Watching Professor Snape vanish from the spot, about to return to the center of the maze, Amanda stood up abruptly and nodded at Harry.
"Have you remembered all the details?"
"I have." Harry closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded in reply. He had basically remembered all the details he was supposed to, and anything else was something he wouldn't have been able to recall even if he had been there in person.
"Good," Amanda replied, turning to look at Hermione. "I'm taking Harry to the center of the maze; he needs to switch back with Professor Snape."
Harry would soon need to face the many students of Hogwarts, as well as those from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and it was best if he appeared in person.
"Alright, you can avoid being seen, right?" Hermione looked at Amanda and then at Harry with some concern.
Amanda's expression didn't change in the slightest as she replied confidently, "Of course. It's very dark now; I'll bring Harry down from the air, no one will see."
Having said that, she walked over to Harry and grabbed his right arm. Harry gasped, turning his head to look at Hermione in panic.
Only after confirming that she didn't have any negative expression did he relax.
Grabbing Harry's arm, Amanda floated with him to the window at top speed. After opening the window, the two of them flew out at an incredible pace.
Is this what it feels like to fly on your own without a flying broomstick?
Harry glanced down at the empty air beneath his feet—the high altitude in the dead of night. Looking down, there was nothing but a pitch-black void.
Even Harry, who could soar through the skies and enjoy the heavens on a flying broomstick, couldn't help but tremble inwardly. This was completely different from riding a flying broomstick!
Bringing Harry down to the center of the maze, Professor Snape had clearly been waiting for two minutes.
"I assume I don't need to teach you what to do next, Mr. Potter?"
He looked at Harry with a gloomy gaze, incidentally tossing the remote control and the lapel-style miniature camera back to Amanda.
Amanda reached out to take the two items, pressing lightly on the side of the lapel-style miniature camera with her right hand to remove a small piece resembling a memory card.
"No need, Professor Snape." Facing Professor Snape's gaze, Harry shook his head decisively. "I know what to do."
"Very good." Professor Snape turned around and strode off in another direction of the maze.
Watching his black robes still billowing behind him like waves, even while disguised as Harry, Amanda blinked with an indifferent expression.
"Harry, make your performance convincing."
Turning to instruct Harry, Amanda suddenly rose into the air and flew away into the distance at high speed.
Harry watched Amanda's figure rise rapidly and disappear. He patted his cheeks, put on a look of being shaken, and drew his wand to shoot sparks into the sky.
Amanda landed behind the viewing stands of the Triwizard Tournament, just in time to meet up with Hermione and the others who had hurried over.
Looking up at the sparks in the sky, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems Harry is ready."
"Yes, let's hurry over too." Amanda nodded expressionlessly, turned around, and took the lead as they rushed toward the Triwizard Tournament arena.
Hermione, Cho Chang, Marietta Eckmore, Penelope, and Ron chased after her. The biggest play of the night was beginning.
When Amanda rushed into the crowd and saw Harry being supported by Headmaster Dumbledore, she nodded inwardly.
Harry had indeed improved a lot; he was covered in dirt and disheveled, clearly having rolled on the ground after she left.
What's more... he had even deliberately carved a wound into his arm to fake the appearance of Voldemort taking his blood.
He was truly willing to make sacrifices.
Seeing Amanda, Hermione, and the others arrive, and noting that the surrounding students and Professors had gathered, Harry spoke with a terrified expression, amidst the feigned grim expressions of Headmaster Dumbledore and the other Professors.
"Voldemort, Voldemort has returned, just moments ago! Using my blood."
Boom!
Like a bomb thrown into a quiet pool, the surrounding Young Wizards were silent for two seconds before instantly erupting into chaos.
The Ravenclaw Eagles looked toward Amanda first, and upon seeing her grave expression, their hearts skipped a beat.
The Little Badgers of Hufflepuff reacted the same way; seeing Amanda's grave expression and the suddenly darkening faces of the Little Eagles nearby, their hearts trembled violently.
