If the wizard Voldemort feared most was Dumbledore, and the one he most wanted dead was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, then the thing Voldemort had always wanted to conceal, the thing that drove him to change his very name, was surely the past he had once destroyed.
To be precise, it was his status as a half blood.
Though it was the truth, no wizard had ever dared to say it aloud, and no one wanted to risk provoking Voldemort.
Especially not when doing so might mean facing the wrath of one of the most powerful wizards in the world.
For Voldemort, this was absolutely forbidden.
In fact, the reaction of the Death Eaters before him already made that perfectly clear.
They understood it far too well...
The way their spellcasting stopped.
The terror in their eyes.
The way their wands almost slipped from their hands.
All of it seemed to say that, at this moment, they dearly wished they had never heard those words.
As Death Eaters, they knew better than anyone how moody Voldemort was, and how increasingly cruel he had become. He showed no mercy, not even to his own people.
So.
The odds of them being silenced or made to suffer for this were... over ninety percent.
And none of them had expected Draco to actually say it.
Was he not deliberately dragging them into trouble with him?
"Damn it! You... how dare you!!"
He was not so much furious at Draco's words as he was horrified at the consequences he himself might now face.
Antonin considered himself a fairly important member of the Dark Lord's ranks, but even so, the mere thought of facing the Dark Lord's wrath made his limbs start to go numb.
Because he had no idea what kind of punishment awaited him.
And that brought to mind a certain little rat missing a finger...
Besides, unlike Barty Crouch Jr., who had devoted everything to the Dark Lord, Antonin had bent the knee far more out of fear than faith.
In other words, his loyalty was built entirely on terror.
That was why he looked so pathetic now...
Watching Antonin Dolohov point a finger straight at him, his face twisted with outrage, Draco gave a shrug with not a trace of self awareness.
"That is something everyone already knows."
"......"
And yes, anyone with a brain could see the truth of it.
But... no one dared say it out loud!
At that moment, Antonin Dolohov was screaming exactly that inside his own head, his lips trembling, while bitterly regretting ever confronting Draco at all.
No, more than that, he should never have accepted this mission in the first place...
...
The atmosphere should have been grim and murderous.
And yet, hiding behind the door and watching all of it unfold, Ginny Weasley suddenly felt a strange sense of absurdity rise inside her as she looked at the Death Eaters, all frozen in place and not even daring to make a sound.
Should she say they were cowards, or that Voldemort had cast too deep a shadow over them?
Looking at the broad back in front of her, Ginny could not help twitching at the corner of her eye...
"Draco is definitely doing this on purpose."
"Actually, The Quibbler mentioned this in issue seven."
"...Forget The Quibbler. Are you ready for what Draco said?"
"Mhm."
The one who had silently appeared behind Ginny was Luna, holding several small bottles in her hands. Even as she answered, she gave the liquid inside them a little shake toward Ginny.
As for Xenophilius, no one knew where he had gone. As the only adult present, he had simply left Draco and the others here, as though expecting them to deal with the Death Eaters on their own.
And hearing Luna's answer did nothing to soothe Ginny's nerves. If anything, it only made her more agitated, and the look she cast at Draco was full of unease...
"Luna, do you really think his method will work?"
"Mhm. But there is not really any other method, is there?"
"Yeah... I guess all we can do now is trust him."
Whatever exactly Ginny and Luna were whispering about, one thing was clear.
Whether the next move succeeded or failed would depend entirely on Draco.
And just as Ginny's anxiety was reaching its peak, Barty Crouch Jr. finally exploded.
"What are you all standing around for?! Break this damned barrier! Right now! Immediately!"
"...Yes!!"
That sharp, rasping shriek snapped the stunned Death Eaters back to themselves.
And when Barty Crouch Jr. turned his bloodshot eyes toward Draco, there was not a shred of concealed malice left in them.
"You think this is going to buy you time? Dream on. Do not worry, I will not kill you outright. I will use the Cruciatus Curse, the one I do best, and make you understand that the most beautiful sound in the world is the sound of your own screaming!!!"
Whether his intention had been seen through, or whether Barty Crouch Jr.'s description of what he planned to do had truly unsettled him, Draco's brows drew together visibly.
"That expression. Yes, that one! I will make you understand what it means to disrespect the Master, hahahahaha!"
Draco's slight frown made Barty Crouch Jr., who was practically pressed up against the barrier, burst into shrill laughter...
...
Amid Barty Crouch Jr.'s hysterical cackling, the worried Ginny found herself running out from inside without even realizing it, while Luna, completely unaffected, calmly followed Draco's side.
"What do we do now? They already figured out you were stalling for time."
"Stalling for time? Do not be ridiculous."
"But that is not impossible, is it? Maybe the barrier really can hold until Dumbledore gets here. And then the Phoen..."
"He will not be coming. At least, not now."
Ginny's face went blank.
Several seconds passed before she fully processed what Draco had just said.
Turning his head, Draco looked at that stunned little face and slowly drew his wand from the cane.
Compared to anyone else's judgment, Draco trusted Lockhart's information rather more.
Madman or not.
"From the very beginning, I never expected anything from Dumbledore. Or from the Order of the Phoenix you mentioned."
"How do you know about the Phoen... wait, are you really going to use that plan you mentioned just now?!"
Though she did not get an answer, the change in the air around them gave one all on its own.
Scorching heat.
Surging magic.
Feeling that obvious shift, Ginny's eyes widened.
From where she stood, it seemed she could see a golden light flash in Draco's eyes.
Bright as the sun...