Once Astoria realized that Voldemort's appearance most likely meant he had recovered part of his strength, and that was why he dared to show himself so brazenly before everyone, she became even more eager to know what had happened afterward.
Without much hesitation, Astoria voiced her thoughts directly, unconcerned about whether Dobby would answer an outsider who was not a member of the Malfoy family.
"Dobby, you just said it would have been too late... so does that mean the Dark Lord failed to achieve his goal? Or did Dumbledore, who arrived afterward, manage to capture the Death Eaters, including the Dark Lord?"
Everyone turned to look at Dobby. It was not just Astoria who wanted the answer. Pansy and Hermione also realized the key point they had overlooked.
Right... what was the outcome?
The shock of the news had made them unconsciously skip over that question entirely.
Even now, Dobby still had not mentioned the final result. So far, he had only talked about that mysterious Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, and how it had been attacked by the Death Eaters led by the Dark Lord...
Instead of answering at once, Dobby first took a careful look at Astoria, then suddenly seemed to understand something and nodded his large head.
Under Dobby's almost tangible stare, Astoria, apparently guessing what he was thinking, first shot a flustered glance at Draco, then looked back at Dobby as if nothing were amiss.
Draco, having no idea what Dobby was doing, assumed he was simply unwilling to answer. He spoke up on Astoria's behalf. "Go on, Dobby. I want to know too."
Only then did Dobby tug on his large ears. "Yes, Young Master. The Dark Lord did fail, but Dumbledore did not capture him either."
"Details."
"Did Dobby not say? The wizard who must not be named fought Dumbledore directly after he arrived. But in the end, the aftermath of their battle destroyed the entire Prophecy Chamber."
"Destroyed?"
Unlike the surprise shown by the girls, Draco understood at once that it really was a very possible outcome.
"Mm, I can see it. In that kind of situation, there would have been no room to hold back."
"Then that prophecy..."
"That is what Dobby heard. In the end, no one knows what secret the Department of Mysteries was hiding, and the contents of the prophecy both sides fought over can no longer be recovered."
That unexpected outcome made Draco murmur softly to himself, "A lost prophecy..."
It was a fitting description. It cast the result, and that prophecy fought over by all three sides, in an even deeper veil of mystery, and it made everyone present understand the heart of the matter.
The Ministry of Magic wanted to keep that secret hidden.
Voldemort was willing to expose himself to break in.
And Dumbledore's appearance afterward was definitely no coincidence.
The actions and reactions of all three sides only highlighted how important that prophecy had been...
Still.
Draco had his doubts. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked toward the nearby window, as if he could cross the distance and see the Department of Mysteries for himself.
Could it really be that no one else knew about that prophecy?
Not necessarily...
...
That prophecy had indeed played a crucial role in the whole affair.
But now that it had been destroyed, Voldemort's return had instead become the first problem the wizarding world had to face.
If Harry Potter had been the initial spark, and the fallout between Dumbledore and Fudge had been the warning sign, then the Death Eaters' invasion of the Ministry of Magic had truly dragged Voldemort's return into the open...
Draco did not even need to ask Dobby to imagine how chaotic the wizarding world must be by now.
"I will not ask which Death Eaters attacked the Ministry, or who Dumbledore brought with him. Dobby, how is Father responding to this?"
"Dobby knows. Master gave Dobby special instructions."
"Oh?"
"Once this term ends, Dobby will personally bring Young Master and his friends back."
"Because the Dark Lord might set his sights on us?"
"Yes, Young Master."
But more than his own safety, what Draco really wanted to know was how Father intended to deal with this situation...
Would he continue using the Ministry of Magic and try to gain some advantage from the war?
Or would he follow the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and reach some kind of cooperation with Dumbledore's side against Voldemort?
Those were the questions Draco truly wanted answered.
But when he thought of his father's way of doing things, and of his mother always treating him like a child, Draco gave up on asking Dobby about it.
Partly because he knew his father would never share that kind of secret with Dobby, and partly because he had no desire to watch Dobby slam his head into the wall of his Prefect's dormitory...
...
In any case.
There were probably many more questions they wanted to ask, but before they could fully digest all this information, Pansy and the others needed some time to calm down.
That left the room heavy and quiet.
But compared with Draco and the others, who were weighed down with worry, Dobby, who had far fewer troubles on his mind, suddenly seemed to remember something and smacked his hands together.
"Dobby almost forgot Young Master's Christmas presents."
"..."
"This is from Master Lucius, and this is what Madam Narcissa asked Dobby to bring. Oh, and this small bottle of Felix Felicis, just like every year, was prepared by Young Master's godfather. And also..."
Everyone stared blankly as Dobby kept pulling gift boxes out of nowhere one after another.
To be honest, even Draco had no idea how Dobby had managed to carry so many things.
Just as everyone was staring at him curiously, wondering what kind of magic he was using, Dobby suddenly hesitated, as if he had run into some kind of problem.
"Dobby, what is it?"
"This gift..."
"Is there something wrong with it?"
Calling it a gift did not seem entirely accurate. Unlike the other presents, which were all packed in beautiful boxes, the item now in Dobby's hands was completely unwrapped.
As for whether it was really someone's Christmas present, Dobby's hesitant expression made that hard to tell. It was almost as if the object did not exist anywhere in his memory.
Seeing that, Draco, who had not been paying much attention to the commotion, could not help growing curious too.
He lowered his head and looked.
It seemed to be a mirror only the size of a palm...