Penelope was extremely curious at this moment.
Why hadn't Draco and the others arranged to meet somewhere outside the school, instead going to such trouble to come all the way to Ravenclaw House?
The consequences were already clear.
It wasn't quite public knowledge, but it was far from discreet either.
More importantly, Luna, who might well be the key figure, seemed to have been kept completely in the dark by her own friend. She looked utterly unaware of Draco's arrival.
And beyond that...
This trio itself was rather peculiar.
Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin...
Then again, when she thought of Hermione, whose eyes seemed to hold nothing but Draco, the scene in front of her didn't feel all that strange anymore.
"Still, I can understand Luna, but what's going on with Ginny?"
Penelope studied the two girls approaching them, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
As a senior figure in Ravenclaw, she was naturally aware of Draco and Luna's unusual "morning tea" pairing. After hearing about that incident, she had even gone so far as to order a packet of Gurdyroot Infusion by owl out of curiosity.
After all, it was the preferred drink of the wizard who had once defeated a Thunderbird single-handedly.
Of course, after trying it once, Penelope never touched it again...
As for Ginny Weasley, she was the one who truly intrigued Penelope.
From the earlier conversation, it was clear that this meeting hadn't been arranged between Draco and Luna, the tea companions, but rather between Draco and Ginny, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor who, by all appearances, should have had no intersection at all.
Not to mention, Ginny's brothers absolutely loathed Draco, that Slytherin...
...
Unlike Draco, Ginny quickly accepted Penelope's suggestion after noticing the hostile and curious looks being cast their way.
Originally, she had planned to take Luna to the entrance and wait for Draco there. She hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
Of course, the main reason was that she hadn't been very confident Draco would show up at all. That was why she had spoken the way she did earlier...
In any case.
As Student Council President and a leading figure of Ravenclaw, Penelope naturally enjoyed privileges most wizards didn't.
For example, access to a quiet, private room.
On the way there, Ginny's gaze kept drifting toward the pale blond figure walking ahead.
"I thought Hermione was just trying to comfort me."
"Ginny?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
Meeting her friend's gaze, Ginny shook her head, only to find Luna's eyes filled with confusion.
But compared to that quiet mutter, Luna was probably more curious about why Draco was here in the first place.
While Ginny was full of surprise and disbelief, Luna, who clearly had no idea what was going on, looked completely lost.
And yet, perhaps "carefree" was the right word for her.
As they walked toward the room Penelope had arranged, Luna seemed to accept everything quickly. Before long, she was already drifting off into her own world again, as if no one else were around, just like always.
Ginny couldn't help but tug her lips in exasperation.
"I mean, aren't you curious why that guy came here?"
"That guy?"
"Malfoy! Malfoy!"
"Mm."
"..."
Hearing such a flat, emotionless response, Ginny was left completely speechless.
She wanted to get mad, but didn't even know where to begin. Or rather, she had already expected this kind of reaction.
Whenever Luna was bullied, she always acted like this, completely indifferent. Anyone who didn't know better might think the one being bullied was Ginny, judging by how upset she got.
Thinking of this, Ginny leaned closer and whispered into Luna's ear, her tone tinged with frustration:
"Listen, something happened to The Quibbler, right? That's why I thought of this guy."
"Huh?"
"I mean… with that dazed reaction of yours, I'm starting to think there's actually nothing wrong with The Quibbler at all."
Calm, or just oblivious?
Compared to Luna's vacant expression, Ginny felt a headache coming on.
Although Luna hadn't told her anything, Ginny, who had joined that organization through her parents, had already heard from the other wizards just how bad things had gotten with The Quibbler.
On top of that, she could sense something off about Luna.
She spent even longer spacing out than usual.
She had even stopped drinking her morning Gurdyroot Infusion, something she never skipped.
That was why Ginny was so anxious, so much so that she had turned for help to someone she considered a complete jerk...
...
Though her face revealed nothing, Luna's thoughts were far more delicate than most wizards'.
Yet she hid them perfectly beneath that blank expression.
Even Ginny, her close friend, hadn't noticed, let alone Draco and Penelope, who had only exchanged a few words with her...
After they sat down, Luna tilted her head slightly, as if she had no idea why Draco had come.
"Did you bring tea?"
"..."
"..."
Smack!
Ginny covered her face with both hands in embarrassment. For a moment, she didn't even know how to meet Draco's eyes.
Beside them, Penelope's gentle smile twitched ever so slightly.
Luna blinked.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No… I'll handle this. I'll talk to… Malfoy."
"Mm."
Although she didn't understand why Ginny had suddenly stopped casually referring to him as "that guy," Luna still nodded in agreement.
Ginny turned back to Draco and gave a firm cough, signaling she was about to get to the point.
But just as she was about to speak, Draco, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke first.
"The Quibbler… did it uncover some secret about the Ministry of Magic?"
He did not propose any conditions, nor did he immediately agree to help. Instead, he asked a question, an oddly specific one.
And it was this question that caused two very different reactions.
Shock from Penelope.
Hesitation from Ginny.
As for Luna...
The faint flicker in her eyes was so subtle that even Draco, sitting right across from her, failed to notice it.