Harry's participation in the Triwizard Tournament had seemed like a conspiracy based on Amanda's behavior, but it turned out... this was actually Voldemort's conspiracy? It was actually a conspiracy for the resurrection of Voldemort?!
At this moment, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students of Hogwarts believed Harry's story deeply; the Slytherins dared not speak, and the Gryffindors didn't know what to say.
For a time, the situation Amanda had anticipated—where someone would object or rebuke—did not happen at all.
The formula she had used to calculate everyone's possible reactions, based on human personality traits, had failed to account for her own influence on them.
Thus, she had severely underestimated how high the credibility of both herself and Harry—under her influence—was in the eyes of everyone.
Harry, who was being helped up by Headmaster Dumbledore, watched the silence around him, and his feigned expression of terror and worry almost cracked.
What happened to everyone refuting him? Weren't they supposed to make him "weep tears of blood" as he insisted that what he said was true, that Voldemort had really returned?
Why did it look like the surrounding Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were about to agree and spread the news?
Wait, were they really accepting the news of Voldemort's return this easily?
More importantly, Amanda actually made a mistake in her calculations?!
Watching the reaction of the people around, Penelope inwardly cried out that it was bad. If the wave of opposition within Hogwarts was too small, it would easily affect the parents outside of Hogwarts, thereby affecting the voices of more people in the British Wizarding World.
In that case, the Ministry of Magic led by Fudge might not vilify Amanda, Hermione, and Harry too much, and might even be pressured into directly admitting Voldemort's return. Although this possibility was small, it definitely existed. If that happened, wouldn't Hermione's best chance of becoming Minister for Magic be gone!
Even if she could become Minister for Magic, it would probably have to wait until she graduated.
No, the British Wizarding World absolutely could not let Fudge be the Minister for Magic anymore, absolutely not!
Taking a deep breath, Penelope decided to take the lead and stir up this play; in the end, she was the one carrying the burden for her junior students.
"Harry, is what you're saying true? How could You-Know-Who return?"
Penelope looked at Harry with a face full of doubt. Harry, who was being questioned, felt a sudden sense of relief. By Merlin's fattest pair of boxer shorts, someone had finally questioned him! It didn't matter if it was faked; as long as someone questioned him, he could continue to perform.
The play Amanda had arranged could continue. Thanks for the help, Senior Penelope!
"Of course everything I'm saying is true," Harry said, showing anxiety, and even anger that Penelope didn't trust him. "I saw Voldemort return with my own eyes. I escaped from his spells myself. I saw... I saw the greatest scourge of this Wizarding World return to this world in an arrogant manner!"
Harry's words were practically "weeping tears of blood." Regardless of what everyone around thought, Professor Snape, who had just arrived at the scene as the Polyjuice Potion wore off, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
This brat from the Potter family was overacting!
Not to mention anything else, that bit about an "arrogant return"—Voldemort himself probably wouldn't believe that description.
Compared to Professor Snape's shock and disdain for Harry's acting, the other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were equally shocked and confused that Senior Penelope would actually doubt Harry.
Wait, wasn't Senior Penelope with Amanda and the others?
Shouldn't she trust Harry? How could she...
Watching the surrounding Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs just stare blankly without speaking, while the Gryffindors and Slytherins also remained silent.
Penelope felt she was about to roll her eyes. She blinked fiercely at her roommate who happened to be standing opposite her. After all, having lived in the same Dormitory for six years, they had basic chemistry.
The Ravenclaw girl who received the signal looked at Penelope, then at Amanda, who was standing there as if waiting for something. She felt she had an epiphany.
This was Amanda and the others' plan! They needed everyone to refute Harry!
Thinking of this, she quickly spoke up, "I also think, isn't it impossible? After all, You-Know-Who is already dead; how can a dead person return?"
As her voice fell, more and more Little Eagles of Ravenclaw realized this was Amanda's plan—they were putting on a show, so they had to cooperate well and not let Amanda's plan fail.
