The scene before her felt almost magical, making it impossible for Hermione not to look at the "lighter" in Draco's hand.
Faced with something like this, no one would believe it was just a toy, or an ordinary lighter meant to start a fire. Anyone who thought so would have to be an idiot.
In reality, it was a magical item capable of making light disappear…
"This… this is a magical item?!"
"That's right. Its full name is the Deluminator. It's a magical artifact created by Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore? But why—"
"Why is it in my hands? Don't be fooled by Snape always looking like he can't stand Dumbledore. Their relationship isn't what it seems on the surface. In fact, they're far closer than most people imagine."
In other words, as his godson, Draco had the chance to obtain this magical item from Snape.
And the result was already obvious…
After answering her question, Draco turned his full attention back to the Deluminator in his hand.
Click!
Click!
As his movements grew faster, the entire city became dimmer and dimmer. It was as if, with every sharp click, an invisible hand was quietly wiping away all traces of light.
Moonlight, street lamps, campfires. All of them were forcibly stripped of their light by this strange and wondrous Deluminator…
The eerie sight sent Hermione's curiosity soaring. She edged even closer to Draco, determined to get a clear look at the Deluminator clenched in his palm.
Until…
The entire city sank into darkness…
...
At the same time.
In the place that would one day be known as the Throne, Pansy and Astoria had already arrived ahead of schedule.
Unlike Hermione, who needed someone to guide her, they were already familiar with how the Fidelius Charm worked. There was no need to worry about their parents' opinions, either.
When it came to anything involving Draco, their parents were almost completely hands-off.
As long as they didn't interfere with what he was currently doing…
"What time is it now?"
After a busy morning, Pansy brushed a hand through her hair and glanced up to check the time.
Honestly, after bringing her luggage over and taking a quick look around, she'd spent the rest of the day organizing her room.
After all, if nothing unexpected happened, this place would become her third home…
Knock knock knock!
Just as Pansy was considering whether to move the bed, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
"Draco? When did you—oh, it's you, Greengrass."
From the moment she opened the door with visible delight, to the look of outright disdain that followed, the entire shift in expression was clearly seen by Astoria standing there, making the corner of her eye twitch slightly.
"Well, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm not Draco."
"What do you need? I still have to organize my room."
"You're saying… you stayed in your room all day just to clean and tidy it?"
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
Turning away, Pansy naturally didn't notice the strange look on Astoria's face behind her, nor the expression of someone who wanted to laugh but was trying very hard not to.
Hearing neither the door closing nor footsteps leaving, Pansy turned back in confusion.
"Do you need something else? If not, don't disturb me."
At the moment Pansy turned around, Astoria hurriedly suppressed the smile that was about to break free…
"Ahem. I just wanted to remind you that, if my estimate is right, Draco and the others should be arriving about now."
"Really?!"
Before they could even confirm whether Astoria's guess was correct, the next second, they seemed to hear something.
Without a word, the two of them stepped out of the room together.
Someone… had triggered the Fidelius Charm…
...
Outside.
With not even moonlight to speak of, Hermione could barely make out Draco's outline, let alone anything around them.
To put it simply, they couldn't see a thing.
Having never experienced anything like this before, Hermione felt utterly insecure. She was pressed almost completely against Draco, her whole body clinging to him…
Draco, who didn't push her away despite her rather undignified reaction, spoke calmly.
"The Muggle-Repelling Charm doesn't affect wizards or certain powerful magical creatures. Doing this prevents unknown things from spying on us. It's a very practical magical tool, don't you think?"
"If this was your goal, making it so we can't even see each other, then congratulations. You've really done something no one else could…"
Hermione rolled her eyes irritably, though no one could possibly see it.
Draco, apparently not catching her sarcasm at all, put away the Deluminator and drew the wand hidden in his cane.
"Ready?"
"Huh? Ready for what?"
"Think of that address. It'll surface in your mind when you need it."
"…It's been so long, who would even remember—huh?! How is that possible!"
[Strada Eroilor,26,Piatra-Neamt,610053, Romania.]
Just as Hermione was about to argue, she really did recall the entire address. She felt like she could even recite it backwards on the spot without any trouble.
The next moment, as she was about to ask another question, Hermione suddenly realized something.
'If I remember correctly, the house number on the right should be 27, and the one on the left should be 25…'
So that raised an obvious question.
Where had number 26 gone?
No, more importantly, wasn't their destination supposed to be number 26?
Before Hermione could piece it all together, what appeared in front of her made her eyes widen in shock.
A wooden door materialized out of thin air.
Yes. In this pitch-black place where she couldn't even see her own fingers, Hermione watched as a battered wooden door simply appeared.
Before she had time to process that, a wall and a window followed, their style completely out of place for this town.
It looked as if an extra house had suddenly expanded into existence, shoving everything on either side out of the way. The sight made Hermione stiffly turn her head to look at Draco.
She had already grown used to the surprises he occasionally brought her, and she knew that following Draco meant running into all sorts of "very magical" things. Even so, what she was seeing now still left her utterly stunned.
Seeming to notice her agitation, Draco took her hand and led her toward the house that had emerged from the darkness.
"Don't just stand there. This is what you've been wanting to know about… the Fidelius Charm."
"..."
Hermione: I did want to know, but couldn't you have warned me first…