Chapter 84: 5-3

The new term began after a tumultuous Christmas break. Hagrid’s secret had been exposed early on by Rita Skeeter; an article had been published revealing the fact that his mother was a Giantess. Hagrid was utterly despondent and had shut himself away. In his absence, Professor Grubbly-Plank had taken over the Care of Magical Creatures classes.

"Maria, did you know?"

"By the way you're asking, Harry, you look like you knew?"

"...Yeah. Maria, you slipped out halfway through the Yule Ball, right? I thought maybe you felt sick or something, so..."

"You followed me?"

"Yeah. Me and Ron. That's when we heard it. Madam Maxime and Hagrid... well... talking."

Harry trailed off awkwardly, probably feeling guilty about eavesdropping. Ron, too, was fidgeting behind his Daily Prophet.

"Hey, at that time─was there a beetle nearby?"

"A beetle? Oh, yeah. Maybe there was. Why?"

"Actually, I saw one the other day, too... To still be active at this time of year, I thought it had some guts."

It really does have guts. Rotten to the core, though.

"......Maria, please don't start collecting bugs or anything. I heard Mom used to like that sort of thing, but..."

"I can't make any promises if I start keeping a Bowtruckle."

Hermione burst out laughing. Seeing this, Ron and Harry threw their newspapers aside and laughed merrily as well.

While the golden trio boldly enjoyed Hogsmeade, I was meeting with Anthony. It started when he, who had returned early from Hogsmeade, called out to me saying he wanted to give me a souvenir. Since standing in the corridor seemed awkward, we found an empty classroom and settled down. Occasionally, there are rooms with unbelievable traps set in them, so whether the classroom we found was a normal one or a weird one was purely down to luck. So far, I've only stumbled into weird rooms twelve times. Without anything to compare it to, I don't know if that's a lot or a little. Hogwarts Castle is a much more ridiculous place than a Japanese Ninja Yashiki.

"I thought this would suit you, Maria."

What Anthony held out was a wrapped brooch. It luxuriously used amber-colored synthetic stones. ...They are synthetic, right?

"Your brother’s eyes are beautiful too, but I still prefer your eyes, Maria."

I blushed at his carefree smile. The brooch I took out of the packaging sparkled with a different brilliance every time I changed the angle, making it impossible to get tired of looking at.

"...The Yule Ball, we went together, right?"

"Yes," I nodded to him as he sat beside me.

"Did you have fun? You know, er... being with me?"

"Of course." I nodded again.

"In that case... Maria? You probably don't know, do you? What kind of relationship people generally have with the partner they bring to a ball."

"I know."

Anthony looked dumbfounded. What's the deal, everyone treats me like I'm dense. I won't deny it, but there's no way 'I', who have attended countless troublesome events taking my wife Ginny along, wouldn't know.

"A lover, right? But we're not like that."

"……Right. Yes, we’re friends. But—I think it would be nice if we could become something more. ……I mean,"

As Anthony’s words trailed off hesitantly, I tentatively picked up the thread.

"Anthony... are you─asking if I want to be your girlfriend?"

"……If you’re willing to say yes."

Anthony dropped his usual aloof, elusive expression and looked straight at me. It was a dazzling gaze to me.

"...Thank you. But, I'm sorry. I don't see you that way."

"Because of that Slytherin guy?"

"No. Draco has nothing to do with it. It's not that... I just, I don't think I can see anyone that way."

"...Is that because, maybe, you like girls?"

"That's not it either. And wait, is there a rumor like that going around?"

"......"

"There is one, then……"

I felt completely drained. Anthony is sensitive to rumors. If he says there is one, there is.

"Listen, Anthony..."

"Maria."

Anthony stared at me again with a resolute look in his eyes.

"─Will you still be my friend from now on?"

"...Of course! Of course. If that's what you want."

"I see. Alright. Then for now, that’s enough. I’ve got the lead, at least."

"Huh?"

"There's a difference between knowing and not knowing, right?"

Anthony took a deep breath as if emptying his lungs completely, and casually returned to his usual shallow-looking smile.

"By the way, can I ask you something?"

"Y-yes?"

"Of your Yule Ball outfit... which part was a present from 'him'?"

I’m not so oblivious to the world around me that I couldn't figure out who "him" referred to.

