The very first thing Hermione learned after becoming a witch was not how to use the wand in her hand, nor that she should not casually help people look for lost toads on the train. It was this...
[Do not touch strange things of unknown origin.]
Because you had no way of knowing whether it might be a dangerous dark magic artifact. Or whether it might contain something like a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul.
So the moment she saw Dobby's strange expression, Hermione's first thought was that the little mirror might be a dangerous dark magic artifact, or even contain a powerful soul capable of affecting a House-elf's mind...
"Put it down, now! It could be a dark magic artifact!"
"A dark magic artifact...?"
Hermione's warning was not unreasonable. Especially at a sensitive time like this, staying on high alert at all times was essential.
Because of that, Pansy, who had been staring at the little mirror with curiosity, stopped her hand midway after hearing Hermione's warning.
Draco withdrew his gaze from the mirror and looked at Dobby, who still seemed hesitant. "I do not think it is a dark magic artifact, but... Dobby."
"Yes, Young Master. It really is not a dark magic artifact. Dobby just does not know whether he should give this mirror to Young Master."
"What do you mean? You cannot trust the mirror's owner?"
Once Draco caught the implication in Dobby's words, he immediately grew interested in the person behind the mirror.
What were they after?
And how had they found Dobby in the first place?
"If they were able to reach me through you, then they must be someone who can make contact with my father... and when they gave this to you, they did not hide where it came from or who they were, did they?"
"...Dobby already knows Young Master is very clever, but this still surprises Dobby."
The House-elf was terrible at hiding his feelings. Admiration and astonishment were written plainly all over his face.
It seemed Draco's guess had hit the truth exactly...
At that point, Dobby stopped hesitating. Holding the little mirror carefully in both hands, he offered it toward Draco.
"Dobby is not smart, so Dobby can only leave the judgment to Young Master. This is not a dark magic artifact, but it is an object enchanted with special magic. It is actually... a Two-way mirror."
"A Two-way mirror? What is that?"
As a know-it-all, Hermione was both startled and curious to hear a term she had never come across before, and she let out a soft cry of surprise.
What Hermione did not notice was that it was not only her. Pansy and Astoria beside her were wearing the same confused expressions. Clearly, even though they had grown up in the wizarding world, they had no idea what a Two-way mirror was either.
Draco blinked, as if something had just occurred to him. "So it is a Two-way mirror... That is a magical item that was phased out a long time ago."
"So you know what it is, Draco?"
"Yes... In fact, before Floo powder appeared several hundred years ago, long-distance communication between wizards relied on exactly this sort of magical item, a Two-way mirror."
"This mirror can be used to communicate over long distances?"
"Simply put, the mirrors come as a pair. You can only use this mirror to speak with the person holding the other one."
As Draco explained, he picked up the Two-way mirror from Dobby's palm.
"And if you want to activate it, all you have to do is say the name of the person holding the other mirror... So, Dobby, who is that wizard?"
Draco did not hesitate for even a moment. He had already decided to contact the other party.
Dobby did not try to hide it either. Bowing his head, he spoke a name that made everyone present frown.
"His name is Gilderoy Lockhart, Young Master."
Dobby's answer made Draco let out a soft laugh as he lowered his eyes to the Two-way mirror in his hand.
If it was that person...
...
With the information Dobby had brought back, it was no surprise that the growing chaos outside, now harder and harder to contain, soon began to affect Hogwarts as well.
Especially with Dumbledore, the school's pillar, still nowhere to be seen, that anxious wind called Voldemort's return quickly swept into the hearts of all the young witches and wizards.
No one could treat it as something trivial. Even the first-years, vague as their understanding might be, had realized just how bad things were...
"I still cannot believe school life has turned into this."
Hermione spoke in a low voice as she poked at the steak on her plate with her knife and fork. The smell of the food had not changed much, but the atmosphere in the Great Hall was far more oppressive than usual.
All because of the Dark Lord...
Just as Hermione was sighing over it, she heard the sound of Pansy pulling out a chair and speaking beside her.
"Granger, come take a look at this."
"The Daily Prophet?"
As Pansy tossed the parchment onto the table, Hermione read what was written on it...
[It is with deepest regret that I must announce that the wizard who styles himself as the Dark Lord. Oh, you all know who I mean... In short, that man is still alive, and he is active among us once again.]
[Equally regrettably, the Dementors in Azkaban have staged a large-scale rebellion. They have declared that they will no longer continue working for the Ministry of Magic, and we believe they are now serving that dark fiend.]
[We strongly urge the wizarding public to remain vigilant. The Ministry of Magic is currently publishing preliminary household and personal defense guidelines, which will be distributed free of charge to every wizarding household over the coming month.]
The photograph of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge seemed to be delivering an impassioned speech to every wizard reading The Daily Prophet. Yet even though it was only a black-and-white moving image, Hermione could still sense the lack of confidence radiating from him...
With a helpless sigh, Hermione pushed The Daily Prophet aside. "Obviously, this is not going to reassure anyone. If anything, people are only questioning him more because of how he failed to act before."
"And whose fault is that?"
Pansy shrugged and took the buttered bread Hermione handed her.
Taking a bite, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's, Pansy went on, "More than the public's doubts, I think what really bothers our Minister of Magic is that Dumbledore has gotten all his positions back."
"I do not care what the Minister of Magic thinks. More importantly, where is Draco? Why did you not come in with him?"
"He seemed to have something to ask the House-elves to do, so he ditched me first thing this morning and ran off to the kitchen by himself."
Hermione was just about to press further when the doors of the Great Hall were suddenly opened.
Dumbledore, who had been gone for quite some time, walked in with Professor McGonagall and the others. Perhaps because Dumbledore had returned, a bit of life finally came back to the previously silent hall.
And with Dumbledore drawing most of the attention, no one noticed that Harry Potter, who had likewise been absent, was walking right behind him with a numb expression on his face.
He looked utterly dazed and hollow, as though he had just lost someone dear to him...