Chapter Text
Hogsmeade
The Hogsmeade visit notice was posted. The end of October. Halloween.
Crabbe and Goyle were buzzing with excitement at the thought of going to Honeydukes. Goyle, more than anything, wanted a Sugar Quill. For her [Carina], who felt her energy sucked dry every class, a secretly edible Sugar Quill was desperately needed above all else.
The other kids chattered about where they wanted to go, faces flushed with anticipation. Malfoy had little interest in commoners' shops, but not wanting to shatter the children's fantasies, she humored them with appropriate nods.
Just then, Hermione and Ron walked past behind her. Reflexively following their retreating backs, Malfoy quickly averted her gaze upon confirming that Harry Potter wasn't with them.
Harry Potter was sitting alone at the table, looking desolate.
Even as all the other kids filed out, Harry Potter, who had remained still, popped a cherry pie into his mouth and leisurely stood up from his seat.
Malfoy tapped the girls on the shoulder.
"Crabbe, Goyle. Look at Harry Potter. Looks like he can't go to Hogsmeade."
"Oh, you're right?"
"Why is he alone for once?"
If Malfoy was the idol of Slytherin, Harry Potter was the very incarnation of Gryffindor. Seeing him sitting alone like that was highly unnatural.
There had to be a reason for it, and Malfoy could roughly guess what it was.
"I'll go ahead and tease him. Take your time following."
The two agreed. Malfoy left the Great Hall ahead of Harry.
Harry Potter couldn't go to Hogsmeade. Whether it was for safety reasons or because he couldn't get his permission slip signed, she didn't know, but regardless, he did not possess the right that Malfoy had obtained as a matter of course.
One who could enjoy everything, and
One who couldn't properly enjoy a single thing.
Pathetically, for Harry Potter, even just going out to buy some sweets was out of reach.
Well, if he begged, she might just buy him a single Sugar Quill.
Malfoy exited the Great Hall first and walked slowly. As expected, Harry Potter noticed her and struck up a conversation.
"Hey, Malfoy. What's with you being alone?"
Right on cue. Malfoy smiled inwardly and held her head haughtily high.
"I am waiting for the girls. To go to Hogsmeade, obviously. What about you? Can't you go to Hogsmeade, Potter?"
"Sadly, I didn't get permission."
Harry Potter spoke like the protagonist of a tragedy.
"I told you before, right? I played a prank on that bitch of an aunt. Because of that, my aunt and uncle threw a fit and refused to sign my permission slip. I had no choice but to try and forge it, but the paper just spat the ink right back out? I didn't know getting rejected by parchment could be so annoying."
"What a true pity. Why don't you ask those friends who are always following you around to at least buy you some sweets?"
Only after she said it did Malfoy belatedly realize her mistake.
Harry Potter had his friends anyway, so there was no need for her to play the merciful benefactor and hand him a Sugar Quill.
It wouldn't be natural, and it wasn't Malfoy's place to do so anyway.
Just as she was starting to feel slightly displeased, Harry Potter shrugged and replied.
"No need. I'll buy my own stuff to eat."
"Huh?"
Didn't he just say he couldn't go? Malfoy thought, but soon she caught onto something in Harry's words.
He never actually said he 'couldn't go'.
He merely said he 'didn't get permission'.
In other words,
"...What do you mean by that? Judging by what you just said, it sounds like you're going to sneak out."
Clap, clap. Harry Potter applauded enthusiastically and said.
"Spot on, Malfoy."
"Are you crazy?"
"I'm the same as always."
"Meaning you are crazy. Do you think that's even possible? Filch will be strictly inspecting everyone in the Entrance Hall."
"Malfoy, if I was scared of Filch, do you think I could have roamed around so many restricted sections in the dead of night all this time?"
"So you're saying you're going to do it again this time?"
"Of course."
"You're crazy. Completely insane!"
Facing his usual, unchanged attitude, Malfoy felt the urge to pound her chest in frustration.
"Are you an idiot? Sirius Black is out there looking for you, and you're going outside Hogwarts?"
"Malfoy, I've been chased by a guy who sucked unicorn blood from the back of his head, and a monster that can kill you just by making eye contact. Do you think I'd be scared of some cowardly traitor?"
"Black is different, Potter! They had other goals and you just got in the way, but Black's target is you! He's trying to kill you!"
Harry Potter's eyes went round as he asked back.
"Are you worrying about me?"
"Are you an idiot?! Worrying, my foot. Do you think I'd blink an eye if you went and died in a ditch somewhere? It's just frustrating watching a reckless fool like you act so stupidly!"
"I appreciate the sentiment, Malfoy. But if Hogsmeade, which is right under our noses, is dangerous, do you think Hogwarts is any safer? It's just as dangerous here as it is there."
For a very brief moment, a cold light flashed in Harry Potter's eyes. He turned his gaze away, as if looking at something invisible.
"No, Hogwarts might actually be more dangerous. Because even if a rat sneaks in, it's hard to find."
"Hogwarts has powerful magical wards boasting a long history and tradition. And Dementors are guarding every entrance! Black wouldn't dare sneak into Hogwarts!"
"Neither of which were in Azkaban. Oh, I feel so reassured."
"Is this the time to be saying that?! You...!"
Just as she was about to snap at him further, Crabbe and Goyle, having finished their preparations, approached Malfoy. Malfoy clamped her mouth shut and sharply turned her body.
"See you later!"
"Suit yourself!"
Harry Potter waved his hand and disappeared off somewhere. Crabbe and Goyle cautiously studied Malfoy, who looked inexplicably displeased.
"See you later? Is Harry Potter going to Hogsmeade by any chance?"
"...Malfoy, should we go tell a teacher?"
