"Alright," Amanda replied indifferently while looking at Harry's face. "Then it's settled. Everyone will meet at Godrics Hollow tomorrow morning."
"No problem," the other five Young Wizards agreed in unison. Accompanying Harry to see his former home was something they, as his friends, ought to do.
However, among the five, only Hermione looked at Amanda thoughtfully while saying it was no problem.
Why did this girl suddenly think to ask Harry if he wanted to visit Godrics Hollow?
Amanda never did anything without a purpose. So, what was she planning now?
Hermione kept her doubts to herself. After seeing Harry, Cho Chang, and the others off, she couldn't wait to ask Amanda.
After closing the door and turning around, Hermione wrapped her arms around Amanda's neck and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Tell me, why did you suddenly think of going to Godrics Hollow?"
She didn't believe Amanda's excuse about checking if Voldemort had left any other Horcrux fragments there.
If that were truly a possibility, with Amanda's analytical skills, she would have mentioned Godrics Hollow back when she first deduced the Horcruxes' likely locations.
Looking at Hermione, who was leaning in close, Amanda pursed her lips. "I can't say for now. I'm not sure if things are as I suspect."
"Tsk, learned how to be mysterious, have you?"
Hermione clicked her tongue, tilted her head slightly while still holding Amanda's neck, and kissed her.
The first thing Mr. and Mrs. Granger saw when they walked in after work was the two girls kissing passionately by the door, one of whom was their own daughter.
Even... their daughter was clearly the dominant one. Good Lord, they saw Amanda's legs starting to tremble, her body entirely supported by Hermione.
Deep in the kiss, neither noticed the front door had been opened silently—partly because Mr. and Mrs. Granger had intentionally softened their movements upon seeing the scene.
Glancing at each other, the Grangers, who weren't the type to disturb their children, quietly changed their shoes and headed straight for the kitchen.
They might as well go make dinner for the two girls. Young people always needed more space; they understood.
Feeling Hermione's gentle yet somewhat overbearing kiss, Amanda's legs and waist grew softer until she was almost "melting" into Hermione's arms.
"Mmh..."
Unable to hold back any longer, she reached out and gently pushed Hermione's shoulder. If Hermione didn't let go, she would collapse completely, and she was running out of breath.
Clearly, after being kissed by Hermione for the first time, she had combined human anatomy and the organs involved in breathing to understand how to catch her breath, but why was she still breathless from Hermione's kisses?
Her comprehension of kissing wasn't slow either; in her own view, it was well within the normal learning speed.
But Hermione always seemed to have the upper hand in this regard, always learning and progressing faster than her.
Hearing Amanda's soft whimper, Hermione finally pulled away, satisfied. She looked with a smile at the girl who was clutching her waist, head resting on her chest, panting heavily.
If the Wizards of the Pure-blood families saw Amanda like this, they would probably be scared out of their wits, given her formidable public image.
Panting, Amanda looked up at Hermione and quickly adjusted her breathing.
"Hermione, why is it that even though I learn very quickly, I can't catch up to you?"
Amanda showed a hint of confusion as she spoke; her brain truly couldn't analyze an answer to this question.
"Hehe," Hermione raised her eyebrows triumphantly. She supported Amanda's waist with her left hand and pinched her nose with her right. "Because some things can't be learned through logic and knowledge. Only emotions can make those things improve significantly."
"I see." Nodding half-comprehendingly, Amanda felt she could vaguely understand what Hermione meant.
It was only after the two girls' lips parted that they finally noticed Mr. and Mrs. Granger's shoes at the door and the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad, sorry, we didn't notice you were back."
Hermione pulled Amanda to the kitchen door, feeling a rare sense of embarrassment as she watched her parents busy inside.
Being so focused on kissing Amanda that she didn't hear her parents come in... it was indeed a bit embarrassing.
"Good evening, Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger. Sorry, we didn't notice you just now."
"It's alright," Mrs. Granger put down the steak and turned around, looking at the two girls with a smile. "We completely understand your... state just now."
"Yes, completely understand." Standing beside her, Mr. Granger also turned and nodded in agreement, giving his daughter a particularly approving look.
"However, Hermione," Mrs. Granger changed the subject, looking at her daughter with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Hmm? Mom, what is it?" Hermione's whole body stiffened. That look... she felt her mother was about to say something that would make her blush.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Mrs. Granger said, "I understand how you feel, but you should still be mindful of your limits." She nodded toward Amanda. "Don't kiss her lips until they're too swollen; the skin might break."
Amanda was stunned for a moment before realizing she was talking about her own lips.
Turning to look at Hermione, Amanda was perfectly calm and composed. "Hermione, are my lips very swollen?"
"Ahem," Hermione raised a hand to her mouth and coughed twice, a beautiful pinkish-red color quickly spreading across her face. "A little, I suppose. I... I'll be more careful next time."
Amanda pressed her finger against her lip, then stuck out her tongue to feel it carefully.
She shook her head, her voice as clear and clean as spring water between glaciers. "It's fine. Based on the thickness of the skin on the lips and the intensity of Hermione's kiss, I estimate that Hermione would need to maintain that state for another five minutes to cause further changes to my lips."
"So, Hermione doesn't need to be too careful."
So, Hermione doesn't need to be too careful... Hermione took a deep breath. This meant she could be even bolder, right?
It definitely meant that! There was no way she could have misunderstood!
Her cheeks, which had slowly been returning to their normal color, turned red again. "I... I'll take Amanda to the living room to wait."
She hurriedly finished her sentence and pulled Amanda out of the kitchen toward the living room as if fleeing, avoiding her mother's teasing gaze that was struggling to suppress a laugh.
After sitting on the sofa in the living room with Amanda and seeing her flushed cheeks, Amanda couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.
