Although she was not entirely sure why, Ginny had the distinct feeling that Fleur Delacour was dangerous.
Especially the way she moved. Like a cunning little fox who knew exactly how to play her games...
No, I have to keep an eye on this one for Hermione.
With that thought in mind, Ginny flicked a light glance at Draco.
Having found herself a perfectly reasonable excuse, Ginny, who had felt a little guilty a moment ago under Fleur's half-smiling gaze, straightened her still-youthful body again and planted herself directly between Draco and Fleur without the slightest politeness.
The wary look on Ginny's face only made Fleur's smile brighten further.
Dangerous and alluring...
As for the invisible clash between the two girls, Molly Weasley seemed not to notice it at all. All of her attention was on the unconscious Harry Potter.
It had to be said.
Although Harry Potter had no blood relation to Molly Weasley, when it came to care and motherly affection, even Ron, her own son, could not compare to Harry Potter.
And because of that, Draco's actions only made Molly Weasley feel even more repulsed and resistant toward him.
It had nothing to do with right or wrong.
It was simply that people always had those they were close to and those they were not.
And Draco was clearly one of the outsiders...
In any case, after seeing that Harry Potter had only been knocked unconscious, Molly Weasley finally let out a breath of relief and then turned to glare at her youngest daughter in displeasure.
"Ginny, come here! Didn't you see how Harry got hurt?!"
Although she did not vent the anger in her heart directly on Draco, Molly Weasley believed she could at least make Ginny stay away from him with ease.
No matter how the matter had started, and regardless of who was right or wrong, she had to keep the people around her as far away from this Malfoy as possible.
Because Molly Weasley could feel it.
This Malfoy was simply too dangerous.
...
As someone who had partly been involved and who knew what had really happened, Ginny naturally had no intention of listening to Molly Weasley.
At the end of the day, if Harry Potter had not been so impulsive, things would never have turned out like this.
Besides, she knew very well what Draco looked like when he got serious.
Even so, faced with her mother's anger, Ginny still instinctively lost some of her nerve. In the end, cowed, she could only shuffle back to Molly Weasley's side one reluctant step at a time.
"..."
She was not sure whether it was just her imagination, but Ginny thought she saw Fleur smile at her like a fox.
That only made Ginny's already sour mood sink further.
As for Luna, she was the same as always. She still looked absentminded, silently trailing behind Ginny as though she did not care about anything.
Probably only Draco noticed that beneath Luna's ripple-clear eyes, she was not actually as calm and indifferent as she appeared.
At the very least, Draco caught a rare trace of dissatisfaction in her eyes over Harry Potter's behavior...
Just as Molly Weasley cast a Levitation Charm on Harry Potter, Nymphadora came over and looked toward Draco.
"I never thought the next time we met would be like this."
No one knew what Nymphadora and Horace had just been talking about.
Only then did Draco notice that Professor Horace had already left. And not only that, as he departed, the Hogwarts Potions professor had also conveniently driven off the wizards who had started gathering after noticing the disturbance.
He had not given them any chance to figure out what had happened here.
That odd behavior made it seem as though he and Nymphadora had reached some sort of understanding...
Noticing the looks from Draco and Fleur, Nymphadora shrugged.
"I figured Cousin wouldn't want other wizards finding out about what happened today either. As it happens, Horace and I know each other a little, so I asked him for a small favor."
Rather than an explanation, it sounded more like an excuse meant to conceal something.
But Draco had no intention of digging deeper. Looking at Nymphadora, whose hair had turned green again, he slid his wand back into the snake-headed cane.
That movement seemed to act as a signal. A beat later, Fleur lowered her wand as well.
Though it was subtle, Nymphadora and the others visibly relaxed a little too.
Only then did Draco finally have the chance to properly look at this cousin he had not seen in a long time.
Come to think of it.
The witch standing before him, the very one who hated being called Nymphadora, really did come from the Black family.
More precisely, she had once been one of the Blacks...
Just like the other Blacks, she was gifted.
Exceptionally talented.
And she had inherited that fine bloodline as well, with a beautiful heart-shaped face and a pair of glossy black eyes.
In Draco's eyes, Nymphadora looked like any other young and rebellious witch, wearing one of the Weird Sisters' shirts, patched jeans, and bright hair that reflected her moods.
Rebellious, lively, and still young, she was also at the peak of her strength as a witch.
So Draco did not seem at all surprised that this reckless cousin of his had joined the Order of the Phoenix.
"I suppose I should say it was only to be expected."
Although Draco's words seemed rather abrupt, Nymphadora appeared to understand them and let out a soft laugh, as though pleased that Draco understood her.
But in the next second, the smile vanished from her face because of what Draco said afterward...
"Was it because of Sirius? Is that why you joined them?"
"..."
Draco had only said it casually, yet to his surprise, she immediately fell into a gloomy, self-reproachful silence.
Not only that, her hair, now turned a dark grayish brown, reflected her current mood perfectly.
Or rather.
This Nymphadora was her real self. The cheerfulness from earlier had all been an act...
Still puzzled, Draco then noticed Ginny frantically shaking her head at him, as though trying to warn him, and Molly Weasley looking at Nymphadora with open concern.
It seemed they knew the reason.
Had Sirius Black's death really dealt her that severe a blow?
Or was there something else he did not know?