Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

When Amanta woke up, the first thing she saw was a slightly faded canvas.

The off-white tent roof swayed gently, sunlight filtering through the gaps, rippling quietly like water. The air carried a damp, grassy scent, along with a hint of salty, algae-laden aroma, seemingly emanating from the lakebed.

Amanta wrinkled her nose and subconsciously moved her fingers.

...Her knuckles were a little stiff, and there was still some dampness under her skirt.

She lay on a wooden bed, covered with a quilt and wrapped in a thick blanket. The surroundings were not exactly quiet; the enthusiastic shouts of the audience outside sometimes penetrated the soundproofing of the tent, creating a faint but not chaotic background noise.

Amanta's mind was still a bit sluggish as she tried to recall, but her thoughts remained muddled.

Early in the morning before the match began... she was called away by Professor Snape...

and then?

...and then, she remembered nothing.

But the dampness of her clothes clinging to her skin reminded her that many things had already happened, and probably more than just a little.

Amanta suddenly sat up, supporting herself on the bed frame, her hair still sticking to her forehead from the moisture.

"Amanta?"

"you're awake!"

Two voices sounded almost at the same time.

Harry and Draco flanked her, as if they had been waiting by her bedside for a long time, just waiting for her to open her eyes.

Their school uniforms had already been changed, and their hair still had a fluffy, dried look, making it clear that they had just escaped from Madam Pomfrey.

Harry's eyes sparkled as he frantically tried to steady her, yet dared not touch her too hard, and an uncontrollable smile crept onto his lips.

"You have no idea how amazing that was! We—we only took a little over ten minutes, seventeen minutes and eight seconds! We were the first team to rescue someone!"

“You mean…” Amanta slowly scanned her surroundings.

Not far from her bed, Fleur Delacour and Krum were still lying, pale-faced and unconscious, wrapped in thick quilts and blankets.

But the warriors of Bexbarton and Durmstrang have vanished without a trace.

She turned to look at Harry:

"Where are the warriors of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang? Where are they?"

“Uh… well…” Harry scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “I saw the two of them lying there, and I was really worried, so… I just brought them back with me.”

"Just doing it casually?" Amanta raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... I was thinking, what if their teammates don't find them in time? The competition is so dangerous, and the lake water is so cold. What if something happens to them? Anyway, we're already in first place, so it wouldn't hurt to end the competition sooner."

“…Hmm.” She didn’t comment immediately, but turned to Draco, “So how did you guys manage to do that for over ten minutes?”

"This speed is one or two times faster than our fastest estimate, isn't it?"

Draco's face showed no surprise; instead, it seemed as if he had a pent-up anger, and he coldly glanced at the other corner of the tent:

"You're asking me? You should ask that guy over there. It seems... he's the one who arranged everything in advance."

Following his gaze, Amanta saw—

Julius Hoffmann stood in the corner of the tent, by a wooden post near the stove, his face showing no tension or self-reproach, only a detachment that was somewhere between weariness and elegance.

She stared at him, devoid of any emotion, yet her gaze was extremely intense.

"what have you done?"

Julius looked up, a polite smile appearing on his lips, like the aftermath of a yawn.

“I just made a small exchange,” he said. “In exchange, I returned to the mermaids what they longed for.”

“…What did you say?” Amanta’s voice changed, as if filled with intense suppressed emotion. “A crown?”

Harry and Draco turned to him at the same time, and even Madam Pomfrey was drawn to the word and glanced back.

Julius, however, shrugged nonchalantly, his tone still lazy:

"Don't worry, I only used a little trick, it's harmless. I believe Professor Snape certainly won't mind—trading a potentially harmful antique for the honor of Slytherin."

"It's with Professor Snape."

“Yes,” Julius smiled slightly, a glint of something dark in his eyes, “it’s gone now.”

"You didn't break the curse on it... did you?"

“Of course not,” he answered matter-of-factly. “I just threw the crown to them, the whole thing. I gave them everything they wanted. As for those guys who have been squatting in the water for thousands of years, whether they can see through it, whether they can break the spell… that depends on their abilities.”

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

Julius observed Amanta's expression, but spoke slowly and deliberately:

“Amanta, I’ve solved two problems that have been troubling you for a long time. I’ve also helped you win the honor of Hogwarts.”

He lowered his head slightly, his eyes filled with tenderness yet carrying a dangerous glint.

"You should thank me."

Amanta simply lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting long shadows that obscured her always sharp eyes.

That was indeed a problem that had been troubling her for a long time.

She never expected that the problem would be handled in this way, without her involvement, without her intervention, without being informed, and simply resolved so easily and casually.

...in a way that she couldn't control.

The tiara belongs to Lady Ravenclaw, a symbol of knowledge and contemplation. She thought she would find a safer way, perhaps to break the curse, perhaps to seal it, perhaps to wait for the right moment... but she never imagined it would turn out this way.

Use an exchange method to throw the problem away, as if you never had it in the first place.

Amanta gently tightened her knuckles.

She couldn't bring herself to say thank you to him.

But she couldn't bring herself to blame him.

Everything was too complicated, and he handled it too quickly, as if it had been planned in advance.

"Try to think positively, Amanta."

Harry suddenly leaned over from her side, his smile somewhat forced, but he tried to force a relaxed tone.

"At least when you go for a walk in Black Lake in the future, you won't always be startled by mermaids emerging from the water. Anyway, the soul above... uh, it's gone now. Let's just pretend that crown was never found and leave the problem for the mermaids to figure out."

Amanta lowered her eyes, nodded, and ran her fingertips along the hem of her cloak, where a few drops of water still clung.

A series of hurried footsteps could be heard outside the tent.

boom--!

The curtain was suddenly flung open, and a cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in.

Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's warriors returned, six men storming into the tent, still smelling of the lake, their shoes wet and their steps unsteady.

Their gazes shifted from surprise and confusion to doubt and anger after they saw Fleur and Krum lying peacefully in bed.