The knight bus finally arrived at Diagon Alley first. Amanda nodded at Hermione, who had stood up, her voice cool and indifferent.
"Hermione, stay safe."
"Don't worry, you stay safe too."
Hermione turned back and smiled at Amanda, then she got off the bus with Harry and Ron, while Amanda, Cho Chang, Marietta Eckmore, and Penelope continued on to the Parkinson Family.
As one of the Pure-blood families that had promised allegiance to Amanda's side, the Parkinson Family had no objections to her request to inspect their Castle and vaults.
Since they had already pledged allegiance to Amanda, Voldemort was their enemy, and ensuring Voldemort died completely was their goal.
Therefore, as long as what Amanda wanted to do could advance the complete death of Voldemort, they were willing to support it.
After all, no one wanted that guy, Voldemort, to keep living; otherwise, wouldn't that mean those of them, the Pure-blood families that had pledged allegiance to Amanda, would suffer retaliation from Voldemort?
The search process by Amanda at the Parkinson Family went very smoothly, but the results were not very encouraging.
There was no Horcrux of Voldemort in the Parkinson Family's Castle. Clearly, Voldemort also understood that Horcruxes could only be given to the Death Eaters he trusted most, was closest to, or who were the most important in his camp.
Slowly lowering her eyes, Amanda walked out of the Parkinson Family's Castle while quickly listing names in her mind, determining the possible core members within the Death Eaters.
First was the House of Malfoy, which had already been confirmed to have once possessed a Horcrux, and second were the die-hard Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban.
According to the records from the Hogwarts Library regarding public information from the Ministry of Magic that Amanda had previously consulted, the leader among these people was undoubtedly Bellatrix Lestrange.
But whether it was the Lestrange family Castle, Bellatrix's personal vault, or the Lestrange family vault, Amanda could not search them right now; she would have to wait until after the great chaos, just as she had said before.
Compared to Amanda's side, things on Hermione's side were much more exciting; both the process and the results of the speech were very satisfying.
To be honest, before the speech started, Hermione had worried about whether Harry could properly complete this speech since he had never done one before; she had even prepared herself for this time to just be practice for Harry.
However, to her surprise, when Harry stood on that temporary high platform and shouted loudly to the people in Diagon Alley, this boy she had always known seemed like a different person.
He was like a brave warrior or general who could lead everyone to charge into battle, making people involuntarily feel their blood boil and their fighting spirit rise because of his words.
More importantly, "How come I don't remember any sentence on Harry's speech draft matching what he is saying now?"
Hermione whispered, nudging Ron next to her with her elbow. Could it be that her memory was wrong?
Upon hearing this, Ron looked down at the two pages of the speech draft in his hand, then immediately raised his head and shook it.
"It doesn't match a single sentence; Harry must be improvising."
"I didn't expect him to have this kind of talent."
Hermione's eyes lit up instantly, and as she looked at the impassioned Harry on the speaker's platform, a flicker of contemplation flashed in her eyes.
If Harry was so talented in this area... then maybe in the future...
Watching Hermione staring at the speaker's platform thoughtfully, Ron felt a sudden tightness in his chest for no reason and gulped.
He also slowly turned his head to look at Harry, who was still unaware of this on the platform and in high spirits.
Buddy, although I don't know why Hermione has set her sights on you, I think you might have a hard time in the future.
At the end of the day's activities, Amanda and Hermione returned to the Granger Residence.
The two girls sat closely together on the sofa, with two foot-soaking buckets placed closely together on the floor; this was something Amanda had prepared in advance to relieve fatigue.
"This is really comfortable."
Hermione curled her toes, savoring the feeling of her feet being wrapped in warm, hot water, and couldn't help but squint her eyes contentedly.
"Yes, soaking your feet can effectively relieve fatigue," Amanda said expressionlessly. Her parents used to like soaking their feet at night, although most of the time they just took baths in the bathtub in the bathroom.
"Things went very smoothly on our side today," Hermione opened her eyes, moved her back away from the sofa backrest, and turned to look at Amanda. "Harry's speech was unexpectedly good. I'm thinking now that the Ministry of Magic probably won't tolerate us continuing to give speeches like this."
"The Ministry of Magic will definitely resort to some dirty tricks."
Amanda said decisively, "But they won't do it now, or rather, they won't do it at the scene of Harry's speech."