"All of it. He prepared absolutely everything. Unbelievable, right?"

"...Truly, unbelievable."

Anthony looked me up and down, then averted his eyes as if looking at something vaguely terrifying. Then he stood up with a light spring and headed for the door. Just as he opened it, he turned around──

"It wouldn't be fair. So I'll tell you, Maria. ─That's him keeping the rest of us in check."

Saying "See you," Anthony waved his hand, wearing the same oddly amused, childlike smile he had when he sensed Draco's approaching shadow and fled.

"......"

──Keeping us in check. A check?

"...Hmm?"

I leaned my back flat against the desk I had been using as a chair. Taking advantage of the space freed up by Anthony's departure, I spread my arms wide and claimed it all.

A check... on what? No, in this case, on whom? Wait, wait, from the very premise──there's no proof Draco was even thinking about something like that.

"Yeah. That's right. Knowing him, he just wanted to enjoy seeing me unable to escape cross-dressing."

"─That sounds like someone with very malicious tastes."

I jumped like a jack-in-the-box. The subject of the rumor himself was leaning against the door Anthony had just exited.

"Draco─why are you here?"

Why do you—no, why do all of you—keep playing this game of tag with such impeccable timing!

"Your little brother was making a fuss, saying 'That upstart and Maria are alone together!' So, I took it upon myself to come and collect you."

"Harry……"

I could easily imagine Harry, the moment he realized I wasn't in the common room after returning from Hogsmeade, pulling out the Marauder's Map without a second thought. It made me feel quite disappointed. Though, I suppose I did similar things to my own son...

Since I hadn't known the Ravenclaw boy was Anthony Goldstein, I hadn't introduced him to Harry until Christmas. I see; from Harry’s perspective, Anthony is just some "upstart." ……It’s probably best not to mention that we’ve had a whimsical acquaintance since first year.

"So? Has the Princess been having a tryst in such a shabby room?"

"A tryst... well, you're not entirely wrong."

"Huh?"

Draco, who was just extending a joke, froze at his own pitch.

"Did you get a confession or something?"

"Actually─that's exactly it."

"…………And your answer?"

"I said yes. —As if! Even if our bodies are the same, our insides are mismatched. I'm a monster. It's impossible for me to see people around me like that."

...At least, it's impossible for me.

"I never thought Anthony would…… Argh, what is this, it’s exhausting."

I collapsed onto Draco’s lap without asking. He had sat down in the same spot Anthony had—right next to me. Draco looked down at me from above and chuckled.

"It's that age. ──You are seen that way."

"Is that what being a girl means?"

"Who knows... Male or female, maybe it's your own charm that does it."

"Ugh, you don't mean a word of that."

"Nonsense! In fact, even when you were a guy, I─"

At that, Draco snapped his mouth shut in a hurry, as if he had made a fatal mistake. Caught off guard, I stared up at Draco blankly.

"Even when I was... what? Draco?"

"Nothing. A slip of the tongue. Forget it."

"Eh—wh-what? What does that mean!?"

"Shut up. To be flustered by the likes of you is the regret of a lifetime."

"Insulted so seamlessly... Malfoy."

"I've been meaning to ask, but what exactly do you think the Malfoy family is?"

The strange atmosphere completely blown away, I took Draco's hand and we laughed together, just like our everyday playful banter by the lake.

I felt just a little bit relieved. Because Draco──that's right, he had made the same face as that night when he told me, "I want to see the you that belongs only to me"... and it made me feel restless.

"I—I never thought I’d be seen that way by my own 'kin.' It was different back when I was Harry, wasn't it? ……This is more tiring than I expected."

"……I see."

Draco's fingers softly brushed up my bangs and traced my forehead. ──The place where the Killing Curse was once carved.

"So, I’m…… 'kin,' am I?"

Draco's expression, backlit by the light, ──didn't allow me to look away.

"Isn't that obvious, partner?"

"...How infuriating."

"Why?"

The giggles returned. Draco did as he pleased, pinching my cheek and stroking my lips. Treating my face like a toy, honestly. ...It's a problem, because I don't actually mind it.

─Since when did I stop feeling disgust towards him? The only ones I ever allowed to get this close─were my family and best friends.

"Hey, Draco. ─Why did you give me a dress?"