Straightening their expressions, the Little Eagles began to analyze and argue from various angles that Voldemort could not return, citing various magic principles and Muggle biological principles.
They forcefully turned the refutation of Harry into an "academic discussion," while Harry leaned on Headmaster Dumbledore, insisting with a grief-stricken face that Voldemort had returned.
Headmaster Dumbledore, whom he was leaning on, and the various Professors just watched The Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs—who had finally realized they were supposed to be acting—ferociously refute him with expressions of "I absolutely believe Harry."
Professor McGonagall closed her eyes helplessly, feeling that Hogwarts might need to add a course on facial expression management, otherwise, given how these children wore their thoughts on their faces...
What would they do once they left Hogwarts!
The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were parched from refuting Harry, and when they looked over at the Gryffindors who didn't know what to say, they got angry.
Slytherins were one thing, but you Gryffindors—they were struggling to act here, and you were just watching the show and resting?
Reaching out to yank the Gryffindors beside them, the Little Eagles and Little Badgers finally got the Little Lions to join in.
Even the Little Snakes of Slytherin couldn't hold back in the end. Having confirmed from The Ravenclaws' behavior that this was Amanda's plan, they immediately began to refute Harry as well.
Anyway, they had long received letters from home saying that their families had switched to supporting Amanda, so wasn't now the time to cooperate with her?
The entire Hogwarts was acting in tacit agreement. At this moment, the only two groups truly out of the loop were the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.
Wait... why did they feel like something was a bit strange? But they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up enough, Amanda shook her head to cast aside the confusion about the situation deviating from her expectations. She walked up to Harry with an indifferent face, patted his shoulder, and signaled that he could rest for a while.
Harry immediately closed his mouth and swallowed hard. Merlin knew how thirsty he was after speaking to a hundred people.
Turning to face the crowd of Young Wizards, Amanda spoke in a flat tone, amidst the gazes of those who felt they had finally finished their part in the play.
"I believe Harry, and I understand everyone's worry and fear regarding the return of Voldemort. I understand even more that because of this worry and fear, everyone is unwilling to believe this fact."
"But even if you are unwilling to believe it, it is a fact." Hermione said as she stepped forward to take Amanda's hand, facing the other Young Wizards together with her.
As if to signal everyone, she squeezed Amanda's hand. "Please do not be afraid. As long as we stand united, as long as we love one another, Voldemort is not to be feared; we can defeat him!"
Looking at Amanda and Hermione's clasped hands and listening to Hermione's passionate words, the Young Wizards were truly on the verge of applauding in agreement.
It was Cho Chang who noticed this trend; she yanked hard on her classmate from the same year beside her to stop her from acting, while shouting a retort.
The Young Wizards of Hogwarts finally understood how the rest of the play should go, and they all began to refute.
Letting the children act for nearly ten minutes to build momentum for Amanda and Hermione, Headmaster Dumbledore and the other Professors finally spoke up to calm all the Young Wizards down.
"Alright, children, I believe you are all tired. Go back to sleep; Harry also needs a good rest."
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly, and a flash of blue light shimmered across his lenses.
The Young Wizards who had just been acting instantly broke character, swallowing hard as they walked toward Hogwarts Castle.
Merlin, water—they needed to go back and drink water.
"Potter, I believe you still need to go see Madam Pomfrey."
Professor McGonagall reached out and tapped Harry's arm. Harry wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but seeing his Dean's serious expression, he nodded.
"Hermione, you all go back first." Seeing that everyone around had mostly left, Amanda nodded at Hermione and the others with an expressionless face, while she herself walked toward the reporter from The Daily Prophet who was in charge of recording the event.
She had to instruct The Daily Prophet in advance: if the Ministry of Magic wanted to publish reports smearing her and Harry, they must cooperate.
As for reports smearing Hermione... it was indeed necessary to have some, but the degree of the smear must be watched; it absolutely could not be excessive, absolutely not!
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.