might lack.
Of course, that same temperament also made her seem a little reckless in the eyes of others...
"Luna! You snuck over here by yourself again? This is Slytherin House! At the very least, you should've let me come with you!"
"Ginny, want a cup?"
"Hm, well... no, that's not right! I'm not drinking anything from this guy!"
"It's delicious."
"..."
Staring at Luna, who tilted her head at her while enthusiastically promoting that explosively awful green drink, Ginny, who had been bristling with indignation just moments ago, instantly lost all momentum.
On the other side, Draco, finally drawn over by the noise, noticed only then that Luna, who had originally been sitting across from him, had somehow ended up in the empty seat beside him.
Worth mentioning was that seat had always belonged to Pansy...
At the same time, Ginny Weasley, seated next to Luna, was watching him with the wary, accusatory look usually reserved for scumbags.
In truth, this wasn't the first time such a scene had played out.
Almost every time Luna appeared at this end of the long table, the red-haired Weasley girl would arrive right on schedule just before breakfast ended.
Without exception.
At the beginning, Ginny's brothers would even follow along, worried.
But as time passed, everyone present, Draco included, had long grown used to it. They could practically predict what Ginny would say next...
"Luna, haven't I told you a hundred times already? Stay away from jerks. Protect yourself!"
"...."
Calmly accepting this evaluation, Draco took a sip of his Gurdyroot Infusion and completely ignored the disgusted glare Ginny Weasley shot his way.
If this had been earlier, Draco might still have had the confidence to protest such slander. But now... he genuinely didn't know how to refute her.
Mm... better to just ignore it...
...
Compared to her friend's opinion of Draco, Luna seemed far more interested in what he thought after reading the publication.
"So? What did you think of this issue?"
It was hard to imagine that slightly excited, expectant tone coming from Luna, who usually looked indifferent to everything.
But to both Draco and Ginny, it wasn't surprising. After all, only when talking about The Quibbler and those fictional magical creatures did Luna seem to act like a girl...
"How should I put it...?"
"Mhm."
To be honest, this wasn't the first time Luna had recommended The Quibbler to Draco, nor was it the first time she had asked for his thoughts afterward. Each time, Draco had answered her seriously.
Although much of the content bordered on the absurd, Draco, who could even accept Muggle literature, didn't completely dismiss The Quibbler out of hand.
He wasn't that arrogant...
And so, over time, whenever a new issue of The Quibbler came out, Luna would bring it over to share with Draco. In a sense, they had become an unconventional pair of reading companions.
It was just that the content reported in this particular issue of The Quibbler felt a little too... explosive.
At such a sensitive moment, publishing something like this made it clear that The Quibbler intended to openly oppose the Ministry of Magic...