While Draco was still thinking, Molly Weasley and the others disappeared into the wind and snow with Harry Potter, who was still unconscious. Ginny and Luna were taken along as well, as if staying behind would expose them to some kind of danger.
And the one bringing that danger was, naturally, Draco Malfoy.
But this outcome was exactly what Fleur had wanted most.
Because now there was no one left to interrupt her time with Draco...
Without a sound, she stepped a little closer to him.
"Come to our base. It'll also give you a chance to see our situation for yourself."
Clever as she was, Fleur did not say outright that the reason she had appeared here at all was because of her own selfish motives.
Instead, she expressed her intentions in a different way, one that would be very hard for Draco to refuse.
Subtle, yet easy to understand.
It was exactly that ambiguity that made it so hard to resist.
Sure enough, Draco did not reject Fleur's suggestion right away, and he really did want to know the details...
But before that, there were still a few things he wanted to ask first.
"Was setting up this base here Father's idea?"
"That's right. We tried to make a deal with Dumbledore, but he seems very resistant to outside wizards entering Hogwarts. Since there was no other option, we had to choose Hogsmeade, the closest place to Hogwarts."
"Wait... you're saying Dumbledore refused?"
"Yes. Dobby was only able to get in smoothly because of your connections. I've no idea why, but those house-elves seem to have a very favorable impression of you."
Naturally, Draco knew perfectly well why Dobby had been able to enter Hogwarts and work there.
Perhaps even Dumbledore himself, as Headmaster, did not know.
As early as last year, Draco had already built a good relationship with the house-elves working in the kitchens, and together with Hermione's constant efforts, that was what had led to this result...
More than that, though, Draco was even more curious about what Fleur had just said.
He frowned.
"If what you said is true, then why was Cedric... no, why were those Ministry wizards allowed inside the school?"
It seemed that compared with the Ministry, Dumbledore was even more wary of Lucius's faction...
...
Lost in thought, Draco did not notice Fleur watching him from the side.
Quiet like this, she was hard to connect to the commanding Fleur Delacour from moments before.
Perhaps because the wind and snow were so fierce, Fleur's delicate little face was now pink from the cold, adding an extra touch of sweetness and charm.
And that focused look in her eyes, that shifting gaze, gave her not only cuteness but also a sort of feminine allure.
As time passed, perhaps because Fleur's gaze had simply become too intense, Draco sensed something and looked up...
"..."
"..."
At moments like this, silence said more than words ever could.
It was rare enough to see even a trace of awkwardness on Draco's face, but Fleur blinked her fox-like eyes in surprise, those long lashes fluttering as if they were casting a spell on him.
"You... seem a little different."
"..."
"You didn't use to let your eyes wander like that."
"Ahem!"
Seeing Fleur place a hand over her chest, and seeing the reproachful look on her face, Draco, feeling guilty, let his gaze drift away.
Clearly, his eyes had just landed somewhere they should not have.
And yet, although Fleur ordinarily should have hated this sort of irritating stare, right now, along with embarrassment and annoyance, there was also a faint sweetness mixed in.
More than that, her heart was pounding wildly, making her press her lips together in an unnatural way.
So that was it.
It was not that she no longer hated such rude stares.
It was only because the one looking at her was Draco...
...
Even in the middle of a snowstorm, for some reason, the body still began to heat up.
Not only that, perhaps because Honeydukes was nearby, even the air Draco and Fleur were breathing seemed tinged with a cloying sweetness.
It was not an unpleasant feeling.
But Draco's instincts were telling him very clearly that if this atmosphere continued any longer, he was probably going to be in trouble.
So under Fleur's gaze, Draco hurriedly spoke up to break the increasingly delicate mood...
Brushing at snow that was not even there on his shoulder, Draco forced his wavering eyes elsewhere.
"Ahem. Weren't you going to take me to your base? I happen to have something I want to discuss with Dobby."
"Mmm..."
That soft nasal murmur from Fleur nearly made Draco miss his footing.
It had to be said, he had definitely underestimated a Veela's charm and overestimated his own self-control.
Shooting Fleur, who looked utterly innocent, an annoyed glare, Draco finally took the lead and started walking deeper into Hogsmeade.
But before he had gone very far, a voice reached his ears that made his heart stop for a beat.
"Draco, where exactly do you think you're going?"
"You haven't forgotten about us, have you?"
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
The corner of Draco's eye twitched slightly.
Keeping his expression under control, he slowly turned toward the source of the voice.
There stood Hermione Granger, one hand on her hip and a cold smile on her face.
And beside her was Pansy Parkinson, looking pitiful while eyeing Fleur with open caution.
As for Astoria, she was standing to one side watching the show, the look in her eyes practically saying there was no saving him, which made Draco's expression stiffen.
Well.
He had known he must have forgotten something...