"This was a diversion," Draco said.
Slughorn tilted his head toward him, the upward curve of his lips deepening slightly. "As expected of the recognized top student of this year's Slytherin. I knew you'd see through it."
Madara leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from Slughorn to Draco, then back to the unfolded map on the table. Markers covered most of the United Kingdom. Black ink dots clustered around London and the southern coast, while one location had been circled in red near the edge—the location of Azkaban.
"The prison break is only a local incident," Madara said, his eyes falling on the red circle on the map. "Their goal isn't merely to break someone out. They want the Ministry of Magic to focus all its attention on that island, while others make their moves on the mainland at the same time."
Slughorn nodded and pushed the dark glass bottle two inches closer to Madara. "Someone among those Dark wizards proposed causing some trouble in Muggle-populated areas. There are currently three plans in circulation—letting magical creatures run wild through residential districts, creating magical accidents in major public places, or directly attacking the Ministry of Magic's logistical transport hubs. The purpose is the same: to keep the Ministry's Aurors and Accident Handling Department agents too busy to handle both ends."
Draco's fingers slowly tapped his knee twice. "Putting Professor's and Lord Madara's words together, those vermin truly aren't after the people inside Azkaban."
Madara glanced at him and waited for him to continue.
"The prison break is a smokescreen, or rather, only the first move in the entire game." Draco lowered his voice slightly, but it remained clear. "What they truly want is most likely information about some secret treasure. But that thing isn't on the island, and someone