Staring at the Two way mirror in his hand, the one that kept vibrating and growing faintly hot, so much so that it practically seemed ready to light up just to get his attention, Draco did not activate it at once.
Calm as ever, Draco slowly shifted his gaze to the scenery around him.
This was the top floor of the Lovegood house.
After passing through the private rooms on the third floor, Draco had reached the very top of the black tower.
Whether it had been built here deliberately or not, standing at such a height let him take in every movement in the surrounding area at a glance...
Above him, a kite floated in the sky. The faint magical pulse coming from it seemed to be what allowed it to remain aloft year round without ever falling.
And farther away, he could just make out the wizarding village on the other side of the hill, its many oddly individual buildings scattered together. Somewhere among them was Ginny's home.
But those sights were not what Draco truly cared about.
What he wanted to know was what exactly Lockhart had meant by "the right moment."
'Could there be something special about this place?'
He knew that the moment he activated the Two way mirror, none of those questions would remain unanswered.
But this feeling, as if everything before him were covered in fog, as if the direction of events were completely beyond his control, and as if Lockhart were toying with him for his own amusement, was something Draco simply could not stand.
That was why he had delayed so long before pouring magic into the mirror in his hand...
...
Staring at the mirror reflecting his own face, Draco finally channeled his magic into the magical artifact.
The instant his magic flowed into it, the mirror abruptly went still, as though the heat and trembling from before had never existed at all.
In the next second, like a pebble dropped into a lake, ripples spread across the surface and disturbed the image within. Everything that had been clear a moment ago blurred at once.
No one could say how much time had passed before the picture in the mirror returned to normal...
No, it could not really be called normal.
Because what appeared in the mirror now was something that should not have been there at all. And more than that, sound was coming through from the other side as well.
Thunder.
Rain.
Draco did not even need to look up to feel the warm sunlight on his skin. He could even smell the scent of grass and leaves carried on the breeze.
In other words, those sounds were coming from the other side of the Two way mirror...
It seemed this so called antique from the magical world could do more than transmit images. It could reproduce sound perfectly as well.
And what happened next only proved that.
"Hello hello The person over there Can you hear me?"
"...."
That ridiculous tone, combined with the absurdly flamboyant outfit, made Draco's expression twitch despite all the mental preparation he had done beforehand.
And the wizard appearing in the mirror, speaking in a muggle like manner, was naturally none other than Lockhart, who had been missing for quite some time.
Faced with that question.
Draco narrowed his eyes at the man whose performance was so half hearted it bordered on insulting, and showed no intention of playing along. He simply stared at him in silence, studying him.
Because he did not believe for a second that the man could not see what was happening on Draco's side, or the changes in his expression.
Setting aside Lockhart's dreadful acting and his obvious desire to stir things up, the first thing Draco noticed was where the man seemed to be.
Although Lockhart was clearly using his body and face to block most of the background, Draco still caught sight of a dense canopy and thick undergrowth that nearly covered the entire sky.
Was he somewhere in a forest?
Unfortunately, even when Lockhart noticed Draco's probing gaze, he showed no intention of explaining. Instead, he blinked theatrically.
"Ah, how disappointing. I had thought dear Mr. Malfoy would be thrilled to see his former professor. Since that is not the case..."
"That is enough. You can stop the pointless performance now. I assume you went to all this trouble to reach me for something more meaningful than this absurdity."
"Mm... what a hurtful thing to say."
Though Lockhart said that, his manner did not change much. At most, the smile on his face seemed to become even more dazzling. Like the kind of smile that could win Most Charming Smile in Witch Weekly...
...
The fact that it was Lockhart on the other side of the mirror was not what surprised Draco.
What truly mattered was that he had chosen to contact him at this exact moment...
"So this is what you meant by... the right moment?"
"Exactly. Did I not appear at just the right time? What do you think of my prophecy?"
Looking at Lockhart in the mirror, arms spread wide like the shining star of a stage performance, Draco suddenly felt the urge to throw the Two way mirror off the tower.
But then, realizing something, Draco's brows drew together hard. "Did you discover something, or are you trying to warn me that I need to leave this place?"
As he spoke, Draco lifted his head and looked at the sky, which had darkened at some point. The oppressive air seemed to speak of a storm about to break...
Clap clap clap~
A round of applause followed, along with the teasing voice that came from Lockhart's throat.
"Just what I would expect from my cleverest student. A little reminder for you. Before long, those under the Dark Lord will be arriving where you are~"
The moment the words fell.
Boom!
A crack of thunder sounded out of nowhere.
And when Draco sharply looked around, those deep, striking eyes of his widened slightly at what he saw.
Dark figures were closing in.
More precisely, strangers in black robes were converging on the area.
And farther away, the wizarding village seemed to have come under attack. Flames were already rising from it...
There was no time for Draco to process much before Lockhart, his smile growing more and more manic, removed the top hat from his head and gave Draco a wizard's bow.
"Ah, my mistake. I should say, they are already here~"
As he said that, Lockhart even winked at him.
But Draco no longer had the attention to spare for Lockhart.
Because in that instant.
The air, made heavy by the surge of magic, pressed down from the sky like the storm clouds overhead.
"So I am too late..."
Draco knew that some kind of restriction had just been cast over the area. At this point, leaving by magic was no longer possible.
In other words...
This was a dead end!