Draco smiled beautifully, like a doll.

"...Just a whim."

The young girl straightened her back, undaunted by the surroundings full of upperclassmen. Because he was there. Because he was leading her by the hand─she couldn't show a pathetic face.

The boy playing her escort─Draco Malfoy─smiled down at the girl with eyes looking at something hopelessly precious.

"It suits you, Astoria."

"Naturally. I am a lady, after all."

A perfect, ladylike smile, unsuited for her age, was returned. Even that mask of pure bravado seemed childish to Draco─painful, yet deeply endearing.

He only wanted her to be happy. As long as he had her, and their child, he wouldn't ask for anything more—he felt he could even become humble. Astoria Greengrass. He thought that if only he could meet the beloved person he had lost in the "previous" life, this murky, swirling emotion would disappear.

"Draco-oniisama, you look incredibly wonderful too. You are the finest young nobleman tonight. Though, I'm sure even if you were in your everyday robes, you would look wonderful to me."

"You're so honest, Astoria."

"Maria wouldn't say this, would she?"

The face of a twelve-year-old returned with a giggle. Ironically─the only one capable of peeling away her ladylike mask and returning her to a young girl was Maria Potter, the very person she had declared her rival. Just a little bit of jealousy. ...If asked towards whom, he couldn't answer, though.

Draco tracked the radiant green and red from the corner of his eye and smirked at her perfectly styled appearance. The more attention gathered on her─the more people would 'notice'.

"How cruel of you. To have your eyes wander to another woman when such a perfect lady is right in front of you."

"You say that, but you were concerned about Maria too, weren't you?"

"…………We are friends, after all."

He couldn't help but laugh at the young girl’s slightly skewed, clumsy concept of friendship. She brought out the "girl" in his beloved one at every turn. Which of them was the unfair one? To have both of us…… in the palm of her hand.

"Maria is…… beautiful."

Astoria narrowed her eyes fleetingly. The song changed, and somehow or another, Maria was dancing with her little brother. ...From another perspective, she was dancing with herself. Though──he probably no longer considered him 'himself'.

"Everything was gathered solely for Maria─only things that suit Maria. ...Just as expected, right? Draco-oniisama."

Astoria playfully looked up at the person she held dear, standing right in front of her holding her hands.

"What a childish way to keep others in check."

"I'm just a kid, after all."

"Especially in front of Maria, right?"

Lightly, her dress fluttered as she turned. Draco felt as though he could never win. Even in the "previous" life, she had been a graceful, yet shrewd woman.

"I’m sure Maria hasn't noticed at all."

Her flowing steps spoke of the "education" she had received.

"You didn't even tell her. Poor Maria. To be fenced in without even knowing it—oh my."

While dancing elegantly, the innocent young girl smiled with the face of an adult.

"──You've already made up your mind then, Draco-oniisama."

It was an ultimatum.

"Yeah."

"I will not support you. It's frustrating, after all. ...Draco-oniisama, you will suffer."

"That's fine. It doesn't matter if I suffer. And besides──she is strong."

"...Terrible person."

"I'm sorry, Astoria."

A pure and kind girl entangled by a selfish man. A sweet girl who continued to adore him. And surely, the one and only light who would continue to entrust her heart to him without change. Draco could only smile bitterly at his utterly insincere self. ──Even so, he couldn't let go.

"No. I knew it all along. Even today... was just to confirm your own feelings, wasn't it? I'll let you use me. Because I love you, Draco-oniisama."

"I love you too. Astoria."

"I am aware."

"Then, will you marry me?"

"I refuse."

Rejected flatly, he was reminded once again that he was no match for her. Come to think of it, she had been cold to him right from when they first met. She was a cute person.

"I will continue to get in your way. It seems Maria is more interested in girls. ...Perhaps, Draco-oniisama's rival is right in front of you?"

"That's not even a joke, please stop..."

At Draco's feeble plea, Astoria laughed out loud. It was a rare sight. Since she gets like this whenever Maria is brought up──Maria, it seems I really am going to be jealous of you after all.

"Draco-oniisama─there's no turning back now."

Holding hands, clear brown and grey eyes reflected each other.

"It's too late for that. The cunning to achieve our goals using whatever means necessary─that's who we are, isn't it?"

The Slytherin girl and boy, here, declared war.