Because there are too many people, it's too easy for the public to associate it with the Ministry of Magic and stir up public dissatisfaction.
"Stabbing in the back," Hermione looked down at her feet soaking in the water, and something seemed to flash through her mind instantly. "They are likely to use some means to force Harry to use magic outside of school!"
Thinking of this, Hermione's speaking speed accelerated instantly, and she looked up at Amanda beside her.
"Yes," Amanda nodded in agreement; this was also what she estimated the Ministry of Magic might do. "Not only that, but according to reasonable speculation, the best choice for the Ministry of Magic to force Harry to use magic is Dementors."
"Dementors?!" Hermione exclaimed softly, then immediately continued along Amanda's line of thought at a fast pace.
"That's right, the Ministry of Magic can still control the Dementors in Azkaban for the time being, and Muggles cannot see them. Harry is currently still living at his aunt and uncle's house for the sake of that blood protection magic."
"That is a Muggle community. Once a Dementor appears, Harry will have to use the Patronus Charm to protect himself and his aunt and uncle, but no one there except Harry can see the Dementor."
"So Harry is very likely to be accused of using magic in violation of regulations, breaking the statute of wizarding secrecy," Amanda added in a serious tone from the side.
"Then aren't we going to do something?" Hermione looked at Amanda uncertainly, not knowing what her plan was.
"No need," Amanda shook her head without the slightest ripple on her face. "According to my deduction and analysis, there should be an organization under Headmaster Dumbledore that resists Voldemort. Regarding the resistance against Voldemort, Harry's importance is self-evident, so there must be someone in this organization who lives near Harry's aunt and uncle's house for a long time."
"It's very likely a neighbor they all know."
"A neighbor they all know," Hermione said, frowning. "That means, that person likely knew everything about Harry's childhood experiences, but did nothing?"
Her tone was full of disapproval. In Hermione's view, no child should have to go through what Harry had experienced; of course, there was no need to even mention Amanda's experiences.
"I don't have relevant information on this aspect, so I cannot perform a reasonable analysis."
Amanda shook her head, indicating that she was powerless, "But one thing is certain: Harry will definitely have witnesses to help him prove the necessity and legality of his use of magic."
"Yes, that's for sure," Hermione nodded, seeming a bit absent-minded. "Ministry of Magic laws stipulate that a Young Wizard can use magic for self-defense in an emergency."
"Don't worry," Amanda's face softened, revealing a look of comfort. She reached out and gently patted Hermione's shoulder. "In any case, Harry will not be found guilty."
With her and Headmaster Dumbledore there, they could not possibly allow Harry to be found guilty.
Even in the worst-case scenario, even if Harry were actually found guilty, so what?
This crime was not nearly enough to get Harry sent to Azkaban. As for expelling him from school... her two mothers had already woken up; as for whether or not to expel a student from Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic's opinion didn't mean a damn thing.
Raising her eyebrows as she looked at Hermione, Amanda's face had a mechanical kind of liveliness. "So Hermione, you can tell Harry tomorrow that if he encounters a dangerous situation, he should use magic directly. Don't worry about any possible consequences or what the Ministry of Magic might do."
"Okay, I'll tell Harry tomorrow." Hermione nodded immediately in agreement.
When Hermione told Harry this the next day, Harry, who was preparing for his second speech in Diagon Alley, paused for a moment.
He looked at Hermione in disbelief. Was this something Hermione would say, encouraging him to use magic regardless of the situation if he encountered danger?
Had Hermione been knocked out by someone and replaced after drinking Polyjuice Potion? But thinking of Amanda, Harry immediately ruled out this possibility.
With Amanda around, let alone Polyjuice Potion, any disguise would be useless, especially if the person wanted to impersonate Hermione.
That would probably be exposed in a flash.
While his mind was "battling with heaven and man," Harry responded extremely quickly, "Okay, I got it."
It's just Dementors, right? He had also successfully practiced his Patronus Charm. From now on, his wand would always be in his pocket, never leaving his hand!
Amanda's search of the Pure-blood families' Castles continued for five consecutive days, and Harry's speeches in Diagon Alley also continued for five consecutive days.
For a full five days, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had undoubtedly become familiar faces to many Wizards.
Especially Hermione, who had "shined brightly" after the Quidditch World Cup Final; after being mentioned time and again in Harry's speeches, her influence and reputation in the British Wizarding World had now reached a new level.
