It wasn't completely barren, but this place could absolutely be described as desolate.
That was Hermione's very first impression of the town…
"This place… is what you chose… as your base?"
Hermione's expression was a little odd, and there was a trace of disappointment in her bright eyes.
In her mind, a so-called secret base should never be located in a place like this.
She had imagined all sorts of possibilities straight out of films. Hidden caves or deep chasms, abandoned virus research facilities, the depths of the ocean thousands of meters below, or even some hard-to-detect location high in the sky. She had run through all of them at least once.
But she never imagined…
"I get the feeling you're thinking about a bunch of strange things. What, were you expecting some breathtaking scenery or a dramatic spectacle?"
"...."
"Don't forget, we're not here on vacation. And being remote doesn't automatically make a place safer."
"I… I know that!"
Hermione looked a little guilty, but Draco didn't press the issue. Instead, he was the first to step out of the abandoned building. Clearly, no one had lived in this wooden cabin for a long time.
Naturally, no one would be paying special attention to the fireplace here.
"…Wait for me, Draco!"
A chill ran through Hermione, her expression changing as she hurried after him.
Catching up, she tugged lightly at Draco's sleeve.
"That fireplace is actually connected to the Floo Network? But didn't you say—"
"Other wizards might not be able to manage it, but to a Malfoy is different. Getting a few slots assigned to us isn't exactly difficult."
"..."
Within certain branches of the Ministry of Magic, the name Malfoy could sometimes be more effective than the title of Minister of Magic itself. That was the privilege and power that came with being one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families.
Feeling slighted, Hermione's expression turned sour, clearly finding the whole thing unfair…
"Honestly, this Ministry of Magic doesn't seem to be doing what it's supposed to. Either they're covering up the Dark Lord's affairs, or they're casually opening back doors for you 'noble' wizards."
"If you're really that dissatisfied, maybe someday you can run for Minister of Magic yourself. Changing those mistakes with your own hands wouldn't be a bad path."
"…Even if you hadn't said that, I would've done it anyway!"
Draco, focused on confirming their direction, had no idea that his offhand comment that night would actually push the future Hermione to work toward exactly that goal…
...
Thump, thump, thump!
Draco and the others appeared without drawing any attention.
After all, if you wanted to survive safely in a place like this, the first thing you learned was to rein in any unnecessary curiosity…
As Draco led the way toward the center of town, Hermione gradually began to notice how unsettling the place felt. Lacking any real sense of security, she instinctively moved closer to Draco.
"So… Draco, why did you choose a place this desolate?"
"Simple. Because here, you can cast magic freely without being noticed. Like this… Lumos!"
As the Wand-Lighting Charm took effect, the oppressive feeling eased slightly. Draco's explanation left Hermione momentarily stunned.
But the very next second, the sight of the spell made Hermione gasp. She grabbed Draco's fingers and quickly covered the glow of the magic.
"Without being noticed? Why is that? And what are you doing! You haven't forgotten that we're not allowed to use magic outside of school, have you?"
Compared to Draco, Hermione's understanding of the wizarding world was limited to what she'd read in books, and mostly confined to Britain. Naturally, she couldn't grasp what Draco meant.
Instead, his actions scared her half to death.
"That's because the Ministry's reach doesn't extend this far…"
It wasn't until Draco explained things along the way that Hermione finally understood. Not every country had an institution like the Ministry of Magic, and the British Ministry couldn't track magic cast at such a distance.
Once she understood that, Hermione slipped her hand around the wand hidden beneath her robes, feeling a little more at ease.
By the time Draco finished explaining, they had reached the center of town…
Unlike the desolation at the outskirts, the closer they got to the center, the more they began to see shadowy figures skulking about and drunken brawls breaking out in the streets.
The lack of order was obvious. And whether it was her imagination or not, Hermione kept feeling as though someone was watching them from the darkness…
"Relax. Those muggles aren't anything to worry about. Don't forget, you're a wizard."
"I… I know. I'm just a bit cold."
As Hermione grew more and more tense, Draco stopped, calm and unhurried, as though he belonged here. Only then did Hermione realize where they had arrived.
Before them stood a cathedral, the only building still lit, and nearby, another structure that looked like a school…
...
Standing on the road between the cathedral and the school, Hermione looked at Draco with confusion. She didn't understand why he had suddenly stopped.
Was their base inside one of these buildings?
Or did they need to go through another fireplace?
"Draco?"
"Haven't you noticed yet?"
"???"
Helplessly glancing at Hermione, who had half-hidden herself behind him, Draco reminded her,
"Take a good look around first."
His words made Hermione pause. Then she finally shifted her attention to their surroundings.
"Do you see what's wrong?"
"…Where are the people? Where did everyone who was here just now go?"
The town wasn't lively, but there had still been small groups of people scattered along the street. Now, Hermione realized they had all vanished in an eerie instant.
As if someone had wiped them away…
The scene was so uncanny that Hermione's eyes lit up. She suddenly remembered a spell capable of producing such an effect.
"This is… a Muggle Repelling Charm!"
"Correct, but that alone isn't enough."
Draco reached into his robes and pulled out something Hermione didn't recognize.
A magical artifact?
The small object looked like nothing more than an ordinary silver lighter.
Under Hermione's puzzled gaze, Draco pressed it.
Click!
Click!
Each time he pressed down, the lighter didn't produce any flame like Hermione expected. Instead, somewhere in the distance, a flickering light abruptly went out.
It was a detail easy to miss.
Click!
Click!
Only when Draco's movements became faster did Hermione finally notice the strange changes happening around them.
She saw it clearly. Every time the click sounded near her ear, another light somewhere nearby would vanish in an eerie fashion.
Click!
Click!
If you looked down from the sky above Draco, you would see it clearly. Whether street lamps or lights inside houses, starting from the outskirts, they were going out in an orderly sequence with each movement of Draco's hand.
Until everything was swallowed by complete darkness…