Draco idly toyed with the card in his hand—the emblem that marked his membership in the Secret Order. His mind raced with excitement, struggling to contain the momentous news he had learned that very evening.
But at the same time, Draco had no desire to expose his own identity.
So, flipping over his Jack of Clubs card, he carefully wrote a message:
"Tonight, I received news—Voldemort has returned. And he's not far from Hogwarts."
In Draco's mind, the Dark Lord had come to the Forbidden Forest for unicorn blood.
It never even occurred to him that Voldemort was already inside Hogwarts, possessing the body of one of its professors.
Had he realized this, Draco's mood would have been anything but relaxed.
As he finished writing, Draco could already picture the shock on the faces of his fellow Secret Order members when they received his message.
Just imagining how his revelation would shake this mysterious organization filled him with exhilaration.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the stars on the back of his insignia began shifting, forming a new message:
"Oh. Got it."
Draco froze.
This… was not the reaction he had expected. Had he made a mistake somewhere?
A moment later, as if sensing the brevity of their response, the other party added another line:
"Thank you."
Draco was utterly baffled.
Had he made a spelling error? Did they not fully grasp what he was trying to say?!
As he sat in confusion, the stars on his insignia stirred once more, rearranging into yet another message:
"This sort of thing can wait until morning. No need to disrupt everyone's rest."
Draco instinctively ruffled his hair.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered—was it the Secret Order that had grown too arrogant? Or did they just not think Voldemort was a threat anymore?!
Just as he was about to send another message to clarify, he saw yet another line appear:
"Voldemort is back? That's fantastic!"
Draco collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly out at the Black Lake.
But inside, he was screaming:
Are you all out of your minds?! That's Voldemort! The second Dark Lord!
Do none of you feel fear? Even a little?
And what the bloody hell do you mean by 'fantastic'?!
Has the name of the Dark Lord lost all its weight? How can you just brush him off like that?!
For the first time, Draco felt entirely out of place among this enigmatic group—not because he was too arrogant, but because he wasn't arrogant enough.
If Kirk and Cedric had overheard Draco's inner turmoil, they would likely have scoffed and said:
"Compared to the Alliance under the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, the Death Eaters are nothing more than glorified village bullies."
After all, Kirk and Cedric had seen far greater things.
Moreover, both of them had already heard from Wentworth himself that Voldemort's return was imminent. They were prepared for this—it was no surprise to them, which was why they remained so unfazed.
The only one whose emotions stirred slightly was Cassandra.
But her reaction wasn't fear—it was excitement.
What was the fastest way to rise to power?
By stepping over the shoulders of another powerful figure.
Of course, that required the strength to do so—otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
And in Cassandra's eyes, the Alliance behind Wentworth was one of the few forces strong enough to completely suppress the Death Eaters.
To her, Voldemort's return wasn't a threat—it was an opportunity. A chance for Wentworth to bolster his reputation.
Naturally, she wasn't about to share that thought with Draco just yet.
Before long, Draco came to a realization. He quickly scribbled another message on his insignia:
"Did you all already know about Voldemort's return?"
Moments later, the response appeared:
"Mm-hm."
Draco's initial thrill evaporated instantly. It was as if molten lava had met the ocean—cooling into solid rock within seconds.
And just like that, his curiosity about the Secret Order only deepened.
Originally, he had thought of them as a club of powerful and mysterious wizards.
But now, it was clear they were far more than that.
Testing the waters, Draco sent another message:
"Should we inform the Ministry of Magic?"
This time, the response came almost immediately:
Joker: "No need. Someone has already reserved him. He's a fine meal I've set aside for a certain someone."
Draco's pulse quickened.
Not just because of the words—but because this message was different from the others.
For the first time, the sender's identity was revealed.
And more than that, when the words appeared, the stars that formed them shimmered faintly with a mysterious glow.
As Draco stared at the message, his heart pounded with excitement.
Kirk and Cedric, however, exchanged knowing smiles.
They both understood that the insignia belonging to "Joker" was currently in Cassandra's hands.
Clearly, this was Cassandra deliberately using Joker's identity to establish his dominance in Draco's eyes.
A few moments later, the stars on Draco's insignia rearranged once more:
Joker: "Gather as much intelligence on Voldemort as possible, but don't act recklessly."
Seeing this, Kirk decided to play along with Cassandra's theatrics. Without hesitation, he added his own message:
"Understood, my Lord!"
Cedric, catching on to the game, grinned and followed suit:
"Understood, my Lord!"
Not wanting to be left out, Draco hurriedly echoed them:
"Understood, my Lord!"
Had Wentworth been present to witness this, he might have been reminded of an internet livestream chat flooded with enthusiastic comments.
As Draco set his insignia down, his excitement surpassed even the moment he first shared the news of Voldemort's return.
Because before, he had simply been a bystander.
But now, he realized—without even noticing it—he had become a participant.
The Secret Order… was actually plotting against the Dark Lord himself.
At home, even his own parents avoided speaking Voldemort's name.
Draco still remembered the one time his father had accidentally mentioned the Dark Lord in his presence—only to be immediately silenced by his mother. She had swiftly sent Draco out of the room, and the moment he stepped outside, he had heard his mother's furious scolding.
Now, a bold idea crept into Draco's mind:
What if he worked with the Secret Order to take down Voldemort?
Wouldn't that make his parents see him in an entirely new light?
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