"Forget it. Are we children? Running off to tattle to a teacher the second something happens."
Malfoy spat out bluntly.
There was no stopping Harry Potter. That was the conclusion she had drawn from years of experience.
If so, it was better not to let anyone know that Harry Potter was going to Hogsmeade.
Just as he said, Black might be looking for a way to infiltrate Hogwarts right now. For a heinous criminal who had slipped past the Dementors' watch and escaped Azkaban, it wouldn't be an impossible feat. Even if Hogwarts' defenses were thorough, it was still just a school; its structure and security were bound to be looser than a prison.
'It might actually be safer to sneak off to Hogsmeade without leaving a trace...'
Reaching that thought, Malfoy shook her head vigorously.
"Saying it like that makes it sound like I'm actually worried about him!"
Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other and blinked. Their lips twitched as if they wanted to say something, but the thought perished when Malfoy snapped her head around and shouted.
"Crabbe, Goyle! Forget it. Don't pay any mind to that guy! On a day like today, even a second spent thinking about that delinquent is a waste of time!"
Malfoy strode purposefully toward the Entrance Hall. Filch, who had been painstakingly checking off the roster, was overwhelmed by her fiery momentum and hastily ushered the students out.
The outing was enjoyable in its own way. Honeydukes had desserts that even Malfoy had never seen before, and buying a few to eat alongside a Butterbeer made her feel thoroughly warm inside.
Malfoy didn't usually like loud places, but the boisterous atmosphere of the Three Broomsticks was quite to her liking. The body-warming Butterbeer was far more delicious than she had imagined. Malfoy ordered two bottles of Butterbeer to go and sent them to herself at Hogwarts via the Owl Post Office. It was a tremendously extravagant act, but Malfoy couldn't exactly walk around carrying Butterbeer all day.
Zonko's Joke Shop was mostly childish, but there were a few items that strongly caught her curiosity. Feigning disinterest, Malfoy threw a sideways glance at a pair of rings that informed the wearers of each other's status.
It felt like hardly any time had passed, yet the sky was already growing dark. The bell of Hogsmeade rang, and the shopkeepers began ushering the students out, announcing that it was time to return to Hogwarts.
Malfoy admitted to herself that she had been quite excited. Not only had she lost track of time, but she realized she had already spent 3 Galleons. The money itself wasn't an issue, but spending that much at shops aimed at commoners—like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle—was a shock even to Malfoy.
Returning to the Great Hall after the outing, thousands of candle-lit pumpkins floated buoyantly, and magically conjured bats flitted across the ceiling. Mountains of specially prepared food were piled high in the hall. Even though Crabbe and Goyle had been snacking at Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks, they devoured two plates each. Malfoy barely exercised her self-restraint to stop at one.
After the feast concluded, the items Malfoy had delivered via Owl Post arrived one after another. Two bottles of Butterbeer, a large box of sweets, and even a few joke items that Crabbe and Goyle had wanted.
As she tore off the wrapping paper, Malfoy cast a sidelong glance toward the Gryffindor table. Harry Potter was chattering noisily in the middle of a crowd. Eavesdropping slightly on what he was saying, it seemed he had indeed sneaked out and come back.
She hadn't seen so much as a shadow of him in Hogsmeade. He must have slinked around avoiding people's eyes.
As long as he was safe, that was enough. Malfoy turned her head away again.
As soon as Malfoy returned to the dormitory, she gifted the box of sweets to the first and second-year students who couldn't go to Hogsmeade. The children praised Malfoy, hastily wolfing down the sweets even though they were already full. They were too full to drink the Butterbeer. Malfoy cast a preservation charm on the Butterbeer she had brought and chatted about her experiences that day.
And exactly ten minutes later, Professor Snape walked in with a stiff expression and sent all the children out.
Sirius Black had attempted to break into the Gryffindor common room. However, he failed due to the Fat Lady's resistance, slashed the portrait, and fled. The professors were currently searching Hogwarts.
Malfoy listened to Professor Dumbledore's explanation with a pale, stricken face.
Harry Potter was right. Hogwarts wasn't safe either. There was no way a criminal who escaped the great prison of Azkaban wouldn't be able to break into a mere school filled with students.
"It's a relief he broke in on the Hogsmeade visit day..."
Someone muttered this, but Malfoy couldn't be certain.
Was it a relief?
If Sirius Black had broken in completely ignorant of what was happening today, it could be chalked up to mere coincidence. But what if Sirius Black had found out that Harry Potter didn't get permission to leave, and took advantage of the students' absence to infiltrate the quiet school?
There was an inside man.
Malfoy looked around, feeling a sensation as taut as a pulled string.
If there was a conspirator helping Black, they were at least of professor-level status. Someone who could access students' personal information.
If Harry Potter hadn't happened to sneak out without permission, it would have been Harry Potter's flesh torn apart instead of the Fat Lady's portrait.
Did Harry Potter actually know this fact?
Malfoy looked at Harry Potter, clenching her trembling fists.
Harry Potter was not tense.
No, rather, he had a regretful look on his face. At least, that's how it looked to Malfoy.
"It seems Sirius Black has already slipped away, but you all must remain here until we conclude our investigation. For safety, you will all sleep here tonight. Prefects, please stand guard at the entrance to the Great Hall. If anything strange occurs, report to me immediately."
Dumbledore disappeared after leaving those words.
Because Malfoy had been watching Harry Potter, she clearly witnessed him muttering to himself.
She couldn't hear his voice, but along with his cold expression, she distinctly recognized the words his twitching lips were forming.
'We crossed paths,' he mouthed.
Harry Potter muttered that with the rigid face he usually showed when a plan went awry.