Polyjuice Potion.
Ever since the incident with Professor Moody being replaced by a Death Eater, this advanced potion had become quite famous at Hogwarts.
Not only had the Ministry of Magic seized the chance to use it as a negative example and as a way to undermine Dumbledore's authority, but Hogwarts itself had also carried out a broad campaign to educate young witches and wizards about it.
The one thing Pansy and the others had not expected was that Hermione actually knew how to brew such a high-level potion.
Even Draco had to rely on Hermione's help....
Compared with the surprise on Pansy and the others' faces, Hermione, who knew perfectly well what Draco's half-smiling expression meant, puffed out her cheeks and immediately shot back at him. "Even if you use Polyjuice Potion, how exactly are you going to get that... map from Potter?"
She paused, then continued, "I don't think Potter would casually tell just anyone about it, and more importantly, what if he isn't even carrying the map on him? Are you planning to break into his room?"
Although there was indeed a trace of personal grievance in her tone at first, by the time she finished questioning him, Hermione had genuinely started worrying about whether Draco's plan could actually succeed.
And that really was a problem that needed solving.
Just as Hermione knew, apart from Ron, Harry Potter had almost no close friends he could truly confide in. As a result, the choice of who to impersonate was extremely limited.
That meant the people he could really talk to were not at Hogwarts, while the students who had remained at Hogwarts could not have any deep conversation with him.
In other words, it was no longer a question of who Draco and the others should choose, but rather that there was barely anyone for them to choose at all....
Not only that, but while that magical map was certainly important, who could guarantee that Harry Potter understood its value well enough to keep it on him at all times?
The issue Hermione raised immediately exposed the key difficulty and the hardest part of carrying out the plan.
By the end, Hermione, who had begun speaking only because she was annoyed at Draco's teasing, was now frowning in genuine seriousness.
While all the girls stood there deep in thought, Draco slowly got to his feet. "Which is exactly why this plan needs your help, Hermione."
"You already said that. Isn't it just Polyjuice Potion? Don't worry, I still remember how to brew it..."
"No, Hermione. I don't just mean the Polyjuice Potion. In fact, Astoria can brew it too."
"...Then what do you mean?" Hermione was not surprised that Astoria could brew Polyjuice Potion. Even she had to admit that Astoria's gift for and knowledge of Potions far surpassed her own.
When it came down to it, Potions really was a rich wizard's game.
Seeing the girls' confusion, Draco did not beat around the bush this time. "The only person who can get information out of Potter is not just that Weasley. Don't forget... there's also the organization called the Order of the Phoenix."
"...."
"...."
The Order of the Phoenix.
That was the name they had learned from a certain little fool.
Although there was no proof that the organization truly existed, ever since that last confrontation with Alastor Moody and the others, Draco had vaguely sensed that such an organization probably did exist.
And right now at Hogwarts, aside from Harry Potter, there should also be people who clearly knew about it, and might even belong to it....
...
Although he could not be sure whether that organization was really called the Order of the Phoenix, there was no doubt that the wizard who founded it was their Dumbledore.
And when one thought of Dumbledore's phoenix, the name Order of the Phoenix suddenly seemed perfectly reasonable.
Still...
"Don't tell me you want to transform into Dumbledore..."
"As if. Use your brain, would you, Miss?"
"Hah?!"
"One of the ingredients in Polyjuice Potion is somebody's hair, or some other strand from their body. In simple terms, how exactly are you planning to get close enough to Dumbledore to take his hair, or even his beard?"
"...Then you tell me, who else is in the Order of the Phoenix!"
"How would I know?"
"You!!"
Pansy and Hermione started bickering again, but this time Draco did not let them carry on. He gave each of them a sharp flick on the forehead.
Thunk.
Thunk.
"Ow~"
"You bastard!"
Pansy looked aggrieved.
Hermione looked furious.
Faced with the two girls' completely different reactions, Draco immediately pulled the conversation back on track. "Obviously, we can't make Dumbledore our target, and we can't set our sights on the professors either."
The professors Draco meant were naturally members of the Order of the Phoenix as well.
Of the ones they could be fairly sure about, besides Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva McGonagall was most likely one of them too.
Targeting Hagrid might actually give them a chance, and he truly was very close to Harry Potter, but the moment Draco imagined himself turning into Hagrid, he found he simply could not get past that mentally...
At the thought, Draco shook his head hard to throw the image out of his mind, then lowered his gaze back to Pansy and the others.
Only after seeing that they had calmed down did he remind them of one more thing.
"Don't forget, who was it that first mentioned the Order of the Phoenix to us?"
"...You mean Ginny."
"Exactly. If you're the one who does it, getting a strand of her hair should be easy, and when we make contact with Harry Potter, distracting Ginny will also have to be your job."
"So that's why you kept saying you needed my help?"
Only then did Hermione finally understand why Draco had kept repeating that line.
And it was true. Given Hermione's relationship with Ginny, she could easily get her hair without raising any suspicion.
But Draco did not give the girls any time to digest that. Instead, he immediately moved on to something else.
"So, among the Gryffindors, which boy can still talk to Harry Potter at least a little, Hermione?"
Draco's question caught Hermione off guard. Although Polyjuice Potion had no gender restriction, to avoid complications, it was obviously best not to have Draco transform into Ginny.
So choosing a male wizard was also important.
In fact, Pansy and the others would never agree to it, nor would they accept Draco turning into Ginny.
Just imagining it made them feel as though a green light were flashing over their heads...
After catching the look in Pansy's eyes, Hermione suddenly grew serious. "Then... Neville Longbottom!"
"Oh?"
"He gets along fairly well with Harry Potter, and he doesn't stand out much. If you turn into him, no one will suspect anything."
"I see. Then I'll have to leave getting Longbottom's hair to you as well."
"No problem."
And just like that, in a very short amount of time, Draco and the others came up with a preliminary infiltration plan.
Was this a case of giving someone a taste of their own medicine?
After all, Harry Potter had once used the exact same method on Draco himself....