Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The Christmas holidays, like a fleeting dream, quietly came to an end on an unexpected morning.

The snow outside the window had not yet melted, and a thin layer of frost still clung to the shoulders of the stone statues in the courtyard, but the train back to school had arrived as scheduled, and the noise and voices of people filled every inch of Hogwarts' corridors once again.

Amanta sat at the long table, her gaze passing over the floating starlight above her. Dumbledore was on the stage, gesturing wildly as he recounted how a sock elf he had adopted had unexpectedly learned to play the harp during the holidays.

"So," he concluded cheerfully, "everyone do your best in the new semester, and don't forget, the harp can also play out hope in life!"

A few scattered claps rang out.

The Slytherin table remained silent as usual, while a few bursts of laughter erupted from the Gryffindor side.

Most of the Hufflepuffs nodded meekly, while a few of the Ravenclaws had already begun whispering about the schedule changes.

Amanta rested her chin on her hand and silently pushed a pumpkin pie toward Harry next to her.

The boy took it and smiled at her, his eyes still showing the relaxation that hadn't faded from the holiday.

“I thought I knew all the variables of the opening party,” Harry said quietly, “but I really didn’t expect him to be able to tell a five-minute story with a sock.”

“Dumbledore’s thought process is an unpredictable kind of magic.” Amanta shrugged, took the pumpkin juice, took a sip, and looked at someone opposite her.

Julius sat at the other end of the long table, lounging around, casually poking at the baked beans on his plate with his fork.

He noticed her gaze, raised his eyes slightly, and smiled subtly and restrainedly, like a drop of ink falling into water, creating indescribable ripples.

She looked away, trying to stop the subtle attraction from spreading.

Draco, on the other hand, barely uttered a word tonight, maintaining a restrained politeness and silence.

The blond boy peeled the skin of a roasted potato with a blank expression, only occasionally exchanging a few words with Blaise in a low voice.

Amanta didn't look at him, but she could clearly feel that familiar yet distant aura lingering in her peripheral vision, like a cold winter wind, sometimes near, sometimes far.

*

The coursework of the new semester came crashing down like a tidal wave.

The professors clearly felt the holidays were too leisurely, and unanimously increased the amount of papers assigned, especially Snape's Potions class, where Amanta spent almost every night in her dormitory with her cauldron.

Hermione was overjoyed and even prepared a detailed study schedule for her: "We need to make the most comprehensive preparation plan for the second round of the competition, including but not limited to improving underwater stealth ability, spellcasting speed, and... ah, yes, mental resilience."

“Sounds like training to become an Auror,” Cedric said with a smile, his smile always clean and gentle.

“Before becoming an Auror,” Harry interjected, “I just want to figure out exactly how deep we’re going to dive.”

"Are you worried about the mermaid, or are you worried that Julius is untrustworthy?" Amanta raised an eyebrow.

Harry gave him an indescribable look, as if he had both lemon candy and bubble gum in his mouth at the same time: "I guess so."

*

Everything should have been going smoothly, but the rhythm was disrupted by the front page headline of the Daily Prophet.

Rita Skeeter reappeared at Hogwarts with the green quill pen.

Her interview came without warning, sneaking into the corner of the student club like a scorpion.

Her question remained unsettlingly sharp: "Is there some kind of discord between you? As far as I know, two of the four champions of Hogwarts seem... to have been quiet lately."

Amanta looked up to see the quill pen already clicking away, recording information automatically, as if eagerly anticipating her uttering a fabricated tale of a broken friendship.

She simply smiled faintly: "The relationship between warriors cannot be defined by an outsider's pen."

“But you have to admit,” Rita pressed, “you seem to be using your influence over Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy to your advantage.”

“Yes,” Amanta stood up and smiled gently, “If influence is your definition of friendship, then I regret to inform you that I am actually quite useless in front of them.”

She turned and left, her back straight, like an unyielding cedar, while the quill pen hovered sluggishly in mid-air behind her, as if it didn't know how to twist the sentence into a bombshell.

*

Training for the SO team is ongoing.

Almost every night, they would gather at the House of Requirement to deduce possible underwater mazes based on clues from the lyrics of the Golden Egg song, and to study spells and countermeasures.

“If it’s the Black Lake, the problem is that it’s teeming with magical creatures.” Hermione was pointing to a map of the lake’s bottom, the authenticity of which was unknown. “For example, water ghosts, mermaids, giant squid, and maybe even Grindylow and underwater currents.”

“I’ll go talk to the mermaid,” Julius said, emerging from the corner. “I’ve studied some books on mermaid language; perhaps they’ll give us some clues.”

“How do you always know about these things?” Neville couldn’t help but mutter. “Are you… a mermaid translator?”

Julius chuckled: "I've just read some books."

Amanta didn't interrupt. She tapped her fingers lightly on the back of her chair, her gaze fixed on the parchment on the table covered with ink and sketches.

She could feel time speeding up, and the waters of the Black Lake were gathering in an invisible whirlpool, drawing them all in.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered Draco's figure standing in the snow that day, and his words, "I promise you."

She gazed at the starry sky outside the window; the stars seemed to move slightly, as if countless claws of fate were quietly descending.

In the end, it's almost here.

The second round of the competition is just around the corner.