When the atmosphere in the room fell silent, Hermione, who was standing slightly behind Draco, pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose and cleared her throat softly, even though she clearly did not have any trouble with her eyesight.
It seemed like only a small change, but it gave Hermione an air of competence and composure.
That touch of maturity mixed with her lingering youth suited Hermione quite well at this moment.
If she put on black stockings and slim high heels, she would look exactly like a capable career woman.
Perhaps because of that, what Hermione said next sounded especially convincing.
"Ahem!"
"Actually, the reasons are all written on the parchment that was handed out just now. You can take a closer look."
Hermione's words made Penelope's eyes widen in astonishment.
Because she remembered what was written on it.
In fact.
Although there had only been a short amount of time, Penelope had already skimmed the contents of the parchment. There was one point in particular that she cared about deeply, and it was also the question she had originally wanted to ask.
And now, Hermione had given her the chance.
"Wait. So what's written on this parchment... is all true?"
Hermione nodded without hesitation. "If our analysis is correct, then everything you saw is genuine intelligence."
"Including what it says about... Horcruxes?"
"Yes, Horcruxes. You read that correctly, and I'm not joking."
"...How is that possible? Something like that actually exists? I see..."
After all, this was Voldemort's most important secret.
So up until now, very few wizards actually knew about the existence of Horcruxes.
It had to be said that Dumbledore's secrecy had been carried out extremely well.
Not only that, but for most wizards, they might not even know what a Horcrux was or what it involved. It was possible that many of the people present were not very clear on it either.
Sure enough.
In the middle of Hermione and Penelope's conversation, Ginny, who could no longer hold back her curiosity, suddenly interrupted them.
"Wait! What exactly are you talking about?"
"What do you mean? Isn't it written on the parchment..."
"I mean the Horcrux. What exactly is this Horcrux you keep talking about?"
Perhaps it was a girl's intuition.
Although Ginny did not know what the Horcrux Hermione and the others were talking about was, she still sensed that something was wrong, which was why she seemed so anxious.
Anxious enough to interrupt their conversation so rudely.
And Ginny was not the only one with that question.
In fact.
Aside from Pansy, Hermione, and Astoria, who were all very close to Draco, everyone present either wore an expression of vague understanding or, like Goyle and Crabbe, looked completely lost.
Simply put, other than Draco and the others, as well as Penelope, who truly lived up to Ravenclaw's reputation for learning, no one present knew what in the world a Horcrux actually was.
Nor did they understand what connection it had to Voldemort.
...
In any case.
The original purpose of gathering everyone had been to carry out the plan that had already been made and assign each person their task.
Unexpectedly, they had barely begun before it turned into an explanation of Horcruxes.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought they had come to attend a study session.
After receiving Draco's signal.
Hermione and Penelope, the two top students of Hogwarts, took turns briefly explaining everything about Horcruxes to everyone.
Evil.
Forbidden.
Dangerous.
Those three simple words were almost enough to describe what a Horcrux was.
As Hermione and Penelope explained, discomfort and disgust gradually appeared on everyone's faces. They were clearly shocked by the cruelty of such magic.
"...There's actually magic like that?"
"No wonder I've never heard of it. The Ministry of Magic must have banned it."
"What Ministry of Magic? That place has already become a Death Eater stronghold."
"Wait! Have you forgotten? It says right here... According to Boss's speculation, the so-called Horcruxes created by the Dark Lord, including the ones that may already have been destroyed, number at least seven?!"
"Seven... that's far too insane."
"If it weren't insane, then he wouldn't be the Dark Lord everyone knows."
The more one thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Everyone present was an outstanding wizard from the various Houses, so they could understand even more clearly what these so-called Horcruxes represented.
It meant.
Voldemort had at least seven chances to come back to life.
Although some Horcruxes had indeed been destroyed over the past few years, that alone was enough to make people feel terrified and uneasy.
"So that's it. Is that how the Dark Lord was able to return?"
"Now it all makes sense."
Draco was not at all surprised by the chaotic reaction.
After all, when he had first learned about this, his shock had been no less than theirs.
...
After giving everyone some time to calm down.
Only then did Draco reveal the new information he had obtained from a certain ghost not long ago. "And the bad news is that according to the information I received, at least one Horcrux is hidden inside Hogwarts."
"What?!"
"One of the Horcruxes is that close to us?"
"Seven years... and this is the first time I've known."
One shocking revelation after another bombarded everyone's minds, leaving them almost unable to think.
Even Hermione, standing beside Draco, could not help tugging at his robe. "So it's been confirmed?"
"Yes. Just now, I went to confirm it with the ghost who knows about this."
"A ghost... you mean the Bloody Baron?"
Just as Hermione was whispering with Draco.
Luna, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly struck the heart of the matter with her ethereal voice. "I see. So that's why Voldemort is determined to take Hogwarts."
"..."
"..."
Perhaps it was because everyone reacted instinctively to the name Voldemort.
Or perhaps it was because Luna's words had directly pointed out the danger they were about to face.
At this moment, everyone finally calmed down.
Leaving aside whether Voldemort's name should be spoken so casually.
Right now, they truly needed to think about their own way out, as well as the possibility that Voldemort would lead his subordinates in an attack on Hogwarts.
Thinking of this.
The quick-witted wizards immediately looked toward Draco in surprise.
Could it be?
Had Draco already predicted this from the very beginning?
That kind of intelligence, the ability to plan ahead and foresee danger, made them admire Draco even more.