On the eve of the Christmas party.
Just a few hours before it was due to begin, Draco, Pansy, and the others gathered together to go over the timing and details of the plan one more time, while also making sure they had not overlooked anything.
Most importantly, they had to be mentally prepared for accidents and have a way to deal with them.
For example, there was the possibility of being noticed, or Professor Horace suddenly appearing. Those were all things they needed to prepare for in advance, along with backup plans.
To avoid the risk of exposure, Draco and the others had not even told Goyle and Crabbe about the plan...
Hermione, who had been taking notes on parchment, suddenly set down her quill. "Then that's the whole plan. Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
"It definitely will, but... what will you do if we can't find that memory, Draco?"
"That's right. Before this, I carefully read everything I could find about the Pensieve. If you're not the Pensieve's owner, it's very hard to find the memory you need in that jumble of memories."
"To be exact, it's impossible in a short amount of time."
Hermione's explanation sounded a little roundabout.
But put simply, it meant that only the person who put something away would know which corner of the room it had been left in.
And the Pensieve that stored memories was that room...
"Leave this to me and Granger. We'll help you keep an eye on Professor Horace at the party."
"Wait, Greengrass, I want to see the Pensieve too..."
Before Hermione could finish, Pansy's eyes lit up and she cut her off at once. "That's a good idea. If it's Professor Horace's favorite student, meaning you, Granger, stepping in, then surely..."
"Don't think I don't know what you're planning, Parkinson! And Greengrass, did this woman give you something in return?"
"..."
In truth, Astoria had not had any selfish motive when she made the suggestion.
She just had not expected the two women beside her to react so quickly and immediately realize what it meant.
This was important business, yes, but it was also a rare chance to spend time alone with Draco.
Realizing that only after the fact, Astoria smacked her forehead, feeling a little annoyed with herself.
She should have said that Pansy and Hermione would be one team, while she and Draco would act together...
...
As night fell, the Christmas party personally organized by Professor Horace finally revealed its true form.
The moment you stepped into the heavily remodeled hall, you might have doubted that the outside world was actually in such chaos, that Voldemort had returned, or that those mad Death Eaters were no longer locked away in Azkaban.
"Luxurious" alone was nowhere near enough to describe this Christmas party...
The rich aroma of food in the air made it obvious that the house-elves had gone all out on tonight's Christmas feast.
And when one's gaze shifted to the central stage, there stood the Weird Sisters, the most famous band in the wizarding world, invited here to perform for the evening.
It was said that one of the members had once been Professor Horace's student, which was the only reason they had been willing to come sing at such a troubled time.
On top of that, the floating light sprites overhead had replaced the pumpkin-shaped candles from previous years, casting a faint, hazy glow over everyone present.
Whether magic was involved or not, even faces that were usually unpleasant to look at somehow seemed more pleasing tonight...
"Isn't this... a little too much?!"
Even Hermione, who had attended Professor Horace's parties before, could not help twitching her lips the moment she walked in.
At the same time, she realized that Professor Horace truly had put a great deal of effort and care into this Christmas party.
For some reason, Professor Horace always seemed especially particular about this sort of thing...
Just as Hermione was lost in thought, Pansy's voice rang in her ear.
"Don't stand there looking like an idiot. Don't forget why we're here!"
"..."
Even without turning around, Hermione knew exactly who had said that.
Still, faced with Pansy's criticism, Hermione was at a loss for words this time and genuinely had no idea how to argue back.
Astoria appeared a moment later and signaled with her eyes toward their target's current location. "Stop arguing. Professor Horace is over there. Don't let him slip out of our sight."
After saying that, Astoria disappeared into the crowd.
Then Pansy gave Hermione a provoking little snort. "I'm off too. Try not to hold us back, Granger."
"That's what I should be saying!"
After throwing those lines at each other, Pansy and Hermione split up at the same time without looking back.
Clearly, Draco had no intention of showing up at the party, and from the way the three girls were acting, it was obvious that Draco was not planning to bring any of them along for this operation.
Whether Draco had intended that from the start, or whether... he was worried that bringing any one of them would lead to a harem dis... ahem, whether it was simply for the sake of secrecy, no one knew.