Peace negotiations fall almost immediately, not that Draco expected anything different. Aleksander isn’t surprised either, but they are both careful about their next steps as Hermione and Alina watch them carefully. The two witches never miss a war council, and while Draco expected that some of their concerns about the use of more violent methods would become an impediment, Hermione quickly proved otherwise, highlighting how they could buy their way in with bribery and then turn around and use that very bribe to lock away whoever didn’t please them. It was so clever and wicked of her, Draco could nothing more than finally admit to himself that he is in love with Hermione Granger.