How strong was Draco, really?
For Ginny and the others, who had never truly known him or seen what he could do up close, they had very little understanding of that.
It was not only because they were not close enough to him, but also because they had simply never had the chance to witness it properly.
The only few chances they had ever had were watching from afar during the Triwizard Tournament, and that was nothing compared to what Pansy and the others had experienced seeing it all from close by...
The pulse of magic in the air was so intense it almost felt as though it could make the atmosphere boil, even creating the illusion that the air itself was warping.
There was no wind at all, and yet his robes still stirred restlessly in the current of his magic.
And the wand Draco drew was exquisitely beautiful, so much so that it was impossible to look away.
Dangerous, yet beautiful.
That thought rose in both girls' minds at once...
And while Ginny and the others found themselves involuntarily drawn to this side of Draco, Draco himself had all his attention fixed on the situation in front of him.
'Twelve... and farther out, I cannot tell. But from the look of it, the only one who truly poses a threat is Barty Crouch Jr.'
'And the magic is being heavily disrupted. Someone else must be coordinating from farther away.'
The reason Draco was frowning was not Barty Crouch Jr.'s threat, nor because his intentions had been seen through and he was flustered. It was simply that the situation truly was not favorable for him.
As he gathered his magic, he flicked a glance behind him out of the corner of his eye.
'And there are two extra burdens who need protecting.'
Noticing Draco's glance, Luna tilted her little head in innocent confusion, looking completely unaware of what that look had meant.
If even the careful, observant Luna had not noticed, then carefree Ginny Weasley certainly would not have.
To be fair, if she ever found out that Draco basically considered her a burden, she would probably be furious enough to explode on the spot...
...
Draco withdrew his gaze.
He turned his attention back to the increasingly thin barrier.
"It can only hold for a few more seconds."
"At times like this, perhaps I should be grateful that Pansy and the others did not come with me..."
He murmured the words under his breath, tightening his grip on the wand in his hand.
Draco looked perfectly calm in front of everyone, and he had even had the nerve to mock Voldemort to his followers' faces.
But in truth, how many people could really face a battle like this with a steady heart?
Especially when the enemy standing across from him was Barty Crouch Jr., wearing that twisted expression as though he wanted to swallow him whole. No one could ignore such fierce, undisguised malice...
And just as Draco had said, in the next instant there came the sound of something shattering like glass, followed by a low cry of alarm behind him.
Crack!
"The barrier is broken!"
"..."
More important than Ginny's cry, though, was Barty Crouch Jr.'s wand, and the excitement twisted across his face.
He had already aimed his wand at Draco, and the Killing Curse was already leaving his lips.
"Die, Avada..."
"Wait! Crouch!"
Only moments ago he had been saying Draco's screams would be the most beautiful sound in the world, yet the instant the barrier broke, Barty Crouch Jr. had still cast with the clear intention of killing him.
Draco's disrespect toward Voldemort had apparently robbed Barty Crouch Jr. of whatever reason he had left. He had even thrown the original objective of the mission out of his mind.
Antonin's horrified shout made it obvious that Voldemort had never sent them here to kill Draco in the first place.
Then again, Voldemort had probably never imagined that someone in the wizarding world would actually dare mock him to his face, even in absentia...
As for Draco.
Feeling the burning heat flowing through the wand in his hand, and ignoring the sickly green light gathering at its tip while it was aimed straight at him, he simply moved his own magic with perfect calm.
Once again.
Draco was facing a powerful enemy, and this time it was not just brute strength, but a truly dangerous wizard with intelligence and battle experience.
...
The sky was covered in storm clouds, and thunder boomed across the horizon.
By all rights, weather like this should have been cool and wet, but everyone present could feel a scorching heat on their skin, as if their flesh itself might start to burn.
And that sudden rise in temperature came entirely from one person.
That person was...
"There it is!"
"The fire from the Triwizard Tournament!"
Boom!!
Ginny's exclamation came at the same time as the sudden chaos among the Death Eaters.
"Damn it! Everyone scatter!"
"Was he preparing that spell this whole time, while we were distracted by the barrier and what he said?"
"No! Too late! Protective charms, now!"
Without the slightest warning, the instant the barrier shattered, a massive wave of flame was already upon them. Even the Killing Curse, only half spoken, was cut off.
Because even Barty Crouch Jr. could not ignore something like that.
And if you could have stood atop that wall of fire, you would have seen the terror spread across the Death Eaters' faces.
They had thought this mission was a sure victory, but not one of them had imagined that a wizard who had not even graduated yet could possess such monstrous magical power.
Every last one of them had underestimated Draco.
Flame that would not easily die.
Flame like demons rising from hell.
It descended upon the hillside just like that.
And the Fiendfyre rushing outward in all directions devoured everything in its path.
"So this is... the Fiendfyre Curse he used to defeat the Thunderbird?"
"At this temperature, no wonder the Thunderbird fell so quickly. If we had not used magical potions, we never would have been able to get close."
Ginny did not answer Luna's question. She could only stand stiffly in place and mutter under her breath, her face dazed. The empty bottle in her hand made it clear why they themselves were unharmed.
And compared with what they had seen from the stands before, witnessing it from up close was far more shocking.
It was no wonder Ginny and the others looked so unsettled...
"Is that it... are they finished?"
"Finished? What are you talking about?"
"Huh? But the Death Eaters were..."
It was just as she said.
The flames had not yet died down, and the heat was so overwhelming that it was impossible to tell what was happening inside them. But the one thing Ginny felt certain of was that no one could have survived that wall of fire.
Draco gave no explanation. He merely flicked the wand in his hand, still hot from use, and turned his gaze toward the Fiendfyre that continued to rage.
If this much were enough...