Catching Amanda's smile out of the corner of her eye, Hermione gently pinched her cheek.
"Still laughing at me," she looked Amanda up and down. "It's only because you and I are still young."
After saying that vaguely, Hermione withdrew her hand, leaving Amanda to analyze in her mind what Hermione's words and tone might have meant in that context.
At dinner, neither of the Grangers took the initiative to ask about the progress of Amanda and Hermione's actions. They knew that some things weren't suitable for them to know yet.
When the dust finally settled, they would listen to their daughter's experiences.
The night passed extremely quickly. When Amanda followed Hermione off the knight bus, Harry and Ron Weasley had clearly been standing at the entrance to Godrics Hollow for a while.
Looking up slowly, what met Amanda's eyes was a stone statue of Harry's family. The statue was enchanted with a powerful permanent Confundo to ensure that only Wizards could see its true form.
Beneath the statue, there were many wreaths and banners that had clearly been placed there recently.
Stepping forward to look at the banners, Amanda couldn't help but nod at the words written on them.
"In memory of James Potter, Lily Potter, and Harry Potter. It was they who won us over a decade of peace."
"Blessings to the boy who lived, Harry Potter. We believe in you."
Thinking back to the articles the Ministry of Magic had authorized in The Daily Prophet, it was easy to guess what "believe in you" referred to.
"Looking at it this way," Harry said, placing a hand on his chest and turning to look at the newly arrived Amanda and Hermione, "it's quite moving, isn't it?"
At least now he felt even more willing to work hard for everyone in the British Wizarding World. Even if some people opposed him or didn't trust him, so what?
He still had many people who trusted him, didn't he?
"One of the reasons we fight," Hermione said with a smile, patting Harry on the shoulder.
Within a few minutes, two other knight buses dropped off Cho Chang, Marietta Eckmore, and Penelope respectively.
Seeing Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore get off the same knight bus, a realization formed in Amanda's mind.
It seemed the two seniors were already living together.
After the seven of them greeted each other, they walked together toward the Potter family's residence in Godrics Hollow.
When they reached the Potter residence, what Amanda saw was a ruin, just like the Gaunt family's old house.
"This is the place..."
Harry murmured softly, stepping into the ruins and bending down to gently touch a fragment of a wooden board on the ground. Ron Weasley stood silently beside him, looking down at him with a complex expression.
The four girls, including Hermione, Cho Chang, Marietta Eckmore, and Penelope, all looked at their surroundings with sorrowful expressions, occasionally casting worried glances at Harry, who was crouching on the ground.
Only Amanda slowly backed away until she could survey the entire ruin. She stopped, and within seconds, her brain recorded the extent and state of the damage, constructing a virtual model. The next moment, in her mind's eye, the virtual model of the entire ruin began to reassemble.
Pieces of wood and rubble returned to their proper places. In Amanda's mind, a house filled with warmth appeared.
Inside this house, Amanda's thoughts moved rapidly, analyzing every detail of the virtual model. Finally, she easily identified the spot that would be least affected and most easily overlooked after the house collapsed.
Walking quickly to the spot marked in her mind, Amanda crouched down and looked at a corner tightly blocked by wooden boards. A glimmer of light flashed in her half-dead eyes.
Reaching out to gently move the boards, a familiar aura of magic flickered beneath them.
Unlocking the magic with practiced ease, Amanda picked up a button from the ground. At the same time, a brilliant smile blossomed on her face.
Indeed, she told herself, if she, who had only regained some of her emotions, could think of doing this, how could her future self, with fully restored emotions, not think of it?
Everything was predestined; everything was within the river of time.
Quietly pocketing the button, Amanda placed the wooden boards back in their original positions.
Standing up and walking back to Harry's side, Hermione sniffled and hugged her arm.
Patting Hermione's back reassuringly, Amanda nodded with a calm expression. "I've finished checking. There are no Horcrux fragments of Voldemort here."
"That's good," Harry said, taking a deep breath and standing up, adjusting his state as quickly as possible. "His filthy soul didn't defile where my family used to live."
Turning around to see Hermione holding Amanda's arm, and Ron Weasley and the other three seniors looking at him with concern and encouragement, Harry gave a confident and dashing smile.
"Let's continue with our plan."
To expose Voldemort's secrets, to help Hermione quickly rise to a high position, and to help the British Wizarding World progress further.
Seeing that Harry had adjusted, Hermione closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she had returned to her usual state.
"Harry, is the speech ready?"
"Ready," Harry nodded firmly, patting the pocket of his wizard robe. "The location for the speech will be the most crowded part of Diagon Alley. If there are too few people, I'm afraid the Ministry might try something underhanded."
He gave a sarcastic smile as he spoke. He didn't dare gamble on the character of the Ministry people, or rather, Cornelius Fudge and his lot.
"A wise choice," Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Senior Cho Chang, Senior Marietta, Senior Penelope, which Pure-blood families are you planning to visit next according to the original plan?"
Amanda turned her gaze toward her three seniors.
"The Parkinson Family," Cho Chang answered softly.
"Good," Amanda nodded, pulling out her wand and holding her arm out flat. "Then let's go to the Parkinson Family first."
In the next instant, the knight bus arrived and stopped abruptly. Amidst the conductor's standard greeting, the seven Young Wizards stepped into the carriage.
Sitting on a four-poster bed with Amanda, Hermione hooked one arm through Amanda's and gripped the bedpost tightly with her other hand, sliding backward with the bed as the knight bus surged forward.
"Merlin's bus... I really don't believe they can't make the knight bus more comfortable."
Hearing Hermione's complaint beside her, Amanda pursed her lips and smiled. She silently moved closer to her, her voice half-amused and half-mechanical. "Once our mission is successful, you can demand they make improvements, Hermione."
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