There was no help for it; the foot traffic in Diagon Alley was too high, and Harry and the others had rooted themselves there for five days. It would be hard for people in the British Wizarding World not to recognize Hermione, not to mention that The Daily Prophet had reported on her before as a future star in the political world.
Now, basically most of the people in the British Wizarding World knew that there was a student named Hermione who was brave, had the world at heart, and had already achieved something, who was supporting Harry and persisting in resisting Voldemort, even if the Ministry of Magic did not admit that he had returned.
And Ron was not forgotten either; the frequency of his appearance in Harry's speeches was no less than Hermione's. Now, he was already a knight-like figure in the hearts of many Witches in the British Wizarding World.
Loyal, reliable, and in a critical moment, you could always count on him.
These five days of speeches caused the prestige of the three of them—Hermione, Harry, and Ron—to constantly rise, and also made the Ministry of Magic members of Fudge's faction constantly furious.
Regarding this situation, Fudge's eyes had even turned red with anxiety, and his throat was even inflamed from the urgency.
In his view, it was enough for the people of the Ministry of Magic to trust and support him alone; the actions of Hermione and the others were undoubtedly undermining his foundation, and he absolutely would not allow it!
"Dolores," Fudge said, pinching his uncomfortable throat, his voice slightly hoarse. "The previous plan can start now. You must force Harry Potter to use magic!"
As long as Harry Potter used magic, he could take the opportunity to put him on trial. Not only could he strike at the prestige he had just established, but he could even have him expelled from Hogwarts, and furthermore, force him to withdraw from the British Wizarding World forever.
It can only be said that Fudge's fantasy was exceptionally beautiful, while on the other side, Harry, who had been tipped off by Hermione in advance, kept his wand in his hand at all times, just as he had decided in his heart.
Therefore, when he was arguing with Dudley and felt the temperature around him dropping rapidly, the boy's eyes lit up. It was finally here! Finally!
Merlin knows how mentally exhausted he was thinking about this every day; now, he could finally put an end to this matter once and for all.
Pulling Dudley behind him, Harry didn't even care about his terrified questioning; he raised his wand and shouted without hesitation.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver, radiant stag instantly rushed out of Harry's wand, running and jumping around. The two Dementors, which hadn't even had time to land on the ground, were immediately driven away without looking back.
Dudley, standing behind Harry, stared dumbfounded at the stag running and jumping in front of him. Equally surprised as him was Mrs. Figg, who was responsible for "monitoring" Harry's situation.
This child... how could this child use magic so unhesitatingly?
And hadn't the Order of the Phoenix arranged for someone to be by his side? Where was that person! To make this child do it himself—is that person dead?
Dragging Dudley back to the Dursley family home, Harry likewise didn't pay any attention to his aunt and uncle, who were loudly questioning him after hearing Dudley's words. Instead, he went straight upstairs, took out parchment and a quill, and wrote a letter to Amanda, asking what he should do next. Clearly, now, compared to anyone else, he trusted Amanda and his friends more.
Vernon Dursley rushed up the stairs with heavy steps; the thumping sound sounded like firecrackers. He pushed open Harry's bedroom door.
"You actually dared, actually dared to openly use magic outside! You have to get out, boy!"
Listening to Vernon's roar, Harry rolled his eyes helplessly, handed the letter to Hedwig for her to mail, and turned to look at Vernon.
"If I didn't use magic, your son would have no soul by now, just an empty shell."
"Also, I am waiting for a letter now. If the letter arrives saying I can leave here, please believe me, I will leave without hesitation."
"So now, please leave first." Harry raised his eyebrows, pointed to the door of the room, and his tone was filled with an unquestionable flavor.
Meanwhile, at the Granger Residence, Amanda and Hermione received the letter Harry sent in less than ten minutes.
Watching Hedwig, who was lowering her head and drinking water in big gulps because of the rapid flight, Hermione reached out to stroke her feathers, then looked suspiciously at the letter in Amanda's hand.
"So why didn't Harry use the communicator?" Wasn't that faster? Then Hedwig wouldn't have had to fly so urgently.
"In an emergency, humans tend to have inertia in their thinking; Harry must have forgotten."
Amanda said simply, while quickly opening the letter Harry had sent.
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