If you were the sort of person with especially sharp instincts, you could probably sense the faint killing intent coming off Draco.
Which made sense.
Anyone who had gone back and forth across a battlefield would end up like Draco.
What was more, under normal circumstances, it might not be all that noticeable, but the moment he became serious, Draco's danger level instantly shot to the highest point.
Harry Potter, who was facing all of this head-on, could feel that murderous aura coming from Draco with perfect clarity...
A wizard who had killed was different.
If Harry Potter had never really understood that before, then now he could say he had learned the true meaning of those words all too well.
At this moment, with his mind gone blank, Harry Potter had no energy left to argue about justice.
Because right now, he had only one thought.
He had to get away from this suffocating pressure as fast as possible.
But his body no longer seemed to obey him.
Watching that wand slowly rise toward him, Harry Potter could only stare with widened eyes, while a single thought filled his head...
I'm going to die!
I'm going to die!
I'm really going to die!
The scar on his forehead hurt so badly that Harry Potter wished he could black out on the spot, but not only did that not happen, it instead made him even more keenly aware of the terrifying pressure weighing down on him.
Through the haze, he could almost make out the calm expression on Draco's face.
That sense of discomfort and contradiction made Harry Potter feel sick...
...
Compared with Harry Potter's desperate struggle, Draco himself felt nothing at all.
Honestly, after gaining experience fighting Death Eaters, making a move here hardly even seemed worth mentioning. The gap between them was so wide that Draco could not summon any real enthusiasm.
Looking at Harry Potter in front of him, Draco felt a rare trace of regret.
Really... I got serious without meaning to.
I actually let those childish words get to me?
He frowned.
Only then did Draco realize that Harry Potter's talk of justice had clearly irritated him just now, enough for him to become serious without thinking and even say more than he should have.
When Harry Potter had ambushed him with Sectumsempra earlier, he had not even been this angry...
And after calming down, Draco understood very clearly that the savior standing in front of him, whose emotions were obviously off, could get hurt if necessary, but he absolutely could not die by Draco's hand.
Not only would that be difficult to deal with afterward, it could also cause the entire situation to shift.
That was why Draco did not continue attacking...
In any case, it had seemed like a long stretch of time, but in reality only a few seconds had passed.
And during that span, Draco's wand had just happened to come to rest pointing at Harry Potter's head.
In that instant, the smell of death swept over him.
Even Ginny and Luna behind Draco had their eyes wide open, unable for a moment to decide whether they should speak up and stop whatever Draco was about to do next.
He's probably only trying to scare Harry.
Probably... right?
What anyone else was thinking, Harry Potter had no idea.
All he knew was that if he still did nothing now, he would definitely regret it.
Just as the pain in his scar shifted from agony into a strange burning heat, those eyes of his, once fairly handsome and well liked by Snape, gradually began to take on a sickening green tint without anyone noticing.
And it was at that exact moment that someone finally stepped in to stop all of this.
And not just one person, either...
...
Even though Ginny and the others were only standing off to the side as spectators, they truly had no idea where these wizards had come from.
Among them were even a few familiar faces to Ginny...
"Draco!" As if she had seen something, Ginny let out a startled cry.
"Don't move. Move again and don't blame me for acting. Believe me, I have absolutely no qualms about attacking an underage wizard. And you, Weasley girl, why are you together with Malfoy?"
Pressing his cold lips together, Draco glanced sideways at the wizard gradually appearing at his side.
It was Alastor Moody, his magical eye spinning constantly, his wand vaguely but unmistakably aimed in Draco's direction.
"Oh? Looks like our appearance didn't surprise you all that much."
Just as Alastor Moody said, Draco's expression barely changed, as though he had already expected this scene.
Or rather, as though he had known they were there all along.
Turning his head, Draco let out a light laugh toward Alastor Moody and the figures slowly emerging from the wind and snow.
"More importantly, dear Professor Moody, believe me. The instant you cast a spell, Mr. Potter dies here."
Those familiar-sounding words made Alastor Moody narrow his eyes sharply.
"..."
"..."
That threat, sharp with the scent of blood, made Alastor Moody's magical eye stop spinning. Even the smile he had been wearing just now vanished at once.
He had to admit it. The young Malfoy in front of him really was capable of doing exactly that.
At the very least, he had no confidence he could save Harry Potter...
Just as the atmosphere turned heavy, a voice with a childish lilt rang out at just the right moment.
"I told you not to do that, Moody. We're not here to cause trouble."
"Hmph. I don't trust Malfoy's son."
The one speaking to Alastor Moody was a beautiful witch stepping out of the wind and snow while brushing off her robes.
What stood out was that her hair had clearly been purple a moment ago, but by the time Draco looked over, it had instantly turned pink, as if its color shifted with her mood.
That alone said plenty about what she was really like.
Rebellious and full of life.
Noticing Draco looking at her, the witch waved cheerfully like a child, looking so delighted that it was almost as if she could not see the tension in front of her at all.
"It's been a long time. Must be several years, right? Last time I didn't get the chance to say hello properly."
Recognizing her, Draco frowned.
"Nymphadora Tonks..."
"You should call me Cousin, dear cousin."
Nymphadora Tonks gave Draco a playful wink.
"..."
It had to be said, once this Nymphadora Tonks appeared, with her rather jumpy way of doing things and complete inability, at least on the surface, to read the mood, the tense, murderous atmosphere from a moment ago was utterly ruined.
Realizing that, Draco silently studied the relaxed look on her face for a few moments.
He was beginning to suspect she was doing it on purpose...