The secrets Harry Potter carried were something Draco had no chance of uncovering now.
Because next, all the wizards would be heading to Hogsmeade to spend the weekend there.
So before long, Draco and the others left the Great Hall and headed for the front doors...
Come to think of it, Filch was the same as ever this year, standing guard in front of Hogwarts' oak doors with a watchful, predatory look, checking the list of students approved to visit Hogsmeade one by one.
But with the way his eyes gleamed and that vicious expression on his face, it was hard not to suspect he was hoping to catch some murderer who didn't even exist among the students.
Or rather, maybe he simply didn't want to see a single student walk out through those doors at all.
Especially with Professor McGonagall nowhere in sight, the gatekeeper seemed even more overbearing than usual...
After enduring an inspection even stricter than in previous years, Draco and the others finally made their way through the wind and snow along the road to Hogsmeade.
The fierce wind and icy weather made the walk thoroughly unpleasant. They had to wrap their faces up tightly, or the cold would soon sting so badly it hurt.
Even so, compared with the miserable weather, Pansy, Hermione, and the others seemed more concerned about what Filch had just done.
"Checking for dark magic items? What's the point?"
"He should be checking what we bring in, not holding us up when we're going out."
Maybe it was because Filch had just run that long, thin magical detector over them.
It certainly hadn't been very polite.
Even though Filch hadn't made things too difficult for them because of Draco, the girls had clearly still taken the matter to heart...
Just as Draco's expression turned a little strange, Astoria suddenly pointed ahead.
"Look, we're here!"
Following the direction of her finger, they could see through the biting wind the entrance to Hogsmeade, where quite a few young wizards were already bent over against the snow as they pushed forward.
Those were probably students who had set out even earlier than they had...
Raising a hand to shield her eyes, Astoria called out happily through the storm, "Great. Honeydukes isn't closed."
Compared with the shop next door, which had already been boarded up, Honeydukes, practically the signature shop of Hogsmeade, was still brightly lit. Even in the heavy snow, its outline could be seen from far away.
It had to be said.
Nearly half of Hogwarts' students seemed to be heading straight for Honeydukes...
It wasn't packed to the point of being crammed wall to wall.
But business was definitely booming.
The crowds and the terrible weather seemed completely incapable of dampening the young wizards' enthusiasm or stopping them from going inside...
Pansy and Hermione, who had originally said they wanted to go somewhere else, now seemed to have forgotten that entirely and followed right behind Astoria.
Of course, they hadn't forgotten to drag Draco along too.
The moment they reached the entrance to Honeydukes, the sweet scent of candy and a wave of warmth came rushing over them.
In that comfortable atmosphere, Draco brushed the snow off his shoulders and waved at Pansy and the others, indicating that he would wait near the entrance.
"I'm not going in."
"Then... all right. We'll come out as soon as we're done shopping."
The girls did not try to force the matter, and it was hard for them to imagine Draco picking out candy in the first place.
They exchanged a knowing look, then laughed softly together.
And just like that, with Draco still utterly baffled, the girls disappeared from his sight...
Maybe it was because of the location, combined with the awful weather.
Standing by the entrance, Draco could feel even more clearly just how popular Honeydukes was with the young wizards.
The street, which had been fairly deserted before, was gradually becoming lively and animated thanks to the enthusiasm of the Hogwarts students.
Even the shopkeepers and wizards, who had seemed lifeless under the Dark Lord's threats and the constant attacks, could not help being affected by the students' high spirits. For once, faint smiles that had not been seen in a long time appeared on their faces...
At the sight of that, Draco fell silent. If Hogsmeade was already like this, then the situation elsewhere could only be worse.
Peace, it seemed, would still take some time.
As Draco idly looked over the street in front of him, a wizard suddenly entered his line of sight.
The reason Draco noticed him was not because he knew the man personally.
To be precise, they had never exchanged a single word and had never even properly met face to face.
But that did not mean Draco did not know who he was...
Narrowing his eyes, Draco quietly hid himself in the shadows. "That's Lupin's companion... or rather, is he also one of the Order of the Phoenix?"
Although Draco did not have the kind of memory that let him remember every face after a single glance, he had paid some attention to the wizards standing beside Lupin back then.
After all, aside from Cousin Tonks and Alastor Moody, this man was one of the few who had been standing close to Lupin...
Though Draco had no idea why he was here, he had no intention of exposing himself either.
As the man drew nearer, Draco could already make out the long, messy ginger hair and those short, bowed legs.
Those distinctive features were exactly why Draco had recognized him at once.
Especially that sly, shifty air about him. It was hard to connect someone like this with being one of Dumbledore's allies...
Just then, another figure entered Draco's line of sight, and by pure coincidence, the two ran into each other in the middle of the snowstorm.
The newcomer was Harry Potter.
And Harry Potter addressed the other wizard as Mundungus.
What was this?
Draco had assumed they would at most exchange greetings, or perhaps pretend not to know each other, but what happened next was completely beyond his expectations...
Shouting.
Arguing.
It all started with a wooden box that was accidentally knocked to the ground.
Everything inside spilled out, and every single piece of silverware and every little trinket bore the Black family crest...