A wizard's home usually shared one very obvious trait.
The inside was always far larger than what it looked like from the outside, and that was the result of the Undetectable Extension Charm.
Although the Ministry of Magic had explicitly placed restrictions on this advanced spell to prevent it from being abused, forbidding its use for private purposes, it was obvious that this still did not fully restrain those unruly wizards.
So long as they did not expose themselves, most wizards simply ignored that restriction.
Just as Draco could see now, from where he stood, the space behind Ginny Weasley was nowhere near as narrow as it had appeared from outside...
Noticing that Draco was ignoring her, Ginny's initial surprise somehow turned into displeasure instead. "I'm talking to you. Why are you here? The timing is completely off. Luna did not say a word to me about this today."
She acted as though she were the mistress of the house. Even though Xenophilius, standing to the side, was the real owner, he slowly shrank back into a corner under Ginny's forceful presence.
Seeing that, Draco's expression turned a little strange...
Perhaps noticing Draco's look, the editor and head of The Quibbler suddenly seemed to remember that he ought to say something.
"I... I think Draco must have remembered the time wrong. Probably... right?"
In truth, Draco had not remembered the time wrong at all. He had simply had no choice but to come at this hour.
But with Xenophilius looking so hesitant and guilty, anyone who did not know better might have thought this awkward situation was somehow his fault, rather than Draco having turned up uninvited.
What made Ginny want to roll her eyes even more was that Draco himself did not seem to have any intention of explaining the matter, as if the truth really were exactly what Xenophilius had just said.
If she had not known that this situation was partly the result of her own suggestion, she might actually have believed Xenophilius's explanation.
As Luna's friend, and someone who came here to visit from time to time, Ginny naturally knew very well how strange Xenophilius could be.
To be more precise, Luna's father was actually rather socially anxious...
...
In any case.
Now that the owner of the house had spoken, Ginny, as a guest, naturally had no way to stop Draco from coming in.
"Come in, quickly. Quickly."
Whether it was nerves or worry, as he invited Draco inside, Xenophilius's eyes kept darting around, and his tone sounded hurried.
That odd behavior made Draco pause mid step...
'Is there something outside?'
Draco noticed that Xenophilius's gaze was rapidly searching the area behind him, as though something out there was watching this place, and he was guarding against it.
Receiving no answer, Draco followed him inside only after Xenophilius smacked his head against the rather low doorframe.
Just as it had looked from the outside, the space inside was perfectly circular, giving the impression of standing inside a giant bottle.
Perhaps because of that unusual design, everything here had been made in curved shapes, including the burning fireplace and the basin set into the corner. Only that way could they fit flush against the walls.
Worth mentioning was that every visible surface had been painted with flowers, insects, and birds, which could not help but remind one of a certain little witch with an ethereal air about her...
"Very Luna."
"Right? That was exactly what I thought the first time I came in here too."
Ginny, hearing Draco murmur that to himself, suddenly reacted as though she had found a like minded companion, and excitedly said that she had felt the same way at first.
But only a moment ago, she had still been acting as if to say why are you here, and now in the blink of an eye she was acting as though this was all perfectly natural?
More importantly, they were not supposed to be on the same side, were they?
The Weasley family were proper Dumbledore supporters, after all...
Just as Draco was giving the little witch beside him, who was acting a bit too enthusiastically, a rather strange look, Xenophilius scratched at his hair with an uncomfortable expression. "We had better go upstairs. The first floor is not really a place for receiving guests."
Yes.
For reasons unknown, this floor appeared to have been designed as a kitchen, and the messiness of it made it obvious that no house elf worked here.
"Oh, right. Luna is waiting for me."
Ginny, who seemed like the type to act on whatever came to mind, abruptly tossed the two of them behind and ran upstairs by herself, thudding up the steps.
As that red hair vanished around the turn of the staircase, it almost seemed possible to still catch the pleasant scent of her shampoo...
...
The two left behind exchanged a silent glance.
Xenophilius was the first to awkwardly look away, then started up the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
The cast iron spiral staircase stood in the center of the room. If one listened carefully, one could hear banging and clattering noises coming from above, and who knew what Ginny was doing up there.
Noticing that Draco had not yet moved, Xenophilius gave a nervous reminder. "Um... let us go upstairs."
"Ah, pardon me."
Creak.
Creak.
As they went up, Draco's gaze kept drifting toward the man ahead of him.
They had only exchanged a few words, but Draco was already beginning to understand the editor of The Quibbler. Or rather, his traits were simply too obvious.
Only...
'Is this his real self, or a persona he is deliberately putting on?'
Draco could not help wondering that.
After all, how could a wizard who practically controlled the entirety of The Quibbler possibly be socially anxious, or even nervous in front of an underage wizard?
Unless it was all an act...
While Draco was still thinking that over, they arrived at the second floor.
Compared with the kitchen downstairs, the second floor seemed to serve as both a sitting room and a workshop, because there were magical machines operating here. If anything, it was even messier than the floor below.
Draco did not see either Ginny or Luna anywhere.
'Are they upstairs on the floor above?'
Noticing that there was still a way up to the third floor, Draco found himself thinking just that.
Just as he was looking around the second floor, Xenophilius's voice sounded in his ear.
"Mr. Malfoy... you should not have come here."
Draco froze for a moment, then abruptly turned his head to look at Xenophilius, whose expression was full of unease and something more complicated.
Did he know something...?