At the same time Pansy and the others appeared at the Christmas party,
Draco, with Dobby's help, was bypassing every wizard he might have run into along the way, as well as the ghosts wandering through the castle.
Put simply, Draco reached the target location of this operation smoothly, with no real danger along the way.
That target was Professor Horace Slughorn's office.
The moment he saw the door with Horace's office plaque hanging on it, even Draco could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
Draco turned back. "I'll be counting on you again on the way back, Dobby."
"Wuuu. Little Master entrusted Dobby with something. How very... wuuu..."
"..."
Watching Dobby disappear before his eyes, Draco rubbed his temple with a headache coming on.
If Dobby had not still remembered that Draco's actions tonight could not be discovered, he probably would have burst into tears on the spot, or even started smashing his head against the wall again.
Fortunately, things had not gotten that bad...
After letting out a breath, Draco focused his attention on the door in front of him.
He did not recklessly push it open, nor did he use a spell that could force it open.
After all, for Draco, who had grown up in the Malfoy family and was no stranger to dark wizards, he naturally understood just how impossible it was to guard against the methods wizards could use.
Some spells served as warnings.
Others were powerful curses that harmed far more than they warned.
This was Hogwarts, yes, but no one could guarantee that Professor Horace had not tampered with his door in some hidden way...
Fortunately, Draco had come prepared. He pulled out a rather oddly shaped magical item from beneath his robes.
More precisely, it was a dark magic item Draco had bought for a high price from Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.
Its function was not especially complicated, nor was it all that practical. Its only effect was to detect whether magic had been cast on an object.
The reason it was not very useful was simple. It could not identify what kind of magic had been cast, nor could it silently dispel the spell or curse on the object.
In a way, the little thing was rather like Neville Longbottom's Remembrall.
Somewhat useful.
But not by much...
...
Draco had to say, it was fortunate that Horace Slughorn was not someone like Alastor Moody.
Because clearly, Professor Horace was not nearly that cautious. Or rather, he was not as suspicious and paranoid as Alastor Moody, and that gave Draco a chance to get into the office without trouble.
The moment the door opened, Draco did not slip inside immediately. Instead, he waited a moment first, then stepped into the office he had visited several times before.
Narrowing his eyes, he quickly scanned the room once. Only after confirming there was indeed no one inside did Draco head farther in.
It seemed Professor Horace really was at the Christmas party and not staying in his office...
"Going by past experience, I don't have much time before the Christmas party ends. I need to find that thing as soon as..."
Halfway through speaking, Draco suddenly pressed his whole body against the wall and immediately cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.
As for whether using magic might alert someone, Draco no longer had the luxury of worrying about that now.
Because he had heard the faint sound of the door opening.
"At this time? It can't be Horace. Pansy and the others would definitely hold him up, and Dobby would have come to warn me. So... either something unexpected happened, or this person used some method to fool Dobby's senses while he was keeping watch?"
He slowed his breathing.
Calmed his tense heartbeat.
Burning with curiosity about the newcomer's identity, Draco stared fixedly at the wooden door as it was pushed open again.
Interestingly, Draco did not see anyone appear at all, yet the door opened just like that. Then, a second later, it even closed by itself.
Draco was not foolish enough to think the wind had blown it open.
Just as Draco remained perfectly still, another person's voice suddenly rang out inside the room.
"There's no one here?! Impossible. The map clearly showed Malfoy's location just now. He should be here. Did I see it wrong?"
"A map? My location? And that familiar voice...!"
Draco had never expected that the other person had actually come for him.
As for a map that could show his location, for Draco, who lived in the magical world and was constantly exposed to magical objects, it had indeed been surprising at first, but only to that extent.
And as for why he could not see the other person, Draco had already guessed the reason.
There were only a few possibilities. Either they had used a Disillusionment Charm, or they were wearing some kind of magical invisibility cloak.
"Still... even so, Dobby shouldn't have failed to notice them. As far as I know, invisibility items shouldn't be capable of complete concealment..."
Just as Draco was feeling puzzled by this, he heard that voice again.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"